Notre Dame will try to rebound from last week's 35-17 whipping by Navy when it takes on Tulsa in a football game Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010 at Notre Dame, Ind. NBC will telecast the 2:30 p.m. EST game, which will be the first between the schools.
The Fighting Irish enter a matchup that looks extremely favorable in at least one area. Notre Dame (4-4) features a productive passing game that averages 282.9 yards per game. And Tulsa's pass defense, which is yielding 330.1 yards per contest, ranks 120th and dead last in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.
On the other hand, injuries have been piling up for coach Brian Kelly's Irish. Top receivers Michael Floyd (hamstring) and Theo Riddick (ankle) missed the Navy game. Nose guard Ian Williams left in the third quarter after injuring his left leg, and linebacker Carlo Calabrese also got banged up.
Notre Dame's defense, despite signs of improvement, hasn't been a Rock of Gibraltar even when healthy. And Tulsa (4-3) happens to gain more yards than it gives up. Coach Todd Graham's Golden Hurricane ranks eighth in FBS with an average of 491.6 yards per game.
Tulsa has faced some less-than-stellar opposition, as its victories came over Bowling Green, Central Arkansas, Memphis and Tulane. But the Golden Hurricane has also met strong teams like Oklahoma State and East Carolina.
Tulsa is one of the least-penalized teams in the FBS, as is Notre Dame. But the Golden Hurricane has committed only nine turnovers — six fewer than the Fighting Irish.
Plus, Tulsa should be well-rested. The Golden Hurricane hasn't played since its 52-24 win over Tulane on Oct. 16. Can it put up big more numbers vs. Notre Dame?
The Tulsa Offense
Tulsa is averaging 38.4 points per game, moving briskly on the ground (221.6 yards per game) and through the air (270.0 yards). At the controls of the high-pressure attack is G.J. Kinnie, who's passed for 15 touchdowns and run for four. The junior has connected on only 59.8 percent of his passes, but has produced 1,855 yards with six interceptions. Tulsa has surrendered only nine sacks.
H-back Charles Clay has been the most successful receiver, catching 27 passes for 330 yards and six touchdowns. Alex Singleton, a 6-1, 245-pound sophomore, leads Tulsa rushers with 306 yards and five TDs. But the most explosive player is receiver Damaris Johnson. The 5-8, 170-pound junior has caught 27 passes for 323 yards, and has run for 281 yards and four TDs, averaging 10.8 yards per carry.
Other weapons include running back JaTerian Douglas (231 yards, 3 TDs), receiver Trae Johnson (19 receptions, 264 yards, 2 TDs) and receiver Jameel Owens (11 catches, 155 yards, 3 TDs).
The Notre Dame Offense
Notre Dame is averaging 25.9 points and 395 yards, but obviously did not have all guns blazing vs. Navy. It didn't help that the Irish offense was on the field for only 24 minutes, 11 seconds.
Dayne Crist will try to rebound from a shaky outing in which he passed for 178 yards with two interceptions. On the season, the junior is completing 59.6 percent of his throws for 2,033 yards and 15 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.
The receiving corps is Floyd (44 catches, 624 yards, 6 TDs) and Riddick (38 receptions, 406 yards, 3 TDs). The third-leading receiver, tight end Kyle Rudolph, is already out for the season because of a torn hamstring. Riddick's injury, Kelly said last week, is one "that's going to take some time to heal."
Prospects appear better for Floyd, who suited up for the Navy game. But in any case, the Irish could use some catches from freshman T.J. Jones (17 catches, 256 yards, 3 TDs), Duval Kamara ( 6 receptions vs. Navy), and running back Armando Allen (17 receptions, 138 yards). They could also be more effective with their ground game, which feattures Allen (514 yards, 2 TDs) and Cierre Wood (216 yards, 2 TDs).
And of course, the Irish must protect Crist. Tulsa might not have the stingiest defense around, but it's produced 17 sacks. And Notre Dame's given up 16.
The Tulsa Defense
Tulsa is allowing 28.9 points and 443.3 yards per game. Opponents are rushing for only 113.1 yards per game, but with the way the Golden Hurricane is defending against the pass, who needs to run?
Linebackers Curnelius Arnick and Tanner Antler are surely keeping busy. Arnick leads the team with 63 tackles, including five behind the line of scrimmage. Antler has 55 stops and six tackles for loss. Each player has two sacks.
Safety Marco Nelson has made 47 tackles and three interceptions for Tulsa, which has forced 15 turnovers. Linebacker Shawn Jackson has added 40 tackles, including 2.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss. The Golden Hurricane has been powered up front by Tyrunn Walker (7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks) and Odrick Ray (2.5 sacks). Ray sat out the Tulane game because of an ankle injury.
Plenty of pressure will be on the secondary, which includes Dexter McCoil (3 interceptions), John Flanders (29 tackles) and Brian Moore (25 tackles).
The Notre Dame Defense
Notre Dame is giving up 24.5 points and 392.4 yards per game. Pass defense has been a huge concern, but the Irish were run ragged by Navy's triple option last week.
Linebacker Manti Te'o, nonetheless, continues to make tackles at a steady rate. The sophomore has 92 on the year, ranking sixth in the FBS with an 11.5 average. Safety Harrison Smith is second on the team with 62 tackles, and has two interceptions. Calabrese has 57 stops, including a pair of sacks and Williams has tallied 37.
Outside linebacker Darius Fleming and lineman Ethan Johnson head a pass rush that's produced 19 sacks. Fleming has four sacks among his six tackles for loss, and Johnson has 3,5 sacks. Notre Dame's secondary includes Zeke Motta (38 tackles) and cornerback Darrin Walls (2 interceptions). The Irish have made 10 picks and have caused 14 turnovers.
Special Teams
Tulsa's Johnson is a sterling return man who's averaging 10.6 yards on punt runbacks and 25.2 yards on kickoffs. The Golden Hurricane has also been very good on kick coverage.
There have been issues with the kicking game. Kevin Fitzpatrick has hit 11 of 16 field goal attempts, including a 47-yarder, but three have been blocked. Punter Michael Such is managing a very solid 44.0 yards per kick.
Notre Dame has had only sporadic success on kick returns, but coverage has been sound. And Michael Ruffer has connected on all 13 of his field goal attempts (although he has missed an extra point). Ben Turk is managing 38.5 yards per punt.
Jon Matsune - Jon Matsune is a free-lance writer based in Northern California. He has 25 years of experience in newspaper journalism, mostly as a sports ...
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