Today the University of Notre Dame officially announced the kickoff times for the 2011 season. Let's go ahead and run down them, shall we?
Sept. 3 - South Florida (3:30 p.m.)
Sept. 17 - Michigan State (3:30 p.m.)
Oct. 8 - Air Force (3:30 p.m.)
Oct. 22 - USC (7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 29 - Navy (3:30 p.m.)
Nov. 19 - Boston College (4:00 p.m. )
Go back up to October 22nd and stare at it again. Go ahead. Stare at the 7:30.
HOLY CRAP IT'S A NIGHT GAME IN NOTRE DAME STADIUM!
It'll be the first one since 1990, when the Irish beat Michigan 28-24. ND is 6-1 all-time under the lights, the only loss coming under Gerry Faust in 1984.
Southern Cal coming to South Bend for the first time with Lane Kiffin at the helm is huge. The first night game in 21 years is 0ff the charts. Rolling them together creates some sort of uber-event that I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around.
Videos, I need videos.
More...
GIVE ME THE VICTORY MARCH!
Now remind us what happened last year!
October 22nd. The countdown begins to a game for the ages.
GO IRISH
Showing posts with label Southern Cal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Southern Cal. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Remember? From Before? You Were There!
I'm dragging a bit today...so let's relive Saturday's game-winning drive!
And let's top it off with some Kiffin Face!
Man, I feel better already.
GO IRISH
Man, I feel better already.GO IRISH
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Five Stars from The Fall of Troy
After eight torturous losses in a row at the hands of an archrival, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish finally found a way to defeat the Southern Cal Trojans last Saturday night in the LA Coliseum. In heart-stopping fashion the Irish pieced together a beautiful drive to reclaim the lead with under three minutes left in the fourth quarter and then held on for dear life, clinching the victory with an interception at their own goal line with under a minute to play.There are numerous players and coaches who deserve praise and credit for the Fall of Troy, but we're going to narrow it down to the five that shone the brightest. For a slideshow of this article head over here to Bleacher Report.
Let's get to it!
#5: HARRISON SMITH
One Shining Moment: Smith intercepts a Mitch Mustain pass with 36 seconds left to play to ensure a Notre Dame victory.
The Irish defense stepped up in a big way to stymie the Trojans' numerous highly-touted offensive weapons and #22 Harrison Smith played a huge role in that success. Smith entered the season as one of the biggest question marks, saddled with the mental scars of a disastrous '09 campaign where he shuttled between two positions and all but shredded his confidence.
The fine game he played against Southern Cal shows just how far he's come from the ruins of last season.
On the very first play of the game he almost came up with an interception. The opportunity slipped through his fingers, but it set the tone for the entire evening. Smith anchored a secondary that allowed just one explosive play all game (a 34-yard throw to Robert Woods) and limited Southern Cal to just 177 yards through the air.
Fortunately for Irish fans, Harrison chose the right pass to drop and the right pass to secure as he made completely certain that he caught Mitch Mustain's pass to the endzone on the last Trojan drive. His interception set off raucous celebrations across Notre Dame Nation and finally locked down a victory over the Irish's hated rival.
#4: MICHAEL FLOYD
One Shining Moment: Floyd catches a touchdown on 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line in the second quarter to cap a 16 play drive that gave Notre Dame its first lead against SC since 2005.
More than half of Tommy Rees' completed passes found the hands of Michael Floyd. When the final gun sounded he'd accumulated 11 receptions, 86 yards, and a key touchdown on third and goal. While his statline isn't as gaudy as some of the other spectacular performances he's put on over the course of career, what's lost in the numbers is just how vital every one of those yards were.
The Irish offense sputtered for most of the game, but on the few drives where ND started moving Michael Floyd played a prominent role. On the first touchdown drive, Floyd carried defenders and willed himself over the first down marker on two different occasions to convert third down plays. Floyd had five catches for 34 yards, 3 first downs, and a touchdown on that Irish possession alone.
When Southern Cal had taken the lead late in the fourth quarter #3 kickstarted the drive with an 11-yard completion on the first play, which accounted for Notre Dame's second first down of the entire half to that point.
Michael Floyd responded as a superstar and leader should when his team needs him: he picked them up and carried them not only with supreme talent, but sheer will power as well.
#3: BRIAN SMITH
One Shining Moment: On back-to-back plays on SC's last drive in the second quarter Smith stuffs a 3rd and short in the backfield and then breaks up the pass on 4th down, halting the Trojans' drive and allowing ND an opportunity to extend its lead before the half.
Few players have been more maligned than Brian Smith over the course of the last four years. After starting his career with a boom, he sputtered over the next three and gained a reputation for producing more with his mouth than his play on the field.
On the biggest stage against Notre Dame's biggest rival he earned a bit of redemption. He played perhaps the most inspired ball of his entire career against the Trojans Saturday night. He did a great job dropping into pass coverage, provided toughness and support for a stout rush defense, and helped keep pressure on Southern Cal quarterback Mitch Mustain every time he dropped back to pass. Smith's leadership with his actions demonstrated just how far he'd come over the course of the year.
A key play that probably is long forgotten by many Irish fans at this point came on the final Trojan drive. Southern Cal ripped off back-to-back gains of 14 and 16 yards to drive deep into Irish territory. At the 23 yard-line a suddenly in rhythm and hot Mitch Mustain dropped back to pass and eyed the endzone. Brian Smith came storming in from the left side on a blitz and delivered a huge hit as Mustain released the ball. The pass was harmlessly broken up and Mustain's groove was interrupted.
On the very next play Harrison Smith intercepted the Trojans' last gasp attempt and the game was over. Brian Smith deserves all the credit in the world for greatly contributing to one of the best defensive performances in years, for the things that will be remembered (like the back-to-back plays in the second quarter), and the things that many will forget (the pressure he got on Mustain on the final drive).
Congratulations to the senior for stepping up in a huge situation and having his best game on the biggest stage.
#2: ROBERT HUGHES
One Shining Moment: Hughes bullies into the endzone for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:23 to play in the fourth quarter, barreling over Trojans in the process.
Here's another senior who came up with huge plays down the stretch to help secure an Irish victory. Like Brian Smith, Robert Hughes burst on to the scene as a freshman and seemed destined for great things after his strong efforts against Duke and Stanford ended the season on a strong note. Unfortunately things didn't go as planned as Hughes seemed to get caught between being a power back and a finesse runner.
There was no debating what style he adopted in the slop Saturday night.
Brian Kelly called Hughes' number five times on Notre Dame's go-ahead scoring drive late in the fourth quarter and the senior responded with bulldozing runs every time. On three consecutive plays he ripped off runs of 6, 12, and 13 yards while leaving scores of Trojans flattened in his wake.
When Notre Dame had just five yards left to paydirt Kelly went to his bellcow one last time. Hughes would not be denied; he carried two Trojans on his back and into the endzone for what proved to be the winning score.
Robert Hughes will leave Notre Dame as one of the most popular players in this graduating class. He overcame personal tragedy his freshman year, turmoil on the coaching staff, scores of heartbreaking losses, and weekly rises and falls on the depth chart. But through it all he he faced every bit of adversity with the class. He's proven to be a great leader and teammate and through it all made Notre Dame fans proud to call him one of their own.
It's only appropriate that the game ball for the final regular season contest would find its way into the hands of #33. Congratulations, Robert Hughes.
#1: LADY LUCK
One Shining Moment: Ronald Johnson drops a sure touchdown after his defender had fallen down and he got behind the Irish secondary.
Some times it just takes a little luck to finally get over the hump and for the first time it what seemed like an eternity, Lady Luck was wearing Blue and Gold instead of the opposing team's colors. Over the course of the game there were multiple times where Trojan receivers bumbled catches that could've turned into huge, deflating third down conversions. As any Irish fan will attest, these good breaks have not been very common since Lou left town in 1996. Notre Dame Football seemed to be completely governed by Murphy's Law.
But there's no clearer evidence that Lady Luck finally was an Irish fan again than Ronald Johnson's drop. He took off on a post to the middle of the field and the Irish defender (Harrison Smith) slipped on the wet turf, allowing Johnson to run free for what appeared to be the back-breaking touchdown Notre Dame fans have become so accustomed to seeing. Mitch Mustain delivered a pass right on the money, the Trojan fans rose to their feet ready to explode...and then a funny thing happened.
The ball hit the turf.
It was as if God had delivered a divine mandate that Notre Dame had experienced enough heartache and enough bad luck and their penance for whatever they'd done to tick him off was complete. Lady Luck reached out, tipped the ball out of Johnson's hands, and the Irish Faithful collectively exhaled.
Notre Dame Nation had been through a decade plus of bad breaks. From Jarious Jackson's freak injury against LSU in '98 to Ron Israel slipping and falling on the Michigan State logo in 2000 to Matt Leinart's perfect pass, a terrible spotting of the ball, and an illegal push in '05 to Duval Kamara slipping on the ultimate play of last year's contest. As Brian Kelly deadpanned in the post-game press conference, "It's about time we caught a break."
Make no mistake, this victory was not one based on luck. Notre Dame's defense completely dominated Southern Cal's offense the entire game and when the offense needed to it delivered a drive for the ages to emerge victorious. This was a victory the Fighting Irish earned through grit, determination, and execution.
But too many times over the last fifteen years Notre Dame performances that deserved victories didn't ultimately get rewarded with one (see: Nebraska in 2000, Southern Cal in 2005, etc.). Saturday night Lady Luck was finally in Notre Dame's corner again and on what should have been the dagger that devastated the Irish Faithful, she smiled and gave a little wink as that Mitch Mustain pass to Ronald Johnson harmlessly fell incomplete.
A tip of the cap to you, my lady. It's good to have you back in the fold.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Dear Diary...Notre Dame - Southern Cal
Welcome to the final running diary of the 2010 regular season! Today we come to you live from Casa del Blomstrom in McLean, VA. Mr. Balls has graciously opened his home up to hopefully watch and celebrate the Fall of Troy. As I said in the brief pregame preview, I'm not too optimistic, but of course I'd love nothing more than to be completely wrong. Let's get too it!
8:00 Pretty weak montage to start the broadcast, surprisingly mediocre production value. It was essentially a slideshow of pictures with music behind it, might’ve been done in Microsoft PowerPoint.
8:03 Mitch Mustain gets the nod at QB. I’m sure a lot of people are happy about this, but let’s not forget he’s not exactly a slouch. He was a huge recruit and won a boatload of games in the SEC as a freshman. Did he have Darren McFadden and Felix Jones lining up behind him that year? Yes, but still. He’s a threat.
8:10 Lukewarm reception for the Trojans as they come in to the stadium. They have such a terrible fan base.
8:12 You know, we’re all jacked up for the game and fired up for the kickoff and ABC plays a “The Beatles are now on iTunes” commercial. It’s 30 seconds of “Yesterday,” what a downer. They couldn’t have chosen any other Beatles song for a commercial right before kickoff of a football game? The Beatles weren’t a depressing band, give me some “Can’t Buy Me Love” or “Hard Day’s Night” or anything that doesn’t make the audience depressed. Back to the game—the Trojans will receive the opening kickoff.
8:14 Harrison Smith drops a sure interception on the first play when Mustain overthrows his receiver on the first play. Hit him right in the hands—you HAVE to come up with that if you want to pull an upset on the road.
8:14 HUGE play by Gary Gray to stuff a quick throw out to the left flat. He did a great job shedding a block and blowing up what could’ve been a big play.
8:15 Three and out for the Trojans, great start for the Irish defense. Mustain doesn’t look very good out of the gate. COME ON IRISH, LET’S GO. ND will get the ball at their own 30 to start the drive.
8:18 Quick three and out after Cierre Wood gets stoned on 3rd and 1. Turk actually gets off a great 49-yard punt and pins SC back at the 12.
8:23 The Irish force a 3rd and 6 but Stanley Havili catches a pass out of the backfield for a 19-yard gain up the middle. Damn.
8:27 Manti PLANTS Robert Woods so deep on a 3rd down screen pass that Woods may grow and bear fruit on the field come spring. Another good stand by the defense and the Trojans are forced to punt again. Couldn’t be more thrilled with how the defense has started this game. Southern Cal punt gets to the endzone and ND will take over at the 20.
8:31 Rees is picked off on a short pass to Toma by Chris Galippo. Trojans ball at the 30. Shit.
8:33 ND holds on 3rd down. I wonder aloud, “Will they go for it?” Brad quickly responds, “What do you think Kiffin will do.” I need to remember who’s on the opposing sideline before asking dumb questions like that—of course they’re going for it.
8:34 False start blows up that thought but they split the uprights on the field goal and stake a 3-0 lead. We can’t afford to gift them points. Hopefully our offense can wake up a la the Utah game.
8:39 Robert Hughes bulls ahead for an 8-yard carry and the first ND first down of the game. If he’s running like that all day then Cierre better be ready to ride the pine.
8:42 Drive stalls and Turk evens out his average with a horrendous 22-yard punt so the Trojans will start at the 39. Turk is just so bad, I’m already excited for his graduation. Is there a way to replace him with a walk-on FOR THE LOVE OF GOD?!?
8:45 First quarter ends with SC driving into ND territory. Good start for the defense (68 yards allowed even though SC’s had the ball for 10 of the 15 minutes), disastrous start for the offense. Kelly needs to find a way to jumpstart the offensive attack or we’ll have no chance.
8:51 Southern Cal drops a ball right over the middle on third down and are forced to punt. Another good stand by the defense. Great punt pins ND at the Notre Dame 6. We need to respond here, we can’t expect the defense to continue like this the entire game. The offense needs to relieve a bit of pressure and piece together a drive that gives Manti and the boys a breather.
8:56 Not happening—another three and out. McDonough points out that every 3rd down ND has had has been short and manageable, which is a very good point. We’re not putting ourselves in impossible situations (which is a good sign), we just need to man up and will our way over the marker to get some sustained drives going. Decent Turk punt gets over midfield to the SC 42. Come on defense, keep it up.
