This week the boys at Rakes of Mallow have been charged with delivering the IBG questions after the glorious throttling of Utah. Head over there to see their responses as well as the responses of others.
1) Saturday’s result against Utah was a very pleasant surprise, but an unexpected one, to say the least. What was the biggest positive you took from the win over the Utes, and what concerns you most as the Irish head into their final two games of the regular season?
Yes, Utah was vastly overrated and this wasn’t a big or historic upset by any stretch of the imagination…but that doesn’t demean just how important this game was to the psyche of the team and the fan base.
This was a dominating performance over a solid, well-coached football team. The biggest positive wasn’t just the win, it was the manner in which it took place: with smashmouth, tough, hard-nosed football. They smacked the Utes in the mouth from the opening whistle, completely shut down an offense ranked among the nation’s best coming into the game, and decisively won the special teams battle.
Everything finally seemed to click. One would hope this was the team finally turning the corner, but we’ll have to wait awhile to see whether this is the beginning of something great or fool’s gold (see: ND over Pitt in ’82).
Moving forward over the next two (three?) games, my biggest concern is still Tommy Rees. You have to give the kid all the credit in the world for his performance over the past two games. He was very efficient in his first ever start against Utah and showed fantastic touch on the pair of touchdown passes to Duval Kamara.
That being said, I’m not ready to declare him the future of the program—not by a long shot. Obviously I don’t care who is leading the team as long as they’re winning and I wish success upon every last person who steps on the field wearing blue and gold, but I see Rees as a placeholder a la Matt Lovecchio in ’00.
Lovecchio reeled off seven straight victories in the first seven starts his freshman year but was quickly supplanted by Carlyle Holiday the next season. I get the feeling that Rees’ limited physical capabilities with his arm and legs make him a prime candidate to follow in Lovecchio’s shoes—whether it’s Crist who regains his spot or Hendrix or a freshman that usurps the mantle of “quarterback of the future.”
My worry is that Southern Cal will expose Rees in Los Angeles and the Irish will be unable to put a dent in an extremely athletic and fast Trojan defense. Southern Cal is not as invincible as in years past, but in order to beat them Rees is going to have to be great and I don’t know if he’s got the chops for it.
2) The Irish will have to take a completely different approach against the Army option than they did against the Navy attack a few weeks ago. Who do you see playing the biggest role in slowing down the Black Knight attack? Who will be the big performer on offense?
It’s no secret: the key to beating the option is Bob Diaco piecing together a sound, executable game plan. Notre Dame has infinitely more talent than Army and the defense’s confidence is at an all-time high after Utah. If Diaco can put them in a position to succeed—something he completely failed to do a month ago against Navy—then Notre Dame will win this game handily.
My pick for a big offensive performer is Cierre Wood. Kelly is going to continue to try to ease the burden on Tommy Rees and that means a balanced attack with plenty of carries for Cierre along with plenty of checkdowns and screens being tossed his way as well.
The key is going to be the offensive line dominating the point of attack and giving him some lanes to run through. If they’re up to the task I’m expecting Cierre to go over 100 total yards on the day.
3) Should Notre Dame win one of their final two games, they’ll likely be going bowling. There are a lot of tie-ins that may or may not be fulfilled from other conferences that will likely end up deciding their postseason fate, but what bowl do you see the Irish playing in?
I outlined a bunch of scenarios yesterday, but to me the most likely spot is probably in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against Nevada. The Pac-10 is not going to have enough bowl eligible teams and the fact that it’s a late bowl game (January 9th) will allow Kelly to use every one of the 15 allocated practices whereas an early game (like the Maaco Bowl on December 22nd) would not.
Also, it may just allow enough time for Ian Williams to sneak back for one last game—something I’m sure the players will take into account if they have a vote.
4) This isn’t a question any of us thought would be an issue at the start of the season, but who do you see as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback against South Florida next year?
That’s an unbelievably tough question to answer. The fact that Dayne Crist is going to be out for the entire spring will allow Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, and possibly Everett Golson to get all the snaps. Suddenly, there will be an entire slew of young guys who will have caught up to him in terms of knowing and being comfortable with the offense and none will carry Dayne’s injury baggage.
I want Dayne to find a way to win the job. I want him to bounce back and I want him to be great. I think that Kelly will give him an opportunity to reclaim his spot, but Rees will ultimately take the first snap against South Florida. I don’t think Rees will have the job for very long, but he’ll get the first crack at it.
