SEATTLE – It was just two weeks ago that a California team led by an inexperienced quarterback and a solid group of receivers – and with its star running back missing half the game with an injury – put up 56 points on the University of Washington football team.
So, what does a Notre Dame offense that has almost all of its starters back from last season have in store for the Huskies?
Most likely, a lot of points.
The Fighting Irish are averaging 33.3 points and 446.7 yards per game as head coach Charlie Weis has installed the same balanced offense he used to help the NFL’s New England Patriots win three Super Bowls.
“They’ve been very explosive,” Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said. “The run game, Darius Walker, has been extremely strong. Brady (Quinn) has used a multitude of receivers. They’re executing. When you execute on offense, you’re able to put points on the board, and right now they’re putting a lot of points on the board.”
In the Irish, Washington faces a talented group of position players. The leader of the group is Quinn, a junior quarterback in his third season as a starter. In his first two seasons, Quinn completed 50.8 percent of his passes, threw 26 touchdown passes and 25 interceptions. This year, Quinn has completed 59.8 percent with nine touchdowns and two interceptions.
“He’s stepping up in the pocket better,” said Washington defensive coordinator Kent Baer, who held the same position at Notre Dame last year. “He looks receivers off a lot more than he ever did before. He seems to be much more in control, more confident and that comes with playing time.”
Willingham said that though Quinn, whom he recruited out of Dublin, Ohio, isn’t perfect, “he’s working in that direction.”
Weis, who helped turn Tom Brady into a Super Bowl MVP, has been impressed with Quinn’s development.
“This kid is obviously tough as nails,” Weis said. “He’s got some special abilities about him and he’s all-day tough. This kid can make some plays.”
It helps that he’s surrounded by talent.
Darius Walker, a 205-pound sophomore, set a school record for rushing yards by a freshman last season, and that was mostly as a backup. This year, he’s been even better, topping 100 yards in all three games, though he’s scored just once (he also has 13 receptions and two TD catches). In short-yardage, Notre Dame has 240-pound fullback Rashon Powers-Neal, who has three touchdowns. They run behind a line that returned all five starters.
But it’s the Irish’s receivers who pose the biggest threat. It would be one thing if they were only talented, but the top three pass catchers on the team are also big. There’s 6-foot-4 tight end Anthony Fasano, who leads the team with 15 catches. Then there’s Jeff Samardzija (13 catches for 182 yards, five touchdowns) and Maurice Stovall (12 catches, 18.3 average), who are both 6-5, 220 pounds. Behind them, there’s Rhema McKnight, who led the team in catches the past two years and is returning from injury, and Matt Shelton, who last year set the school single-season record for yards-per-catch (25.8).
“I think you’d have to say their offense is spectacular,” said Willingham, who as the Notre Dame coach recruited all of the above players. “You’ve got a back, Walker, that every day can get 100 yards for you very easily. You’ve got a big, aggressive offensive line that’s pretty talented and can protect and provide some lanes for the runners. You’ve got some receivers there that’s a pretty talented group that make plays. Not only are they good size, but they’re pretty quick also.”
What makes Notre Dame even more difficult to defend is the same thing that allowed the Patriots to be so successful: There is no one star to key on.
“I’m fortunate to have that type of ability at every position,” Quinn said. “A lot falls on the scheme, and how we want to attack a defense is really spreading the ball around.”
Washington’s best chance is for the Huskies’ front seven to put as much pressure on Quinn as they did on Idaho last week (a 34-6 victory). The less time Quinn has to sit back and make his reads, the easier things become on Washington’s shaky secondary.
“We know we have to have a good game for us to win,” UW defensive tackle Manase Hopoi said. “We showed what we can do against Idaho, we just need to do it every week. Notre Dame’s good, but we think there’s some things we can do against them.”
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