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SAME QUESTIONS REMAIN FOR 4-0 IRISH N otre Dame's football team is as media savvy as any in the country. They are trained from the moment they arrive on campus in the art of fielding a question without actually answering it. This year, they're playing the same way. MURPHY'S LAW DAN MURPHY The Irish enter the second month of the season with a perfect 4-0 record and a top-10 ranking for the first time in six years. They had all the right responses in September. And yet, we know what we knew in August. The questions surround- ing Brian Kelly's third team in South Bend remain largely unanswered. This season is starting to feel like the back seat of a long car trip. No one can seem to get comfortable, and there's al- ways that little guy next to you asking, "Are we there yet?" A surprising 4-1 Miami team should be a good road map. Junior quarterback Stephen Morris has thrown for 1,002 yards in his last two starts. Certainly, he'll be able to shed some light on the secondary situation. The primetime historical rivalry should also test the chutzpah of Everett Golson. But, wait a minute. Wasn't Denard Rob- inson, who threw for 330 yards against the Irish a year ago, supposed to be the secondary's litmus test? Wasn't a trip to Spartan Stadium supposed to reveal the character of the rookie quarterback? Heck, even Purdue was supposed to shed some light on what the offense was all about. Each week in South Bend begins with the promise of answering the most press- ing question of a 4-0 start: Is this team for real? If you aren't satisfied with what you've learned so far perhaps it's time for a pit stop. You can sit by the near- est Costco for a jumbo pack of antacids because nothing more definitive is on the immediate horizon. Until further notice, it's all a matter of perspective. GLASS HALF FULL: An undefeated Septem- ber? With this schedule? Time to book a flight to Phoenix, maybe even Miami. While the rest of the college football world was contributing to the shellings for shil- lings program, Notre Dame went out and collected skins from two ranked schools and a Boilermakers team that could very well end up in the Big Ten championship game this season. GLASS HALF EMPTY: That strength of sched- ule sure does atrophy fast. The state of Michigan was overrated this year. The MAC had almost as successful of a run through the Big Ten as Notre Dame did. All of the sudden, October looks a lot more hairy than September. GLASS HALF FULL: Smash-mouth football has returned to South Bend. Notre Dame has the horses in the backfield to stay fresh through the course of a full season, and so far the Irish have been able to pound the ball when they need to. Two fourth quarter drives to ice games against Michigan and Michigan State proved that. GLASS HALF EMPTY: Congratulations on bul- lying little brother Navy, but 89 yards per game on the ground since then. Need I say more? GLASS HALF FULL: Stats it is then. How about five interceptions against Michigan and the third-best turnover margin in the country? The youth on the back end of Notre Dame's defense is less a liability than an improvement from a year ago. The pressure from the front seven is going to make passing the ball a challenge for op- ponents all season long. GLASS HALF EMPTY: Morris, Oklahoma's Landry Jones and USC's Matt Barkley still lurk in the distance. Sure, the young The Irish head into October 4-0 and ranked in the top 10 for the first time in six years, yet head coach Brian guys have held their own so far, but Rob- inson played the worst game of his career against the Irish. This group is still due for some major growing pains. GLASS HALF FULL: Golson is the answer at quarterback. Wait until those training wheels come off and he's allowed to go out there and sling it. He's the type of playmaker that takes Notre Dame from a December bowl game to a January bowl game. In the meantime, R-E-E-S spells relief. GLASS HALF EMPTY: The rookie hasn't even sold his coach yet on his ability to perform in the spotlight. "See the gray hair?" Kelly asked on Tuesday. "It's one of those things ✦ PAGE 19 Kelly is still being asked many of the same questions people had about his team entering the season. PHOTO BY MIKE BENNETT/LIGHTHOUSE IMAGING that if we were certain about any of those items we'd have this thing licked." Play- ing two quarterbacks isn't going to help Golson get there any faster. So, does that clear up a few things for the 2012 Irish then? The best bet at this point is rather than worry about how full or empty the glass, just plop one of those jumbo pack antacids in there and get ready to search for clues again on Saturday. Kelly's "heart attack" backfield from the spring might be gone, but the new cardiac kids will keep us guessing and stressing for a while. ✦ E-mail Dan at dmurphy@blueandgold.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @BGI_DanMurphy.