Welcome back to another edition of Subway Domer’s Wu Am I?series. This is a look at who the 36 players of impact are on this Notre Dame Football team for 2010. If you have missed some of the previous Wu Am I? posts from 2010, please check out: Chambers 1&2, Chambers 3&4, Chambers 5&6, Chambers 7&8, Chambers 9&10, Chambers 11&12, Chambers 13&14, Chambers 15&16, Chambers 17&18, Chambers 19&20, Chambers 21&22 and, Chambers 23&24.
Let’s get this bitch rolling as we enter Chambers 25 & 26…
Mike Ragone #83
Tight End
6’4″ 250 lbs.
Senior (RS)
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Wu Name: Phantom Overlord
Mike Ragone was a flat-out beast in high school. The problem was that he missed his entire senior year due to a knee injury he suffered while wrestling. If he would have played, he may have earned himself a spot as a 5 star prospect, instead of “just” being a 4 star prospect and regarded as the #2 TE in the country. It is kind of the theme for this talented player. Mike came to South Bend and played a lot during his freshman year- mainly on special teams. It was on special teams where you saw his athleticism shine, as well as how physical he can be. Remember the incident with him and the Penn State douche? He missed all of 2008 after tearing his ACL in training camp, and in a few ways allowed the instant rise of Kyle Rudolph. Ragone returned in 2009 and became a starter in the 2 TE sets and started in place of Rudolph while Rudolph was hurt for the final three games. His brightest moment canme as he chased a Washington State defensive back down after a 20 yard head start to deny Wazzu a 2 point play after a blocked extra point attempt. It was better than impressive- it was the SHIT.
Mike found himself in a bad position earlier this year. He just had a really nice Blue-Gold game, and some time after that he was busted for some sweet Mary Jane in his ride after being pulled over for speeding. Fortunately for Mike, and us, it appears as if Notre Dame is committed to winning and instead of kicking him out of school, Brian Kelly is handling the matter internally. Ragone provides an interesting option for Kelly as he should see more play as an H-back type of player as opposed to a traditional tight end. That means we will see Ragone do a wide variety of things such as block, run, and catch the ball. He had a nice “end around” ( or what I would call: Razor 27 Trap). In his time in an Irish uniform, Mike hasn’t done much statistically, but that should change drastically in 2010.
Ben Turk #35
Punter
5’11” 196 lbs.
Sophomore
Davie, Florida
Wu Name: Arrogant Ambassador
Typically, punters- pure punters, don’t get much hype during the recruiting season. If there is much praise in that kind of area, it usually heads over to the young placekickers that are booming 50 field goals and such. Ben has punting in his blood. His uncle is Matt Turk, a veteran punter in the NFL. This commitment had a different kind of feel to it once signing day was over and done with in 2009. Ben was part of a trio of specialists (Nick Tausch K, and Jordan Cowart Long Snapper) in that class to help bolster a special teams unit for the Irish that had become very un-special. When Turk first started punting for the Irish, his career looked like certain doom and it had fans wondering if he was worth the scholarship. Mind you, he was just a freshman, but kickers and punters don’t get much of the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their job. Turk ended up finishing quite strong in 2009 with a 45.5 yards per punt average in the final two games.
While everyone has been talking about Kelly’s offense, and the switch back to the 304 from the 4-3 on defense, only a small amount of lip-service has been played about the special teams for 2010. It’s a shame really. One of the best ways to improve a mediocre team is by getting the special teams units to play better. Look at it like this… Kelly runs a high tempo offense that moves the ball and scores points. But what if a drive halts, and halts quickly. It happens. In fact, it will happen quite a few times this season, especially early in the season, whether you want to admit it or not. What makes up for a drive that halts on your own 29 yard line, is a booming 50 yard punt that puts the opponent on their own 21 yard line. The field position battle is one of the most overlooked battles in the war on Saturdays. It gives your defense room to play out its gameplan, and it takes some pressure and anxiety off of the offense. It doesn’t happen every time, but if you are averaging around 45 yards a punt- it will a lot of the time. Turk has the leg, can he just do it, is the obvious question. Well…