9:01 Irish force another three and out. How BOUT that Bobby Diaco defense!?!?
9:02 First play of the drive is a nifty little 9-yard run on first down by Cierre Wood. He picks up the first down on the next carry.
9:04 Another first down on the ground for Cierre Wood and ND is out to the 43-yard line. Looking like we’re establishing a little rhythm.
9:06 Michael Floyd picks up a first down on 3rd and 7, great job of bulldozing forward for an extra six yards after he caught the ball. ND’s over midfield for the first time today.
9:09 Floyd converts another third down by willing his way to an extra two yards over the first down line. That’s what we need, way to pick us up #3! ND is on the 20.
9:10 TYLER EIFERT PICKS UP A FIRST DOWN AT THE ONE YARD LINE, RUNNING OVER A DEFENDER IN THE PROCESS. COME ON BABY, LET’S PUNCH IT IN!!!!
9:12 Two plays, two passes, two incompletions. I can hear CLoss screaming all the way from Chicago. Can’t say I disagree with him in this instance—would’ve rather seen some Hughes on at least one play. Of course all will be forgiven if we punch it in on third down. ND calls timeout to weigh options and get their giant picture cards in order. Pumpkin-Duck-Erin Andrews-Yogi Bear (which is code for the Wildcat Formation) was mixed up with Chipotle-Blood-Stool-Frowny Face (which is code for Chipotle causes bloody stool).
9:16 TOUCHDOOOOOOWN IRISH!!!! MICHAEL FLOYD BABY! QUICK LITTLE STICK ROUTE IN THE RIGHT SLOT FOR AN EASY PITCH AND CATCH. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS NOTRE DAME HAS TAKEN THE LEAD. LET’S GO BABY!!!!!!!!!! Notre Dame 7, Southern Cal 3.
9:21 Southern Cal gets a great return out to midfield and is moving with some purpose into ND territory.
9:22 Brian Smith STONES Havili on 3rd down bringing up 4th and 3. COME ON IRISH, STUFF’EM.
9:22 BRIAN SMITH BREAKS UP THE PASS AND NOTRE DAME WILL TAKE OVER ON DOWNS. ATTA BOY BRIAN, WAY TO SHOW UP!!!! ND ball at their own 38-yard line with 44 seconds left. Will BK be content to go into the halftime up 7-3 or will he be aggressive?
9:26 CIERRE WOOD TAKES A DRAW PLAY UP THE GUT FOR 28 YARDS ON THE FIRST PLAY. WHAT A GREAT PLAY CALL. Tommy Rees burns the final timeout, which was a dumb, panicked move caused by pure shock that the previous play worked so well.
9:27 Michael Floyd 19 yards down to the Southern Cal 15. Come on baby, find a way into the endzone, don’t settle for three.
9:28 Tyler Eifert down to the SC 7. PUNCH IT IN.
9:29 FLOYD TO THE ONE-INCH LINE AND THE CLOCK KEEPS MOVING, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THIS CLOCK. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT’S CONTINUED MOVING ON THIS DRIVE WHEN IT SHOULD’VE STOPPED FOR THE FIRST DOWN. WHAT A GODDAMN HOMER JOB.
9:31 TOUCHDOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWNNNNN IIIIRRRRRIIIISSSSHHHH!!!!! THE BARD OF BERGEN COUNTY, DUVAL KAMARA WITH A 1-YARD TOUCHDOWN CATCH. HOW YOU LIKE THEM APPLES LANE!?!??!?!?! I LOVE IT BABY, I LOVE IT!!!!
9:34 Ruffer biffs the extra point. Goddamnit to hell, please say that doesn’t come back to haunt us. Well, I guess it beats 7-3 or 10-3. Notre Dame 13, Southern Cal 3.
9:47 The half comes to a close and for the first time in about a decade we can say the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are manhandling Southern Cal. Take a look at these stats:
Time of Possession: ND – 15:09…SC – 14:51 (AND WE KICKED OFF!)
Rushing Yards: ND – 66…SC – 44
First Down: ND – 10…SC – 6
Kelly made the necessary adjustments, had the brilliant play call that kick-started the final drive, and once again found a way to get everything he could out of a freshman quarterback that’s about 330 days removed from his high school homecoming dance.
And for all the grief Diaco deserved for the Navy debacle he deserves equal praise for how the defense has responded in the games since then. It’s been a defensive masterpiece to this point. And by the way, I was completely wrong on Mustain—among other things. He’s a bum and the SC coaching staff is completely reluctant to try to take shots down the field. That seems really stupid when you have Ronald Johnson and Robert Woods on the outside, doesn’t it? In any case, it’s so fun to be wrong in situations like this.
Thirty minutes to go boys, let’s find a way to finish this game off.
Thirty. Minutes.
9:59 Irish receive the second half kickoff and get a good return out to the 29.
10:01 Interception by Tommy Rees. He missed a wide-open Cierre Wood on the left side and tried to force it to Kamara. SHIT. The Trojans take over at the Irish 21. COME ON DEFENSE, BAIL US OUT.
10:03 Trojan first down inside the 10-yard line. Come on defense, step up.
10:05 The Irish hold, another great stand by the defense. The Trojans bang home a chip shot and ND’s lead is cut to a touchdown. Notre Dame 13, Southern Cal 6.
10:11 Three and out for the Irish. I just got whiplash from the momentum shift that’s occurred over the last ten minutes. Rees does not look good—the second play of this drive should’ve been picked as well. Let’s go BK, get his head on straight. Southern Cal gets more good field position at their own 37.
10:15 One play and the Trojans are over midfield. Good throw on the rollout by Mustain.
10:17 The Irish hold again, Brian Smith broke up the pass on third down. Mustain’s throw was absolutely terrible, he looked terrified to get hit. Welcome back to the reality of playing games and not just preening on the sidelines Pretty Boy.
10:19 The offense looks completely lost. Rees looks terrible. This does not bode well.
10:20 Rees is sacked and fumbles. Southern Cal ball at the Irish 2-yard line. Robert Hughes whiffed on a cut block. There’s an unprintable string of expletives flying around right now and that horrible, sinking feeling that’s overwhelmed the room.
10:22 Notre Dame forces 4th and inches but Mustain sneaks it in to tie the game. Our offense has been a complete disaster—we’ve moved the ball FOR the Trojans. Sickening—two turnovers inside our own red zone. Tommy Rees better wake the hell up and realize the second half started. Notre Dame 13, Southern Cal 13 with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
10:26 Southern Cal student body is batting beach balls around. I don’t know why this makes me angry but it does in the worst way. I guess at this point you could probably show me a picture of the Pope wearing maroon and gold garb and I’d be angry.
10:28 Two plays, two draws, two yards. Big third down coming up for Notre Dame.
10:29 Michael Floyd comes up inches short on third down and the Irish have to punt again. Ben Turk punts it to the 42 and we’ll ask the defense to come up big for the 50th time tonight. They’re playing with a lot of confidence but you have to wonder at what point are you just asking too much.
10:32 Well we haven’t asked too much yet—the defense stones them for yet another three and out. The Irish will take over at the 10 after another good punt. It is pouring rain and has been for probably 10 minutes.
10:33 Robert Hughes rumbles for five yards on first down and four on second down. Big 3rd and 1 coming up here. Come on boys, pick this up.
10:34 HUUUUGHES right up the gut for seven yards and a first down.
10:35 The third quarter comes to a close after Hughes gashes the Trojans for another four yards.
What a disastrous quarter for ND. Rees has looked completely overwhelmed and did the one thing that we couldn’t afford: turnovers in our own territory. We handed them all 13 of their points on our three turnovers. The good news is that we’re still tied despite a -3 TO Differential. Please for the love of God find a way to win this game.
10:39 Hughes goes for another three yards and brings up a 3rd and 3. Come on Irish.
10:39 Rees almost throws another pick but thankfully it’s dropped because that would’ve been six in the bad guys’ direction. Notre Dame will have to punt but at least the field position battle will swing in our favor…that is if Turk gets off a decent punt. My faith in that is about 4%.
10:42 Decent punt is made better by a block in the back. Southern Cal will take over at the 21.
10:46 Another block in the back wipes out a big gain at the beginning of the drive, pushing it back to the 18-yard line. Tack on another five yards thanks to a false start.
10:47 It’s time to interview former ND announcer and current Southern Cal AD Pat Haden! I was one of the seemingly few people who thought Haden did a very nice job as the color guy. He seems like a great guy and I thought he was pretty sharp…and then he uttered, “Lane has been sensational, I think he’ll be here a long time—the perception and reality of Lane Kiffin are completely different.” You mean he’s an even BIGGER jackass than we think?!? How is that possible? Pat will be singing a different tune when the next batch of violations come out.
10:48 Great pass by Mustain for 38 yards on second and a mile. Damnit to hell.
10:49 Notre Dame defense responds again and forces another punt. ND will take over at the 16 with a little over ten minutes to go. We need a drive here. Come on Tommy, dig deep.
10:53 Interception on the first play. Rees throws into triple coverage and SC will take over at the 38. DAMNIT TO HELL TOMMY, WAKE THE HELL UP, YOU ARE GIFT-WRAPPING THESE IDIOTS THE GAME.
10:54 First down Southern Cal inside the 30-yard line. We need a turnover in the worst way. Really it appears that in order to have a shot at winning this game we need a pick-six. If the defense finds a way to do so then they’ll instantly be launched into 2002 Return to Glory Defense territory for clutchness (at least for this game).
10:57 The Southern Cal drive stalls and they’re going to have to try a 37-yard field goal in a driving rain storm. MISS IT NOONAN, MISS. NNNNNOONAN, NNNNNNOONAN.
10:58 The field goal is good. Notre Dame 13, Tommy Rees DBA Southern California 16. There’s 6:25 left in the game and we’ll need Rees to somehow rebound and lead a drive in the pouring rain. Not feeling particularly confident at this juncture. It would be a travesty to waste such a great defensive performance.
11:01 Notre Dame ball at the 23. We’ve got 77 yards to paydirt.
11:02 First play is a rollout pass to Michael Floyd for 11 yards. We go to him for the first time in what seems like an eternity (though who knows, maybe a couple of those passes that were batted down at the line were intended for #3) and we get a first down. Imagine that.
11:03 Huge run by Cierre is almost completely ruined by a fumble. Eifert jumps on it. My heart stopped for approximately four seconds. ND ball at the SC 40 with 5:20 left.
11:04 Good run by Hughes picks up six. He’s running with some purpose right now which is a great sign.
11:04 HUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHEEES for another 13 yards. First down at the Southern Cal 23. COME ON BOYS, LET’S GET SIX.
11:05 HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHEEEESSSSS FOR ANOTHER BULLDOZING 12 YARD RUN. FIRST AND GOAL AT THE 10.
11:06 Floyd for five. 2nd and goal. DON’T SETTLE FOR THREE, FINISH THEM!
11:07 HUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! TOUCHDOOOOOOOOWNNNN IRIIIIIISSSSSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!! BULL-EFFING-DOZER, THE IRISH HAVE STORMED BACK TO TAKE THE LEAD!!!!!!!!!! HEROES 20, VILLAINS 16 WITH 2:23 TO GO.
11:10 Southern Cal has the ball at the 31 with three timeouts and 2:16 to go. For the first time in God knows how long I’m actually confident our defense can come up with a stop. Could this be the ND fan base’s Dave Roberts Moment?
11:11 Robert Blanton baaaaaaaarely tips a ball and the receiver drops it. Had he caught it he had the entire state in front of him, he could’ve gone for miles. Not a good start defense, COME ON, DON’T BREAK NOW.
11:12 Notre Dame sniffs out a second down screen pass and brings up 3rd and 7 with 1:24 left. KILLLLLLLLL!!!
11:13 Sweet Baby Jesus. Harrison Smith falls down and Ronald Johnson—who is WIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDEEEE OPEN for a touchdown, so open he could’ve crab-walked his way in—just flatout drops it. Holy shit, what a gift. Someone upstairs has decided that this streak ends tonight. I need a new pair of pants. It’s 4th and 7—REDEEM YOURSELF FOR 4TH AND 9 IN ‘05. KILLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!
11:15 First down Trojans. Next play is another first down. Southern Cal ball at the 23, under a minute left. I want to throw up.
11:16 Brian Smith comes in and hits Mustain as he throws, incomplete. He’s playing a great game. I am so nauseous I can barely type. 44 seconds left. Please stop them. Please.
11:17 INTERCEPTION NOTRE DAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HARRISON SMITH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY MOTHER OF GOD WE DID IT!!!!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSIIIIIRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!
11:19 AHHHHHHHHHHHH I CAN’T BELIEVE!!!! UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE. ND is forced to sneak it out from underneath the uprights, which is perilous and something I should probably be worried about but I couldn’t care less right now. If God wanted us to lose he wouldn’t have reached down from heaven and tipped that ball away from Ronald Johnson on the final drive, am I right?!?!
11:20 WEEEE ARRRREEE NNNNNN DDDDDDD!!!!!!!
11:22 IT’S OVER!!!!!!!! THE GAME IS OVER, THE STREAK IS OVER, POP THE CHAMPAGNE BABYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!
NOTRE DAME 20
SOUTHERN CAL 16
Quick Hits
1 – I can’t believe it finally happened.
2 – HOW ABOUT THAT IRISH DEFENSE!?!?!?!? What an effort, best showing in eight years. Borderline dominant.
3 – Robert Hughes, what an unbelievable performance on the last drive.
4 – If someone told you that we were going lose the turnover battle 4-1, that each of our four turnovers would come in our own territory, and the Trojans would score after each one of them…what would you have predicted the final would’ve been?
5 – Get used to it Lane—there’s a new sheriff in town.
People will debate whether this qualifies as a “signature win” for Brian Kelly. The answer is: who the hell cares?
8:00 Pretty weak montage to start the broadcast, surprisingly mediocre production value. It was essentially a slideshow of pictures with music behind it, might’ve been done in Microsoft PowerPoint.
