4) Notre Dame +9.0 -120 ( one unit)
i don't see this special N.D team winning outright, but it seems like they're a hard working team that will take ALL their games down to the wire and give a full 4 quarters of football....
The sixth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish put their unblemished record in serious jeopardy this weekend, as Tyrone Willingham's team travels to Tallahassee to take on 11th-ranked Florida State. The Irish remain on the road for the second straight week, after knocking off nationally-ranked Air Force in Colorado Springs last week, 21-14, to move to 7-0 on the season. It marks the best start for Notre Dame since 1993 and puts Willingham in elite company, as he is only the third coach to ever win his first seven games at the helm in South Bend. The last coach to do it was Ara Parseghian in 1964. Willingham will be facing one of college football's all- time greats in Bobby Bowden this weekend. Bowden ranks second all-time in career wins (328) and currently has his team in front of the competition in the ACC. The Seminoles are 5-2 on the season, but are coming off a heart- breaking loss to top-ranked Miami, two weeks ago (28-27). With an extra week of preparation for the Irish, Florida State should be fresh for this contest. Florida State has won three of the previous four meetings in this series, although this is the first-ever meeting in Tallahassee. Florida State has won the last two meetings, with the last coming in the 1996 Orange Bowl (31-26).
The offensive numbers certainly weren't impressive for Notre Dame up until last week's game against Air Force. The West Coast offense has struggled to take form in South Bend, but maybe it won't be so bad if it doesn't. The Irish gained a season-high 447 yards of total offense against the Falcons, including a whopping 335 yards on the ground. On the year, the numbers haven't been nearly as impressive. The team is averaging just 315 yards of total offense per outing, while tallying 22.6 points per game. The passing attack has been lacking a bit, but one bright spot has been the emergence of Arnaz Battle. The former starting quarterback has found his true calling in 2002 and is clearly the top receiving threat on the squad. He caught every one of the completed passes against Air Force for a career-high 112 yards. Battle currently leads the team in receptions (29), receiving yards (390) and TD catches (two). Joining Battle in the receiving corps is Omar Jenkins (17 receptions, for 274 yards) and freshman Maurice Stovall (six receptions, for 137 yards). The ground game is still the most productive mode of travel for the Irish, as tailback Ryan Grant has stepped up and become a workhorse runner. Last week, Grant rushed for a career-high 190 yards, on a career-high 30 carries. On the season, he is averaging 102.7 yards per game, having amassed 719 yards and six TDs, on 156 carries. Quarterback Carlyle Holiday is another lethal element to the rushing attack, as he rushed for a season-high 71 yards and two TDs against Air Force. As a passer, Holiday has been mediocre at best, connecting on under 50 percent of his passes, for 771 yards and two TDs. The offensive line struggled in the first half of the season, but had some fun last week against Air Force, dishing out punishment on every play. All-American candidate Jeff Faine is perhaps the top center in all of college football and his leadership will once again be a key to any success the team has against an active Florida State defensive front.
The Notre Dame defense has been the strength of the team this season and that was certainly apparent against the vaunted Air Force rushing attack. Refusing to be outhustled by the "triple option" attack, Notre Dame held the Falcons to just 104 yards rushing (over 200 yards below their season average). In all, the Irish allowed just 161 yards of total offense (the second-lowest total this season). One of the top defenses in the nation, UND is yielding just 12.0 points per game (third in the nation), on well under 300 yards of total offense (10th in the nation at 275.8 ypg). Running the football against the Irish is obviously not easy, as they are limiting the opposition to just 80.1 ypg (sixth nationally). The pass defense is allowing just 195.7 ypg (36th nationally). Safeties Glenn Earl and Gerome Sapp and cornerbacks Vontez Duff and Shane Walton comprise perhaps the nation's best secondary. Walton has been the premier playmaker with his 31 tackles and team-high six INTs, but Duff is exciting every time he gets his hands on the ball. He has 23 tackles and one interception returned for a touchdown. Sapp and Earl are equally impressive, with their 46 and 41 tackles, respectively. Sapp has three interception and one fumble recovery this season. Despite missing the first two games of the season, linebacker Courtney Watson ranks first on the team in tackles (53), with two sacks, five TFLs and one INT return for a TD. Sophomore Mike Goolsby is a blue-collar type player, adding 43 tackles, eight TFLs and two sacks. The defensive line is extremely active, highlighted by end Ryan Roberts (22 tackles, six TFLs, and a team-high six sacks). Tackles Darrell Campbell (16 tackles, four TFLs, three sacks) and Cedric Hilliard (25 tackles, four TFLs, two sacks) make their presence felt in the middle of the line as well.
The Seminoles had a bye last week and have had an extra week to stew about what might have been. The dreaded "missed field-goal" once again cost Florida State a win over Miami. However, Bowden should have his team focused on the task at hand this week. FSU will be the top offensive team to take on Notre Dame thus far, and should pose some different things for the stout Notre Dame defense to contend with. The best offensive team in the ACC, FSU is averaging 436.4 yards of total offense, getting great balance between the run (230.7 ypg) and the pass (205.7 ypg). Sophomore quarterback Chris Rix has not lived up to his phenomenal freshman campaign, but he hasn't been horrible either. Rix has completed 55.5 percent of his passes this season, for 1,168 yards and 10 TDs, with just four INTs. Wideout Anquan Boldin leads the Seminoles in receptions (29) and receiving yards (464), with four TDs. Talman Gardner adds 20 catches, for 353 yards and a team-high six TDs. A workhorse in the backfield was the missing ingredient a year ago in Tallahassee, but that problem has been solved in 2002. Tailback Greg Jones has been nothing short of spectacular, as he is netting almost six yards per carry (5.9). On the season, the big back has amassed 822 yards and eight TDs, on 139 carries. Against the top-ranked team in the country, Jones erupted for a career-high 189 yards and one TD on 31 carries. He will face another stiff challenge in Notre Dame this weekend.
The strength of the FSU defense is stopping the run, as the team is allowing just 3.1 yards per carry and 105.6 yards per game. The stingy play of the front seven against the run, as come at the expense of the secondary and the pass defense, which is allowing a generous 274.6 ypg. Lucky for Florida State that Notre Dame will likely try to establish the run. One of the top defensive lines in the country is highlighted by the play of ends Alonzo Jackson (18 tackles, five TFLs) and Kevin Emanuel (23 tackles, 11 TFLs) and tackles Darnell Dockett (31 tackles, five TFLs), Jeff Womble (15 tackles, five TFLs), Tony Benford (21 tackles, four TFLs) and Travis Johnson (23 tackles, five TFLs). This unit's solid play is a big reason why the team has already recorded more sacks (17) than all of last season (14). Jackson leads the team with six sacks, while Emanuel and Benford are next with four and two sacks, respectively. Linebackers Kendyll Pope and Michael Boulware anchor things right behind the defensive line, while young defensive backs Jerome Carter and Kyle Hall try to learn their jobs from veterans Stanford Samuels and Rufus Brown. Pope leads the team in tackles (60), followed closely by Carter and Boulware, who have notched 48 and 46 tackles, respectively.
Tyrone Willingham has done a remarkable job in his first season in South Bend and a loss in Tallahassee certainly won't tarnish that. The Seminoles are hungry for a victory over a quality opponent and an overachieving Notre Dame squad could be ripe for the picking. Notre Dame's defense will make enough plays to keep the team in the game, but in the end, a solid FSU squad and a raucous crowd will be too much to overcome.