5) We’re all very excited for Saturday night at Yankee Stadium, which is a nice turn towards some pretty exciting neutral site games (Miami at Soldier Field, Arizona State at Cowboys Stadium) after a rather lackluster start (Washington State in San Antonio). What are three neutral site games you’d like to see down the road?
1. Alabama at Georgia Dome (Atlanta)…if Notre Dame ascends over the next few years this would be an epic, stop the presses showdown.
2. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field…This would be absolutely awesome.
3. Oregon at Qwest Field (Seattle)…Fun stadium, fun opponent, fun time.
Since the Irish upset Utah last weekend they’ve been unexpectedly thrust back into the bowl picture. Executives for lower end bowls like the Maaco and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl are licking their chops and lighting every candle they can find at The Grotto in hopes that Notre Dame will become bowl eligible and drop into their lap. It’s a relative rating bonanza and a guarantee of boatloads of tickets on both sides being sold. The Irish have only one true bowl tie-in outside of the BCS (Champs Sports Bowl), which means they’re at the mercy of bowls where conferences don’t have enough eligible teams to fill their postseason slots. This leads to a lot of convoluted scenarios and potential matchups.
Today we’re going to wade through that quagmire and look the five most interesting potential bowl matchups. Let’s break down the potential landing spots, how intriguing they could be, and how realistic the scenarios are. For a pretty little slideshow of this article click here to go to Bleacher Report.
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5. Notre Dame vs Utah (Maaco Bowl)
What Makes This Scenario Happen: Irish beat Army and lose to Southern Cal…TCU lands in the BCS which leaves the Utes to fill in the Mountain West #1 slot in Vegas.
Intrigue-O-Meter: -10…I’ve seen this movie and it was great. I don’t want to see it again.
Realistic Meter: 6…Unfortunately ND’s bowl options are limited and they would take a rematch if there are no other alternatives just so they can get the extra practices.
The Skinny: Rematches in college football are terrible things. The Irish upset Utah and would have absolutely nothing to gain by taking them on again. Hopefully now that there’s a competent athletic director in South Bend the program will learn from the mistake Mike Wadsworth made in playing LSU a second time in the ’97 Independence Bowl.
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4. Notre Dame vs MAC Champion (Little Caesars Bowl)
What Makes This Scenario Happen: Notre Dame beats Army, Temple wins the MAC, Utah gets selected for the Maaco Bowl.
Potential Matchups: Temple, Northern Illinois
Intrigue-O-Meter: 2…Pretty good basketball matchup; not so much on the gridiron.
Realistic Meter: 7…Temple has a great shot to win the MAC, this would be a better spot for ND to land than a potential Utah rematch in the Maaco Bowl.
The Skinny: This doesn’t do much in terms of generating excitement within the Irish fan base or the opponent’s (because that would infer there is a Temple Football or Northern Illinois Fan Base). The game is played in Detroit the day after Christmas, which means ND may not get all 15 practices in. This is just about as boring as it gets.
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3. Notre Dame vs Nevada (Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl)
What Makes This Scenario Happen: Irish beat Army…Nevada loses to Boise State and Boise lands somewhere in the BCS.
Intrigue-O-Meter: 5…Nevada has a high-flying offense, but we just played them last year.
Realistic Meter: 8…This looks pretty likely—if everyone just holds court and no major upsets happen (like Boise St or TCU losing or Notre Dame beating Southern Cal) this is probably whether the Irish land.
The Skinny: It isn’t a particularly sexy matchup (especially since we just saw it last year), but the Wolf Pack offense is fun to watch and it could make for an entertaining shootout. This is also a very late game (January 9th) which means the Irish could use all 15 practices, which honestly may be priority number one.
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2. Notre Dame vs Boise State/TCU (Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl/Maaco Bowl)
What Makes This Scenario Happen: Irish beat Army and lose to Southern Cal…Boise State or TCU gets upset or the BCS flatout screws one or the other, leaving them out in the cold.
Intrigue-O-Meter: 9…Ultimate New School Upstart vs Ultimate Old School Stalwart
Realistic Meter: 1…Scenarios where the Horned Frogs and Broncos get left out of the Championship game are pretty realistic, but it’s tough—though not impossible—to imagine the worst-case scenario where they both finish Top 5 in the BCS but don’t get a seat at the Big Boy Table.
The Skinny: The New School David vs The Old School Goliath—except if David had a gun instead of a rock. Notre Dame would have an incredibly tough matchup against one of the best-coached teams in the country, but this is another showdown that would have fans, media, and bowl/television executives alike foaming at the mouth.