8:03 Mitch Mustain gets the nod at QB. I’m sure a lot of people are happy about this, but let’s not forget he’s not exactly a slouch. He was a huge recruit and won a boatload of games in the SEC as a freshman. Did he have Darren McFadden and Felix Jones lining up behind him that year? Yes, but still. He’s a threat.
8:10 Lukewarm reception for the Trojans as they come in to the stadium. They have such a terrible fan base.
8:12 You know, we’re all jacked up for the game and fired up for the kickoff and ABC plays a “The Beatles are now on iTunes” commercial. It’s 30 seconds of “Yesterday,” what a downer. They couldn’t have chosen any other Beatles song for a commercial right before kickoff of a football game? The Beatles weren’t a depressing band, give me some “Can’t Buy Me Love” or “Hard Day’s Night” or anything that doesn’t make the audience depressed. Back to the game—the Trojans will receive the opening kickoff.
8:14 Harrison Smith drops a sure interception on the first play when Mustain overthrows his receiver on the first play. Hit him right in the hands—you HAVE to come up with that if you want to pull an upset on the road.
8:14 HUGE play by Gary Gray to stuff a quick throw out to the left flat. He did a great job shedding a block and blowing up what could’ve been a big play.
8:15 Three and out for the Trojans, great start for the Irish defense. Mustain doesn’t look very good out of the gate. COME ON IRISH, LET’S GO. ND will get the ball at their own 30 to start the drive.
8:18 Quick three and out after Cierre Wood gets stoned on 3rd and 1. Turk actually gets off a great 49-yard punt and pins SC back at the 12.
8:23 The Irish force a 3rd and 6 but Stanley Havili catches a pass out of the backfield for a 19-yard gain up the middle. Damn.
8:27 Manti PLANTS Robert Woods so deep on a 3rd down screen pass that Woods may grow and bear fruit on the field come spring. Another good stand by the defense and the Trojans are forced to punt again. Couldn’t be more thrilled with how the defense has started this game. Southern Cal punt gets to the endzone and ND will take over at the 20.
8:31 Rees is picked off on a short pass to Toma by Chris Galippo. Trojans ball at the 30. Shit.
8:33 ND holds on 3rd down. I wonder aloud, “Will they go for it?” Brad quickly responds, “What do you think Kiffin will do.” I need to remember who’s on the opposing sideline before asking dumb questions like that—of course they’re going for it.
8:34 False start blows up that thought but they split the uprights on the field goal and stake a 3-0 lead. We can’t afford to gift them points. Hopefully our offense can wake up a la the Utah game.
8:39 Robert Hughes bulls ahead for an 8-yard carry and the first ND first down of the game. If he’s running like that all day then Cierre better be ready to ride the pine.
8:42 Drive stalls and Turk evens out his average with a horrendous 22-yard punt so the Trojans will start at the 39. Turk is just so bad, I’m already excited for his graduation. Is there a way to replace him with a walk-on FOR THE LOVE OF GOD?!?
8:45 First quarter ends with SC driving into ND territory. Good start for the defense (68 yards allowed even though SC’s had the ball for 10 of the 15 minutes), disastrous start for the offense. Kelly needs to find a way to jumpstart the offensive attack or we’ll have no chance.
8:51 Southern Cal drops a ball right over the middle on third down and are forced to punt. Another good stand by the defense. Great punt pins ND at the Notre Dame 6. We need to respond here, we can’t expect the defense to continue like this the entire game. The offense needs to relieve a bit of pressure and piece together a drive that gives Manti and the boys a breather.
8:56 Not happening—another three and out. McDonough points out that every 3rd down ND has had has been short and manageable, which is a very good point. We’re not putting ourselves in impossible situations (which is a good sign), we just need to man up and will our way over the marker to get some sustained drives going. Decent Turk punt gets over midfield to the SC 42. Come on defense, keep it up.
9:01 Irish force another three and out. How BOUT that Bobby Diaco defense!?!?
9:02 First play of the drive is a nifty little 9-yard run on first down by Cierre Wood. He picks up the first down on the next carry.
9:04 Another first down on the ground for Cierre Wood and ND is out to the 43-yard line. Looking like we’re establishing a little rhythm.
9:06 Michael Floyd picks up a first down on 3rd and 7, great job of bulldozing forward for an extra six yards after he caught the ball. ND’s over midfield for the first time today.
9:09 Floyd converts another third down by willing his way to an extra two yards over the first down line. That’s what we need, way to pick us up #3! ND is on the 20.
9:10 TYLER EIFERT PICKS UP A FIRST DOWN AT THE ONE YARD LINE, RUNNING OVER A DEFENDER IN THE PROCESS. COME ON BABY, LET’S PUNCH IT IN!!!!
9:12 Two plays, two passes, two incompletions. I can hear CLoss screaming all the way from Chicago. Can’t say I disagree with him in this instance—would’ve rather seen some Hughes on at least one play. Of course all will be forgiven if we punch it in on third down. ND calls timeout to weigh options and get their giant picture cards in order. Pumpkin-Duck-Erin Andrews-Yogi Bear (which is code for the Wildcat Formation) was mixed up with Chipotle-Blood-Stool-Frowny Face (which is code for Chipotle causes bloody stool).
9:16 TOUCHDOOOOOOWN IRISH!!!! MICHAEL FLOYD BABY! QUICK LITTLE STICK ROUTE IN THE RIGHT SLOT FOR AN EASY PITCH AND CATCH. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS NOTRE DAME HAS TAKEN THE LEAD. LET’S GO BABY!!!!!!!!!! Notre Dame 7, Southern Cal 3.
9:21 Southern Cal gets a great return out to midfield and is moving with some purpose into ND territory.
9:22 Brian Smith STONES Havili on 3rd down bringing up 4th and 3. COME ON IRISH, STUFF’EM.
9:22 BRIAN SMITH BREAKS UP THE PASS AND NOTRE DAME WILL TAKE OVER ON DOWNS. ATTA BOY BRIAN, WAY TO SHOW UP!!!! ND ball at their own 38-yard line with 44 seconds left. Will BK be content to go into the halftime up 7-3 or will he be aggressive?
9:26 CIERRE WOOD TAKES A DRAW PLAY UP THE GUT FOR 28 YARDS ON THE FIRST PLAY. WHAT A GREAT PLAY CALL. Tommy Rees burns the final timeout, which was a dumb, panicked move caused by pure shock that the previous play worked so well.
9:27 Michael Floyd 19 yards down to the Southern Cal 15. Come on baby, find a way into the endzone, don’t settle for three.
9:28 Tyler Eifert down to the SC 7. PUNCH IT IN.
9:29 FLOYD TO THE ONE-INCH LINE AND THE CLOCK KEEPS MOVING, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THIS CLOCK. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT’S CONTINUED MOVING ON THIS DRIVE WHEN IT SHOULD’VE STOPPED FOR THE FIRST DOWN. WHAT A GODDAMN HOMER JOB.
9:31 TOUCHDOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWNNNNN IIIIRRRRRIIIISSSSHHHH!!!!! THE BARD OF BERGEN COUNTY, DUVAL KAMARA WITH A 1-YARD TOUCHDOWN CATCH. HOW YOU LIKE THEM APPLES LANE!?!??!?!?! I LOVE IT BABY, I LOVE IT!!!!
9:34 Ruffer biffs the extra point. Goddamnit to hell, please say that doesn’t come back to haunt us. Well, I guess it beats 7-3 or 10-3. Notre Dame 13, Southern Cal 3.
9:47 The half comes to a close and for the first time in about a decade we can say the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are manhandling Southern Cal. Take a look at these stats:
Time of Possession: ND – 15:09…SC – 14:51 (AND WE KICKED OFF!)
Rushing Yards: ND – 66…SC – 44
First Down: ND – 10…SC – 6
Kelly made the necessary adjustments, had the brilliant play call that kick-started the final drive, and once again found a way to get everything he could out of a freshman quarterback that’s about 330 days removed from his high school homecoming dance.
And for all the grief Diaco deserved for the Navy debacle he deserves equal praise for how the defense has responded in the games since then. It’s been a defensive masterpiece to this point. And by the way, I was completely wrong on Mustain—among other things. He’s a bum and the SC coaching staff is completely reluctant to try to take shots down the field. That seems really stupid when you have Ronald Johnson and Robert Woods on the outside, doesn’t it? In any case, it’s so fun to be wrong in situations like this.
Thirty minutes to go boys, let’s find a way to finish this game off.
Thirty. Minutes.
9:59 Irish receive the second half kickoff and get a good return out to the 29.
10:01 Interception by Tommy Rees. He missed a wide-open Cierre Wood on the left side and tried to force it to Kamara. SHIT. The Trojans take over at the Irish 21. COME ON DEFENSE, BAIL US OUT.
10:03 Trojan first down inside the 10-yard line. Come on defense, step up.
10:05 The Irish hold, another great stand by the defense. The Trojans bang home a chip shot and ND’s lead is cut to a touchdown. Notre Dame 13, Southern Cal 6.
10:11 Three and out for the Irish. I just got whiplash from the momentum shift that’s occurred over the last ten minutes. Rees does not look good—the second play of this drive should’ve been picked as well. Let’s go BK, get his head on straight. Southern Cal gets more good field position at their own 37.
10:15 One play and the Trojans are over midfield. Good throw on the rollout by Mustain.
10:17 The Irish hold again, Brian Smith broke up the pass on third down. Mustain’s throw was absolutely terrible, he looked terrified to get hit. Welcome back to the reality of playing games and not just preening on the sidelines Pretty Boy.
10:19 The offense looks completely lost. Rees looks terrible. This does not bode well.
10:20 Rees is sacked and fumbles. Southern Cal ball at the Irish 2-yard line. Robert Hughes whiffed on a cut block. There’s an unprintable string of expletives flying around right now and that horrible, sinking feeling that’s overwhelmed the room.
10:22 Notre Dame forces 4th and inches but Mustain sneaks it in to tie the game. Our offense has been a complete disaster—we’ve moved the ball FOR the Trojans. Sickening—two turnovers inside our own red zone. Tommy Rees better wake the hell up and realize the second half started. Notre Dame 13, Southern Cal 13 with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
10:26 Southern Cal student body is batting beach balls around. I don’t know why this makes me angry but it does in the worst way. I guess at this point you could probably show me a picture of the Pope wearing maroon and gold garb and I’d be angry.
10:28 Two plays, two draws, two yards. Big third down coming up for Notre Dame.
10:29 Michael Floyd comes up inches short on third down and the Irish have to punt again. Ben Turk punts it to the 42 and we’ll ask the defense to come up big for the 50th time tonight. They’re playing with a lot of confidence but you have to wonder at what point are you just asking too much.
10:32 Well we haven’t asked too much yet—the defense stones them for yet another three and out. The Irish will take over at the 10 after another good punt. It is pouring rain and has been for probably 10 minutes.
10:33 Robert Hughes rumbles for five yards on first down and four on second down. Big 3rd and 1 coming up here. Come on boys, pick this up.
10:34 HUUUUGHES right up the gut for seven yards and a first down.
10:35 The third quarter comes to a close after Hughes gashes the Trojans for another four yards.
What a disastrous quarter for ND. Rees has looked completely overwhelmed and did the one thing that we couldn’t afford: turnovers in our own territory. We handed them all 13 of their points on our three turnovers. The good news is that we’re still tied despite a -3 TO Differential. Please for the love of God find a way to win this game.
10:39 Hughes goes for another three yards and brings up a 3rd and 3. Come on Irish.
10:39 Rees almost throws another pick but thankfully it’s dropped because that would’ve been six in the bad guys’ direction. Notre Dame will have to punt but at least the field position battle will swing in our favor…that is if Turk gets off a decent punt. My faith in that is about 4%.
10:42 Decent punt is made better by a block in the back. Southern Cal will take over at the 21.
10:46 Another block in the back wipes out a big gain at the beginning of the drive, pushing it back to the 18-yard line. Tack on another five yards thanks to a false start.
10:47 It’s time to interview former ND announcer and current Southern Cal AD Pat Haden! I was one of the seemingly few people who thought Haden did a very nice job as the color guy. He seems like a great guy and I thought he was pretty sharp…and then he uttered, “Lane has been sensational, I think he’ll be here a long time—the perception and reality of Lane Kiffin are completely different.” You mean he’s an even BIGGER jackass than we think?!? How is that possible? Pat will be singing a different tune when the next batch of violations come out.
10:48 Great pass by Mustain for 38 yards on second and a mile. Damnit to hell.
10:49 Notre Dame defense responds again and forces another punt. ND will take over at the 16 with a little over ten minutes to go. We need a drive here. Come on Tommy, dig deep.
10:53 Interception on the first play. Rees throws into triple coverage and SC will take over at the 38. DAMNIT TO HELL TOMMY, WAKE THE HELL UP, YOU ARE GIFT-WRAPPING THESE IDIOTS THE GAME.
10:54 First down Southern Cal inside the 30-yard line. We need a turnover in the worst way. Really it appears that in order to have a shot at winning this game we need a pick-six. If the defense finds a way to do so then they’ll instantly be launched into 2002 Return to Glory Defense territory for clutchness (at least for this game).
10:57 The Southern Cal drive stalls and they’re going to have to try a 37-yard field goal in a driving rain storm. MISS IT NOONAN, MISS. NNNNNOONAN, NNNNNNOONAN.
10:58 The field goal is good. Notre Dame 13, Tommy Rees DBA Southern California 16. There’s 6:25 left in the game and we’ll need Rees to somehow rebound and lead a drive in the pouring rain. Not feeling particularly confident at this juncture. It would be a travesty to waste such a great defensive performance.
11:01 Notre Dame ball at the 23. We’ve got 77 yards to paydirt.
11:02 First play is a rollout pass to Michael Floyd for 11 yards. We go to him for the first time in what seems like an eternity (though who knows, maybe a couple of those passes that were batted down at the line were intended for #3) and we get a first down. Imagine that.
11:03 Huge run by Cierre is almost completely ruined by a fumble. Eifert jumps on it. My heart stopped for approximately four seconds. ND ball at the SC 40 with 5:20 left.
