Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: RICE Liberty Bowl. In between, they van- quished Charlie Weis' Kansas team (23-14), which was 4-20 the past two years. Last year, Notre Dame opened the season against a different group of Owls — Temple — and scored touch- downs on its first two possessions to grab a 14-0 lead just 4:41 into the game. It had the earmarks of domi- nance beyond the posted 29-point spread, but over the final 55:19 Notre Dame outscored Temple only 14-6 in a methodical 28-6 victory. This is the type of contest where eclipsing 30 points will be expected if the unit is to reach that level the rest of the season against more formidable competition. Notre Dame opened the 2012 sea- son with an assertive 50-10 win over Navy in Ireland. That will be difficult to match, but at some point a greater consistency and point production has to be achieved by the offense, espe- cially if Rice is considered possibly the lightest game on the Irish schedule. COVERAGE FROM THE PRESS New Irish defensive coordinator Predictions Tom Loy: Notre Dame 34, Rice 13 All eyes will be on Notre Dame senior quarterback Everett Golson, and he will likely impress with his play in the opener against the Owls. Rice is far from a cakewalk, but there are far too many offensive playmakers at Golson's disposal to slow down this Irish attack. The strong‑armed signal‑caller, along with his talented receivers, should have a big day and are expected to win this game comfortably. Dan Murphy: Notre Dame 41, Rice 10 Senior quarterback Everett Golson and the Irish will look surgical and scripted to start the season against a Rice defense that has struggled against quality competition during its recent run of success. Golson's return won't be without a few hiccups, but the Owls are breaking in a new backfield and a shuffled offensive line. By the time they get comfortable, Notre Dame will have opened up enough of a lead to put their attack on cruise control for a confidence‑inspiring season opener. Andrew Owens: Notre Dame 38, Rice 17 When Notre Dame takes the field in week one, the product will be virtually unrecognizable. FieldTurf has replaced grass in Notre Dame Stadium, and new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder has installed a 4‑3 defense with plenty of new faces ready to contribute. On offense, the up‑tempo attack will hardly resemble the first four years of Brian Kelly's tenure. The changes will be evident, and so will the results in week one. Rice is breaking in nine new starters and will struggle to hang with Notre Dame after win‑ ning 10 games last season. Lou Somogyi: Notre Dame 37, Rice 16 I am not expecting the 50‑10 opening‑game blowout of Navy in 2012, but probably more consistency than the 28‑6 win over Temple in last year's opener. On paper, Rice should be the easiest game on the 2014 schedule, but Notre Dame has often been sluggish on offense the past four years in home open‑ ers. There also has been a tendency to let lesser teams hang in far too long, like Rutgers to the last five minutes in the Pinstripe Bowl. The game needs to set a tone for getting beyond that.