Washington State at Notre Dame
Written by Anthony Moretti - Google +
Notre Dame, ranked 25th at 5-2, has been skating on thin ice as four of their five victories have come by an average of just over 4 points, and all were decided by late go-ahead td’s. They’re hoping for a blowout this week in San Antonio as they take on lowly Washington State (1-6). The odds makers have the Cougars labeled as 27 point underdogs with an over/under set at 61. Game time is 7:30 pm ET this Saturday night. Charlie Weis and company are looking to add to their resume for a BCS bowl bid.
While Notre Dame has a knack for playing teams close, the offense has been potent this year under QB Jimmy Claussen, averaging just under 440 ypg. Claussen has been a monster, throwing for 292 ypg for 16 td’s to only 2 ints. Since the loss of star reciever Michael Floyd in week 4, WR Golden Tate has picked up the slack hauling in 52 receptions for 8 td’s and 121 ypg, chipping in another td rushing as well. Armando Allen has led the charge on the ground with over 85 ypg at a clip of 4.9 ypc.
While the Fightin Irish have scored at least 20 points in each contest, their defense has been allowing over 24 per game, a number that needs improvement. Currently they’re giving up 409.4 ypg, with the majority of it coming through the air (282.4). Getting to the QB has been a problem as they’ve only recorded 12 sacks, but the 15 turnovers they’ve accumulated is something to build on. This week should be an opportunity to improve in all aspects as their opponents are putting up less than 300 ypg of offense.
Washington St. has been terrible on both sides of the ball this year. Their only win came in overtime to Southern Methodist University who has a 3-4 record in Conference USA. The offense is scoring 15.1 ppg and rushing for a measly 72.6 ypg. The one bright spot is true freshman QB Josh Truel, who last week threw for 354 yards agasint Cal, but is averaging 165 ypg with 4 td’s and 3 ints. In any case, it’s tough for anyone to find consistent success with an offensive line that’s giving up 5 sacks/game.
Defensively the Cougars are even worse, which may be hard to believe. WSU is ranked 119 out of 120 teams in total defense, allowing just shy of 500 ypg and 37 ppg. They’ve given up 33 td’s on the year and can’t seem to stop opponents from racking up 215 ypg rushing. What’s suprising is that they’ve tallied 19 takeaways, but if you’re on the field long enough anyone is bound to come across opportunities, and they’ve taken advantage of loose balls with 11 fumble recoveries.
With one of the worst defenses in the country combined with a woeful offense, it’s no suprise that the Washington State is picked to lose by 27 points. The Cougars have been outscored 112-3 in the first quarter this season, and there’s no reason to expect anything different on the turf in the Alamo Dome. For Charlie Weis this will be a tune up for tougher opponents down the road, and another wake up call for a complete overhaul at WSU.
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