Sep 8, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver TJ Jones (7) celebrates in front of Purdue Boilermakers cornerback Ricardo Allen (21) after a touchdown catch in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Everett Golson’s Success Through The Air

Golson continued his on the field success Saturday. Most of his success was through the air. Golson went 21-for-31 for 289 yards and 1 touchdown. More importantly, in two games, he has only thrown 1 interception in the first two games. In comparison to last year, Tommy Rees and Dayne Crist had thrown five interceptions at this point. Notre Dame can feel much better about their Quarterback than last year at this point. It is the difference between the 2-0 record and the 0-2 record. Two differences have also been seen between Golson and his predecessors. He has an ability to escape the pocket, while keeping his eyes down field, and make plays in the passing game. In addition, Golson has demonstrated great arm strength on several occasions. This has opened up the Offense significantly.

Continued Emergence of the Defensive Line

Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt continue to emerge as playmakers along the Defensive Line. Nix broke up several passes in Saturday’s game. He also clogged up the center of the line which was key to Notre Dame holding Purdue to 90 yards rushing.In addition, Nix recorded 1.5 sacks. Stephon Tuitt made several plays rushing the passer. He recorded 2 sacks and 2 Quarterback hurries.

Surprising Play of the Secondary

Notre Dame’s Secondary held up well on Saturday against the Boilermakers. Is it because of the excellent play of the Defensive Line? Possibility. However, the Irish Secondary acquitted itself well. Bennett Jackson had 2 interceptions on Saturday. One of the interceptions was “gimme” at the end of the game. However, the other was an excellent move by Jackson to cut the route and make a play on the ball. KeiVarae Russell played much better than last week. Freshman Elijah Shumate made a great play to swat a ball away earlier on in the game.

The Turnover Margin Trend Continues

At this point last year, Notre Dame had committed 10 turnovers. This year the Fighting Irish have committed 2 turnovers. That is a drastic difference. The turnover margin last year was one of the worst in the country. The margin was -1.15. This season, the turnover margin is +2 per game and +4 overall. The difference is 3.15 per game. This may need up being the difference in Notre Dame’s season.

Kicking in Pressure Situations

After two missed PATs against Navy, Notre Dame’s kicking was there when it needed the most. Kyle Brindza hammered home a 27 yard field goal in a pressure packed situation. Ben Turk got the snap down properly. Brindza put the ball right down the middle for the win. The kick was never in doubt. On Saturday, Brindza went 2/3 on field goals and 2/2 on extra points. Will this trend continue? Hopefully. Notre Dame fans were spoiled over the last few years with David Ruffer’s excellent kicking ability.

Sep 8, 2012; Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Andre Sims Jr. (21) stiff arms a Central Michigan Chippewas player in the fourth quarter at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US Presswire

Navy (0-1)-Navy had a bye week this week after being beaten by Notre Dame, 50-10. They will play the 0-2 Penn State Nittany Lions next week in Happy Valley.

Michigan State (2-0)-The Spartans handled in-state Central Michigan on Saturday at Spartan Stadium 41-7. Andrew Maxwell, the new Quarterback for Michigan State, threw for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns. Star Running Back La’Veon Bell rushed for 70 yards on 18 carries with 2 touchdowns. After turning the ball over four times in their first game against the Boise State Broncos, the Spartans only committed one turnover in this game.

Michigan (1-1)-After losing to Alabama in their opener, Michigan regained their winning ways with a close victory against the Falcons of the Air Force Academy, 31-25. Denard Robinson had 426 yards of total offense, 208 through the air and 218 on the ground. The Falcons rushed for 290 yards on the Michigan defense Currently, Michigan is giving up over 250 yards a game on the ground.

Miami (1-1)-The Hurricanes were throttled by Kansas State on Saturday, 52-13. The Wildcats put up 498 yards against the Hurricanes defense. In addition, the rushing attack for Miami was halted as they were held to 40 yards. Quarterback Stephen Morris had a decent game, going 19-for-26 for 215 yards.

Stanford (2-0)-After struggling with San Jose State, Stanford blew out Duke, 50-13. Andrew Luck’s replacement, Josh Nunes was very good going 16-for-30 for 275 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Stanford, a typically strong rushing based attack, has only rushed for 123.5 yards per game against inferior opponents. This total ranks 94th nationally.

BYU (2-0)-The Cougars followed up their opening game win against the Washington State Cougars with a 45-13 win against the Weber State Wildcats. BYU Quarterback Riley Nelson was 18-for-29 for 244 yards and 1 touchdown. The Cougars tallied 532 yards on offense.

Oklahoma (2-0)-After a scare in the first game against UTEP, the Sooners defeated Florida A&M 69-13. Landry Jones had efficient game, going 19-for-28 for 252 yards and 1 touchdown. The Sooners racked up 662 yards on Offense, which was a much higher output than the prior week.

Pittsburgh (0-2)-Pittsburgh’s woes continued when they lost 34-10 to the Cincinnati Bearcats on Thursday night. Pittsburgh star Ray Graham had solid game. He ran for 103 yards and 19 carries.

Boston College (1-1)-The Boston College Eagles defeated the Maine Black Bears, 34-3. Boston College had an extremely balanced attack. The Eagles rushed for 166 yards and threw for 219 yards. Quarterback Chase Rettig went 16-for-32 for 219 yards.

Wake Forest (2-0)-The Demon Deacons squeaked out a victory against North Carolina, 28-27. Quarterback Tanner Price scored on a QB sneak with 2:09 left in the game to put Wake Forest ahead. Price was tremendous going 27-38 for 327 yards and 1 touchdown. This was an extremely evenly played game. The total yardages were 428-426 respectively.

USC (2-0)-USC outlasted delays and outlasted the ‘Cuse to reign victorious 42-29. Robert Woods was outstanding. He had 169 total offensive yards. Matt Barkley threw for a school record six touchdown-passes.

Opponent Win-Loss Totals: 15-6 (.714)

Sep 8, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Everett Golson (5) dives into the end zone for a touchdown as Purdue Boilermakers cornerback Ricardo Allen (21) defends in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Nick Combs and Andrew Hall team up for the fourth Slap the Sign Podcast to discuss Notre Dame’s win versus Purdue, Notre Dame’s most recent recent commitment Doug Randolph, Niumatalolo’s comments and to preview the Notre Dame-Michigan State game next week.

Slap the Sign #4