Classless U Spartans

While Coach Weis was over singing the alma mater with his team before jogging into the locker room, Coach John "Loser" Smith was worried about Coach Weis being as classless as he is, sending out his players to "guard" the 50 yard line.

There have been several completely unsubstantiated rumors, completely without proof of any kind, that Notre Dame planted a flag at Michigan State a couple of years ago. However, I find these rumors difficult to believe, as it seems like post-game celebrations always get snapped by some photographer. There are lots of pictures (and video) of MSU planting the flag last year. And none of Notre Dame ever planting a flag at MSU. Even MSU's "guarding" got snapped by someone.

The fact that MSU thought that Coach Weis would stoop to their level is exactly why the Spartans lost this game.

They underestimated their opponent.

Let the Spin Begin

Last night's game was incredible, and an amazing testament to the talent of this team when they play like a team.

In the first half of yesterday's game, this didn't look like a team. Defenders were overpursuing and losing contain on Stanton because they weren't trusting their teammates to make a play. They weren't communicating. On offense, the offensive line wasn't working as a unit, and the receivers were running uninspired routes. Quinn looked like he was still thinking about the meltdown from last week, and was trying to play conservative to not lose the game. We spotted the Spartans 17 points before we got our feet back under us. Here we go again.

However, the Irish regained some composure and traded scores with the Spartans. They had their moments late in the first half where they looked like they could get back in it, but then somebody would make a stupid mistake and we'd be staring at the business end of a 3-score lead again. In fact, after the scuffle on the Notre Dame sideline, this team got pissed off, and looked like they were ready to take over this game. But then, Brady's DUMB DUMB DUMB interception pass that was returned for a touchdown deflated the team, and was the low water mark for this team in the Weis era. At that point, we were wondering out loud whether this team would even go to a bowl game, much less National Championship and Heisman aspirations.

While the Irish were looking lost, the Michigan State Spartans looked better than Michigan. In fact, if history didn't tell me that MSU will start their annual skid in the next couple of weeks, I'd say that this Michigan State team is better than Michigan, and the balance of weapons on this team make it very difficult to defend. If you focus on stopping the pass (as the Irish did - we completely shut Matt Trannon down), they will beat you on the run. And then, to defend the ru, you have to pick your poison. If you rely in speed to get to the ball, man-beast Jehuu Caulcrick will bowl you over. If you stack the box, speedster Javon Ringer will run around you. If you sell out against the run, Stanton beats you with the pass. If you manage to control the run while still maintaining pass defense, then Stanton will beat you on his feet as well. This offense is sick, and we were flat out getting beat in the first quarter. We made adjustments, and traded scores in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but couldn't get back in it.

At halftime, Coach Weis laid down the gauntlet. He looked his team in the eye, told them that he'd call the plays to put them in a position to win, and that they had a responsibility as a team to step up and decide where they wanted their season to go. If they play as a team and execute, he;ll lead them to victory.

The Irish came out in the 2nd half a changed team. We started to move the ball better. However, the Spartans hadn't given up yet. They decided to sit on their 3-score lead, and started pounding us on the ground. By game's end, the Spartans had racked up an impressive 248 yards on the ground. But as we realized that John L. Smith had put in his "just don't lose" offense, the defense began to slow down this potent offense.

And then Brady finally remembered that there is a reason he was the preseason Heisman favorite. He put this team on his shoulders, and carried them back into this game, clawing, scratching and playing with a fire I haven't seen since the USC game last year. Brady did have the one pick early in the game, but once he got through the Michigan hangover, he threw for FIVE touchdowns. He threw for over 300 yards. This comeback is the type of performance that can single handedly vault a player back into the Heisman race.

The Irish defense did their part, too, dictating the game in the final quarter. They ripped the ball out of Stanton's hands to set up an Irish score, and a combination of pressure and aggressive pass defense forced an interception which Terraail Lambert returned for a touchdown. The pick wasn't a stupid mistake by Stanton (like Brady's pick in the first half was a stupid mistake for Brady), it was this defense forcing the issue. We DOMINATED the Spartans in the fourth quarter.

