IBG: Quick Questions (aka Subway Domer nearly screwed the pooch on this one)

So, apparently Subway Domer did get around to posting some questions for this week, so here goes...


1. Describe your worst nightmare coming true on Saturday. Can that nightmare become a reality?

I'm assuming you mean related to Notre Dame football, as I'm guessing that the entire stadium being attacked by 1,000s of giant spiders wasn't what you were going for here.

Honestly, my worst nightmare is that we lose.

Think about this for a second.

We've all given Coach Weis a pass on rebuilding this team from the decimation that Tyrone wreaked on the program.

But his criminally reckless behavior in recruiting at Notre Dame pales in comparison to the intentional dismantling of the Huskies program that Tyrone tried.

And then Coach Weis, in year 5 of his rebuilding project inherited from Ty, LOSES to Sarkisian in year 1 of his?

It would be, psychologically, a death blow to everyone's confidence in Weis, and immediately render moot any argument put forward for retaining him as head coach.

2. Can we all agree that Jake Locker will be the best quarterback that we have/will face all season?

Yes. I stated this in the first IBG of the season, and I'll restate it again here.

Jake Locker is the best quarterback that we will face this season. He is a seasoned veteran with the athleticism to beat you on the ground and through the air. He reminds me of a cross between Antwaan Randle-El and Steve Young. In fact, although his stats will never bear it out because he plays on an otherwise atrocious team, he may well be the best QB in the country. Including JC and Jesus H. Tebow.

3. Replace two starters on both sides of the football for the Washington game. Who are they, who are they replacing, and why?

OFFENSE: Move 1: I'm going to cheat here, and simply change the way we do things for move #1, as (unless you're going to give me the fantasy of plugging Floyd back into the lineup), I don't want to replace any of our skill positions. So, instead of REPLACING anyone, I'm just going to tweak our formations. On any given snap, Armando Allen, Golden Tate, and Kyle Rudolph line up in variations of tailback, slot receiver, tight end, and fullback. And from that, we can shift into or out of any number of formations. Jimmy Clausen is of course optional here, as we move into and out of the Leprecat offense.

Rudolph could be a hell of a lead blocker, and the amount of speed coming out of an AA/Tate backfield is ridiculous. Also, I think Rudolph could be an interesting tailback with his size and deceptive speed, especially as you have to account for AA and Tate on the outside.

We've already experimented with varying forms of the "Leprecat" offense, so now I just want to add in the twist of using Kyle Rudolph in the backfield as well as TE and split out.

Move 2: Bench Sam Young for the first half. He may be our most experienced and most physically talented offensive lineman, but his mistakes have cost this team too many times, and I would send him a message that he had better shape up, or we'll leave him on the sidelines. Plug in whoever is next on the depth chart (Taylor Dever or Matt Romine, depending on how coach decides to play it).

DEFENSE: Move 1: Easy - Te'o for Toryan Smith. Toryan does not appear to have the fundamentals necessary for middle linebacker for his level of athletic ability. Te'o may be lacking the same fundamentals, but his athleticism makes up for mistakes.

Move 2: Tougher, but I'll go with Sergio Brown for Harrison Smith. I just get the sense that Harrison isn't quite getting it. Brown has made some mistakes, but he just always seems to be around the ball.

4. Ty Willingham enters the stadium in the second quarter. What happens?

*Shudder*

I think in this situation, the entire fanbase, en masse, rushes the field, picks up the Moulder of Men, marches him out to St. Joe River, and unceremoniously dumps him in.

Then they return to the stadium, everyone (ushers included) drinks a shot, and then they resume the pounding that the Irish are giving the Huskies, who are only 1 season removed from Ty's criminally reckless recruiting skills, compared to Notre Dame's 5.

5. Are you impressed with the improvement in the run game in 2009, or is it a figment of our imagination?

How could you not be? This team's running game is absolutely Holtz-esque. And that's AFTER the Big Ten portion of our schedule. Verducci is the next Joe Moore, and as far as I'm concerned, we need to make him a Notre Dame lifer.

After what Stanford did last week to Washington, you'd have to be drooling if you're Armando Allen.

6. Who's hotter, Wendi Nix or Erin Andrews? Why. It your hottie a defensive or offensive player?

Given the choice, I'd have to go with Erin Andrews. But, I'd much rather be my own person, and go with the write-in of


Alex Flanagan

I mean, come on guys. Wendi and Erin are so last season...

And Alex is totally a tight end. (Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. Say no more.)