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1. Notre Dame vs ACC #3 (Champs Sports Bowl)
What Makes This Scenario Happen: Irish beat Army and upset Southern Cal
Potential Matchups: Florida State, Clemson, NC State, Miami
Intrigue-O-Meter: 10…Catholics vs Criminoles: The Remix, Irish vs Clemson, an NC State rematch from the Willingham Gator Bowl? Um, yes please.
Realistic Meter: 3…There’s no chance this happens unless Notre Dame upsets the Trojans in LA—which is a stretch.
The Skinny: None of the potential teams are on future Notre Dame schedules except Miami and all would be very interesting matchups. Now the Champs Sports Bowl would probably get some heat for choosing a 7-5 Notre Dame over a Big East squad with more wins, but these games would be guaranteed sellouts and the Irish would provide a 1000x more interesting opponent than whoever the Big East would deliver (Syracuse? Child Please…). Sign me up for an Irish New Years in Disney World baby!
Ladies and Gents, welcome to the final home running diary of 2010! It’s been a pretty brutal season to date and a win today would be a great way to shift a tide of momentum that’s been going the wrong way since the Navy game.
Today’s opponent is #14 ranked Utah, who is fresh off a colossal beatdown at the hands of TCU. I’d suspected all year that they were frauds (especially judging off of what I saw in the opener against Pitt) and I was hoping ND would be the ones to undress them, but oh well. This is still going to be a stern test for a mentally and physically bruised and battered Irish squad and I’m not overly optimistic that Notre Dame can pull the upset. As always though, nothing would make me happier than ND proving me wrong.
Today we come to you live from college football headquarters in Arlington, VA accompanied by my girlfriend, my roommate C-Loss, and a doozy of a birthday hangover brought about by two Penn Staters—thank you Ross and Aggon—who did everything they could to blowtorch whatever brain cells I had left at the Clarendon Grill last night. I feel like a vegetable. Let’s hope the Irish come out with a little more life than I’m showing this afternoon. This program needs a lift, this senior class needs a lift, and damnit my throbbing head needs a lift. COME ON IRISH!
On with the show!
2:37 The weather looks pretty crappy. Maybe that’ll make BK lean a little harder on the run?
2:38 Utah comes on to the field flashing the Miami “U” sign. I don’t really understand why Notre Dame comes on the field before the opponent.
2:40 Dr. Flanagan gets the early nod today and interviews Kelly on the sideline. Basically he says that Rees doesn’t have to do too much and that the coaches will manage the game a lot for him. That says “conservative passing game and heavy dose of the run game” to me. Is our line up to the task? Is Cierre up to it? There certainly haven’t been many signs that would point to yes thus far in the season.
2:41 Notre Dame has lost 11 straight games to ranked opponents and six straight games in November including the last two Senior Days. Gag.
2:42 The Irish get the ball to start the game and get a nice return out of Bennett Jackson. He got to the corner and takes it up to the 44. Come on boys, let’s get off to a good start.
2:47 Three runs by Cierre Wood net only seven yards. The Irish are going to line up and go for it.
2:48 Cierre Wood is stuffed a yard short of the first down. Damnit to hell. That wasn’t very good vision on Wood’s part, he tried to bull ahead through a blocker and a tackler and had his legs taken out from under him. It’s going to be an early test here for the defense.
2:49 Utah picks up a 3rd and 10 when KLM can’t quite get his mitts on Jordan Wynn, which allows Wynn all day to roll to his left and find an open receiver for 11 yards.
2:51 The Irish defense holds and forces a 46-yard field goal attempt which the Utes sneak in the left upright to take a 3-0 lead. Not bad by the defense but we can’t put ourselves in a deep hole and expect Tommy Rees to dig us out of it.
3:00 The Irish go three and out after Rees tries to force a ball into Duval Kamara. Michael Floyd was wide-open about six steps to Kamara’s right. Turk gets off a decent punt and the Irish have absolutely outstanding coverage on a dangerous returner—Shaky Smithson. Utah will take over at their own 19.
3:06 INTERCEPTION HARRISON SMITH!!!!! WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL PLAY, HE CUTS UNDERNEATH THE RECEIVER AT THE LAST SECOND AND LAYS OUT TO MAKE THE PICK. He actually started the play on the right hash and ended up all the way on the opposite sideline as he picked up a crossing pattern. What a huge, HUGE play. COME ON BOYS, LET’S GET SOME MOMENTUM GOING HERE!