But then the anti-ND spin machine got its gear turning. Without level-headed Kirk Herbstreit in the studio (he provided color commentary for the ND game), Fowler, Corso, and Desmond Howard proceeded to completely deny the awesome display of tenacity and grit that the Irish showed in snatching victory from the claws of defeat. Desmond Howard, the Michigan homer, was quick to blame the win on Michigan State, calling them the only team in football that could lose that game. He said that Michigan State gift-wrapped the win for Notre Dame. In fact, while Corso and Fowler both initially agreed with Howard, eager to spin the Irish victory as a Michigan State loss, Howard's bias became so obvious and pervasive, that Fowler and Corso backtracked, not wanting to lose credibility as analysts. In all honesty, Howard was worse even than John Saunders in his blatant anti-ND agenda.

I was pissed, and I had to drive home, so I flipped on the radio to 1490 am, hoping to catch the Weis post-game presser. Instead, I had to suffer through some no-name hack who wouldn't even call the game a Notre Dame victory. It was the "Michigan State loss" and "Michigan State snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory" and "Michigan State made mistakes that handed the Irish the game." He even slipped once to call it an Irish victory, then quickly corrected himself, reframing it as a Spartan loss.

Now, I'm not sure what game they were watching, but the credit for the win yesterday is all on the Irish. They dictated the terms of the fourth quarter, quite literally ripping the victory out of the hands of the Spartans. And even more impressive, the Irish did it by throwing the ball in a torrential downpour.

If you turn off ESPN and just watch this game, this battle was as epic as last year's USC game (without the national title implications). Notre Dame didn't get lucky bounces and miracle plays (except perhaps the interception to ice the game with :30 left). They simply took the game in their hands and beat the Spartans.

And Coach Weis kept his promise to the team. Like I said last week, the honeymoon was over for Weis after last week's game, and he earned his paycheck last night. He not only called the plays needed to win the game, he managed the entire game situation. While we were watching the game, Weis didn't panic and spend timeouts to stop the clock while we were still down two scores with 5:00 left. He let the clock run, placing the onus on his defense to get the stop on 3rd and 5, saving the timeouts for the Spartan's last drive. The defense made the stop, and the Irish got the ball back, scoring quickly.

The go-ahead interception, which all of the haters want to use as evidence of the Michigan State meltdown, occured on third down deep in their own territory and also occurred with over 2 minutes left on the clock. With the way Brady Quinn was playing, did anyone doubt his ability to lead the game-winning drive with over two minutes left on the clock? If anyhting, the interception return kept the door open for the Spartans, allowing Drew Stanton the opportunity to come back and preserve the victory with a heroic 2-minute drive.

The other evidence of Michigan State's so-called meltdown is the final interception. That interception, however, wasn't even the first interception of that drive. If not for an admittedly legitimate incidental facemask by Vic Abiamiri, the game would have been over on the second play of that drive when Tom Zbikowski intercepted Stanton's pass. Also, the defense had bottled up the Michigan State receives and were in Stanton's face the entire drive. They forced Michigan State to dink and dunk their way down the field. In fact, Michigan State had to convert a fourth and 1 to even be in a position to throw the interception, and they were still 15 yards from field goal range with time running out when they threw the interception. Also, Abiamiri had Stanton in his grasp when Stanton threw the pass, and Stanton threw it into disguised double coverage. While the bounce was lucky, if you watch the replay, Wooden almost had the interception himself, and his tip is what allowed the pick. This wasn't Michigan State making dumb mistakes, this was Notre Dame dictating the game to the Spartans.

Make no mistake, this was Notre Dame winning, not Michigan State losing.

Gameday

I've been real busy this year between work and school and finishing the text book for my professor, and dealing with stuff at home, so I haven't really had time to do the research that I like to do for each game's post.

And this week is no different.