11:04 Good run by Hughes picks up six. He’s running with some purpose right now which is a great sign.
11:04 HUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHEEES for another 13 yards. First down at the Southern Cal 23. COME ON BOYS, LET’S GET SIX.
11:05 HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHEEEESSSSS FOR ANOTHER BULLDOZING 12 YARD RUN. FIRST AND GOAL AT THE 10.
11:06 Floyd for five. 2nd and goal. DON’T SETTLE FOR THREE, FINISH THEM!
11:07 HUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! TOUCHDOOOOOOOOWNNNN IRIIIIIISSSSSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!! BULL-EFFING-DOZER, THE IRISH HAVE STORMED BACK TO TAKE THE LEAD!!!!!!!!!! HEROES 20, VILLAINS 16 WITH 2:23 TO GO.
11:10 Southern Cal has the ball at the 31 with three timeouts and 2:16 to go. For the first time in God knows how long I’m actually confident our defense can come up with a stop. Could this be the ND fan base’s Dave Roberts Moment?
11:11 Robert Blanton baaaaaaaarely tips a ball and the receiver drops it. Had he caught it he had the entire state in front of him, he could’ve gone for miles. Not a good start defense, COME ON, DON’T BREAK NOW.
11:12 Notre Dame sniffs out a second down screen pass and brings up 3rd and 7 with 1:24 left. KILLLLLLLLL!!!
11:13 Sweet Baby Jesus. Harrison Smith falls down and Ronald Johnson—who is WIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDEEEE OPEN for a touchdown, so open he could’ve crab-walked his way in—just flatout drops it. Holy shit, what a gift. Someone upstairs has decided that this streak ends tonight. I need a new pair of pants. It’s 4th and 7—REDEEM YOURSELF FOR 4TH AND 9 IN ‘05. KILLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!
11:15 First down Trojans. Next play is another first down. Southern Cal ball at the 23, under a minute left. I want to throw up.
11:16 Brian Smith comes in and hits Mustain as he throws, incomplete. He’s playing a great game. I am so nauseous I can barely type. 44 seconds left. Please stop them. Please.
11:17 INTERCEPTION NOTRE DAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HARRISON SMITH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY MOTHER OF GOD WE DID IT!!!!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSIIIIIRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!
11:19 AHHHHHHHHHHHH I CAN’T BELIEVE!!!! UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE. ND is forced to sneak it out from underneath the uprights, which is perilous and something I should probably be worried about but I couldn’t care less right now. If God wanted us to lose he wouldn’t have reached down from heaven and tipped that ball away from Ronald Johnson on the final drive, am I right?!?!
11:20 WEEEE ARRRREEE NNNNNN DDDDDDD!!!!!!!
11:22 IT’S OVER!!!!!!!! THE GAME IS OVER, THE STREAK IS OVER, POP THE CHAMPAGNE BABYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!
NOTRE DAME 20
SOUTHERN CAL 16
Quick Hits
1 – I can’t believe it finally happened.
2 – HOW ABOUT THAT IRISH DEFENSE!?!?!?!? What an effort, best showing in eight years. Borderline dominant.
3 – Robert Hughes, what an unbelievable performance on the last drive.
4 – If someone told you that we were going lose the turnover battle 4-1, that each of our four turnovers would come in our own territory, and the Trojans would score after each one of them…what would you have predicted the final would’ve been?
5 – Get used to it Lane—there’s a new sheriff in town.
People will debate whether this qualifies as a “signature win” for Brian Kelly. The answer is: who the hell cares?
We just traveled across the country with a backup, freshman quarterback, a backup running back, without our best defensive lineman and our potential all-american tight end, and punched the bully that had tormented us for eight years square in the mouth. We came back in a driving rainstorm and pounded the ball down Southern Cal’s throat for a go-ahead touchdown in a way we haven’t seen since 1995.
This was a great win, a “turn the corner” win. As Brian Kelly said post-game, “Today we put the Fight back in the Fighting Irish.”
Damn it feels good.
GO IRISH!
Damn it feels good.
GO IRISH!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Trojan Turnover
Today ESPN reported two little nuggets from Trojan Land. The first was that Southern Cal is returning Reggie Bush's Heisman and essentially purging all memory of him from the annals. Unfortunately this doesn't mean that Reggie actually has had his Heisman taken away, but it is nice to see that he's now essentially been frozen out by his alma mater.
The second--and more relevant to Notre Dame fans that aren't current students--is that the indescribably delusional Mike Garrett has been replaced by former Trojan quarterback and current ND home game color commentator Pat Haden. Many on message boards are rejoicing the fact that Haden will be leaving the NBC telecasts because they claim he had an anti-Notre Dame prejudice (a natural thought I suppose given his alma mater).
I really never had a problem with Haden--in fact, I thought he was pretty good. He was articulate, clearly knew his stuff, and was for the most part very concise. I never thought he showed any anti-Irish bias. If they did something bad he called them out for it. If they did something good he praised it. If there was a bad call against them he'd react with the proper degree of outrage (specifically I remember the "roughing the center" call from earlier in the decade).
Now I obviously didn't see the '05 Bush Push telecast so I don't know how he called that one, but if people say he was objective then he could do anything objectively. I appreciate his efforts over the past decade and appreciate even more the fact that last season he uttered the line, "Kyle Rudolph's hands are the size of small dogs."
The person that really needed to be replaced this offseason was Tom Hammond. There are some people that are not made for High Definition television and Hammond is at the top of that list. It's "seriously, get the kids out of the room so they don't have nightmares" bad. Combine that with the fact that he constantly screwed up names and seems to be losing it a hair and it's time for him to go.
We don't know whether he'll follow Haden out the door, but we can begin to speculate on who the new color guy will be. Let's throw some names out there:
* Joe Theismann - Should they choose to go the ND alum route he's available and I'm sure itching to get a microphone in front of him. I'm not his biggest fan but I wouldn't be upset.
* Aaron Taylor - He's incredibly articulate but really turned me off the past few years by piling on ND. Just my opinion, but he crossed the line between objective analysis to hater. After spending so much time in the studio with John Saunders I guess I can understand how the hate would spill over though.
* Chris Collinsworth - He used to do ND games back in the early 90's but he's now the centerpiece of the NBC Sunday Night Football telecasts so he wouldn't be a legitimate candidate I don't think (though he does have a kid on the team so he'll be there anyway).
* Bob Davie - I've never muted the TV to listen to the radio (even though I loved Tony Roberts), but I absolutely would if Davie were the color guy. He's actually a great color guy, but he's someone that demonstrates time and time again that he doesn't understand Notre Dame and I could see him making 2-3 comments per season that would lead me to put a hole in my living room wall.
* Jesse Palmer - He's pretty good, I just can't see him leaving ESPN.
* Craig James - He'll be too busy attending Texas Tech games and talking with Tommy Tuberville through a headset telling him to play his son.
* Petros Papadakis - Whoever suggested him must live under powerlines. I'd rather have a picture-in-picture of Hammond's face in the upper right-hand corner of my TV screen all game than listen to Papadakis.
The second--and more relevant to Notre Dame fans that aren't current students--is that the indescribably delusional Mike Garrett has been replaced by former Trojan quarterback and current ND home game color commentator Pat Haden. Many on message boards are rejoicing the fact that Haden will be leaving the NBC telecasts because they claim he had an anti-Notre Dame prejudice (a natural thought I suppose given his alma mater).
I really never had a problem with Haden--in fact, I thought he was pretty good. He was articulate, clearly knew his stuff, and was for the most part very concise. I never thought he showed any anti-Irish bias. If they did something bad he called them out for it. If they did something good he praised it. If there was a bad call against them he'd react with the proper degree of outrage (specifically I remember the "roughing the center" call from earlier in the decade).
Now I obviously didn't see the '05 Bush Push telecast so I don't know how he called that one, but if people say he was objective then he could do anything objectively. I appreciate his efforts over the past decade and appreciate even more the fact that last season he uttered the line, "Kyle Rudolph's hands are the size of small dogs."
The person that really needed to be replaced this offseason was Tom Hammond. There are some people that are not made for High Definition television and Hammond is at the top of that list. It's "seriously, get the kids out of the room so they don't have nightmares" bad. Combine that with the fact that he constantly screwed up names and seems to be losing it a hair and it's time for him to go.
We don't know whether he'll follow Haden out the door, but we can begin to speculate on who the new color guy will be. Let's throw some names out there:
* Joe Theismann - Should they choose to go the ND alum route he's available and I'm sure itching to get a microphone in front of him. I'm not his biggest fan but I wouldn't be upset.
* Aaron Taylor - He's incredibly articulate but really turned me off the past few years by piling on ND. Just my opinion, but he crossed the line between objective analysis to hater. After spending so much time in the studio with John Saunders I guess I can understand how the hate would spill over though.
* Chris Collinsworth - He used to do ND games back in the early 90's but he's now the centerpiece of the NBC Sunday Night Football telecasts so he wouldn't be a legitimate candidate I don't think (though he does have a kid on the team so he'll be there anyway).
* Bob Davie - I've never muted the TV to listen to the radio (even though I loved Tony Roberts), but I absolutely would if Davie were the color guy. He's actually a great color guy, but he's someone that demonstrates time and time again that he doesn't understand Notre Dame and I could see him making 2-3 comments per season that would lead me to put a hole in my living room wall.
* Jesse Palmer - He's pretty good, I just can't see him leaving ESPN.
* Craig James - He'll be too busy attending Texas Tech games and talking with Tommy Tuberville through a headset telling him to play his son.
* Petros Papadakis - Whoever suggested him must live under powerlines. I'd rather have a picture-in-picture of Hammond's face in the upper right-hand corner of my TV screen all game than listen to Papadakis.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
BREAKING NEWS: Lane Kiffin's House in Knoxville
Strangely, the Knoxville Fire Department has refused to acknowledge that there is a fire at that address.More reaction on the whirlwind that is the college football offseason to come this week. It's never a good sign when the offseason is more compelling than the regular season was.
Who knows if Billy will crawl out from under his '02 Nissan Altima that he's been working on after work every day and post something as well. Maybe I'll lure him out with a Two Dudes, One Post. We'll see, but regardless we'll spend some time breaking down Urban, Poodle, and the Most Hated Man in the History of the State of Tennessee. The lull our faithful readers have had to endure has officially come to a close.
My Wish for 2010...
Tell me this wouldn't be a just punishment for all Southern Cal's trangressions...Monday, October 19, 2009
Settling for Moral Victories...
This was supposed to be a glorious post talking about what it was like finally toppling the giant, rushing the field, partying at The Backer until 3am, breaking into the hotel pool to celebrate more at 4am, and missing my flight home on Sunday and not caring at all. Instead we have another week of trying to find silver linings in what people are calling a moral victory. The saying “moral victory for Notre Dame” makes me want to gag. How many moral victories until we’re the all-time leader? I’ll breakdown the “State of the Irish” at the midway point later this week, for now let’s fire off ten topics about the game/weekend today.
10. Robby Parris
When Robby committed to ND I was really fired up. He had been a monster his senior season before he broke his leg and after watching his tapes and reading up on him it sounded like we had a slighter version of Jeff Samardzija (under the radar 3-star, 6-2+, great hands, gamer). He was slow to make an impact and I soured on him after what seemed like fifty drops over the past two years.
This season he’s done a complete 180, showing up in big spots when we’ve needed someone to step up and make a clutch play. Against USC he had two HUGE catches to convert a third and fourth down on the final drive, the latter an unbelievable snare in which he got totally lit up by two defensive backs.
A lot of people questioned preseason why Shaq Evans, Deion Walker, or John Goodman hadn’t leapfrogged Parris and whether it was another example of Charlie allegedly playing favorites with upperclassmen. I think at this point in the season it’s easy to see why he’s on the field. He’s grown much more confident and consistent over the course of his career and it’s translating on the field. He deserves a lot of credit for battling back up the depth chart with so many talented guys in the mix.
9. Jimmy Clausen
The guy is an absolute competitor. He was knocked around more than he had been all year, but he hung in there and made some great throws down the stretch to give Notre Dame a chance. Three plays from the game really stick out to me. The first was his touchdown pass to Golden Tate in the third quarter. I was talking with my buddy Pat after the game and he said “the defense was in a Cover 2 with safety help from Taylor Mays over the top, which means that pass should never be thrown. There was literally one spot he could’ve thrown it and he put it there.” It was a thing of beauty—almost as beautiful as the catch Tate came up with.
The second play was his touchdown run. How many called runs has Clausen had in his career at ND? Two? Great playcall by Charlie and a gutsy run and dive there (turf toe and all) by Jimmy to bring ND to within a touchdown. The last play is probably slipped under the radar more than the previous two: Jimmy’s pass to Robby Parris to convert 4th down on the final drive. He was under heavy duress on that play, hung in there, and delivered a bullet to a well-covered Parris. A lot of quarterbacks would have tried to find a lane to run out of there with the pocket collapsing but he stood tough.
I think that this game probably cost him a shot at the Heisman. It’s not because he didn’t play well—because he was superb—but because this was his shot at that necessary signature win. In an objective world he still should be at the top of the list right now with three comeback victories, four 300-yard games, and a 14-2 TD to INT ratio…I just don’t think voters will push him over the top unless he just goes gangbusters over the remainder of the season—which is entirely possible—and other big names like Tebow and McCoy totally falter.
I just hope that he comes back for his senior season. The deeper we go into the year the less I think he’ll come back (and 99% of that opinion is based on the seemingly inevitable 2011 change to rookie NFL salary structure), but goodness can you think about one more year of Clausen-Tate-Floyd-Rudolph? Someone get me a bib.
8. Harrison Smith
He started the season as one of my favorite players. He’s officially morphed into my least favorite player on the team. I just rewatched the game and my count was five missed tackles. One time it cost an extra 14 yards. On the screen play touchdown to Damian Williams, Smith had the angle to at least get there and knock him out of bounds around the 20 but barely even got a hand on him. He was burned over the top by the tight end on an all-out blitz and then let him rumble another 20 yards inside the five while he grabbed at McCoy’s jersey instead of TAKING HIM TO THE TURF.
