PDF of Irish Insider for Friday, November 2, 2012

FRIDAY, novembe R 2, 2012

e ifert holds key to offensive success

Welcome to a three-game mini-season inside the 2012 football season. t hree games, three inferior opponents and three chances for a crushing loss that derails national championship dreams. cellar-dwelling acc teams boston college and Wake Forest await, but first up is Pittsburgh. Just as the e agles and demon deacons will, Pittsburgh gears up to play its best game against the i rish in the hopes of playing spoiler to a rival’s bcs dreams.

how can the i rish escape this three-game stretch unscathed?

i f recent form is any indication, the i rish defense will have little trouble keeping the opposing offenses out of the end zone and off the scoreboard. t he formula to avoid a cataclysmic upset begins and ends with the offensive production, and that production runs through one player. i f the i rish are to get to where they want to be heading to Usc — and beyond that, if they are to achieve their postseason goals — they must utilize the best tight end in college football: tyler e ifert. before the 2012 season, most media outlets singled out two notre dame players as preseason a ll-a mericans: e ifert and manti te’o. t he similarities in their seasons end there. While te’o has been the visible face of the program, earning national acclaim and heisman trophy consideration, e ifert has toiled in near obscurity and battled through constant double-teams. but make no mistake — e ifert is the key to notre dame’s offense whether he touches the ball or not. he will be absolutely instrumental to avoiding upset losses over the next three weeks, going into the L. a coliseum and defeating Usc or even besting a powerhouse like a labama or oregon in a bcs game. i f the i rish are to do these things, e ifert must play like an a lla merican, with or without the ball.

“You know, tyler … he impacts our offense incredibly,” i rish coach brian Kelly said oct. 6 after defeating m iami.

“t hey are paying a lot of attention to him and it’s opened up a lot of things.”

a s the season wears on into the month of november, the physical nature of every football team in the collegiate game is tested. t hese are the games that are won on the ground, at the line of scrimmage. t he ability of notre dame’s offensive coaching staff to line up a tight end at wide receiver — one with the skill set to demand constant double-teams on the outside — has opened up the i rish running game and enabled the offensive line to establish its physical presence on football games.

more than anything, e ifert’s 2012 season has shown the impact of i rish coach brian Kelly’s program on an individual level. a n a ll-a merican with only 22 catches through eight games? Players in many programs, especially a receiving position, would have opened their mouths to grumble a long time ago. but e ifert has worked even harder in sacrificing his individual statistics for the good of the team. a gainst oklahoma, there he was again blocking two sooner defenders on c ierre Wood’s 62-yard touchdown in the first quarter. t his is a player recruited by c harlie Weis, but who embodies the brian Kelly program with every action he takes. t he leadership on this team is more than just te’o — e ifert is showing it too. being undefeated this late in the season is uncharted territory for nearly all of the people involved in the notre dame football program in 2012. When it gets to crunch time, if this team is to be great, great players will need to make great plays.

notre dame is, first and foremost, a team. but it is a team with many exceptional players. tyler e ifert is one of these players. For notre dame to raise a crystal football, no. 80 must sparkle brighter than the trophy he hopes to hoist.

Contact Chris Allen at callen10@nd.edu

The views in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Notre Dame to reload at tight end with Heuerman

By CHRIS ALLEN sports e ditor

With current notre dame senior tight end tyler eifert eligible to enter the nFL draft at the end of the 2012 season, the irish are set to replenish the talent pipeline at the position after the april commitment of esPn300 recruit mike heuerman.

the 6-foot-4 heuerman, the no. 6 tight end in the 2013 recruiting class according to esPn, is a player that will fit right in with the tradition of top receiving tight ends at notre dame, irish recruiting expert mike Frank said.

“[heuerman’s] got great speed to get vertical, which is what makes tyler eifert such a great player,” said Frank, who runs the esPn-affiliated irish sports daily. “he can put a lot of stress on safeties. he’s got that kind of physical ability. he’s not as tall as eifert, but he can still make that signature acrobatic catch. a lot of people will be surprised at how well he’s going to do.”

Frank said heuerman, who hails from naples, Fla., possesses the confidence and mentality that made him an ideal fit for irish coach brian Kelly’s program.

“heuerman is the epitome of what Kelly wants in a football player. he is, when you watch him on the field, he’s the toughest kid

out there,” Frank said. “there’s just no question. he’s the most physical, he’s the most mentally tough and he goes 100 miles an hour every single play.

“he’s also got that confidence about him that great players have, even along the borderline of swagger or cockiness. to be honest, that’s not a bad thing. the best players have that. it’s something that drives them.”

Upon signing with the irish, heuerman will be the latest in a long line of under-the-radar tight end recruits to join the notre dame ranks. Former irish tight ends — and current nFL players — anthony Fasano, John carlson and even all-american eifert were not blue-chip recruits but had great success in an irish uniform. Frank said the irish tradition of producing great tight end talent was a huge factor in heuerman’s commitment.

“i think the notre dame tight end tradition is a big reason why heuerman committed. i think the way notre dame uses its tight ends was attractive to him,” Frank said. “he loves the biggest stage possible, too. he’s got that everett Golson-like attitude where the bigger stage the better it is for him. then obviously there is the education, and the things you can do after graduation with that notre dame degree which

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was very attractive to him.”