3:07 Tommy Rees is forced to burn ND’s second timeout because he’s slow getting the play called. Brian Kelly looks like he’s using every last ounce of restraint not to go Woody Hayes on him, but much to BK’s credit he’s 1000x more patient than he has been with Dayne.
3:10 Three and out for Notre Dame. Boy oh boy, we look horrendous on offense. Zero first downs thus far.
3:15 Notre Dame allows one Ute first down but then buckles down to force a punt. The defense looks great, please tell me we’re not going to let their effort got to waste.
3:16 ROBERT BLANTON BLOCKS THE PUNT AND TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE FOR SIX!!!!!!! TOOOOOOOUUUUUCCCCCHHHDDDDOOOOOWWWNNNNN IIIIIRRRRRIIIISSSHHHHH!!!!!!!! Utah just totally ignored him coming the right edge and he all but took it off the punter’s foot. Ruffer tacks on the extra point and the Irish have taken the lead. Notre Dame 7, Utah 3.
It’s about damn time special teams provided a lift! When the hell was the last time we’d blocked a punt? And when’s the last time we returned it for a score? That used to be something we did regularly under Davie and the last one I can remember was Carlos Pierre-Antoine in the first half against Southern Cal in ’02. COME ON DEFENSE, LET’S KEEP THE HEAT ON THEM!
3:19 Utah is going to start their drive all the way back at the 10-yard line thanks to a penalty on the return. They’ve been very, very sloppy out of the gate, which has certainly helped the Irish cause. COME ON BOYS, LET’S BURRRRRY THEM!
3:25 We’re into the second quarter and while Utah picked up one first down, their drive stalls when Jordan Wynn’s scramble on third down comes up a yard short. As HD Gremlin Tom Hammond points out, it was due to a “premature slide.” This sets off an entire round of comments and texts about the perils of premature sliding and how the young sophomore will learn how to avoid premature sliding with more experience. We can all agree that it’s embarrassing when you slide prematurely. A bad punt gives the Irish good field position at their own 39. Let’s see if the offense can pick it up a bit.
3:27 Jonas Gray is in the game and has a nice run on first down! I didn’t even realize he was back in action today. Seven yards right up the middle for #25 puts us in prime position to capture first down numero uno on the day. The next play is a defensive holding call against the Utes—which may be their 34th penalty of the day—gives us that first down and the Irish are over midfield.
3:29 JONAS GRAY WITH A HUGE RUN DOWN THE LEFT SIDELINE, 36 YARDS DOWN INSIDE THE 10 YARD-LINE!!! He started up the middle, was stoned, and then bounced it out to the left where he found plenty of real estate thanks to a couple devastating blocks. HERE WE GO BABY!
3:30 Utah is flagged for pass interference as they try to stop Michael Floyd on a terribly thrown fade. That was an absolute duck by Rees but the defender was so concerned with the man coverage on Floyd that he got tangled up and drew the flag. Come on Tommy, none of that. Irish ball, first and goal at the 3.
3:31 TOUCHDOOOOOOOOOWN IRISH!!!!!!! TOMMY REES TO MICHAEL FLOYD FOR SIX ON A QUICK SLANT. GREAT THROW, GREAT CATCH, AND THE IRISH ARE IN BUSINESS BABY! Irish 14, Utes 3. KILLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!
3:34 Ruffer drills the kickoff out of bounds giving the Utes great field position. Come on boys, let’s not give them a chance to come up for air. One play and Utah’s in to Irish territory.
3:36 The Utes get down to the 36 buuuuut back’em up five yards thanks to a false start.
3:37 ANOTHER FALSE START ON UTAH! That’s nine penalties for 60 yards so far and a promising drive now faces 1st and 20 and a rejuvenated Irish defense. Freshman Kona Schwenke gets some great pressure on first down to force an incompletion.
3:38 The Irish hold and force a punt. Great stand there by the defense and an even better job by the Utes to do everything in their power to sabotage themselves. John Goodman fair catches the punt and Notre Dame takes over at their own 17.
3:43 Notre Dame is employing an Oregon-esque poster board with different pictures to help Tommy Rees with relaying in the plays. On one board has Double Mint Gum, Gatorade, the monkey Curious George, and a tree. On another has Rex Ryan, the Golden Dome, the Notre Dame logo, and a Turkey. I’ll take a stab at them: the first one means pass and the second one means pass. I kid, I kid…but seriously, that’s probably what they mean. Dayne had cards too but they just had numbers on them to let him know how many postgame lashes he’d earned from Brian Kelly’s belt on the previous play.