7. Predictions please...

This is the week that Washington remembers that they were 0-12 last year.

Jake Locker throws for 250 yards (150 of them to himself, incredibly enough) and 3 TDs (again, 2 of them to himself), and runs for 200 yards and 2 TDs, accounting for a total of 7 of the Huskies' 5 touchdowns.

IRISH 140-35

(all seriousness aside, I'll take the Irish, 38-10)

Jimmy Clausen: Earning his stripes

I've been on record several times over the past few years knocking Clausen. I've heard rumblings and grumblings about campus about his cocky attitude and sense of entitlement. I've even had my own less than impressive run-ins with him myself as recently as last season.

But I gotta admit, the kid is earning my respect this year.

He's clearly starting to learn what it is to be not just a leader on the football field, but slowly also learning to be a Notre Dame man on AND off the field.

Gone is the cockiness and bravado of a kid who hasn't proved anything, and it has been replaced by the quiet confidence, grit and determination of a leader.

And that, more than anything, is why I'm climbing onto the Clausen for Heisman bandwagon.

I posted last week that I thought his numbers should have placed him at the forefront of the QBs in consideration for the Heisman, but this week, hobbled by turf toe, he showed what we all look for in a Heisman quarterback - the ability to put his team on his back and pluck victory from the jaws of defeat. He limped out onto the field with 3 minutes left, and like Brady before him, the team KNEW it was going to find a way to win. And on the strong right arm of Jimmy Clausen, that's exactly what they did.

The season is still young, and Clausen will have plenty of opportunities to prove his mettle as a legitimate Heisman candidate. Perhaps he'll even have one of those classic TV moments in the ND/USC game. But I doubt any will be remembered as fondly in history as the final drive against Purdue late Saturday night - a drive that may not have just saved the season, but the program.



With a healthy toe and a healthy Armando Allen going into this weekend's tilt against Washington, a hot team which has surprised a lot of people (including the vaunted Trojans of USC), this may be the week where Clausen lights up the Huskies, and with them the hype for ND/USC going into the bye week.

Go Irish! Beat Huskies!

What does beating Purdue mean?

Alright, so there has been much moaning, wailing, and gnashing of teeth on the Notre Dame message boards. The fan base has splintered into two groups:

1. Weis is a horrible coach, and [example of poor performance from most recent game] is why he'll never win a championship at Notre Dame. Hire [Stoops, Meyer, Saban, Gruden, etc.].

2. Weis has rebuilt this program and has us playing well, and [example of good performance from most recent game] is why we'll get to the national championship next year. Besides, we could never get [Stoops, Meyer, Saban, Gruden, etc.].

I've been working on an analysis of Coach Weis' career thus far, and I'll post that over the bye week. But in the interim, we have one of the clearest arguments for both sides in this week's game.

Side 1:

Weis is a horrible coach, and the complete lack of tackling fundamentals in this game show that we'll never have a defense capable of winning a championship at Notre Dame. Hire Stoops.

Side 2:

Weis has rebuilt this program and has us playing well, and going into an opposing stadium against a Big Ten team that hung around with Oregon and coming away with a win without our top receiver, top running back, and only half of our Heisman candidate quarterback is a testament to the depth we've developed and is why we'll win the championship next year. Besides, we could never get Stoops.

*****

And I'm really stuck on the fence here. As I watched the game with my buddy Ian (a Purdue guy), it was kind of hilarious to watch. At one point we seriously got into an argument about whose team is more capable of choking a game away.

I think that everything you need to know about this team is summed up in this quote by Weis:

"You know, they (Purdue) had a couple of carries where they got yards, and then the rest of the carries I mean, they gained 56 yards on three carries, and they gained 11 yards on the other 14 carries. They had a 26 yard run, a 15 yard run and a 15 yard run, and they were really the only runs that were over ten yards, and the rest of it averaged less than a yard a carry."

So to sum up, if we wouldn't screw up a few times a game, we could be really good.

Every coach I know has stressed that the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win the game.

And we still make too many mistakes.

We've got the talent, and (finally) the depth. We have the motivation and the belief.

But I'm tired of watching us shoot ourselves in the foot over and over again.

If I were Coach Weis, I would spend no time trying to put in a gameplan this week. We'll run our base offense and defense against Washington.

I'd spend every second of practice time available drilling fundamentals. Fundamental tackling. Rip/swim/spin drills. Fundamental blocking. Catching drills. Passing drills. Kicking drills. Ball running drills.