With heuerman in the fold added to a group of more physical, blocking-type tight ends in junior alex Welch and sophomore troy niklas, Frank said the future notre dame tight end corps is going to be very diverse.

“it’s going to be very interesting to see where things go once eifert leaves. there’s a lot of different people in play,” he said.

“When you look at heuerman, he’s your [new england Patriots tight end] rob Gronkowski-type player who is going to, like eifert, line up out wide and push down the field in the vertical passing game. now, alex Welch, coming back from his injury, is going to be a devastating blocker. he can do a lot of things helping the run game and catching balls in that 10-to-17 yard range.

“but what you’ll probably see more than anything is troy niklas evolving into a passcatching threat and be a factor in both aspects of the offense.”

For more on Notre Dame recruiting, check out Mike Frank’s irishsportsdaily.com Email Mike at mikefrank18@sbcglobal.net and tell him The Observer sent you.

Contact Chris Allen at callen10@nd.edu

m A k Ing I t count

Tyler Eifert returns to Notre Dame for his senior season to lead Irish offense

By ANDREW GASTELUM a ssociate sports e ditor

Last december, the process began. tyler eifert filled out the nFL draft evaluation paperwork and endlessly ran through both scenarios in his head. to return or leave, that was the grueling question.

“i was really close,” the senior tight end said. “it was kind of different every day, but at some points i was about to go.”

despite projections as a second- or third-round pick from draft experts, eifert found it too difficult to leave an opportunity to graduate with a degree from notre dame and, ultimately, the lasting bonds he built.

“i wanted to make sure i had my degree,” eifert said. “i wasn’t very far away from that and i wanted to get that. a nd you only get this shot one time and i didn’t want to cut it short.

“i’ve had too much fun here being a kid with my friends and developing a good relationship with my coaches. i just wasn’t ready to grow up, i guess.”

eifert credits his mentor, former notre dame and current minnesota vikings tight end Kyle rudolph, with guiding him throughout the process. since rudolph opted for the nFL draft following his junior year — he was selected in the second round with the 43rd pick — eifert said he confided in rudolph to help him make the decision that suited him best.

“i still stay in contact with rudy,” eifert said. “he left early, so i went to him a lot last year for advice. a nd even this year, just about the process because i had never been through it.”

When he hears his name called at radio city music hall this april, eifert said he isn’t sure how he will react, only that the nFL

won’t change the player he has unremittingly worked so hard to become.

“nothing will change from the nFL-me to the college-me,” he said. “i’m just going to come to work, do my job and have fun doing it. i’m just going to do my best to put myself in the best position to get drafted as high as possible.”

but for a co-captain on a team ranked third in the bowl championship series, there is ample reason to push that thought aside.

“i’m not really thinking about [the nFL] because there is a lot left to play,’ eifert said. “We’re 8-0 so everyone is feeling pretty good, including myself.”

three-star to All-American coming out of bishop dwenger high school in Fort Wayne, ind., eifert was labeled as a low-level three-star recruit and received offers from big ten schools such as indiana, northwestern and Purdue.

“there wasn’t really [a chip on my shoulder],” eifert said. “i’ve always believed in myself, but i’ve tried to stay level whether that’s good or bad and tried to be the same guy everyday.

“i’ve done my best to be a good teammate and put in a lot of hard work for the past few years. i was going to work hard and try to play if i really had [the opportunity].” that opportunity came midway through his sophomore year, when rudolph tore his hamstring that required season-ending surgery. in his first start, eifert caught four passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. since then, the 6-foot-6 tight end has started in 29 consecutive games for the irish, motivated by a single fear only he can control.

“the thought of failing and of not doing well, i hate that,” he said. “Just to come out and work

hard and put yourself in the best position to succeed makes me feel good.”

eifert has turned into one of the premier receiving threats in the Kelly era, totaling 1,496 yards on 112 receptions and 10 touchdowns.

“here’s what i love about tyler eifert: You know you’re moving your program along when your best players are your best workers,” irish coach brian Kelly said in august. “he’s just been incredible to work with over the past couple of years, to see his development and his maturity. he’s a leader on our football team.

“When i first got here, he was in the back row. he was two or three rows back. now he’s up front. so you can understand from my perspective that’s exciting when your best player, one of your best players has that kind of desire to be the best.”

by the time he was a senior, eifert had been named a notre dame captain, a finalist for the 2011 mackey award — given to the nation’s top tight end — and a second-team a ll-american with nFL potential. if someone would have told him this on signing day in 2009, eifert said he would have come across as more than skeptical.

“i’d probably say i’ll believe it when it happens,” he said. “i was one of the lower-rated guys coming in from our class, so i would have never expected it … it’s pretty cool. i’ve waited my turn and worked hard. coming from that to where i am today, it’s pretty awesome.”

Becoming the target

in his breakout junior season, eifert caught 63 passes for 803 yards and five touchdowns. but with the departure of michael Floyd, eifert slid into the role of playmaker, making him the

no. 1 target for opposing defenses.