3:44 Nice little slip screen by Cierre Wood picks up a first down. He’s running hard today.
3:45 Dr. Flanagan talks about how Brian Kelly is 1000x more patient and understanding with Rees than he was with Crist. Do you think that Crist resents it a bit? I truly and honestly think that Crist would’ve progressed more had Kelly taken on that sort of patient and nurturing attitude
3:46 The Irish drive stalls and they’re forced to punt. Ben Turk avoids disaster by reeling in a bad snap but then gets off a bad punt. I’ll let it slide since he made such a great save on the catch. Utah ball at their own 33 with 6:32 left in the half.
3:49 NBC shows a time-lapse video of the preparation of the football field in Yankee Stadium, including the finished product. It looks pretty awesome, I don’t understand why there’s a pocket of people hating on it. It’s pretty cool to be the first game in the new Yankee Stadium and it’s a neat event period. I’ll be in attendance and couldn’t be more excited.
3:50 Great stop by Darrin Walls to sniff out a screen and make a stop for a five yard loss on second down. COME ON IRISH!
3:50 Prince Shembo chases Jordan Wynn back 15 yards before Wynn just throws it away. Another three and out for Utah, what a fantastic performance by the Notre Dame Defense thus far. ND will get the ball at the 34-yard line—let’s step on their throats before the half.
3:55 Cierre Wood drops a wiiiiiiidddeee-opennnnn pass down the left sideline. The ball was a little high but you HAVE to come down with that. That brings up a 3rd and 10. The rain is really coming down now.
3:56 Tommy Rees lasers one in to Tyler Eifert for a first down on a hot route. Rees is fired up as he should be, that was a great throw. Irish ball over midfield.
4:00 The drive stalls but Turk does a great job pinning the Utes deep at their own 11. They’ve got a little more than two minutes to try to get some points on the board.
4:02 I can’t believe Brian Johnson is an assistant coach. He kind of bailed on trying to make it in the pros pretty early didn't he? That being said he’s two years younger than I am and already a D-I quarterback coach. Not too shabby.
4:03 A HUGE hit from Jamoris Slaughter stops Utah short on third down which means it’s another three and out for the visitors. This is the best defensive performance in YEARS for Notre Dame.
4:06 Brian Kelly decides that 14-3 is good enough and he’s not going to test fate so after one run the Irish are headed to the locker room with their lead.
Wow, what a great half. Special teams provided the initial boost and the momentum changing play, but the story thus far is a dominant defensive effort from Bob Diaco’s unit. Utah has the 9th-ranked offense in the country and the Irish have completely smothered it, allowing just 118 total yards and a field goal that only happened because we handed the Utes a short field out of the gate.
Tommy Rees has done a great job in managing the game and not making any huge mistakes. The second half is an opportunity for this team to come of age and really bury a quality opponent. I don’t want to let them get off the mat, I want to hit them in the mouth early and often. Let’s get a TKO here, not a decision.
4:29 FUUUUUMMBBBBLLLLEEEEEE AND THE IRISH RECOVER ON THE OPENING KICKOFF! AUSTIN COLLINSWORTH GETS HIS HELMET ON THE FOOTBALL AND NOTRE DAME COMES UP WITH THE BALL! BOB DAVIE DROP THE “H” UUUUGE PLAY.
4:30 TOOOOOOOUUUUCCCCHHHHDDDOOOOWWWNNNNN IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOMMY REES ROLLS RIGHT AND HITS THE BARD OF BERGEN COUNTY DUVAL KAMARA FOR A 26-YARD TOUCHDOWN ON THE FIRST PLAY. HOW ‘BOUT THEM APPLES?!?!?!?! Thirteen seconds into the second half and the Irish have already extended their lead. IRISH 21, UTES 3.
4:34 Notre Dame forces a third down but then gives up a huge 25-yard gain over the middle. Damnit, come on boys.
4:35 Prince Shembo with a sack on first down, just overpowering the running back that attempted to block him.
4:37 The Irish defense tightens up and forces another punt. The short punt bounces up and hits Blanton, but he very alertly picks it up to avoid disaster. Irish ball with good field position.
4:40 Good run by Cierre Wood on first down for 8 yards. Let’s just punch them in the mouth with the running game, I would absolutely love to see us just dominate the line. Wood breaks off another nice chunk of yardage on second down—an 18-yard gain that was sprung by a great Michael Floyd block on the left side.