We’ve had some pretty poor performances in the secondary over the last ten years here, but he’s entering rarified air. His coverage isn’t as bad as some of the guys in the past, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone miss so many tackles so consistently on ANY team at ANY level since I’ve followed football. I would venture to guess he’s missed almost as many tackles as he’s made to this point. It’s time to plant Hayseed on the bench.
7. O-Line Performance
We all knew what the O-Line was going up against. Every player they lined up against on the SC defensive line was a four or five star recruit who probably will be playing on Sundays as soon as their eligibility runs out. It has been pointed out many times since Saturday so it’s not like I’m revealing anything new, but it was staggering to see the pressure the Trojans could apply with just their four man front. The O-Line has significantly improved from last year—all you have to do is look at the offensive output from last year’s SC game and compare it with this year’s—but it still was overwhelmed at times by the talent on the other side of the ball.
Paul Duncan was totally overmatched all day and Sam Young had plenty of problems as well. The thing that boils my blood the most though is the inexcusable mental lapses that still occur. There was one sack where Everson Griffen came up the middle totally unblocked and Trevor Robinson didn’t realize it until after Griffen was already barreling toward Jimmy. How do you lose track of the best player on the line like that? That just doesn’t seem to ever happen to opponents.
6. Dead Ball Personal Foul
Now this is apparently me not knowing the correct rule, but did anyone else think the clock should have been dead after the personal foul against SC when they hit Robby Parris in the head on the final drive? It almost seemed as if Jimmy didn’t realize the clock was running—twenty seconds elapsed before they snapped it and lobbed it to Rudolph in the endzone. I’m not at all offering this as an example of bad officiating; it’s really a legitimate question.
I’m guessing since there seemed to be zero outrage I just didn’t know the proper rule and what happens in that situation is that once the ball is set the clock begins moving again. I’d be very curious to hear if Jimmy thought that was the case as well because he let the playclock wind all the way down to five before snapping it with 15 seconds left.
5. Random Game Notes
I loved seeing Te’o destroy Barkley when he scrambled toward the sideline in the first quarter. Does anyone remember someone bursting onto the scene and making such an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball as a freshman? He’s an animal…
Huge hustle play by Ian Williams to force USC’s punt on their final drive. The Trojans had set up a great screen to the left and he came out of nowhere to knock McKnight out of bounds short of the marker…
Taylor Mays is HUGE. Go back and look at when he was standing next to Armando after the late hit—Armando looked like a midget…
Robert Blanton had some pretty good reads and jumps on the ball throughout the game. Seems like his confidence is returning and I wouldn’t be surprised if he breaks through this week against BC with a pick…
That was a very, very, VERY late fair catch signal on the play where Jordan Cowart was whistled for interference. He still shouldn’t have put himself in that position—would’ve been interference even if it wasn’t a fair catch. That being said, I was impressed by both coverage units on the day…
Joe McKnight is not Reggie Bush. He’s probably better positioned to succeed in the pros because he’s a stronger runner, but his game doesn’t have the same “this could go to the house” feel every time he touches the ball. Every time Bush had the ball in his hands during the 2005 game you could feel the entire stadium hold its breath…
One of Griffen’s sacks was allowed by Ragone. Credit Carroll for scheming a way to create that matchup—Ragone had no chance...
I forgot how much I missed tailgating in Tower Lot. It truly is the field of dreams...
4. Gary Gray
In his first start Gray played pretty well, justifying his move into the starting lineup. It wasn’t a flawless performance—he was flagged for pass interference on USC’s first play and got turned around and allowed the first touchdown—but it was encouraging. He came up with a huge interception in the fourth quarter that breathed life back into the stadium and he provided solid coverage for most of the afternoon. He’s strong, fluid, and to this point in the season has shown that he has the best pure man-to-man cover skills of anyone in our secondary.
10. Robby Parris
When Robby committed to ND I was really fired up. He had been a monster his senior season before he broke his leg and after watching his tapes and reading up on him it sounded like we had a slighter version of Jeff Samardzija (under the radar 3-star, 6-2+, great hands, gamer). He was slow to make an impact and I soured on him after what seemed like fifty drops over the past two years.
This season he’s done a complete 180, showing up in big spots when we’ve needed someone to step up and make a clutch play. Against USC he had two HUGE catches to convert a third and fourth down on the final drive, the latter an unbelievable snare in which he got totally lit up by two defensive backs.
A lot of people questioned preseason why Shaq Evans, Deion Walker, or John Goodman hadn’t leapfrogged Parris and whether it was another example of Charlie allegedly playing favorites with upperclassmen. I think at this point in the season it’s easy to see why he’s on the field. He’s grown much more confident and consistent over the course of his career and it’s translating on the field. He deserves a lot of credit for battling back up the depth chart with so many talented guys in the mix.
9. Jimmy Clausen
The guy is an absolute competitor. He was knocked around more than he had been all year, but he hung in there and made some great throws down the stretch to give Notre Dame a chance. Three plays from the game really stick out to me. The first was his touchdown pass to Golden Tate in the third quarter. I was talking with my buddy Pat after the game and he said “the defense was in a Cover 2 with safety help from Taylor Mays over the top, which means that pass should never be thrown. There was literally one spot he could’ve thrown it and he put it there.” It was a thing of beauty—almost as beautiful as the catch Tate came up with.
The second play was his touchdown run. How many called runs has Clausen had in his career at ND? Two? Great playcall by Charlie and a gutsy run and dive there (turf toe and all) by Jimmy to bring ND to within a touchdown. The last play is probably slipped under the radar more than the previous two: Jimmy’s pass to Robby Parris to convert 4th down on the final drive. He was under heavy duress on that play, hung in there, and delivered a bullet to a well-covered Parris. A lot of quarterbacks would have tried to find a lane to run out of there with the pocket collapsing but he stood tough.
I think that this game probably cost him a shot at the Heisman. It’s not because he didn’t play well—because he was superb—but because this was his shot at that necessary signature win. In an objective world he still should be at the top of the list right now with three comeback victories, four 300-yard games, and a 14-2 TD to INT ratio…I just don’t think voters will push him over the top unless he just goes gangbusters over the remainder of the season—which is entirely possible—and other big names like Tebow and McCoy totally falter.
I just hope that he comes back for his senior season. The deeper we go into the year the less I think he’ll come back (and 99% of that opinion is based on the seemingly inevitable 2011 change to rookie NFL salary structure), but goodness can you think about one more year of Clausen-Tate-Floyd-Rudolph? Someone get me a bib.
8. Harrison Smith
He started the season as one of my favorite players. He’s officially morphed into my least favorite player on the team. I just rewatched the game and my count was five missed tackles. One time it cost an extra 14 yards. On the screen play touchdown to Damian Williams, Smith had the angle to at least get there and knock him out of bounds around the 20 but barely even got a hand on him. He was burned over the top by the tight end on an all-out blitz and then let him rumble another 20 yards inside the five while he grabbed at McCoy’s jersey instead of TAKING HIM TO THE TURF.
We’ve had some pretty poor performances in the secondary over the last ten years here, but he’s entering rarified air. His coverage isn’t as bad as some of the guys in the past, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone miss so many tackles so consistently on ANY team at ANY level since I’ve followed football. I would venture to guess he’s missed almost as many tackles as he’s made to this point. It’s time to plant Hayseed on the bench.
7. O-Line Performance
We all knew what the O-Line was going up against. Every player they lined up against on the SC defensive line was a four or five star recruit who probably will be playing on Sundays as soon as their eligibility runs out. It has been pointed out many times since Saturday so it’s not like I’m revealing anything new, but it was staggering to see the pressure the Trojans could apply with just their four man front. The O-Line has significantly improved from last year—all you have to do is look at the offensive output from last year’s SC game and compare it with this year’s—but it still was overwhelmed at times by the talent on the other side of the ball.
Paul Duncan was totally overmatched all day and Sam Young had plenty of problems as well. The thing that boils my blood the most though is the inexcusable mental lapses that still occur. There was one sack where Everson Griffen came up the middle totally unblocked and Trevor Robinson didn’t realize it until after Griffen was already barreling toward Jimmy. How do you lose track of the best player on the line like that? That just doesn’t seem to ever happen to opponents.
6. Dead Ball Personal Foul
Now this is apparently me not knowing the correct rule, but did anyone else think the clock should have been dead after the personal foul against SC when they hit Robby Parris in the head on the final drive? It almost seemed as if Jimmy didn’t realize the clock was running—twenty seconds elapsed before they snapped it and lobbed it to Rudolph in the endzone. I’m not at all offering this as an example of bad officiating; it’s really a legitimate question.
I’m guessing since there seemed to be zero outrage I just didn’t know the proper rule and what happens in that situation is that once the ball is set the clock begins moving again. I’d be very curious to hear if Jimmy thought that was the case as well because he let the playclock wind all the way down to five before snapping it with 15 seconds left.
5. Random Game Notes
I loved seeing Te’o destroy Barkley when he scrambled toward the sideline in the first quarter. Does anyone remember someone bursting onto the scene and making such an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball as a freshman? He’s an animal…
Huge hustle play by Ian Williams to force USC’s punt on their final drive. The Trojans had set up a great screen to the left and he came out of nowhere to knock McKnight out of bounds short of the marker…
Taylor Mays is HUGE. Go back and look at when he was standing next to Armando after the late hit—Armando looked like a midget…
Robert Blanton had some pretty good reads and jumps on the ball throughout the game. Seems like his confidence is returning and I wouldn’t be surprised if he breaks through this week against BC with a pick…
That was a very, very, VERY late fair catch signal on the play where Jordan Cowart was whistled for interference. He still shouldn’t have put himself in that position—would’ve been interference even if it wasn’t a fair catch. That being said, I was impressed by both coverage units on the day…
Joe McKnight is not Reggie Bush. He’s probably better positioned to succeed in the pros because he’s a stronger runner, but his game doesn’t have the same “this could go to the house” feel every time he touches the ball. Every time Bush had the ball in his hands during the 2005 game you could feel the entire stadium hold its breath…
One of Griffen’s sacks was allowed by Ragone. Credit Carroll for scheming a way to create that matchup—Ragone had no chance...
I forgot how much I missed tailgating in Tower Lot. It truly is the field of dreams...
4. Gary Gray
In his first start Gray played pretty well, justifying his move into the starting lineup. It wasn’t a flawless performance—he was flagged for pass interference on USC’s first play and got turned around and allowed the first touchdown—but it was encouraging. He came up with a huge interception in the fourth quarter that breathed life back into the stadium and he provided solid coverage for most of the afternoon. He’s strong, fluid, and to this point in the season has shown that he has the best pure man-to-man cover skills of anyone in our secondary.
He seems to be the type of player whose confidence goes up exponentially with playing time, which will be plentiful for the rest of his career. The other thing that really endeared him to me was the fact that he was so distraught after the game that he sobbed in front of the student section during the alma mater. I love guys that you can tell care with every ounce of their energy.
3. The Front Seven
If you would’ve told me we’d hold USC to less than 150 yards rushing I would’ve said we’re winning the game without a doubt. The defensive line has been criticized—and deservedly so—for being a sieve over the course of the season, but I thought they really stepped up and delivered with few exceptions during this game. Manti Te’o and Brian Smith both played inspired ball (far and away Smith’s best game of the year) and KLM showed that he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with over the next couple years once he matures. They did a great job in not letting USC run all over us like many—including myself—thought was a very realistic possibility. They also tightened up in the red zone, causing two field goals and almost keeping them out a third time when McKnight snuck in on the right sideline.
The difference between ND’s front seven and SC’s is the fact that on passing plays there’s just no push from ND’s without bringing two-three extra men on blitzes—and even then there’s no guarantee pressure will get there. Southern Cal was in Jimmy’s face all day with minimal blitzing, which gave them the ability to drop six or seven players in coverage to combat our offensive weapons. Defensive line is the one place where Charlie struck out in recruiting since he’s been at ND—thanks in large part to the last second defections of verbal commitments Omar Hunter and Justin Trattou.
There’s some help on the way with Tyler Stockton ready to go next year and (hopefully) big time recruits Chris Martin/Louis Nix, but now we’re seeing the consequences of striking out on the bigger name prospects (Gerald McCoy, Everson Griffen, Hunter, etc.) year in and year out.
2. Across the Country (rapid fire reactions to this weekend)
If Steve Spurrier would’ve had the quality of defense he’s had since he’s been at South Carolina when he was at Florida in the 90’s he may have had four national titles.
This season has been goofy enough that Boise State or TCU could find a way into the championship game. Is it likely? No. Is it possible? Yes. How crazy is it that it’s even a plausible scenario?
Colorado, you just rushed the field after beating Kansas. That’s not a good sign for what’s supposed to be an elite program in the Big 12 conference.
Danny Hope has to get a lot of credit for what he’s done at Purdue this year. The Boilers were left for dead preseason, but he’s come within a whisker of beating ND and Oregon in addition to the upset of Ohio State this weekend.
First loss to Kentucky since 1966? Uh oh Gene Chizik…
Big win for the Pittsburgh Panthers at Rutgers this weekend, putting themselves in a great position to be 8-1 by the time Notre Dame rolls into town in three weeks. Now, what are the odds of the Wannstache Mobile tripping up against South Florida or Syracuse? Judging by his track record I’ll put them at high to extremely high.
I think everyone that’s not a Florida Gator fan is sick of hearing about Tim Tebow (me included), but when you get down to it you have to tip your cap to the kid. He’s a polite, well-mannered, hard-working, competitive young man that’s never in any sort of trouble and has been very successful. Isn’t that the type of person that SHOULD be celebrated ad naseum?
1. The Game Atmosphere
This was one of the most important games for Notre Dame in recent history and it was a good atmosphere, but this was not the 2005 game. Not even close. The two weeks leading up to the game my roommate had been a wet blanket, continually saying this is not 2005, it’s not Miami ’88, nor is it FSU ’93 and you can’t force it to be. He was right. The biggest difference I felt between this year’s USC game and the 2005 game was the crowd. There seemed to be a “give me something to cheer about” attitude as opposed to 2005 where I looked to other sections and saw 75 year old men standing on their benches screaming “KILL” at every point in the game.