I know what I'm getting from Stanton (QB), Caulcrick (RB), and Trannon (WR) from Michigan State, 'cause I've seen them first-hand during last year's 44-41 nail-biter shootout in the home opener. Their offense has been clicking on all cylinders the first few games, but their inexperienced offensive line (who lost three starters from last year's team) haven't faced the talent that we have on the defensive line. Also, the refs will be keeping a close eye on holding penalties, as the Big 10 refs have been, shall we say, notified (read: bitch-slapped) about the 10-0 holding call differential against the Irish through three games.

What I don't know about is their retooled defense. They have two young corners that haven't really been tested, and three new starters on the defensive line (which might mean that Brady has some time to throw the ball). They return their entire linebacking corps, but we seemed to do fine against the best linebacking corps in the country (Penn State).

And, ultimately, I expect to see a Penn State type of performance from this team. While the home field advantage may keep the Irish from running out to a 41-3 lead like they did against the Nittany Lions, the Irish should score at about a 2-1 pace today. These kids are angry and pissed off after their performance last week, and they are playing with nothing to lose.

Brady no longer has the Heisman hype wearing him down, and I expect him to be more relaxed and focused today.

After review, the prediction stands as called on the field.

Notre Dame 42
Michigan State 17

1-2 punch?

I recently received an e-mail asking about the running back situation here at Notre Dame, to the effect that we need a 1-2 punch at running back to be effective, and that Darius lacks the power and explosiveness of an elite back.

I disagree.

While James Aldridge looks like he could be a game-changing type back, I wouldn't rush him through rehab and onto the field this year. Darius is a great running back, who is patient and wits for his blocks to set up before exploding through the hole. Because he is so patient, he often looks slower than he actually is when the hole doesn't develop. However, Darius' acceleration is one of the best in the country, and I have seen him flat out beat some of the best linebackers in the country (H.B. Blades, Paul Posluzny, A.J. Hawk, etc.) simply by turning on the jets.

Granted, Darius lacks top-end speed, and therefore doesn't break 60+ yard runs. Also, he isn't that pound-em type of back that will get 3 yards and a cloud of dust no matter what. However, Darius is a great back because he forces the defense to play disciplined on every single play. He has great vision, and the moment a defense allows a hole to open up, he will break a 20-30 yard run. Also, even when the defense does everything right, if his blockers make their blocks, he'll run for 7-10.

Also, Darius is far underappreciated by many people who look at his rushing statistics (which are better than many people realize) and ignore what he brings to the passing game. He is a sure-handed receiver that is excellent at finding holes in a defense to give Brady a check-off receiver to throw to, and he can be very shifty and difficult to tackle in the open field. Also, his blitz pickup is excellent, giving Brady more time to find an open receiver down the field.

The solution to the offense's problems are not to bring in someone else to go with Darius.. What we need is simply improved blocking on the offensive line.

To be quite frank, nobody except Ryan Harris has achieved to expectations, much less their potential, this year. The interior line has been porous, allowing far too many blitzers and inside pressure.

The worst blocking I've seen thus far this season (and I hate to kick a man when he is down...) is from Bob Morton. I'm not sure that Bob has his head in the game, with all of the emotional turmoil he is dealing with from his father's death. I know firsthand how devastating that can be, and until he can focus on the game at hand, he should be replaced by Brian Mattes.

Now, much like Charlie, I'm not into sacrificial lambs after a big loss. However, Morton has had three straight games where he just hasn't been blocking with the consistent level of intensity required of him, and I'm of the opinion that he either needs to shape up or ship out.

The rest of the line hasn't been very good either. While Harris has largely shut down some of the best pass rushers in the country, far too many blitzes are not being picked up. This is a veteran line, and there is no excuse for failure to recognize blitzes and communicate the blocking scheme to teammates.