4:41 Michael Floyd takes a crossing pattern and rumbles for 24 yards inside the Utah 15. We’re rollllllin’ baby!
4:42 TOUCHDOOOOOOOOOWN IRISH!!!! AGAIN IT’S THE BARD OF BERGEN, DUVAL KAMARA WITH HIS SECOND TOUCHDOWN ON SENIOR DAY! Great throw by Tommy Rees, great catch by Duval. That’s just awesome, couldn’t be happier for the kid. Ruffer tacks on the extra point and the Irish are just pouring it on. Irish 28, Utah 3.
4:50 Utah has started to piece together a drive. Their last six possessions have ended with a punt—I couldn’t be happier about our defense, they’re playing with such great passion and energy.
4:54 Utah picks up a 4th down conversion when Gary Gray can’t quite wrangle down Shaky Smithson. Shaky slips free and gets all the way down inside the 10-yard line. This is their first trip inside the redzone all day, which is pretty remarkable.
4:57 The Irish hold! Back-to-back great plays by Gary Gray to snuff the drive out and keep Utah from cutting into the deficit.
5:03 A heavy dose of Cierre Wood on this drive, the last run a great 20-yard pickup right down the throat of the defense where he made a quick cut and hit the hole hard. The third quarter comes to a close and this game appears to be comfortably in hand. I have too many scars to chalk this up as a W just yet, but we’re definitely in a good place.
5:12 Unfortunately the drive stalls and is capped off by a terrible Ben Turk punt, but it did chew 5:23 off the clock. There’s 12:41 left on the clock which means this is most likely Utah’s last gasp—if they don’t get six here you can pretty much put this one in the books.
5:15 The Utes are playing like a team who understands they’re running out of chances. Five straight completions from Wynn have Utah into the redzone again in a shade under two minutes. Come on defense, stand up again.
5:19 Mayock on Shaky Smithson: “He’s a thickly built kid from the waist down.” I mean how many different directions can we go with this one? None of them can be printed here.
5:20 The Irish hold again on 4th down! Gary Gray with another great pass defense in the endzone to halt the Utah drive inside the 15. ND went with Cover 0 on that play and I suddenly had terrible flashbacks to the first Stanford touchdown when Wynn lobbed the ball down the middle of the field, but this time it was Gray on the coverage instead of Brian Smith and the ball harmlessly fell to the turf for another Utah turnover on downs. Great job to stiffen up again in the redzone by the defense and the Irish will take over with 8:04 to play. Now let’s see some push on the offensive line and grind out some clock on the ground.
5:23 The latest card on the Irish sideline for Tommy Rees’s viewing pleasure has George Washington (1), a golf cart (2), the Golden Dome (3), and Alex Flanagan (4). This leads to a terribly awkward exchange between Hammond and Mayock where they try to make a reference to Flanagan being pretty but fail miserably. A stab at an interpretation of that card: George Washington (1) was wise and would never have hired Willingham (2) to coach under the Dome (3). Dr. Flanagan (4) will report this in her next bit of sideline airtime. Another interpretation: it’s a pass play.
I hope Rees enjoys these picture cards over the next five quarters because by the time they head to Los Angeles I have a feeling the Brian Kelly Lash Count Cards will return.
5:27 Cierre Wood has a nice run on third down for 11 yards but it ends up a bit short of the first down. The Irish run the clock down to 5:46 and they’ll punt the ball away. Kelly has really made a commitment to the run in the second half and even though we’ve stalled a bit it’s done enough damage to squeeze the life out of Utes.
5:34 Manti Te’o with a BIG hit on Utah’s backup quarterback—he lined him up from about 15 yards away and laid the boom. That brings up a third and long for Utah with 4:04 left to play.
5:36 Prince Shembo absolutely manhandles the left tackle on 3rd down to force a quick throw that nets only three years. This kid is going to be a stud; he’s been on-campus for only a few months and he’s already one of the most imposing physical specimens on the team. Just wait until he’s an upperclassman.
5:37 The Utes complete a short pass that’s not even close to picking up the necessary yardage and Notre Dame forces yet another turnover on downs. The defense gets an A+++++ for their effort today. God, I can’t stop smiling, this is just wonderful. This was even more dominating than the Nevada shutout last year—we’ve completely smoked them in every regard.
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5:40 ROBERT HUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHEEEEESSSS rumbles for a 12-yard gain up the middle. He lowered his shoulder and ran over a safety on the last couple yards. On the whole his career has been a bit of a disappointment after a promising start, but he holds a place near and dear in many Irish fans’ hearts. His two-point conversion against Washington where he carried the pile for three yards last year was one of the most underrated moments of the past five years. I wish him all the best going forward.
