College Football 9/5/09
Nevada Wolf Pack (WAC)-#23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Indep)
By Mark • Saturday, September 5th, 2009 3:30 PM EST
Notre Dame (0-0) vs. Nevada (0-0)
Line-Notre Dame -16
Notre Dame and Nevada share the same field for the first time, with the Irish attempting to solidify their ranking and the Wolf Pack looking to crack the top 25. Both teams are coming off of bowl appearances with Notre Dame looking for a return to prominence in the national scene while Nevada seeking to make a name for themselves.
Charlie Weiss and Notre Dame start the season in the top 25 and I'm not sure if it's deserving or a carry over from their bowl win over Hawaii. It also could be that the Irish return 9 players on offense including quarterback Jimmy Clausen who led the team to a #34 ranked passing attack last year, averaging 245 yards. As Clausen continues to improve and gain experience, more will be expected from him and with good reason. ND doesn't have much of a rushing attack so expect teams to key on the air game and Clausen's ability to read defenses and deliver the ball to his receivers. The Fighting Irish had a solid yet unspectacular defensive unit in '08 so it wasn't all about Clausen. ND was a top 40 defensive squad that allowed just 330 yards and 22 points per game. This game could well be decided in the trenches as the ND line must control gaps and the linebackers must be active against a deceptive and effective Nevada running game.
Nevada's game is all about offense and one look at the numbers tells the story. Over 500 yards of offense on a team that can run or throw effectively from an almost endless number of formations. QB Colin Kaepernick runs the show and threw well enough to keep defenses honest in 2008 with a respectable 230 yards per game. Kaepernick can also pull the ball down and run making him doubly dangerous. The Wolf Pack employ an offshoot of the shotgun called the pistol which has Kaepernick taking snaps about one yard shorter than the typical shotgun formation. Nevada runs the option, Wing T, pro sets and just about everything in between. If Nevada can move the ball and come close to the 38 points they averaged last year, perhaps it will boost a defense that had extreme trouble stopping opponents through the air and keeping them off the scoreboard. Nevada was dead last nationally against the pass allowing 312 yards passing and almost as bad when it came to points, giving up 32 per.
On paper this appears like a cut dry approach to winning, as Notre Dame needs to contain Kaepernick and the running game while Nevada must shore up the passing ‘D' or Clausen could have 400 yards through the air when all is said and done. The trends are a wash in this one as Nevada is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 non conference games. The Irish are 6-13 in their last 19 ATS at home and are also 1-4 in their last 5 non conference games. To me this game simply comes down to whether the Irish deserve to be 16 point favorites and my feeling is...
Pick: Nevada +16
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