I want some Oklahoma drills, baby. Learn to hit someone one-on-one and put them in the ground.

If this team started playing solid fundamental football, they could run my pee-wee team's offense and defense and beat everyone on their schedule. We're relying too heavily on athleticism and not enough on crisp, clean fundamental football.

And that's on the coaching. Watch it, coach - I may be falling off the fence here pretty soon if you don't clean things up.

IBG: Life Without Floyd Edition

1. The obvious question for the week, how does Notre Dame deal with the loss of Michael Floyd? What wide receiver steps up? How, if at all, does the offense change?

I think that we need Duval Kamara to step up his game. He's been toiling in the shadows of Tate and Floyd, and now he has the opportunity, with the coverages all rolled over to Tate, to prove he can win the one-on-one matchups.

Of course the offense changes when such a potent weapon disappears from your arsenal. Just look at last year's offense when he was out of the game. However, unlike last year, I think we have enough options, including a running game, to mitigate the loss of Floyd. We still have Tate and Rudolph, and Armando out of the backfield. Maybe even one of the other receivers (Parris, Evans) will step up their game.

Although I'd much rather have Floyd out there on the field, this injury actually makes next year's team even more dangerous. You know Floyd will come back being Floyd (it is just a collarbone, not a leg injury of some sort), and now we'll have a lot more game experience on an already dangerous receiving corps.

I'm already salivating to watch this offense next year...

2. After seeing three games from Notre Dame in 2009 have your expectations increased, decreased, or remained the same?

Same, leaning towards decreased. I still think this team is capable of putting together an 11-1 regular season, which with a loss in a bowl game would make us 11-2, my preseason prediction. However, the loss of Floyd will make it a little tougher to score points, and the defense (especially the secondary) is worse this year than I thought they'd be.

So, we could be as bad as 9-3 after the season, which would be below my expectations. Of course, my preseason expectations were based upon a season with a healthy Tate, Floyd, Clausen and Rudolph. (I think we're better equipped to fill in for a running back injury)

3. The last two years against Purdue a Notre Dame player has had their breakout game. In 2007 it was Golden Tate and in 2008 it was Armando Allen. Who do you think could have their breakout game against the Boilermakers this year?

Ethan Johnson. This kid is supposed to be a freakish athlete, and I think it's time for him to show up as a disruptive force in a big way this week against a team that has done a mediocre job against talent that is nothing like what they'll see on Saturday.

However, if the Boilermakers find a way to keep it close, it will be due to a breakout game by the Big Ten officials, who have shown glimpses of being able to take over games the last two weeks, but have a big challenge if they expect to keep Purdue in the game this week.

4. How would you grade the three new coaches on this year’s staff based on the first three games?

Frank Verducci: A+. This is the kind of offensive line I remember from the Joe Moore years. And, I must admit for the first time since Weis was hired, these guys are straight nasty.

Tony Alford: B+. Armando Allen has developed into a true running back, not just a scat back, which is impressive. I haven't seen much from the depth, however, which is the only thing holding him back from a similar A+ rating.

Randy Hart: C. He's not exactly failing, but I haven't seen the disruptiveness we need along the line to allow this blitz package to work. We're still pretty young, but I expected more.

5. Your thoughts on Golden Tate’s stage dive into the Michigan State band? Was he trying to avoid running into the band? Was the whole thing intentional? Little of column A, little of column B?

Despite that I know Golden Tate is a bit of a showboat, I'm going to go with he was trying to avoid the band. He had one step to make a decision, and there is no way he was thinking about celebrating that quickly after the concentration required to make that catch.

And really, he had no option. He couldn't slow down, and he would have seriously injured himself and/or a band member if he had kept running. The stage dive was the appropriate thing to do, spreading himself out and jumping over the first row to minimize his impact on any individual.

It did look pretty cool, though. In fact, the picture is my desktop background right now at work. And I love the youtube video tribute...

6. How has your opinion of the Notre Dame schedule changed from how you felt about it in the pre-season?

Hmm... Let's look at it game-by game:

Nevada - same. The Wolfpack will be a good team in their conference, but can't hold up against the big boys.

Michigan - better. Although I don't think Michigan is a top 25 team, and their win over the Irish was a perfect storm, the Wolverines are far better than I thought they would be.

Michigan State - same. Central Michigan is no slouch with Dan Lefevour at QB, and they played us tough throughout the game. About as expected.

Purdue - same. I thought they'd be a bad football team, and what do you know? They are.

