Daily ND Five - August 19, 2008

For someone who is moving later this week, my apartment is in surprisingly good order. In other words, I really need to get more packed and watch less television. On the plus side, I managed to wake up at a regular hour (probably because I fell asleep on the couch watching television).

One: Observations on yesterday's practice:

When the team met at midfield for stretching, James Aldridge and Kyle McCarthy met at midfield and hugged. Don't know what that was about.

It's about the love. Or something like that. (Irish Insights)

Two: Less than three weeks to go until the game! A preview of San Diego State that will make you feel good for the first game of the year:

The defense has a slew of starters remaining, but it's debatable whether that is a good thing considering the Swiss cheese-like performance they turned in last season. If trends continue from last season, it'll be a blessing for the much beleaguered Irish offensive line, since the Aztecs ranked 107^th in the country last year in sacks, registering only 1.25 per game.

It's getting me excited - I think I need to start thinking about getting a parking permit for tailgating. (Rakes of Mallow)

Three: Some love for Golden Tate:

The problem for the converted running back was he really only knew one route – the go route. He could use his tremendous speed to run down the field and get behind a defense but that was about it.

Perhaps Tate and Devin Hester can exchange notes on this topic. (UHND.com)

Four: TAH-NOO-TAH BLITZ:

Soon after Tenuta arrived on the Notre Dame campus, he installed the blitzing scheme he used at Georgia Tech. The defense puts pressure on every snap to force chaos and errors.

This whole Daily ND Five is firing me up majorly. (ESPN.com)

Five: Weekend news from Notre Dame's opponents. This on USC's Joe McKnight:

McKnight suffered a hyperextended elbow in the Trojans' scrimmage at the Coliseum the night before Coach Pete Carroll said. McKnight's latest mishap came only a few days after he injured two fingers, including a slight fracture at the tip of one, when a teammate accidentally closed a dormitory door on McKnight's right hand.

Don't forget the "jock itch" that McKnight suffered from prior to both of these other injuries (Irish Band of Brothers)