So, despite all of the clamor that Darius lacks the speed and power of an elite back, I have to disagree. Darius is a lot like Emmit Smith of Cowboys fame. He isn't flashy like Barry Sanders, he isn't slippery like Sweetness. He isn't a bruiser like Bettis. He simply goes out there, lets his O-line open up a hole, and then he runs through it. He is durable, dependable, doesn't fumble, and doesn't make mistakes. Just because he doesn't break the big runs does not make him a sub-par back.

I'll take Darius on my team any day.

Ahoy!

It be talk like a pirate day today, matey. And I'll be doin' me preview of the Spartans of Michigan State in pirate speak, if it do ya.

The Spartans'll be swabbin the deck of their football field on Staurday afternoon tryin' to clean the bloodletting from the cutlasses of the Irishmen on Saturday night. Captain Weis will right the ship, let out the sails, and set a course for victory after the Wolverine storm last week left the Notre Dame ship lilting a bit to starboard.

Avast, ye scaliwags of Lansing, for the pinpoint sharpshooting of Brady Quinn will lay low the Spartan defensive backs.

The Irish defense will take no quarter, and by the end of regulation Drew Stanton will be begging for parley.

But parley will be no solace from the incessant pounding of Darius Walker, wearing down the Spartan defense like the waves wearing at the shore.

John L Smith will be overrun by the Weis gameplan, and it'll be to the plank with any of the Spartan's futile efforts.

The Irish will battle to regain the respect they lost in the battle against a formidable opponent last week, and Michigan State's season will be relegated to their traditional place - Davey Jones' locker.

"Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" will be the singing of the Irish faithful next week, as the Irish count their booty and celebrate their plundering revenge against the state of Michigan.

Yarr.

Notre Dame 42
Michigan State 17

Turn those frowns upside down...

Coach Weis proved again to day why, even after a blowout loss, he is far superior to the coaches that immediately preceded him.

Today, the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish received a verbal commitment from Gary Gray, the #2 cornerback prospect in the country.

Gray had committed to South Carolina earlier in the recruiting process, but after talking to his mother, he decommitted from South Carolina to consider Notre Dame. After a couple of months sitting on the fence, Gray committed to the Irish.

What is great about this announcement is the timing. Notre Dame was embarassed by Michigan on the football field this past weekend, and with all of the recruits (including Gray) visiting this weekend, I thought that our recruiting would take a big hit.

Apparently, Coach Weis and Recruiting Coordinator Ron Powlus had other plans.

To put this commitment into perspective, the Irish did not land a single 4-star or better cornerback prospect during the entire Davieham era. Under Weis, we have picked up Terrail Lambert (4-stars), Darrin Walls (5-stars), Raeshon McNeil (4-5 stars), and Gary Gray (5 stars). We've all seen what happened in the Ohio State game, and the lack of elite speed was apparent again this past weekend with our corners trying to cover Mario Manningham. This commitment places the Irish in the position where we can expect to field one of the fastest, most athletic secondaries in the country in the next few years.

Now we just need some game-changing defensive linemen and linebackers to go with the already stellar recruiting at QB (3 top five QBs in the past two years, including the #1 overall prospect this year), RB (Aldridge - 5 stars), Offensive line (#1 recruiting class in the country last year), Wide receiver (5 4+ star receivers in the past two classes, with a possible two more in this class), Tight end (#1 overall tight end two years running), and cornerback.

Oh, and we could probably use a good kicker.

I'd like to commend the Notre Dame football staff for picking up such a high profile recruit at a time when we so desperately needed one.

Meltdown

Yesterday was a very bad day for the Notre Dame football program.

For the first time in the Weis era, this football team was unprepared, did not execute, made far too many mistakes, and was completely outclassed and outcoached by an opponent. In short, Weis looked like Willingham yesterday.

Now don't get me wrong. The honeymoon may be over, but I still have far more confidence in Weis than I ever did in Willlingham. However, this team's performance yesterday was an abomination.

Notre Dame lost any shot at the National Championship.

Brady Quinn lost the Heisman Trophy.

Notre Dame probably lost their best chance to sign the best recruiting class this year, as visiting recruits such as Joseph Barksdale can't be that excited after their visit yesterday.