In 2005 everyone believed that Charlie Weis was a borderline miracle worker and had total faith that even when we fell behind to the Trojans, that he could orchestrate drives that would put us back in the game. This year when ANYTHING went wrong you could hear critics—no doubt incredibly qualified to give insight—chirping about how terrible a coaching decision this or that was and how Charlie should have done X, Y, or Z instead.
I’ve read some things online about how the student section didn’t show up for the game. I wouldn’t go that far if only because it’s wrong to lump everyone together. It was loud and rowdy—especially during the comeback—and it wasn’t like boos were raining down like they were in 2003, but there’s definitely division and it’s not discreet. I sat in the student section during the second half and I’ll share a quick story.
There was a kid from Morrissey Hall who was holding court in our row. He was going off after every play—and I do mean EVERY play—about how fat Charlie Weis was and how Notre Dame would “suck until he was gone.” He was far too cool to do any of the cheers, but at the Overture of 1812 he found it within himself to raise his hands to salute Coach Weis with both middle fingers. I asked him what his name was because I really wanted to include it in this column for two reasons. First, so that any students that knew him could give him a pat on the back for being just a class act and a great representation of the student body, and second, so I could pass his name along in hopes that a major television network would consider interviewing him for some sort of analyst position. The general public shouldn’t be deprived of his quips about Charlie’s eating habits and analysis on what SHOULD be done to turn this program around. He gave me a false name though (Ron Vierling, the rector of his dorm Morrissey Hall…for thinking to pull that name without hesitation I tip my cap, that is pretty funny) so unfortunately his contribution will have to go unrecognized. Crying shame.
He was definitely in the minority of students, but he certainly wasn’t alone. All you had to do was look around during the Overture to see how they felt about Charlie. I would guess that MAYBE half the students did the W, I saw about a dozen or so had their middle fingers extended, while the rest just didn’t care to participate. It stinks that the student body can’t totally be on the same page—the rest of the stadium really does feed off of them—but I guess that’s the reality of the situation when some people lose faith in the coach.
I will tell you one thing though: there is a distinct difference between the student body’s attitude during Willingham’s demise and now. With Willingham everyone kind of knew what was coming and most people wanted him gone, but there wasn’t a whole lot of animosity towards Ty the person. The general opinion was that he was a nice guy and a class act but not a good football coach and it was time to find someone new. Definite contrast with what’s going on right now. There are far more people that believe Weis should be here than there were Willingham supporters, but there is such a ridiculously high amount of venom for Charlie Weis the person from detractors that it blows me away. Being frustrated when things go wrong is natural and not everyone is going to always be positive, but listening to Notre Dame fans berate him for being fat and stupid makes me cringe.
3. The Front Seven
If you would’ve told me we’d hold USC to less than 150 yards rushing I would’ve said we’re winning the game without a doubt. The defensive line has been criticized—and deservedly so—for being a sieve over the course of the season, but I thought they really stepped up and delivered with few exceptions during this game. Manti Te’o and Brian Smith both played inspired ball (far and away Smith’s best game of the year) and KLM showed that he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with over the next couple years once he matures. They did a great job in not letting USC run all over us like many—including myself—thought was a very realistic possibility. They also tightened up in the red zone, causing two field goals and almost keeping them out a third time when McKnight snuck in on the right sideline.
The difference between ND’s front seven and SC’s is the fact that on passing plays there’s just no push from ND’s without bringing two-three extra men on blitzes—and even then there’s no guarantee pressure will get there. Southern Cal was in Jimmy’s face all day with minimal blitzing, which gave them the ability to drop six or seven players in coverage to combat our offensive weapons. Defensive line is the one place where Charlie struck out in recruiting since he’s been at ND—thanks in large part to the last second defections of verbal commitments Omar Hunter and Justin Trattou.
There’s some help on the way with Tyler Stockton ready to go next year and (hopefully) big time recruits Chris Martin/Louis Nix, but now we’re seeing the consequences of striking out on the bigger name prospects (Gerald McCoy, Everson Griffen, Hunter, etc.) year in and year out.
2. Across the Country (rapid fire reactions to this weekend)
If Steve Spurrier would’ve had the quality of defense he’s had since he’s been at South Carolina when he was at Florida in the 90’s he may have had four national titles.
This season has been goofy enough that Boise State or TCU could find a way into the championship game. Is it likely? No. Is it possible? Yes. How crazy is it that it’s even a plausible scenario?
Colorado, you just rushed the field after beating Kansas. That’s not a good sign for what’s supposed to be an elite program in the Big 12 conference.
Danny Hope has to get a lot of credit for what he’s done at Purdue this year. The Boilers were left for dead preseason, but he’s come within a whisker of beating ND and Oregon in addition to the upset of Ohio State this weekend.
First loss to Kentucky since 1966? Uh oh Gene Chizik…
Big win for the Pittsburgh Panthers at Rutgers this weekend, putting themselves in a great position to be 8-1 by the time Notre Dame rolls into town in three weeks. Now, what are the odds of the Wannstache Mobile tripping up against South Florida or Syracuse? Judging by his track record I’ll put them at high to extremely high.
I think everyone that’s not a Florida Gator fan is sick of hearing about Tim Tebow (me included), but when you get down to it you have to tip your cap to the kid. He’s a polite, well-mannered, hard-working, competitive young man that’s never in any sort of trouble and has been very successful. Isn’t that the type of person that SHOULD be celebrated ad naseum?
1. The Game Atmosphere
This was one of the most important games for Notre Dame in recent history and it was a good atmosphere, but this was not the 2005 game. Not even close. The two weeks leading up to the game my roommate had been a wet blanket, continually saying this is not 2005, it’s not Miami ’88, nor is it FSU ’93 and you can’t force it to be. He was right. The biggest difference I felt between this year’s USC game and the 2005 game was the crowd. There seemed to be a “give me something to cheer about” attitude as opposed to 2005 where I looked to other sections and saw 75 year old men standing on their benches screaming “KILL” at every point in the game.
In 2005 everyone believed that Charlie Weis was a borderline miracle worker and had total faith that even when we fell behind to the Trojans, that he could orchestrate drives that would put us back in the game. This year when ANYTHING went wrong you could hear critics—no doubt incredibly qualified to give insight—chirping about how terrible a coaching decision this or that was and how Charlie should have done X, Y, or Z instead.
I’ve read some things online about how the student section didn’t show up for the game. I wouldn’t go that far if only because it’s wrong to lump everyone together. It was loud and rowdy—especially during the comeback—and it wasn’t like boos were raining down like they were in 2003, but there’s definitely division and it’s not discreet. I sat in the student section during the second half and I’ll share a quick story.
There was a kid from Morrissey Hall who was holding court in our row. He was going off after every play—and I do mean EVERY play—about how fat Charlie Weis was and how Notre Dame would “suck until he was gone.” He was far too cool to do any of the cheers, but at the Overture of 1812 he found it within himself to raise his hands to salute Coach Weis with both middle fingers. I asked him what his name was because I really wanted to include it in this column for two reasons. First, so that any students that knew him could give him a pat on the back for being just a class act and a great representation of the student body, and second, so I could pass his name along in hopes that a major television network would consider interviewing him for some sort of analyst position. The general public shouldn’t be deprived of his quips about Charlie’s eating habits and analysis on what SHOULD be done to turn this program around. He gave me a false name though (Ron Vierling, the rector of his dorm Morrissey Hall…for thinking to pull that name without hesitation I tip my cap, that is pretty funny) so unfortunately his contribution will have to go unrecognized. Crying shame.
He was definitely in the minority of students, but he certainly wasn’t alone. All you had to do was look around during the Overture to see how they felt about Charlie. I would guess that MAYBE half the students did the W, I saw about a dozen or so had their middle fingers extended, while the rest just didn’t care to participate. It stinks that the student body can’t totally be on the same page—the rest of the stadium really does feed off of them—but I guess that’s the reality of the situation when some people lose faith in the coach.
I will tell you one thing though: there is a distinct difference between the student body’s attitude during Willingham’s demise and now. With Willingham everyone kind of knew what was coming and most people wanted him gone, but there wasn’t a whole lot of animosity towards Ty the person. The general opinion was that he was a nice guy and a class act but not a good football coach and it was time to find someone new. Definite contrast with what’s going on right now. There are far more people that believe Weis should be here than there were Willingham supporters, but there is such a ridiculously high amount of venom for Charlie Weis the person from detractors that it blows me away. Being frustrated when things go wrong is natural and not everyone is going to always be positive, but listening to Notre Dame fans berate him for being fat and stupid makes me cringe.
---------------------------------
No diary for the game this week. I've rewatched the game once and frankly I can't bring myself to break it down play-by-play. It'll return next week for BC.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
GAMEDAY: THE FALL OF TROY
One word:
BELIEVE
Notre Dame 27
Southern Cal 24
I'll see you all on the 50 yard line
LET'S GO IRISH
Friday, October 16, 2009
One Last Reflection on 2005...
Last week I asked a few people if they were interested in writing anything about what the 2005 game meant to them. The following is from Bob Kessler, a 2009 ND graduate and former O'Neill Hall resident who is currently teaching in China. He'd probably sell his first born child to be back for the game but he doesn't have said child yet. Here is his reflection on 2005.
------------------------------------------------------
Some people go through their entire youth knowing exactly what they want to do with their life and apply to college with very explicit goals regarding what they want to achieve. I was not one of these people. As a senior in high school I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and I decided to attend the University of Notre Dame mainly because my father had taken me to football games there since I was in the 4th Grade.
By the time I arrived on campus in the fall of 2005 I was completely obsessed with college football (so much so that my backup schools were Michigan and Wisconsin, schools that share only one similarity with Notre Dame, which is football). After a month and a half of college, my half-hearted attempts to integrate myself into some sort of extra-curricular activity led me to a Charlie Weis press conference the Monday before the USC game that year.
I was sitting amongst the reporters with the NDTV video camera I had hauled across campus on my bicycle listening intently when the questioning turned to the topic of Green Jerseys. While Weis casually disregarded the notion that the team might wear green on Saturday, the idea never left my mind. “We’re wearing green on Saturday,” I thought to myself as I rode my bike back across campus to return the camera before my first class of a week where my mind would obsessively wander to thinking about Saturday.
Like many students, that week was one of the longest of my life as I internally bled with anticipation of the epic weekend that was to come. Much of my time that week was rotated between studying for midterms, hearing the hype for the game reach new levels (the pep rally is not only going to be in the stadium, but it will be broadcast LIVE on ESPNEWS!!), and doing what I could to help prepare my section of my dorm for one of the greatest parties we would of ever throw—The Fall of Troy/Night of 1000 Beers.
By Friday morning, the excitement across campus was at a level I haven’t seen in the four years since. If a terrorist threat level scale was used to describe excitement levels, Notre Dame’s campus that day was through the red and into the black (and the game was still more than 24 hours away). As the week progressed the amount of people on campus had steadily increased to the point where my walk to class Friday morning had the feel of Gameday.
It was still only Friday, but THIS was NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL.
***
As I walked to that Theology midterm, I knew that the outcome of the test didn’t matter because it was USC weekend. Pictures of Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush had been taped to the ground with somewhat clever phrases about stomping on them. There were people everywhere carrying bags from the bookstore, playing catch in the Quad, and showing friends and family around a campus which had to be the most magically vibrant place on earth that weekend.
After finishing my midterm that, I skipped the rest of my classes so I could begin my weekend by joining some friends at the entrance to the stadium to taunt the SC team before their walkthrough. As we approached the stadium I saw a crowd of several hundred people waiting for the SC team busses. It was no secret that they would be here soon, and I stood on a brick perch so that I could see them coming.
As the busses rolled past Debartolo Hall, they were quickly surrounded with people with a mob of exuberant fans. The busses started to rock back and forth with a beat that would pound in our hearts all weekend. I couldn’t tell if they were being pushed from the sides by raucous Notre Dame Fans or being rocked from within by the well paid players inside. It didn’t matter, however, because both sides were clearly jacked up for this game.
When we first arrived there had been a roped off path for the Trojan players and coaches to walk from their busses to the stadium, but it had run over by rampant fans in the chaos of the Trojans arrival. Led by some Indiana State Police Troopers and Coach Carroll, the SC team emerged from their busses and walked straight through the crowd and into the door into the Stadium.
Once they were inside, my friends and I returned to the dorm where it was just about time for us to participate in our Friday Afternoon football weekend tradition of 40’s at 4:00.
***
After polishing off our 40s and reaching a proper level of drunkenness, our dorm gathered together in the lobby to march over to the stadium for the Pep Rally. Carrying a large banner that said 27-1 (because the Trojans were coming off a 27 game winning streak) we drunkenly made our way into the stadium where 50,000 people had gathered for the pep rally. Not for the game, but for the PEP RALLY. This was the most euphoric and electric pep rally I will ever see.
More than half the stadium was filled with fans that were situated around a student section that was covering the bleachers between the 30 yard lines. After an endless amount of buildup and anticipation the pep rally began with a Trojan horse coming out of the tunnel and a cast of Notre Dame Celebrities giving speeches to prepare the team. Joe Montana talked about punching the other team in the chin, and Tim Brown and Rudy gave their own speeches. The highlight of the rally, however, came when Corey Mays finished his speech by yelling “Tomorrow, these goalposts are coming down!” Suffice it to say that the pep had been rallied into this crowd and we went back to our dorm hysterically excited for the game that was to come the following afternoon.
But first, we had to drink more.
Realizing that there would be an overabundance of parties on campus that evening, my section decided to buy 1000 beers just so that we could call our Fall of Troy Toga party The Night of 1000 Beers. Being no-tolerance-freshmen-year-Bob at this point, I drank six beers and then it was time to go to bed (yeah, I know). The next day would be one of the best ever, and I was determined to take in everything I could.