Washington - better. 2-1 with a win over USC? Certainly got my attention. I think their lack of depth will rear its head as the season progresses (they were 0-12 last year, remember?), but they are clearly better than I thought.

Southern Cal - worse. A preseason top 5 team that has struggled mightily, including a loss to a team that went 0-12 last season. Even more beatable than I thought at the beginning of the season.

Boston College - same. 2-1 with a loss to a good Clemson team. I thought they'd take a step back this year, and it appears they have.

Washington State - better. They did beat SMU, which is more than I thought they'd do.

Navy - same. Played Ohio State tough, and almost forced overtime. Lost a tough game against Pitt. Almost said better, but they are 1-2.

Pitt - same. Should be a tough opponent, and have taken care of business so far at 3-0. We'll know a little more once they get into the conference schedule.

UConn - same. A close loss to a decent North Carolina team. Close wins over Ohio and Baylor? About as expected, maybe slightly worse.

Stanford - worse. Much was being made of how tough Stanford was supposed to be this year, and how it may be a battle for us to qualify for BCS consideration. But, they lost to Wake Forest - who lost to Baylor.

3 better, 2 worse. I'll call it a wash and say the schedule isn't much tougher than when we started.

7. Should Jimmy Clausen be getting more hype for the Heisman?

Absolutely. He's not in one of those crazy, chuck it every play offenses like Hawaii and Texas Tech. He's in a pro-style balanced offense.

And he's absolutely KILLING the other QBs in the country.

Look at the stats for the "leaders" in the Heisman race (for QBs):

Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame 62/91 951 yds, 9 TD, 0 Int. 68.13 comp %, 10.45 yd/att, 15.34 yd/comp, 20.67 att/gm, Passer rating 188.55

Colt McCoy, Texas 75/110 859 yds, 6 TD, 4 Int, 68.18 comp %, 7.81 yd/att, 11.45 yd/comp, 25.00 att/gm, Passer rating 144.51

Tim Tebow, Florida 39/58 540 yds, 5 TD, 1 Int, 67.24 comp %, 9.31 yd/att, 13.85 yd/comp, 13.00 att/gm, Passer rating 170.45

Jacory Harris, 41/59 656 yds, 5 TD, 2 Int, 69.49 comp %, 11.12 yd/att, 16.00 yd/comp, 20.50 att/gm, Passer rating 184.07

Case Keenum, 55/76 725 yds, 7 TD, 1 Int, 72.37 Comp %, 9.54 yd/att, 13.18 yd/comp, 27.50 att/gm, Passer rating 180.26

1st in yards. 1st in TD/INT ratio. 1st in passer rating.

There are other players out there worthy of consideration - Jahvid Best, C.J. Spiller, maybe even Dez Bryant or Golden Tate from the receiver position (Floyd's Heisman hopes ended with his collarone injury) - but Clausen is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the QBs.

IBG: Sparty Week

Sarah over at Bad Trade has posted her questions for this week's edition of Irish Blogger Gathering. Like much of Notre Dame Nation, I still haven't gotten the bitter taste of defeat out of my mouth, but I'll do my best to move on and try to focus on this week's opponent - the classless clowns of Michigan State.

1. Still trying to get the taste of last weekend's game out of my mouth, so let's start with something fun. With Sparty on its way into South Bend, give me your favorite memory of the ND-MSU series. I don't care what it is: John L. Smith losing it, the image of MSU guarding against nothing, an actual game memory, whatever.

Favorite memory implies something I actually liked, so I'm going to go with the comeback in the monsoon at Spartan Stadium. I was watching that game at my buddy Justin's house, and I remember we were just completely disgusted with the team and had all but thrown in the towel by the end of the third quarter. I remember vividly seeing the wind reverse direction and the torrential rain begin during the break betweeen quarters, and I wondered if even God himself had given up on Notre Dame football.

And then the magic began.

Samardzija touchdown on 4th and 5. The sick strip by Ndukwe. An amazing catch by Rhema McKnight on the fade route. Weis screaming at the team on the sidelines. By the time Terrail Lambert grabbed that pick and took it to the house, everyone in the house was going completely bonkers.

And then the house quieted with the nervousness of the end game, remembering all the times we've blown it. We were on the edge of our seats as MSU appeared to gain some momentum for a game-winning drive.

Then, the complete indcredulity of the sick interception that looked to everyone (except the ref right on top of the play) like an incomplete pass. Everyone had these stupid silly grins on their faces, made ever sweeter by the screen shots of stunned MSU fans.

Glorious.