5:42 This one is in the books. Notre Dame 28, Utah 3.
5:45 The students and team sing the Alma Mater together on the field. A lot of people don’t think it should be played after the game with the team on the field. Those people can go suck a lemon.
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Five Snap Judgments
1. What a defensive masterpiece. Notre Dame completely dominated one of the best offenses in the country. For all the (deserved) criticism Diaco received for the Navy performance he deserves equal praise for his unit’s execution today.
2. Brian Kelly called a great offensive game that leaned heavily on the running attack and conservative, manageable plays for his young quarterback. Tommy Rees executed beautifully and didn’t make any mistakes that would’ve allowed Utah back into the game. He’s going to be asked to do a bit more if ND wants to hang with Southern Cal, but for right now let’s just enjoy his progress and build on it.
3. This senior class has suffered so much, I’m glad they could go out with a dominating win like this.
4. Special teams! We haven’t had nearly enough impact plays on special teams since the ’06 season. I’d love to see us bring heat on punts more frequently since we don’t seem to have anyone that can break a long return. The two big plays by Blanton on the punt and Collinsworth on the kickoff proved to be the difference in the game.
5. Is this an aberration or the turning point? That will be the topic that’s intensely debated over the next week.
Just a great day, a great victory. Let’s make a habit of this shall we?
GO IRISH
Hinkle’s lead continues to grow and with less than a month left in the regular season the three chasers are in pretty dire straits. Is there a big charge in store? Let’s recap last week's bloodbath and roll the Week 11 picks out.
Week 10 Results
1. Chuck: $86.35…Delivers a big, necessary bounce-back week
2. Mikey: -$8…Could the hemorrhaging finally be stopping?
3. Hinkle: -$79…Doing everything he can to let people back in it.
4. Mattare: -$126.50…First 0-for of the year.
Week 10 Standings
1. Hinkle: $411.50…Still comfortably in the lead.
2. Chuck: $85.73…Big swing zips him by Mattare.
3. Mattare: $3.10…It’s been a long drop back to even.
4. Mikey: -$242…Livin’ in the red.
Week 11 Summary
Hinkle: Colo > ISU, BSU-ID (Over), USC-Az (Over), FINT > Troy
Mattare: OU > A&M, TCU-UT (Under), BSU-Haw (Over), SC > ASU
Chuck: UConn > Pitt, IU > Wisc, Neb > Kans, USF > Lou
Mikey: BC > Duke, Wisc > IU, ISU > Colo, Geo > Aub
Gamblers Breakdown
-----HINKLE-----
Still in the lead but not doing it the way I would like. Last few weeks have been pretty bland so its time to get back with a bang and take an even stronger lead on the "competition". One more week before I release my Play of the Year. Fasten your seat belts kids. No explanations need...just straight cash homie. Sit back and watch the lead grow!
Game #1: Colorado (+2.5) over Iowa State…$27.50 to win $25
Trap line city. ISU should have won last week vs. Nebraska...Hawkins just got fired and Colorado is only getting 2.5. Give me one reason I should bet on Colorado....yea I can't think of one either so I will take them.
Game #2: Boise State-Idaho (Over 63)…$44 to win $40
I wasn't sure if this line was for the 1st half or the game...then I realized it was for the game. BINGO.
Game #3: USC-Arizona (Over 59.5)…$22 to win $20
Even though Lane Kiffin said he cannot go for 4 after a TD, I feel this is the week he tries to do it for the first time in NCAA history.
Game #4: Florida International (+9) over Troy…$11 to win $10
Have you seen FLINT play lately? Are they really getting 9 points!!! Have you seen that offense? Yeah, I haven't either.
-----CHUCK-----
As I am sure many of you know, it is Matt's birthday this week. Being the nice guy that I am, I am going to give him more than a terrible hangover for his birthday: how about some winners?
Game #1: UConn (+6) over Pitt…$50 to win $45.45
With a victory here, Pitt would all but secure a league conference title by going 2 games up on all pursuers in the putrid Big East. This definitely qualifies as a big game for the Panthers, which means it's time for a classic Dave Wannstedt choke job. This is the same UConn team that many experts touted as a favorite to win the league, and with a win here they might be able to sneak in the back door and do it. This is a season-defining game for the Huskies, and I expect the envrionment in Storrs to be somewhat amped. If Jordan Todman can find enouch creases in the Pitt defense and the Huskies can force Tino Sunseri to make plays downfield, this will be a long night for The Fighting Wannstaches.