***
At 6:00 the next morning my future best friend Sharky and I left the dorm and walked over to library quad with some blankets wrapped around us for warmth and a handmade sign that we hoped would get us seen on ESPN’s College GameDay show. When we arrived at the quad there were 30 or so other students awaiting the start of taping and we gathered near them at the entrance to the set. A few hours later there were people everywhere and I was standing right behind Herbstreit and Corso being filmed for a shot that would later be shown after a commercial break.
The crowd at the GameDay set was riotous, and we were right there in the thick of it. Thousands of people had descended upon library quad to join in the festivities and when the show began the crowd went wild. Wearing our orange Home Depot promotional construction helmets that the GameDay crew had given the early arriving fans, we yelled and screamed our loudest to show ESPN viewers around the country that THIS was the epicenter of the college football universe.
The show continued as Lou Holtz predicted victory from Bristol, Digger Phelps gave one of his patented pump-up speeches (that I would soon grow to love), and the crowd got even crazier. When the time came for Herbstreit and Corso to make their picks, a huge trash bag was brought to the back of the set that contained the headpieces Corso could choose from. Picks are flying back and forth between them until it was time for the analysts to choose the big game. Herbstreit picked the Irish, and the crowd went wild.
Then, it was flipped back to Corso who, after yapping away for a bit, produced a leprechaun hat from his bag as the crowd erupted. If Lee Corso was going to pick the Irish, we had to have a great shot at winning? Could we even be the favorites in this game?
Not so fast my friends. Corso took off the hat, tossing it to Herbstreit, and within moments he was wearing the Trojan helmet that he had worn so many times before. In an instant the crowd turned on him and proved why it was necessary to have a net behind the GameDay cast. Fans threw everything from beer cans to textbooks at that net as Corso stood behind it singing the Trojan fights song that I have heard far too many times.
With the show over and kickoff less than four hours away, I walked over to the O’Neill Hall concession stand on south quad and helped to distribute brats and hot dogs for an hour or so. From this point I was able to see south quad in all of its glory. Never before had I seen, and never again will I see, as many people on campus as there were that day. It would be impossible to adequately describe the spirit, excitement, and anticipation that was flowing amongst the thousands of people I saw; but if I could bottle it all up, I’m certain that it would light up the universe.
The brat sales did not last long because of the large crowds of people looking for food, and soon after one of my friends had been offered $1,300 for his ticket to the game we ran out of food and set off around campus. I went to meet my dad and brother at Bond Hall where my dad always watched the band play its pregame concerts (this was before we started to get my parents to come out to the tailgating lots). We took in the atmosphere for a little while singing the fight song and the Alma Mater before I left to catch up with my friends.
***
We followed the band’s parade to the stadium as kickoff approached and found ourselves in a mob of thousands of fans trying to gain entrance. As I handed my ticket to the usher at the gate I had goosebumps running down my arms and that ineffable feeling inside that makes you want to jump out of your skin with erratic displays of ecstasy. Waiting for my friends to get through the gate I jumped up and down in the cavernous insides of Notre Dame Stadium. First small hops then larger ones getting higher and higher until the whole group was ready to ascend the series of ramps it would take to get to our entrance.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IRISH, BEEEEEEEEEEEEAT TROJANS!!!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IRISH, BEEEEEEEEEEEEAT TROJANS!!!
Cheers of screaming fans echoed throughout the stadium underbelly as the thousands made their way to their seats.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IRISH, BEEEEEEEEEEEEAT TROJANS!!!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IRISH, BEEEEEEEEEEEEAT TROJANS!!!
We couldn’t contain our walk any longer and entered a brisk run around the ramps until we made it to our entrance. As I emerged from the shadows into our aisle the stadium was quickly filling. The fans were screaming and the decibel level would only get higher. We hopped down our aisle and took our spots in our 14th row corner seats just as the team was leaving the field after their warm-ups.
GO IRISH GO!!!
The band started playing their cadence as the rest of the students filled in and cheered in unison louder than they had ever cheered before. Cheers became yells, standing became jumping, and that feeling inside that tingles you to the bone overcame me as I stepped down off the bleacher for a moment to compose myself. I looked down at the ground, hit my knees a couple times, and jumped back up onto the bleachers. The stadium was full and the crowd was going wild as the band took everything down a notch with the National Anthem.
The stadium only briefly quieted down as slowly but surely people started to sing along. How many times in high school had I stood at the gutter of a pool bouncing up and down in anticipation while the national anthem was played before a swim meet? How many times had I run off the field (Saxophone in hand) while our high school football team prepared for the start? The planes flew over the stadium and I, along with thousands of fans felt that feeling you have when you know that you are about to compete.
We were NOT there to watch a game that day; we were active participants in the game. No fan entered that stadium to watch, we entered that stadium to compete. As the band left the field the screaming got louder and the fans prepared themselves to do everything that it took to win. We were in the zone.
Just then, there was more noise. Areas on the opposite side of the stadium started yelling even louder. I couldn’t tell what was going on but I could feel that this was directed at something specific. People started pushing, started screaming, and as the team stormed the field the student section erupted. Nobody was on the bleachers anymore as it became one pit of screaming fans pushing and yelling at each other. The stands became a giant mosh pit as our team took the field because today, the team was were wearing GREEN.
These weren’t our dads’ green jerseys either, but the most badass green jerseys this school had ever seen. The team was fired up. The offensive line was going crazy in the corner. The defense was jacked. Brady and the receivers were poised, and Coach Weis was prepared to enter Notre Dame lore. This was the center of the football universe and Notre Dame Nation was going wild. The ball was set, the fans were screaming, the kick was in the air, and the game had begun.
***
Looking back at it four years later, the game was a blur. The scoring went back and forth, there were defensive stands, a punt return for a score, long passes, painfully disgusting Reggie Bush plays, and everything you could ever want from a Notre Dame Football game. With less than two minutes left in the game, we took a three point lead as Brady Quinn ran it in for the score, and all we had to do is stop their vaunted offense one final time.
The Trojans had the ball with their win streak and season on the line. First down: incomplete. The crowd that was already off the wall got louder. Second down: SACK. The place went crazy. Everybody was yelling, keys were flying, the stadium was shaking, and the world was watching. Third down: yards, but not enough. Fourth down.
I will never again hear anything as loud as loud as that moment.
The stadium erupted. The Irish were one play away from immortality. The crowd was wild, the players were in the zone, Irish eyes were glued to their televisions around the world. Fourth Down with nine yards to go: a down that will infamously live forever in my mind. Anytime I have seen a 4th and 9 situation in any football game since this moment, I cringe in horror. 4th and 9 was the end of a dream.
An image that is forever seared in my memory, DeWayne Jarrett caught the pass and sprinted down the field for what was sure to be a touchdown. Our hearts shattered, silence spread across the stadium as heads dropped down and spirits were crushed. But the thing is, he didn’t score that sure touchdown. Zibby had caught up to him at the goal line and the defense had one final chance at a stop, one final chance to make this day endure in the memories of the faithful for all time.
The stadium erupted again as the Trojans let the clock run down for the final plays of the game. The ball was snapped. . . thousands of fans were screaming. . . the players mobbed each other at the sideline. . . there was a pile. . . fans started yelling at something. . . the student section looked on in silent desperation wondering what had just transpired across the gridiron.
Was it a touchdown?
NO. The clock ticked down to zero, there had been no score and we had triumphed. Jubilant euphoria ecstasy engulfed the stadium as we pushed and ran forward towards the field. I had one leg over the front wall when the students on the field were pushed back. Standing in the front row of Notre Dame Stadium I looked on in horror as the referees put seven seconds back on the clock.
Seven seconds.
Seven seconds.
Seven seconds.
***
I knew it was over as soon as they put that time on the clock.
After the push, and the Trojan celebration, and the dejected Alma Mater, and my silent walk across campus, I grabbed a trash bag and filled it with my dirty laundry. Fall break was starting and I told my dad ahead of time that if we lost I would want to leave immediately so that I could see some friends who were home on break that weekend. My brother took the trash bag of laundry while I grabbed my suitcase and we walked back to the car in silence as I returned home for the first time as a college student.
By midnight I was back in Northbrook hanging out with the same people I had hung out with for the previous eight years. While they knew what had happened during the game, nobody really talked about it, nobody really cared. In Northbrook, everything was the same as it had always been. For me, however, everything had changed.
I think that moment when they put seven seconds back on the clock was a defining moment for me and my classmates. Two months earlier I arrived at Notre Dame like the rest of the freshmen from around the country and didn’t know anybody. By the time I returned to Northbrook that day, I had experienced something with these people that, as painful as it was, forged a kinship among us.
While those seven seconds created a lifetime of anger and hatred towards the Trojans of Southern California, they also tempered a bond between me and my classmates that will never be broken. This Saturday, for the first real time in four years, that anger will be revisited and those bonds will be reforged.
Four years ago I chose to attend Notre Dame simply because my dad had brought me to some football games when I was young. What those football games (what that football game in particular) brought me as a student were lasting friendships and a sense of belonging. This Saturday, despite the fact that I am currently on the other side of the world, I will rejoin my comrades and cheer as loudly as I can from my apartment in China, because the bonds are stronger than the distance, the anticipation is greater than ever, and the hate will last all time.
Go Irish, Beat Trojans.
Bob Kessler is a 2009 graduate of the University of Notre Dame currently teaching English in Yanji, China. He is the writer of http://www.thingsnotredamestudentslike.com/ and http://www.the17thgrade.com/ and a regular contributor to The Observer. You can contact him at bob020787@gmail.com
------------------------------------------------------
Some people go through their entire youth knowing exactly what they want to do with their life and apply to college with very explicit goals regarding what they want to achieve. I was not one of these people. As a senior in high school I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and I decided to attend the University of Notre Dame mainly because my father had taken me to football games there since I was in the 4th Grade.
By the time I arrived on campus in the fall of 2005 I was completely obsessed with college football (so much so that my backup schools were Michigan and Wisconsin, schools that share only one similarity with Notre Dame, which is football). After a month and a half of college, my half-hearted attempts to integrate myself into some sort of extra-curricular activity led me to a Charlie Weis press conference the Monday before the USC game that year.
I was sitting amongst the reporters with the NDTV video camera I had hauled across campus on my bicycle listening intently when the questioning turned to the topic of Green Jerseys. While Weis casually disregarded the notion that the team might wear green on Saturday, the idea never left my mind. “We’re wearing green on Saturday,” I thought to myself as I rode my bike back across campus to return the camera before my first class of a week where my mind would obsessively wander to thinking about Saturday.
Like many students, that week was one of the longest of my life as I internally bled with anticipation of the epic weekend that was to come. Much of my time that week was rotated between studying for midterms, hearing the hype for the game reach new levels (the pep rally is not only going to be in the stadium, but it will be broadcast LIVE on ESPNEWS!!), and doing what I could to help prepare my section of my dorm for one of the greatest parties we would of ever throw—The Fall of Troy/Night of 1000 Beers.
By Friday morning, the excitement across campus was at a level I haven’t seen in the four years since. If a terrorist threat level scale was used to describe excitement levels, Notre Dame’s campus that day was through the red and into the black (and the game was still more than 24 hours away). As the week progressed the amount of people on campus had steadily increased to the point where my walk to class Friday morning had the feel of Gameday.
It was still only Friday, but THIS was NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL.
***
As I walked to that Theology midterm, I knew that the outcome of the test didn’t matter because it was USC weekend. Pictures of Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush had been taped to the ground with somewhat clever phrases about stomping on them. There were people everywhere carrying bags from the bookstore, playing catch in the Quad, and showing friends and family around a campus which had to be the most magically vibrant place on earth that weekend.
After finishing my midterm that, I skipped the rest of my classes so I could begin my weekend by joining some friends at the entrance to the stadium to taunt the SC team before their walkthrough. As we approached the stadium I saw a crowd of several hundred people waiting for the SC team busses. It was no secret that they would be here soon, and I stood on a brick perch so that I could see them coming.
As the busses rolled past Debartolo Hall, they were quickly surrounded with people with a mob of exuberant fans. The busses started to rock back and forth with a beat that would pound in our hearts all weekend. I couldn’t tell if they were being pushed from the sides by raucous Notre Dame Fans or being rocked from within by the well paid players inside. It didn’t matter, however, because both sides were clearly jacked up for this game.
When we first arrived there had been a roped off path for the Trojan players and coaches to walk from their busses to the stadium, but it had run over by rampant fans in the chaos of the Trojans arrival. Led by some Indiana State Police Troopers and Coach Carroll, the SC team emerged from their busses and walked straight through the crowd and into the door into the Stadium.
Once they were inside, my friends and I returned to the dorm where it was just about time for us to participate in our Friday Afternoon football weekend tradition of 40’s at 4:00.
***
After polishing off our 40s and reaching a proper level of drunkenness, our dorm gathered together in the lobby to march over to the stadium for the Pep Rally. Carrying a large banner that said 27-1 (because the Trojans were coming off a 27 game winning streak) we drunkenly made our way into the stadium where 50,000 people had gathered for the pep rally. Not for the game, but for the PEP RALLY. This was the most euphoric and electric pep rally I will ever see.
More than half the stadium was filled with fans that were situated around a student section that was covering the bleachers between the 30 yard lines. After an endless amount of buildup and anticipation the pep rally began with a Trojan horse coming out of the tunnel and a cast of Notre Dame Celebrities giving speeches to prepare the team. Joe Montana talked about punching the other team in the chin, and Tim Brown and Rudy gave their own speeches. The highlight of the rally, however, came when Corey Mays finished his speech by yelling “Tomorrow, these goalposts are coming down!” Suffice it to say that the pep had been rallied into this crowd and we went back to our dorm hysterically excited for the game that was to come the following afternoon.
But first, we had to drink more.
Realizing that there would be an overabundance of parties on campus that evening, my section decided to buy 1000 beers just so that we could call our Fall of Troy Toga party The Night of 1000 Beers. Being no-tolerance-freshmen-year-Bob at this point, I drank six beers and then it was time to go to bed (yeah, I know). The next day would be one of the best ever, and I was determined to take in everything I could.