2. Since 1997, Michigan State has won 9 of 12 games against the Irish. I view this as a classic case of Sparty having ND's number. What worries you most about Michigan State this weekend?

Michigan State, much like Boston College, seems to exist for the sole purpose of being a thorn in Notre Dame's side. This game is always their best game of the season - then they go back to being Michigan State.

As far as specifics on the field, I worry about their ability to run the ball. We haven't showed the consistency we need up front to stuff the run, and until we do that we'll be at risk of letting teams hang around.

3. Between my lingering bad feelings from last weekend and the history of this series in the last decade plus, give me a good reason or two or three to feel optimistic about a change in fortune for the Irish, because right now, I could use some optimism.

Because I care deeply about Sarah's mental health, I'll give her a full 5 reasons for optimism:

1. Notre Dame's intensity should be even higher this week, and their wounded pride will assure that there will be no let down this week. These players had their high expectations dashed last week, and in such strange and frustrating fashion that I expect to see some pissed of Domers take the field on Saturday.

2. We won't see this guy on the field on Saturday. Or this guy. Or this one. Or this one.

3. Michigan State lost to Central Michigan last week.

4. If this and this aren't motivation enough, I don't know what is.

5. WE are N D

4. As it is my week, I get to address my current ND obsession. Have the last two games changed your opinion/reinforced your opinion re: Charlie in the box versus Charlie on the field?

I still think Charlie should be in the box. I understand why he's not. Every coach he's talked to has told him he needs to be on the field. But, Coach Weis can see the field better up there, and Corwin Brown and Tenuta can rally the troops on the field. The only advantage of having Coach Weis on the sidelines would be his ability to lobby the refs, but clearly, that doesn't help.

5. If nothing else, I can count on one thing to look forward to on Saturday - tailgating. Anyone have a good recipe for me to try? I make no limitations on what it can be - a drink recipe, dessert, appetizer. So long as it can be made on a grill, camp stove, or ahead of time, I am happy to listen. The better the suggestion, the more likely you are to get invited to my own tailgate.

I actually have garnered the nickname "Spinach Dip" Neil from many of my friends, because of my world-famous spinach dip that I always bring to parties. Now, this recipe isn't exact, as I don't believe in measuring stuff. But, the beauty of this dip is that it gets better over time. Trust me.

A couple bags of fresh baby spinach, hand chopped
3 cans of quartered Artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
Two large tubs of cream cheese
A quart of heavy whipping cream
A few spoonfuls of crushed garlic
3 bags of Italian Five-Cheese Blend

Throw the tubs of cream cheese in a large (5 qt.) crock pot while you prepare the other ingredients, and set to HIGH.
Chop everything up.
Once the cream cheese starts to melt, throw in two bags of cheese and heavy whipping cream and stir.
Once that's well stirred, immediately put in the artichoke hearts and most of the spinach (it actually takes about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 bags of spinach).
Stir occasionally as the entire mixture starts to melt.
Once you have a decent consistency, add the garlic to taste, and additional cheese as needed to adjust the consistency.
Once the entire mixture is heated through and an even consistency (should be somewhere approaching paste but not quite), reduce heat to low and serve with your choice of bread or crackers. I prefer french bread.

6. Finally, any predictions for the game? I encourage your predictions to involve something other than a final score, but otherwise, I make no suggestions.

I think that the Irish come out pissed off and play really hard at the beginning of the game, leading to some sloppy play and probably more than a little chippiness. Perhaps as a result, MSU gets a small early lead.

Then, the Irish settle down, play their game, and run off 5 straight TDs on 5 straight possessions, putting the game well out of reach.

Final score:
Notre Dame 41
Michigan State 17

Why we couldn't beat Michigan

1. Coaching

I've been a pretty staunch Weis supporter, right up until the Syracuse debacle of last year. And I still think with his work ethic, we could eventually win a championship if he continues to make the changes needed as he recognizes them. But Saturday's loss can be laid at the feet of the coaching staff first and foremost.

Weis is a gambler, and frequently makes decisions that don't make sense if you step back and look at the big picture. Especially for a coach that comes from the NFL, he sure didn't learn much about winning games.

I have not heard a single rational defense of why we were throwing a pass with the ball and the lead with 2 minutes left in the game. It's just inexcusable. Good teams are able to run the ball on first and second downs, then keep the defense guessing on 3rd and short as we try to move the chains and end the game. The fact that we threw a pass on 2nd down in that crucial situation is flat out the wrong call.