Game #2: Indiana (+21.5) over Wisconsin…$50 to win $45.45
Has anyone seen this Indiana passing attack operate this year? Ben Chappell is throwing for nearly 300 yards per contest, easily tops in the Big Ten, and if it weren't for a dropped touchdown reception last week they would have taken down #13 Iowa. Don't get me wrong, Wisconsin has one of the top defenses in the Big Ten, and they will have their fans jumping around at Camp Randall. I just think that Indiana's offense keeps this within two scores at the end of the day. Besides, how could I pull for a school that has the drinking tendencies of a high school cheerleading squad? Advantage: Hoosiers.
Game #3: Nebraska (-34.5) over Kansas…$50 to win $45.45
Dan Hawkins gave the Jayhawk Faithful an early Christmas present last week, but don't expect Bo Pelini and company to be so nice this week. The Huskers' high-powered Big Red Machine will light the scoreboard up agains the worst defense in the Big 12.
Game #4: South Florida (+3) over Louisville…$50 to win $45.45
After losing their first two conference games, USF has rattled off two straight wins. The Bulls have arguably the fastest defense in the conference. Lousiville head coach Charlie Strong knows a thing or two about defense, having brough the success he had as the defensive coordinator at Florida to the Cardinals' D: they have held their opponents to under 300 yards of total offense their last 3 games. In the end, I think BJ Daniels makes enough plays to lead USF to victory at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Besides, aren't Cardinal fans more concerned about kicking off hoops season at the combination KFC/Cardinals' Basketball Arena? Let the Pizza Hut - Papa John's fued begin!!!
-----MATTARE-----
I’m mired in a terrible cold streak. Like Dan Hawkins cold. Maybe I should just take up poker or some sort of poker games instead. Or perhaps I could teach this poor girl how to run the 110 meter hurdles. All lines are from Sportsbook.
Game #1: Michigan (-13) over Purdue…$66 to win $60
The Boilers are down to their third string quarterback, which means they won’t be able to exploit the Skunkbears’ JV defense. Combine that with Denard running buckwild and you’ve got a blowout. These back-to-back wins will probably get Rich Rod a stay of execution, which is good news for Irish fans.
Game #2: Cal (+20) over Oregon…$33 to win $30
Two reasons for this. First, every team has a hiccup over the course of the season—even one as prolific as the Ducks. That hiccup doesn’t mean they’ll lose, it just means they won’t play great. Secondly, Cal has been absolutely ROLLING at home. They thrashed Colorado, UCLA, and Arizona State by 4+ touchdowns per game. The Bears don’t pull the upset, but they keep it close enough to cover.
Game #3: Virginia Tech (-3.5) over North Carolina…$33 to win $30
The Heels just don’t have the horses to compete with a red hot Hokie team. Virginia Tech can smell that ACC Championship.
Game #4: Air Force (-33) over New Mexico…$33 to win $30
The Lobos are horrendous and have given up 300+ yards rushing in each of their past two games. Guess what Air Force does really, really, really well? The Zoomies roll on Senior Day in Colorado Springs.
-----MIKEY-----
My fall to rock bottom is becoming epic, I've become the Wade Phillips of college football picking and there is no worse feeling. To restore some confidence I've started a program to teach inner city kids how to do the Dougie so anyone needing community service hours just let me know. (All lines from covers.com):
Game #1: Boston College (-3.5) over Duke…$44 to win $40
Duke is playing way too well (for them) and needs to be put back in their place. BC is pretty bad but they still have a shot at a bowl and will need this win if they want to keep that alive. I say they get it.
Game #2: Wisconsin (-21.5) over Indiana…$44 to win $40
Indiana should have beat Iowa last week but dropped the winning TD in the final minute. This week they'll still be disappointed about losing out on the opportunity and Wisconsin will run them over for it.
Game #3: Iowa St. (-2.5) over Colorado…$44 to win $40
No more Dan Hawkins, no more strippers at Colorado. I say it's a bad move for the team and all their incentive to play is gone, give me the Cyclones.
Game #4: Georgia (+8.5) over Auburn…$44 to win $40
There's just wayyyy too much speculation about Cam Newton nowadays and it has to be affecting him and the rest of the team. Auburn may have a tough time winning another game this year and I think they'll struggle against a solid Georgia team this week. Give me the points.
