OKLAHOMA SOONERS (3-0)
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (3-1)
Two of the most storied college football programs meet on the field this Saturday. The Sooners of Oklahoma and the fighting Irish of Notre Dame. As prominent as these two programs are they have only played 10 times and Notre Dame has won 9 of them. Perhaps the most famous was November 16, 1947 in Norman Oklahoma. A 7-0 loss to Notre Dame ended the Sooners record 47 game winning streak. Ironically, the streak started in 1953 and the Sooners first game that season was a 28-21 loss to the Irish. The streak also included Oklahoma's lone victory against Notre Dame, a 40-0 win in 1956.
Notre Dame has certainly had the Sooners number. Bob Stoops is 0-2 against the Irish losing in South Bend in 1999, Stoops first at OU, and losing last year in Norman. Few teams have a winning record against Stoops.
Today's game is in South Bend. The Irish are typically tough to beat at home as are the Sooners. These two teams are not quite the same as the two that met in Norman last year. Both will be playing different quarterbacks and the Irish are missing several key members on both sides of the ball including star linebacker Manti Te'o.
For the Sooners, quarterback Blake Bell starts his second game. His first on the road. Bell played well in his first start but it was in Norman, against a Tulsa team that managed to lose to winless Iowa State team Thursday, at home. How well Blake Bell plays may well determine the outcome of the game.
The Sooner defense has played well to start the season but against much weaker offenses. They gave up 20 to Tulsa who only managed to score 21 to a much weaker Iowa State defense. How they play against a pass happy Irish offense will also go along way to determining the final score. The positive for the Sooner defense is that they are pretty solid at defending the run and Notre Dame is struggling in the run game. If OU can make the Irish offense one dimensional, a win in South Bend is likely.
The Irish have ho-hum wins against Temple, Purdue and Michigan State and a 41-30 loss at Michigan. The Irish had to rally late to beat Purdue 31-24 and only beat Michigan State at home 17-13 in a game that the Spartans tied 10-10 late in the third. Notre Dame has only exceeded 100 yards rushing in one game. They have survived on the strength of their passing game.
The Irish offense is not nearly as efficient as it was in 2012 and the defense is not as dominant. The Irish running backs are unproven and the offensive line seems to have some holes. The Irish defense is still strong up front but has a little softer secondary. It is safe to say the Irish are not as confident a team as they were last season when every break seemed to go their way.
The game looks pretty even on both sides of the ball. It's difficult to say who has the edge at any position, especially this early in the season. The Sooners have played all three at home and the only loss for Notre Dame was on the road. I usually get a feel for a game one way or the other. Not this one. The Odds makers favor OU by a field goal. The game looks like a pick-em to me.
I think the game will come down to a combination of the play in the Sooner secondary and how Blake Bell leads the offense. If the Sooner defense can stifle the Irish air attack and stuff the run, Notre Dame will struggle to score. I also believe we saw the real Blake Bell last week. He was given an opportunity to prove he was the guy against Tulsa and he knows a win in South Bend will solidify his hold as the starter. Bell is a gamer and the defense will feed off of his play. If the game plays out in that manner, the only advantage the Irish will have is home field. It won't be enough.
Sooners win 24-17.
No comments:
Post a Comment