“[Getting double-teamed] is tough,” he said. “Last year against Pitt they wouldn’t let [Floyd] open and they had two guys on him. so that allowed me to make some plays. this year [teams] are double-teaming me so it allows other guys to make some plays.”

a lthough he amassed a careerhigh 98 receiving yards against his childhood-favorite Purdue on sept. 8, eifert’s numbers (341 yards, three touchdowns) have dropped from where they were a year ago. but that hasn’t affected the tight end’s ability to positively affect the offense in making his mark in run-blocking and drawing attention away from irish receivers.

“eif is one of those guys that’s very dependable,” senior captain manti te’o said before facing bYU. “he’s not a mean player. he’s not a selfish player. obviously eif is the best tight end in college football. he hasn’t had the kind of receptions and numbers that he would like, but you never would see tyler complaining. as long as we’re winning, he’s happy. he leads by example. he leads by his work ethic, and just really, really doing his best to ensure that our team wins.”

one thing that defenses cannot take away from the preseason a ll-american is his unmitigated calm and poise, put on full display as he took the field in the fourth quarter with the irish tied at 13 with no. 8 oklahoma.

“You can only control what you can do, so i don’t let a lot of other things affect me,” eifert said of his composure. “as long as i stay under control and levelheaded, that’ll give me my best chance to be my best.”

Just as rudolph and John carlson before him, eifert recognizes that he must fulfill his role as mentor to the newest crop

of tight ends: four-star recruits in junior a lex Welch and sophomores ben Koyack and troy niklas.

“i know that i’ve been in that position so i know how they are feeling and i can relate to them a lot of times and help them with a lot,” eifert said. “i’ve never really thought about [how important i am to their success]. i just try to be a good teammate and do what i can to help. it will be cool to see them down the road.”

niklas made the switch to tight end in the spring, after seeing the field in all 12 games last season at outside linebacker. the 6-foot-7, 260-pound converted linebacker said eifert has been an active source of support in helping him learn the intricacies of the Kelly offense.

“he’s an a ll-american so he’s been there,” niklas said. “it’s really good to have someone who you can see do it because sometimes it’s hard to know what coach is talking about. When you can see someone do it right, you know what to do. it just makes the learning process so much faster. if i ever have a question, i can just talk to him and just ask him.”

For eifert, the starting job entails the preservation of a longstanding tradition of nFL-quality notre dame tight ends, earning the program the nickname: ‘tight end U.’

“if you look down the line, we’ve had some really good tight ends in the past decade and going even further back,” eifert said. ”so it’s pretty cool to be a part of that. We recognize it for sure.” and for eifert, it also entails the compelling vindication for returning for his senior season.

“i love notre dame and i love playing football here.”

Contact Andrew Gastelum at agastel1@nd.edu

niklas adjusts to new position

By MATTHEW DeFRANKS

a

ssociate sports e ditor

at 6-feet-7, 260 pounds, sophomore tight end troy niklas is a big guy, even for football. h is monstrous size has made way for a historic nickname — hercules.

“it’s whatever,” niklas said of the nickname. “[ my] name’s troy but if you want to call me that, it’s fine.”

a fter playing offensive tackle in high school, outside linebacker as a freshman, niklas transitioned to tight end last spring.

niklas said he was optimistic about the switch.

“[ my mentaility] was just roll with it, i was pretty excited about it,” niklas said. “i felt like it was a good position for me.”

a s an offensive tackle in high school, the a naheim, c alif., native was ranked in the top 25 nationally at his position by r ivals.com. he also played tight end in high school. niklas said his background on the offensive line helps him in blocking.

d uring notre dame’s 2013 win over stanford, niklas struggled at times to handle the c ardinal pass rush, giving up a sack. but Kelly said the sophomore’s experience against a good pass rush helped him develop.

“he was challenged and wasn’t taken out of the game at any point. he was right in the thick of it. We put him in a role that some could argue was a difficult one for him to succeed

in,” Kelly said in the week leading up to the bYU game. “but he was there when we won late and contributed greatly to the success in the last drive where we were able to run the football effectively.”

niklas has been used primarily as a run blocker this season, but he said he does not consider himself a sixth offensive lineman.

niklas said he expects his involvement in the aerial attack to increase in 2013 with the departure of senior tight end tyler e ifert.

“i think that this year i’m being used a lot as a blocking tight end just because we have tyler,” niklas said. “it’s easy for me to protect and block. i think that next year i think i’ll be able to get out there and run more routes.”

t hrough eight games this season, niklas has four catches for 68 yards, including two receptions of more than 25 yards. h is production has dropped off recently, with just two catches for nine yards in his past six games.

d espite his dip in numbers, niklas remains an integral part of an i rish offense that relies on the rushing attack to generate points and wins.

“i’d say it’s been a pretty smooth transition,” niklas said. “t he entire position is very natural for me. i’ve just steadily progressed throughout the year.”

Contact Matthew DeFranks at mdefrank@nd.edu

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Eifert continues tradition of great tight ends

By CHRIS ALLEN sports e ditor

t he tradition of elite tight ends at notre dame is one that stretches as far back as the 1970s. a long the way, the program has produced super bowl champions and n FL hall of Famers at tight end. but n FL d raft expert s cott Wright said current notre dame senior tight end tyler e ifert has the potential to be one of the best the school has ever produced.