***
At 6:00 the next morning my future best friend Sharky and I left the dorm and walked over to library quad with some blankets wrapped around us for warmth and a handmade sign that we hoped would get us seen on ESPN’s College GameDay show. When we arrived at the quad there were 30 or so other students awaiting the start of taping and we gathered near them at the entrance to the set. A few hours later there were people everywhere and I was standing right behind Herbstreit and Corso being filmed for a shot that would later be shown after a commercial break.
The crowd at the GameDay set was riotous, and we were right there in the thick of it. Thousands of people had descended upon library quad to join in the festivities and when the show began the crowd went wild. Wearing our orange Home Depot promotional construction helmets that the GameDay crew had given the early arriving fans, we yelled and screamed our loudest to show ESPN viewers around the country that THIS was the epicenter of the college football universe.
The show continued as Lou Holtz predicted victory from Bristol, Digger Phelps gave one of his patented pump-up speeches (that I would soon grow to love), and the crowd got even crazier. When the time came for Herbstreit and Corso to make their picks, a huge trash bag was brought to the back of the set that contained the headpieces Corso could choose from. Picks are flying back and forth between them until it was time for the analysts to choose the big game. Herbstreit picked the Irish, and the crowd went wild.
Then, it was flipped back to Corso who, after yapping away for a bit, produced a leprechaun hat from his bag as the crowd erupted. If Lee Corso was going to pick the Irish, we had to have a great shot at winning? Could we even be the favorites in this game?
Not so fast my friends. Corso took off the hat, tossing it to Herbstreit, and within moments he was wearing the Trojan helmet that he had worn so many times before. In an instant the crowd turned on him and proved why it was necessary to have a net behind the GameDay cast. Fans threw everything from beer cans to textbooks at that net as Corso stood behind it singing the Trojan fights song that I have heard far too many times.
With the show over and kickoff less than four hours away, I walked over to the O’Neill Hall concession stand on south quad and helped to distribute brats and hot dogs for an hour or so. From this point I was able to see south quad in all of its glory. Never before had I seen, and never again will I see, as many people on campus as there were that day. It would be impossible to adequately describe the spirit, excitement, and anticipation that was flowing amongst the thousands of people I saw; but if I could bottle it all up, I’m certain that it would light up the universe.
The brat sales did not last long because of the large crowds of people looking for food, and soon after one of my friends had been offered $1,300 for his ticket to the game we ran out of food and set off around campus. I went to meet my dad and brother at Bond Hall where my dad always watched the band play its pregame concerts (this was before we started to get my parents to come out to the tailgating lots). We took in the atmosphere for a little while singing the fight song and the Alma Mater before I left to catch up with my friends.
***
We followed the band’s parade to the stadium as kickoff approached and found ourselves in a mob of thousands of fans trying to gain entrance. As I handed my ticket to the usher at the gate I had goosebumps running down my arms and that ineffable feeling inside that makes you want to jump out of your skin with erratic displays of ecstasy. Waiting for my friends to get through the gate I jumped up and down in the cavernous insides of Notre Dame Stadium. First small hops then larger ones getting higher and higher until the whole group was ready to ascend the series of ramps it would take to get to our entrance.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IRISH, BEEEEEEEEEEEEAT TROJANS!!!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IRISH, BEEEEEEEEEEEEAT TROJANS!!!
Cheers of screaming fans echoed throughout the stadium underbelly as the thousands made their way to their seats.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IRISH, BEEEEEEEEEEEEAT TROJANS!!!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IRISH, BEEEEEEEEEEEEAT TROJANS!!!
We couldn’t contain our walk any longer and entered a brisk run around the ramps until we made it to our entrance. As I emerged from the shadows into our aisle the stadium was quickly filling. The fans were screaming and the decibel level would only get higher. We hopped down our aisle and took our spots in our 14th row corner seats just as the team was leaving the field after their warm-ups.
GO IRISH GO!!!
The band started playing their cadence as the rest of the students filled in and cheered in unison louder than they had ever cheered before. Cheers became yells, standing became jumping, and that feeling inside that tingles you to the bone overcame me as I stepped down off the bleacher for a moment to compose myself. I looked down at the ground, hit my knees a couple times, and jumped back up onto the bleachers. The stadium was full and the crowd was going wild as the band took everything down a notch with the National Anthem.
The stadium only briefly quieted down as slowly but surely people started to sing along. How many times in high school had I stood at the gutter of a pool bouncing up and down in anticipation while the national anthem was played before a swim meet? How many times had I run off the field (Saxophone in hand) while our high school football team prepared for the start? The planes flew over the stadium and I, along with thousands of fans felt that feeling you have when you know that you are about to compete.
We were NOT there to watch a game that day; we were active participants in the game. No fan entered that stadium to watch, we entered that stadium to compete. As the band left the field the screaming got louder and the fans prepared themselves to do everything that it took to win. We were in the zone.
Just then, there was more noise. Areas on the opposite side of the stadium started yelling even louder. I couldn’t tell what was going on but I could feel that this was directed at something specific. People started pushing, started screaming, and as the team stormed the field the student section erupted. Nobody was on the bleachers anymore as it became one pit of screaming fans pushing and yelling at each other. The stands became a giant mosh pit as our team took the field because today, the team was were wearing GREEN.
These weren’t our dads’ green jerseys either, but the most badass green jerseys this school had ever seen. The team was fired up. The offensive line was going crazy in the corner. The defense was jacked. Brady and the receivers were poised, and Coach Weis was prepared to enter Notre Dame lore. This was the center of the football universe and Notre Dame Nation was going wild. The ball was set, the fans were screaming, the kick was in the air, and the game had begun.
***
Looking back at it four years later, the game was a blur. The scoring went back and forth, there were defensive stands, a punt return for a score, long passes, painfully disgusting Reggie Bush plays, and everything you could ever want from a Notre Dame Football game. With less than two minutes left in the game, we took a three point lead as Brady Quinn ran it in for the score, and all we had to do is stop their vaunted offense one final time.
The Trojans had the ball with their win streak and season on the line. First down: incomplete. The crowd that was already off the wall got louder. Second down: SACK. The place went crazy. Everybody was yelling, keys were flying, the stadium was shaking, and the world was watching. Third down: yards, but not enough. Fourth down.
I will never again hear anything as loud as loud as that moment.
The stadium erupted. The Irish were one play away from immortality. The crowd was wild, the players were in the zone, Irish eyes were glued to their televisions around the world. Fourth Down with nine yards to go: a down that will infamously live forever in my mind. Anytime I have seen a 4th and 9 situation in any football game since this moment, I cringe in horror. 4th and 9 was the end of a dream.
An image that is forever seared in my memory, DeWayne Jarrett caught the pass and sprinted down the field for what was sure to be a touchdown. Our hearts shattered, silence spread across the stadium as heads dropped down and spirits were crushed. But the thing is, he didn’t score that sure touchdown. Zibby had caught up to him at the goal line and the defense had one final chance at a stop, one final chance to make this day endure in the memories of the faithful for all time.
The stadium erupted again as the Trojans let the clock run down for the final plays of the game. The ball was snapped. . . thousands of fans were screaming. . . the players mobbed each other at the sideline. . . there was a pile. . . fans started yelling at something. . . the student section looked on in silent desperation wondering what had just transpired across the gridiron.
Was it a touchdown?
NO. The clock ticked down to zero, there had been no score and we had triumphed. Jubilant euphoria ecstasy engulfed the stadium as we pushed and ran forward towards the field. I had one leg over the front wall when the students on the field were pushed back. Standing in the front row of Notre Dame Stadium I looked on in horror as the referees put seven seconds back on the clock.
Seven seconds.
Seven seconds.
Seven seconds.
***
I knew it was over as soon as they put that time on the clock.
After the push, and the Trojan celebration, and the dejected Alma Mater, and my silent walk across campus, I grabbed a trash bag and filled it with my dirty laundry. Fall break was starting and I told my dad ahead of time that if we lost I would want to leave immediately so that I could see some friends who were home on break that weekend. My brother took the trash bag of laundry while I grabbed my suitcase and we walked back to the car in silence as I returned home for the first time as a college student.
By midnight I was back in Northbrook hanging out with the same people I had hung out with for the previous eight years. While they knew what had happened during the game, nobody really talked about it, nobody really cared. In Northbrook, everything was the same as it had always been. For me, however, everything had changed.
I think that moment when they put seven seconds back on the clock was a defining moment for me and my classmates. Two months earlier I arrived at Notre Dame like the rest of the freshmen from around the country and didn’t know anybody. By the time I returned to Northbrook that day, I had experienced something with these people that, as painful as it was, forged a kinship among us.
While those seven seconds created a lifetime of anger and hatred towards the Trojans of Southern California, they also tempered a bond between me and my classmates that will never be broken. This Saturday, for the first real time in four years, that anger will be revisited and those bonds will be reforged.
Four years ago I chose to attend Notre Dame simply because my dad had brought me to some football games when I was young. What those football games (what that football game in particular) brought me as a student were lasting friendships and a sense of belonging. This Saturday, despite the fact that I am currently on the other side of the world, I will rejoin my comrades and cheer as loudly as I can from my apartment in China, because the bonds are stronger than the distance, the anticipation is greater than ever, and the hate will last all time.
Go Irish, Beat Trojans.
Bob Kessler is a 2009 graduate of the University of Notre Dame currently teaching English in Yanji, China. He is the writer of http://www.thingsnotredamestudentslike.com/ and http://www.the17thgrade.com/ and a regular contributor to The Observer. You can contact him at bob020787@gmail.com
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
RALLY SONS OF NOTRE DAME: An address to Notre Dame Nation
Four years have passed since that infamous day in October of 2005. Hard to believe it has been that long, it feels like it was last week. How vivid are those memories in your mind to this day? Can you still feel the electricity that flowed through campus that weekend? Do you remember what it was like walking through the gates of Notre Dame Stadium for the pep rally that Friday night and seeing 60,000 people? Each and every person gathered there that night thirsted for something every Irish fan yearns to be part of: a Notre Dame Moment.
A Notre Dame Moment is more than just a victory; it is when the collective will of the team, the thousands of fans in the stadium, and the countless others cheering around the world lift the Irish to new heights. It is when Notre Dame stares at seemingly unbeatable odds and unconquerable foes yet refuses to back down. It is when in victory you not only celebrate the triumph, but you become a living testament to the mystique and aura that cannot be done justice with words.
Think back to that day. Think of how you felt when the team emerged from the tunnel wearing green jerseys. Remember dog-piling in the student section after Zibby ran back a punt in the second quarter. Think about how you screamed at your television in sheer joy and ecstasy when Brady willed his way over the goal line in the fourth quarter.
Try to recreate the feeling of when Trevor Laws sacked Matt Leinart on second down and suddenly everyone KNEW that finally, twelve long years after conquering #1 Florida State, the next Notre Dame Moment—OUR moment—had arrived.
Think about the feeling when that clock hit zero, the scoreboard read Notre Dame 31, USC 28, and the student body poured onto the field to celebrate. It was the most euphoric moment of my life.
We had done the unthinkable—we had conquered the unconquerable foe.
In the blink of an eye it was taken away. That Notre Dame Moment evaporated into the air of that dark October night and left within each Irish fan was an emptiness, a sickening feeling. What should have been one of the greatest moments in the illustrious history of Notre Dame Football was doomed to forever be remembered in the context of what could have been—what SHOULD have been.
Here we are four years later and that feeling is still as real today as it was on the Ides of October, 2005. Those same Trojans of Southern California who stole that Moment roll into South Bend this weekend. There is a slightly different feel in the build-up to this game though and the root of it lies not within the locker room, but in the stands.
It is undeniable that unrest and discord have plagued Notre Dame Nation this season, mainly over whether our coach is indeed the right man for the job. A former Irish football player went so far as to fund a taunting billboard across from the University, mocking it under the smug, self-righteous farce of “support and love for Notre Dame.”
I will not say the doubt is without merit. There are still serious questions pertaining to our football program and people want answers. Many of them will come this weekend, but your personal sentiment for or against our head coach should not affect how you approach this game. It is time to set differences and grievances aside—this game is not about the coach, it is about the players on the field.
No one can question the heart and toughness of this team. Day in and day out they give their sweat, blood, and tears to this program, whether it be in the weight room, the practice field, or the stadium on Saturdays in the fall. Their efforts have put the program back on the right track, resurrecting it from the depths of two short years ago. There isn’t an ounce of quit in this team on either side of the ball. The offense has overcome fourth quarter deficits in the last three games to pull victories out of the fire. The defense turned an opponent back FIVE TIMES inside the two yard line in the fourth quarter when a game-clinching touchdown seemed inevitable. This team has given everything. It is time to return the favor.
This is a call to arms, a challenge to all those who call themselves sons and daughters of Notre Dame.
The time has come to let our players know that WE BELIEVE, what tho’ the odds be great or small. This Saturday we will stand up in unison and tell the masses that WE ARE ND and our support is unwavering no matter the circumstances. It is time to show all the recruits in town this weekend—the ones that will shape the next generation of Notre Dame Football—what they could be a part of should they choose to come to South Bend.
Cynics infer that it will take a miracle for Notre Dame to win. If it takes a miracle, so be it.
This is Notre Dame. Miracles do happen. There isn’t an Irish fan walking this earth that does not believe that.
My friends, the enemy is at the gate. Think about what they stole from us in 2005. Let the emotions that still linger from that day fuel how you approach this game, let those emotions fuel a belief that we can win this game—we WILL win this game. The Trojans will not have to deal just with the players on the field, but 80,000 rabid fans and the ghosts of bygone glories that echo throughout the hallowed walls of the House that Rockne Built.
This weekend we finally receive retribution for the robbery that happened October 15, 2005.
This weekend is when the giant falls.
Saturday our Notre Dame Moment arrives.
BELIEVE.
GO IRISH, BEAT TROJANS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)