Twibby

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Chicks Dig the Long Ball: Irish Receivers ’13

October 23, 2013 by Twibby

Yep, it’s true what they say: chicks dig the long ball. http://youtu.be/hKAJIvQRSzE More than any other season since Brady Quinn left the Irish, Notre Dame wide receivers have been averaging HUGE numbers in terms of average yards per catch. So far this season, 6 ND receivers are averaging more yards per catch than anyone not named Michael Floyd or Golden Tate has since 2006 (with the small caveat of only including players with 10 catches in a season). TJ Jones, DaVaris Daniels, Hercules ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 14: Cam McDaniel #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on September 14, 2013 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Breaking Down the Run/Pass Balance

September 26, 2013 by Twibby

Saturday was the first game in a loooong time where I was truly frustrated with Notre Dame’s offensive game plan. Of course, the Irish still scored enough points to win and it was not very long ago where ND would have lost by 10 points to that same Michigan State team. While style points would have offered some icing on a cake made of pass interference calls, feeling the need to complain about the effort really shows how far this program has come over the past few seasons. One topic that has ...

3 Questions for MSU

September 19, 2013 by Twibby

Michigan State rolls into South Bend on Saturday with a 3-0 record, but with 3 wins that came against the teams ranked 126th, 135th and 139th in the Sagarin Ratings. In preparation for Sparty, here are 3 questions to consider for Saturday. 1) Can the Irish establish a running game? Through week 3, Michigan State is 4th in the country in giving up 151 rushing yards on 82 attempts by their opponents (1.84 yards per carry). While their opponents have been weak (okay, maybe “weak” is an ...

A look ahead at Brian Kelly's starting quarterback, Tommy Rees. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

2013 Tommy vs. 2011 Tommy

September 18, 2013 by Twibby

After a phenomenal performance against Temple, I took a waaay too early look at Tommy Rees vs. the the field of NCAA quarterbacks. After the first week, Rees ranked 4th in the country in passer rating (yes, a very flawed stat). While he has come down to Earth since then, Tommy is still 13th overall – 3 spots behind Johnny Manziel and 1 spot ahead of Aaron Murray. In total QBR, a much more thorough representation of overall quarterback performance (explained in detail here) Rees comes in at 39th ...

Irish Blogger Gathering: Purduzzzzz

September 11, 2013 by Twibby

With the Irish facing Purzzzz this weekend our number one goal is to stay awake when the Boilzzzz are on offense. While it is tough for anything involving Purduzzzzzzz to be exciting, Aaron Horvath of Strong and True and I did our best to have some fun with our friends down in West Lafayette. The questions below are mine, while the answers are Aaron's. Don't forget to also check out my answers in this weeks IBG over at The Subway Domer, and the other participants at Inside the Irish, UHND ...

Rees vs. the Field: A Way Too Early Look

September 3, 2013 by Twibby

Tommy Rees kicked off the 2013 season by completing his first 3 passes for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading all Notre Dame fans to a very rational thought: Tommy Rees is the Heisman frontrunner. Okay, okay - that is a bit of a stretch. But for a kid who has had a college career full of peaks and valleys it was a phenomenal way to begin his senior campaign. While the Irish didn't continue to score at the same pace through the rest of the game, Tommy Football continued with what was the best ...

Looking Back at 2012: A Statistical Analysis

August 27, 2013 by Twibby

FINNNNNNALLY it’s game week. Saturday cannot come soon enough. While you spend your week watching FIDM videos, reading press conference transcripts and fidgeting uncontrollably in anticipation of the 2013 season kickoff this weekend, I hope a little statistical analysis of the 2012 campaign will help keep your mind off that agonizingly long wait until 3:30pm ET on Saturday. ...

Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy: Running Back

August 8, 2013 by Twibby

It was incredibly painful watching seven rounds of NFL Draft coverage without hearing Cierre Wood’s name called. Wood could have been returning to the Irish this year for a 5th season after he sat out his freshman campaign in 2009, but chose to take a shot at the next level. While we’re not here to judge whether or not he made the right personal decision, as fans it’s obvious that it would be a luxury to have Wood in the backfield this year. With Everett Golson out for the season this rings even ...

Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy: Tight End

July 24, 2013 by Twibby

With Anthony Fasano, John Carlson, Kyle Rudolph and Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame has put together a string of tight ends that might very well make ND the new “Tight End U.” Losing Eifert, the 2012 Mackey Award winner, to the NFL will be a tough obstacle to overcome, particularly without Everett Golson at quarterback. Many have noted Tommy Rees’s tendency to lock onto one receiver (first Floyd, and then Eifert), and he will not have the safety blanket of throwing to one of the premier targets in ...

Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy: Defensive Backs

July 16, 2013 by Twibby

Leading up to the 2012 season, I said that Jamoris Slaughter’s ability to lead Notre Dame’s young secondary would be critical to the team’s defensive success. Well, a popped Achilles, a true freshman running back playing cornerback, and a bunch of Bobby Diaco voodoo later and the Irish put together an excellent season on the back end of the defense. Despite Slaughter being denied a sixth year of eligibility and Zeke Motta being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, the Irish do return the bulk of ...