“notre dame, you can basically call it ‘t ight e nd U’ with the way it has been producing tight ends in recent years, even going way back to the mark bavaro years,” said Wright, who runs n FL d raft c ountdown. “tyler e ifert has been doing more than his part to keep that tradition going. i don’t think it’s even a question that he’s the top draft-eligible tight end in the country this year.”

i n the 1970s and 1980s, when

football demanded a more physical, blue-collar role at tight end, the i rish developed n FL — and c ollege Football — hall of Fame inductee dave c asper among many top players. but in the modern game, where the tight end position is more geared to the passing game, Wright said e ifert is a prototypical prospect.

“e ifert definitely fits the mold of a modern tight end, fits what n FL teams are looking for,” Wright said. “t he elite

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guys in the pro game, [ rob] Gronkowski and [Jimmy] Graham are built almost like small forwards in basketball. e ifert compares very favorably with those guys in terms of his body type.

“he’s an extremely impressive athlete. he’s got that tall, rangy frame with the long arms and in a lot of ways has the skill set of a wide receiver in a tight end’s body — reminds me a lot of [ c incinnati bengals tight end] Jermaine

Gresham. t hat’s because not only are they threats in the passing game that can stretch the field vertically and split the seam, but they’re both better blockers than people give them credit for.”

e ifert comes as the latest in a line of four elite tight ends to wear an i rish uniform in the last decade, following current n FL tight ends a nthony Fasano, John c arlson and Kyle rudolph. i rish recruiting expert m ike Frank said the run of tight end talent began when current i rish assistant coach m ike denbrock joined former i rish coach tyrone Willingham’s staff in 2002.

“denbrock did a good job identifying some lesserknowns that ended up being really good players,” Frank said. “denbrock did a good job of not only identifying the talent but developing [ c arlson and Fasano]. You pass on that skill to guys like rudolph and now you have tyler e ifert. it kind of builds. it’s been a nice tradition of really effective players at notre dame at that position.”

t hough Fasano, c arlson and rudolph all contribute on a weekly basis in the n FL, Wright said e ifert will be in a class of his own when he leaves notre dame.

“e ifert is obviously a much different type of player than the last three guys to come out of notre dame to the n FL at that position, especially rudolph and Fasano,” Wright said. “t he best comparison is to c arlson, but e ifert is a better player. he’s faster, he’s bigger and he’s a better pass catcher. a ll three of those guys were second-round picks and that is a worst-case scenario for e ifert. he’s the best of the four coming out.”

a fter making the offseason decision to come back to school for his senior season, Wright said e ifert dedicated himself to improving his blocking and has been better in that area.

“he’s not an overwhelming blocker, and there’s always room to improve there,” Wright said. “i still think he is a better blocker than people give him credit for. but when teams write checks to tight ends, they’re usually looking for guys who can catch touchdowns and move the chains.” despite occasional concerns about e ifert’s blocking and injury concerns dating to a major 2009 back injury, Frank said there is no doubt the modern “t ight e nd U” has produced its finest player.

“o ut of those four guys — Fasano, c arlson, rudolph and e ifert … i would take e ifert over all of those guys,” he said. “i don’t think people realize just how good of a pro he is going to be.”

Contact Chris Allen at callen10@nd.edu

PA nth ERS PASS ing

he may not be the top quarterback notre dame has faced all year, but redshirt senior quarterback t ino sunseri has been a model of consistency for the Panthers. sunseri has started 34 consecutive games for the Panthers and ranks fourth in Pittsburgh history with 7,501 passing yards. sunseri has thrown for 2,199 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions this season. t he redshirt senior comes into his second meeting with the i rish ranking eighth in the country and first in the big e ast in pass efficiency with a 164.8 rating. sunseri carries an active streak of 143 pass attempts without an interception. h is last interception came in a 35-17 upset win over no. 13 v irginia tech on s ept. 15. h is 283-yard, three-touchdown performance against the hokies earned him big e ast o ffensive Player of the Week honors. i n a 47-17 win over temple on s aturday, sunseri threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 20-for-28 passing. i n the last six games, sunseri has completed 71 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns and 1,682 passing yards, for an average of 280.3 yards per game.

sunseri’s favorite targets are junior receiver d evin street and redshirt senior m ike shanahan. street currently leads the big e ast in receiving yards and receptions per game, averaging 86.9 yards and 6.3 receptions per game. street has totaled 695 yards and four touchdowns on 50 receptions, averaging 13.9 yards per catch. shanahan, a team co-captain, has recorded 37 receptions for 631 yards and three touchdowns. shanahan posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving games earlier this season and ranks fifth in Panthers history with 134 career receptions.

a lthough it gave up 356 passing yards to oklahoma senior quarterback Landry Jones, the notre dame defense held the former heisman candidate to no touchdowns. i n fact, the i rish defense has yet to give up a first-quarter touchdown all year. s enior linebacker manti te’o recorded his fifth interception of the season s aturday, putting him tied for second in the ncaa te’o also recorded his first sack of the season and led the i rish with 11 tackles.

