Enough Crist, let’s see what everyone else on Notre Dame can do

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I’m glad to see QB Dayne Crist is OK and will play in Notre Dame‘s Pac-5 Division playoff opener against visiting Newport Harbor on Friday. And I’m sure all the Notre Dame faithful are thanking their lucky stars one of the highest-rated QB recruits in the country won’t miss a game under center.

Still, the biggest weakness I see with the Knights is their dependency on the all-everything QB. They really need to find some more options on offense, and the Newport Harbor contest could provide the Knights with the final opportunity to do some possible tweaking.

I want to see RB Thaddeus Brown run the ball more, especially in the first half. Also, let’s see if a receiver other than Jeff Dickmann can make a big-time catch. Come on, James Flynn and Chris McNeill, I know you can do it.

And on defense, I want to see more bone-crushing hits. I want to see a defense that other teams in the Pac-5 will really fear, something Long Beach Poly and Orange Lutheran will be examining constantly in the film room. I want to see more of prospects-in-the-making Jordan Barrett and Hayden Hunter working over Newport Harbor QB Andrew McDonald and RBs Ben Frazier and Michael Helfrich.

Ultimately, I just don’t want to see so much Crist. He’s already proven what he can do. What I want to see is a team, not an individual, that can challenge any team week in and week out. The team that beat Servite and rallied against Saugus. A team worthy to compete for the toughest divisional title in the nation.

What: Newport Harbor (7-3) at No. 11 Notre Dame (8-2)
When: 7:30 p.m.
My Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Newport Harbor 14
Calpreps.com Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Newport Harbor 17

-- Austin Knoblauch