And to top it all off, the road for this program only gets tougher going forward. Unless Notre Dame can begin to play with a lot more discipline, the Irish will lose to USC at the end of the year, and could even lose to UCLA or Michigan State. Or both.

9-3 not good enough? Right now, it might be too much to ask for this team.

I just want to win a bowl game.

Doomsday predictions aside, this game wasn't as bad as the score looked. Don't get me wrong, even if the Irish don't turn the ball over 5 times we lose that game. Michigan had a defensive gameplan that made Brady Quinn look like he was a freshman again. Michigan pounded the ball down our throats, exposing our run defense as the weakness of this football team. However, if the Irish didn't continually shoot themselves in the foot, that game would have been much closer.

Let's look for a moment how that game plays out if the Irish and Wolverines are even in turnover margin:

Michigan had one turnover that led to 7 Notre Dame points, Notre Dame had 5 turnovers which led to 24 Michigan points. So, subtract 17 points from the Michigan score, and we get a more accurate view of how this game would have played out - Michigan 30, Notre Dame 21. A respectable 9 point loss.

More importantly, the entire dynamic of the game shifted in Michigan's favor far too early in the game, forcing Weis to abandon the running game and allowing Michigan to play dime defense the rest of the evening. Without the massive rash of mental mistakes, the Irish could have won that game.

Not to take too much away from the Wolverines. They were as much responsible for those turnovers as Notre Dame. Also, the Wolverines dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. While Notre Dame's defense did enough to keep the Irish in the game, the Wolverine's pressure took our offense out of the game.

So now what? Brady's confidence is shattered; he was responsible for 4 of the team's 5 turnovers. Samardzija got completely shut down by Leon Hall, and has become an afterthought in the All-America race at receiver. Rhema McKnight played an embarrassing game in which he dropped far too many balls, and gave up on plays that could have changed the game; he spent all day worrying about getting injured rather than worrying about how to help his team win the game. Our defense played a solid game, but also displayed the lack of discipline that burned us against Ohio State last year (exhibit 1: Mario Manningham's 69-yard TD reception where he broke free from everyone, getting a 10 yard cushion all the way to the endzone). Darius Walker was ignored by Coach Weis, and rushed for only 25 yards. Which brings me to Coach Weis.

Coach Weis has been outcoached before (Tressel in the Fiesta Bowl), and has been matched several times (Carrol, Carr, Smith). But this is the first time that Weis has looked completely lost. He did not have his team ready, and did not have any focus. He never had his team in position to win the game, and did not make any significant adjustments on offense. He looked like Willingham, stubbornly sticking to the game plan that he came into the game with. While I'm not ready to jump off the Weis bandwagon yet (he is still a better recruiter and representative of the university than Willingham or Davie), I do think that he needs to make some major adjustments to his coaching style.

Weis is still an NFL coach. In the NFL, a loss like this doesn't really matter. In fact, every team in the NFL loses at least one game every year (no perfect records since 1983). A loss isn't the end of the season, as all you need to do is be good enough to make it into the playoffs. And once you are in the playoffs, you just need to get on a roll. There is no playoff system in college football, and one loss like this destroys any chance at winning a National Championship.

Weis also hasn't figured out how to coach his team at home. Weis is still undefeated on the road (6-0), but an unimpressive 5-4 at home or neutral sites. I'm not sure what he is doing wrong, but something has got to give.

Final game note: I really do hate to complain about referees (as I say for the third straight week), but has anyone ever heard of a kickoff team get called for a block in the back? Kick teams aren't blocking anybody, they are trying to shed blocks.

Block in the back against the kicking team? Give me a break.


One highlight from the weekend: seeing Jerome Bettis at the pep rally and getting this great picture during pre-game in the stadium:


Once again, the tailgating yesterday was a lot of fun. Thanks again to the Stoltes for setting up the tailgate. And a big thank you to my beautiful wife Becky, for coming out to tailgate with me. It made the loss much easier to swallow.