Freshman cornerback may have had his best performance this season, with nine tackles and steady pass coverage. s ophomore defensive end stephon tuitt leads the i rish with 8.5 sacks.

ED gE: E v E n

PA nth ERS RuS hing

s enior running back r ay Graham is the latest in prominent Panthers running backs in the last few years, which include Le s ean mc c oy and d ion Lewis. Graham ranks fifth in career rushing yards at Pittsburgh wiht 2,851. Graham has rushed for 622 yards and seven touchdowns this season. i n last season’s 15-12 loss to notre dame on s ept. 24, 2011, Graham rushed for 89 yards on 21 carries.

d espite giving up its first rushing touchdown of the year to oklahoma sophomore quarterback blake b ell, the i rish defense held a s ooners offense averaging close to 200 rushing yards per game to 15.

ED gE: not RE DAME

PA nth ERS off E n S iv E C oAC hing

d efensive coordinator b ob d iaco stuck to a bend-but-don’t-break gameplan against the s ooners, and his defense executed it to near-perfection on the biggest stage s aturday night.

ED gE: not RE DAME

PA nth ERS SPEC i A l t EAMS

redshirt senior kicker Kevin h arper made two field goals last week against temple and has made six of his last seven attempts. redshirt freshman Lafayette Pitts leads the big e ast with 27.76 yards per return.

ED gE: Pitt SBu Rgh

PA nthERS SChEDul E

sept. 1 Youngstown State L 31-17

sept. 8 @ Cincinnati L 34-10

sept. 15 Virginia Tech W 35-14

sept. 22 Gardner-Webb W 55-10

oct. 5 @ Syracuse L 14-13

oct. 13 Louisville L 45-35

oct. 20 @ Buffalo W 20-6

oct. 27 Temple W 47-17

nov. 3 @ Notre Dame

nov. 9 @ Connecticut

nov. 24 Rutgers

dec. 1 @ USF

Allan Joseph e ditor-in- c hief

Let’s get this out of the way right now: it’s not 2002. by now, you’ve heard about the 8-0 2002 squad. if you haven’t, look to the right. but these irish are nothing like the 2002 team for a number of reasons — most importantly, they win with defense.

We’ve seen it time and time again over the years. When a team relies on an eye-popping offense to win games, one off day against a motivated team can derail hopes of a perfect season. notre dame’s already done that against Purdue and bYU and triumphed. even a bad day from the offense will be enough with the suffocating defense on the field. Yet i don’t think the offense is going to have a bad day. the Panthers are better than they were when they lost to Fcs foe Youngstown state, but not that much better. this one’s easy.

FINAL SCORE: notre dame 38, Pittsburgh 6

He A d to

Andrew Owens a ssistant managing e ditor

ten years ago, notre dame returned to campus with an 8-0 record and top-five ranking after its signature win at Florida state to face an inferior opponent at home with the bcs-hype meter off the charts. sound familiar? don’t even entertain the thought of Pittsburgh handing the irish their first loss the way boston college did in 2002. brian Kelly knows the players need to stay focused on the Panthers, not outside noise or gimmicks like green jerseys. tyrone Willingham didn’t get that memo. the Panthers enter november fighting for bowl eligibility at 4-4. running back ray Graham is talented, but no match for an irish run defense that held oklahoma to 15 rushing yards. if everett Golson continues his momentum from last saturday, this game will be out of hand by halftime.

FINAL SCORE: notre dame 30, Pittsburgh 9

after throttling temple last weekend, Pittsburgh head coach Paul chryst gave his players the right to wear last names on their jerseys for a big road game against notre dame. on the other end of the spectrum, the irish have succeeded thus far because they have shunned individual glory and adopted a team mentality. that mentality will need to be on display against a Panthers team that truly hates notre dame and would love nothing more than to deliver the death blow to its national championship hopes. that dreaded first loss may yet come, but it won’t come saturday. the irish defense has already stopped quarterbacks and running backs of far higher quality than tino sunseri and ray Graham. the 2012 irish are too focused

drop a game like this one.

FINAL SCORE: notre dame 27, Pittsburgh 12

He A d to

no. 3 not R e D A me

i R i S h PASS ing s ophomore quarterback e verett Golson came into his own in leading n otre d ame to a 30-13 over o klahoma. Golson managed the i rish offense with 177 passing yards on 13-for-25 passing and 64 rushing yards while not turning the ball over once. t ied at 13, Golson hit freshman receiver c hris b rown for a 50-yard reception to set the i rish up for a lead they wouldn’t give up. Golson was only sacked once and came up with several big throws down the stretch while showing off his athleticism outside of the pocket. Golson has thrown for 1,145 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Junior quarterback tommy r ees also saw some action while Golson sat out a play due to injury. r ees’ only play was a completed 11-yard pass to senior tight end tyler e ifert for a key first down.

Junior receiver t.J. Jones led i rish receivers with 55 yards and five receptions against the s ooners. Jones has totaled 330 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season. e ifert leads the team in receiving with 341 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season, while averaging 15.5 yards per catch. e ifert added three receptions for 22 yards s aturday.

Pittsburgh comes into s aturday’s matchup with an underrated passing defense ranked 41st in the nation in pass efficiency defense and 29th in passing defense, giving up 198.9 yards per game. t he Panthers defense has recorded 16 sacks this season, led by junior defensive tackle a aron d onald’s 3.5. i n a 35-14 upset win over n o. 13 v irginia tech on s ept. 15, the defense picked off h okies junior quarterback Logan t homas three times, with junior safety Jason h endricks recording two of the three. h endricks leads the Panthers with four interceptions

ED g E: E v E n

i R i S h R u S hing

t he i rish gained 215 rushing yards against an o klahoma defense that limited opposing teams to 138.2 rushing yards per game. n otre d ame is averaging 196.5 rushing yards per game, good

Andrew Gastelum a ssociate sports e ditor

d on’t underestimate this Pittsburgh team. t his will be Panthers quarterback t ino s unseri and running back r ay Graham’s third time starting against the i rish and they will be have to be motivated to give the i rish all they can handle.

b ut this n otre d ame defense proved it can hang with anyone last week in shutting down a powerful o klahoma attack that was supposed to tear apart the i rish secondary.

m eanwhile, e verett Golson will have his chances to shine s aturday against Pittsburgh, although he will still make his fair share of mistakes. Look for the i rish to win comfortably but not as big as everyone thinks they will.

FINAL SCORE: notre dame 24, Pittsburgh 13

i f one thing happened last weekend in norman, okla., it was everett Golson’s confidence growing tremendously. i’m not talking about beating-m ichiganstate confidence or throttling-m iami confidence. i’m talking about big-game confidence. he has now proven to almost everyone that he is ready for the ball, the game and the spotlight.

While all that may be true, it really won’t matter all too much this saturday against Pittsburgh. t he Panthers have been one of the more inconsistent teams in the nation this year going up against a real national title contender. manti te’o and the rest of the i rish defense continue to do their thing while the offense buries Pittsburgh. i just do not think this one is close.

SCORE: notre dame 37, Pittsburgh 10

enough for 33rd in the nation. s enior running back t heo r iddick led the i rish against o klahoma with 74 rushing yards on 19 carries, highlighted by a 15-yard touchdown run with 1:36 in the game to seal the victory for the i rish. s enior running back c ierre Wood put the i rish on the board with a 7-3 lead in the first quarter with a 62-yard touchdown run at the 6:24 mark. Wood finished the night wiith 74 rushing yards. t he Panthers defense gives up 141 rushing yards per game, but has made serious strides since opening the season with two consecutive losses. i n the last six games, Pittsburgh has only given up 312.3 yards per game compared to the 422.5 yards per game in its first two games.

ED g E: not RE DAME

i R i S h off E n S iv E C o AC hing i rish coach b rian Kelly made the right calls at the right time against o klahoma and managed Golson well going down the stretch.

ED g E: not RE DAME

i R i S h SPEC i A l t EAMS s enior punter b en turk averaged a solid 40.8 yards per punt, including a 51-yarder against o klahoma. s ophomore kicker Kyle b rindza missed his second of four attempts s aturday, but hit a clutch 46-yarder to put the i rish up 10 with 3:22 left to go in the game. h owever, the i rish are 113th in the country in yards per punt return with 2.83 from freshman d avonte’ n eal.

ED g E: E v E n

iR iSh SChEDul E

sept. 1 vs. Navy W 50-10

sept. 8 Purdue W 20-17

sept. 15 @ Michigan State W

oct. 27 @ Oklahoma W 30-13

nov. 3 Pittsburgh

nov. 10 @ Boston College

nov. 17 Wake Forest

nov. 24 @ USC

casper moves positions, becomes hall of Famer

By MATTHEW DeFRANKS a ssociate s ports e ditor

i n 1970, d ave c asper was a freshman at notre d ame. he was pushed around in practice, simply “meat” for the upperclassmen and trying to survive.

b ut he did get something that lasted a lifetime his freshman year — his nickname: t he Ghost.

“d enny murphy started called me ‘ t he Ghost’ when i was on the freshman team and he was the freshman coach,” c asper said in a phone interview with t he observer. “i didn’t really care, i just wanted to get through practice every day without dying.”

c asper did more than survive his freshman season. i n his football career, he earned a ll-a merican honors, won a national championship, went to five Pro b owls, won two super b owls and has been inducted into both the Pro Football h all of Fame and the c ollege Football h all of Fame.

t he c hilton, Wisc., native played offensive tackle for his first two seasons with the i rish because of injuries at the position. c asper was so athletic that he started at tackle one week before playing receiver the next.

“i never saw myself playing much,” c asper said. “it just so happened they were short of offensive tackles. s o my sophomore year, i was a small offensive tackle that had to play because of a thin offensive line and injuries. m y junior year, i was a bigger offensive tackle. my senior year, the tight ends got hurt so they moved me to tight end in the spring and they never moved me back.”

a s a young offensive player, c asper said he did not envision his career the way it

unfolded.

“i probably didn’t even think the pros were possible at the time,” c asper said. “i was hoping to be of value my junior and my senior year, maybe i was going to get big enough to contribute. i never really thought much about whether i was going to start or anything. i showed up, did what they told me to do and things worked out.”

c asper was named an a lla merican in 1973, when the i rish won a national championship under former coach a ra Parseghian. i n his collegiate career, he totaled 21 catches for 335 yards and four touchdowns in a primarily running offense.

t he 6-foot-3 tight end said Parseghian was an easy coach to play for during his career.

“You went to practice, did what he told you to do and we would win football games,” c asper said. “he had a great understanding of the game and he ran a tight ship. e verything we did meant something. i f you couldn’t play for coach Parseghian, you’re probably just trying to cause trouble because it wasn’t very hard to play for him.”

t he o akland r aiders selected c asper in the second round of the 1974 n FL d raft. c asper credits the r aiders coaching for turning him into a h all of Famer.

“i learned a lot going to the pros working with the o akland r aiders and Fred biletnikoff,” c asper said. “i always had a lot of speed and i could always catch so once i got to the pros, i was fortunate enough to be taught some good skill sets and play on a great team.”

t he r aiders, who won super b owls X i and X v, had a reputation as being one of the toughest teams in the n FL during

“ t hey work on long-term integrity. it’s a great fit for me because it reminds me of a lot of the value notre d ame had, which was taking care of people and doing the right thing.”

c asper related economics to his current job and said it can even be applied to football.

“a nytime you try to decide where to put resources, what to do, how hard to do it, it’s economics,” c asper said. “it even works in football. s hould you spend time in the weight room? should you spend time in practice? s hould you spend time resting? Where are you going to get your bang for your buck?”

c asper said notre d ame prepared him well for life after football.

changes a person into a great person because they went to notre d ame. i think great people can see the value of notre d ame and simply choose to go there. notre d ame has been very fortunate that some great people have decided to go to notre d ame.”

c asper described his notre d ame experience as a special one, surrounded by superb people.

“i was in a great place with great people,” c asper said. “how could that not be great being at an institution whose purpose is to preach Jesus c hrist and be around people that care about other people? a t the same time, i was able to play football and beat s outhern c al.”

the 1970s but c asper shrugged off any notion of it.

“e very team was tough,” c asper said. “c ollege was tough. e verything was tough. Football is a tough game, it always was a tough game.”

c asper was a key figure in a couple iconic n FL moments — ‘ t he Ghost to the Post’ and ‘ t he holy roller’ — but he said his greatest trait was being in the right place at the right time.

“most of the time, you’re just plain there,” he said. “o n ‘ t he Ghost to the Post,’ i ran a pattern, they had to throw it to me because they needed to get over 20 yards and i was going deep. i looked over my left shoulder and realized snake (Ken stabler) had to throw it way over to the right. i put my head down, changed directions, looked up and the ball was there. o nce the ball was there, it’s easy, you just catch it. most people can catch a pass. Getting to the pass is sometimes difficult.

“o n ‘ t he holy roller,’ i just happened to be the guy at the end that was there when the ball came. i just saw this ball coming at me, tried to pick it up. i didn’t pick it up, i kicked it forward to myself and finally fell on the ball. my greatest skill set was i just happened to be there at the time.”

he finished his n FL career with 378 receptions for 5,216 yards and 52 touchdowns.

c asper, 61, was inducted into the Pro Football h all of Fame in 2002 and the c ollege Football h all of Fame this year. t he e conomics major has been a financial advisor at northwestern mutual for 25 years, dealing with retirement planning.

“ t hey remind [me] a lot of notre d ame; they’re a highvalue company,” c asper said.

“notre d ame teaches you both knowledge and wisdom,” c asper said. “a lot of teaching at notre d ame isn’t necessarily the professors or the college, it’s the students you’re with. t he people you’re around taught you a lot.

“i wouldn’t say notre d ame

c asper is married to his wife susan and currently lives in a lamo, c alif. he has three children, four step-grandchildren and is expecting a third grandchild.

Contact Matthew DeFranks at mdefrank@nd.edu

Chryst stabilizies rocky Pittsburgh program

By ALLAN JOSEPH

e ditor-in- c hief

it seems like the head coaching position at notre dame has gone through an inordinate amount of upheaval since the last time the irish were 8-0, with three coaches in less than a decade. but what Pittsburgh has gone through makes the coaching carousel at notre dame seem tame.

dave Wannstedt served as the Panthers’ coach from 2005-2010 before resigning. Pittsburgh hired former notre dame assistant and then-miami (ohio) head coach mike haywood in december 2010, but fired him just two weeks later following domestic-violence charges in south bend. todd Graham bolted for a rizona state after coaching the Panthers for one season, setting the stage for current coach Paul chryst to take the reins and attempt to restore stability to a rudderless Pittsburgh program.

Yet in just eight games at the helm, chryst appears to already have restored a sense of control to the program.

“they have clearly found themselves with a new coach,” Kelly said. “it’s amazing what they’ve been able to overcome with three coaches in a very short period of time. it tells you a lot about their

players.”

one of the biggest changes chryst has made was returning the Pittsburgh offense to a pro-style attack from Graham’s spread “high-octane” scheme.

“that was the biggest change everyone was looking forward to here,” said sam Werner, who covers the Panthers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “the program and the city have a bluecollar mentality, and they want a physical, run-first offense. that matches the culture and the history of the program here really well.”

the change in offense has sprung fifth-year senior quarterback tino sunseri to the best year of his career. a fter a 2011 campaign in which he completed 64 percent of his passes for 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, sunseri is completing nearly 70 percent of his throws this year, earning himself 13 touchdowns against only two interceptions in the process.

“he has really matured as a quarterback, [and] i’m really impressed with his play this year,”

Kelly said. “he takes great care of the football … he’s a guy that i think is playing the best football that he’s played his entire career at Pittsburgh.”

Werner said sunseri’s comfort

in the offense has to do with a change in the quarterback’s decision-making responsibilities.

“i don’t want to say he’s asked to do less, but he’s much more comfortable in his responsibilities on any given play,” Werner said. “he’s making far fewer mistakes than he did last year.”

sunseri’s task against a talented notre dame defensive line became much tougher this week when chryst announced Pittsburgh starting right guard ryan schlieper would miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. sophomore guard a rthur doakes, will make his first career start and replace schlieper, who had started 16 games and appeared in 22. Werner said the coaching instability left the Panthers without the depth they were looking for on the offensive line.

“todd Graham recruited fairly well here. he got some skill players, but i think the biggest concern is depth on the offensive line,” Werner said. “rushel shell is as talented a freshman running back as you’ll find, but the numbers are low on the lines.

“that’s not the situation you want to find yourself in.”

Contact Allan Joseph at ajoseph2@nd.edu

Jones evolves into consistent performer

By ANDREW OWENS

a ssistant managing editor

For two years, junior receiver t.J. Jones stood in the shadows as michael Floyd rewrote the irish record book. a midst heartbreak and sporadic play, Jones never emerged as a viable threat behind the n FL-bound talent.

t his season, without Floyd and with less pass-catching production from senior tight end tyler eifert, Jones has found his niche in the irish offense while developing as the unit’s leader.

“i just think i worked a lot harder this offseason and was a lot more focused day-in and day-out,” Jones said. “i try to practice hard every day like it’s my last and every game i go out to try and prove something with a chip on my shoulder.”

enter the new t.J. Jones.

in the hostile environment of then-no. 8 oklahoma, Jones piloted the irish receiving corps with five critical catches for 55 yards. during no. 3 notre dame’s 8-0 start, Jones has emerged as a trusted option for the irish quarterbacks — sophomore everett Golson in particular.

“i was everett’s host when he came for his visits in high school, so i’ve known everett since as early as he’s been here,” Jones said. “[We] have a good relationship and we talk often. We might hang out every now and then.

“i might pick on him a bit like a little brother, but most of the time we’re just kicking it as friends.”

irish coach brian Kelly said trotting out an experienced offense has eased the burden on Golson.

“i think the big key for [Golson] is he knows going in that he doesn’t have to do it himself,” Kelly said. “he can rely on others and especially guys like eifert and t.J. Jones and a veteran offensive line and the backs…”

Jones said being one of the most experienced irish receivers has been an adjustment, but that he has always taken on a leadership role at notre dame.

“it does feel a little different now being a junior,” he said. “technically i’m an upperclassman now, so it does feel different in that aspect, but since i’ve been here i’ve been helping people with the playbook because i picked it up fairly easy because i enrolled early [in the 2010 spring semester].

“i’m used to helping people out and helping them get around.”

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irish coach brian Kelly said Jones has improved his play as an all-around receiving threat in the spread offense.

“i think he’s really focused on

his craft in terms of route running. he knows he gets more playing time if he’s an aggressive blocker, which gives him more opportunity to be on the field and catch the football,” he said. “i think he understands that his playing time is predicated on him being a complete player.

“i think the difference between t.J. this year and last year is his focus on being a complete wide receiver in all phases of the game.”

Jones said the magnified leadership role has not led to an increase in pressure.

“to me, i’m just trying to produce as much as i can regardless of if it was freshman year or now,” he said. “t he pressure’s there to produce, but i wouldn’t say with age comes pressure.” in this, the third year under Kelly’s direction, several players have blossomed into their roles.

“t hey are getting better. t hey are playing their best football later in their career,” Kelly said of the squad’s veterans. “mike Golic [Jr.], manti te’o, t.J. Jones and then we have got some young guys that we have to take some of the lumps along the way.

“but i think that’s how i look at it more than anything else in terms of the development of the individuals and the whole of the team; i’m pleased with that.” but don’t expect Jones to rest on his laurels or become complacent with any individual or team achievement two-thirds of the way through the season.

“r ight now, i’d say [i need to get] bigger and faster and stronger,” he said. “i learned the playbook from almost every position, if not every position. i can always improve my work ethic to push myself farther and push new limits, but definitely being able to withstand long seasons and become a more physical receiver, i need to do that.”

“[ t he coaches] push me everyday. t hey expect my best every day … t hey’re going to push me and not let me get away with little things, and they’re going to inspect every detail out of my play.”