And that wasn't his only mistake. Numerous times we had difficulties getting the play off. As the self-named offensive coordinator, it is Coach Weis' job to make sure that the play gets in to the QB with plenty of time before the snap. The unnecessary timeouts and delay of game penalties came back to haunt us in a game that came down to the wire.

2. The Officiating

I really hate to complain about the refs. Other than the Bush Push, which mostly upset me because of the magnitude of the game, my general position is that you play the game with the calls that are made, and that if you play well enough to win, the officiating won't change that.

Not so on Saturday.

I watch a lot of football, pro and college, and this is the first time I've ever seen a game in which the officials appeared to be actually biased.

There were, by my count, 5 unequivocal pass interference penalties against Michigan that were not called. And they were often in critical situations that changed the game. Especially on the ill-advised 2nd down pass. Call that interference penalty, and the Irish win. Talk all you want about "letting the players play" but these penalties exist for a reason, and you CANNOT allow a team to consistently hold one of the receiver's arms back while the pass is in the air.

I've also rewatched the play where Sam Young was called for holding on Kyle Rudolph's 79-yard catch, and there was no hold. It was a spectacular block that drove the defender into the ground.

There was also the missed call on the Armando Allen TD. I watched that play in HD on a big screen, and the sideline view of that play clearly shows that Allen did not step out. There certainly was nothing resembling indisputable evidence to overturn the call on the field.

And don't even get me started on the 2 seconds run off the clock on the kickoff. And don't give me the BS about how rare it is for a last second Hail Mary to work - I saw the Broncos pull off a stunning win on Sunday, and Green Bay also had a last minute pass play that made the difference in the game. And with a wideout like Golden Tate - we may not have won, but we should have had the chance.

But what really pissed me off - and the reason that I think that the refs were biased - was how the refs blew Coach Weis off at the end of the game and sprinted for the tunnel, not even considering taking a second look at the clock.

Any one or two, or even three, of those problems, and I could deal with it. But what I saw out there was clearly home cooking. Notre Dame was repeatedly and systematically robbed of its advantages in this game by the refs, and it cost the Irish the game.

If this game were reffed by a truly neutral officiating crew (say, from the Big 12?) the Irish win this game handily - by as many as 20 points.

3. Fundamentals

I almost appended this to the coaching segment above, but I saw a clear lack of fundamental breakdowns by Irish players in this game. Poor tackling especially killed us, and it allowed an inferior team to hang around in a game they had no business hanging around in.

Tate Forcier, if he bulks up, will eventually be a very good quarterback for Michigan. But he's not a superstar in the making, and certainly not a phenom. We made him look good by taking poor angles and arm tackling. Forcier slipping from the grasp of ND defenders was not because he's a beast who reads the defense well, it's because the ND players who were put in the right position by the play call didn't have the fundamental skills to make the play.

And that, again, falls on the coaching staff. For all of the talent and experience we trotted out on the field, these players should not be making those kind of bone-headed mistakes.

A classic example was on Forcier's TD run, where the safeties did not shuffle down the line with the ball, and Kapron Lewis-Moore overpursued, did not break down and failed to keep his hips squared to be able to make the tackle, or force Tate back inside to the defense.

4. Michigan

I wanted to put this section in to give Michigan credit. While they got plenty of help from the refs and Notre Dame repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot (much like Michigan did for us last year), ultimately they did what they had to to win the game. With two minutes left in the game, they drove down the field and scored the go ahead touchdown with little time left on the clock. They had a good gameplan, and with a couple of breaks, put themselves in a position to win the game.

And they did.

Final Analysis

No excuses. We were 24 points better than Michigan, but we lost the game because we apparently still don't know how to win.

IBG: Michigan Sucks Week

It's Michigan Sucks week, and Matt over at Her Loyal Sons is hosting this week's Irish Blogger Gathering. Check out his blog for his answers and the other members of the Irish Blogger Gathering as well.

1) Being that you're a ND blogger, and thus follow a Catholic university's football team religiously and/or are Catholic yourself, you're probably very familiar with the notion that bad things happen to good people. For a concrete example of that, look to every Irish player, coach, and fan who had to suffer through the last 2 seasons. But never forget that bad things can happen to really rotten people too. For a really fun example of that, look to Rich Rod going 3-9 in his big debut season in Ann Arbor. Now let's mess with your heads a bit: Give me one very good reason why great things might happen to very bad people by explaining to me A) How and why Michigan (sucks!) might beat ND this weekend and B) How Michigan (sucks!) will compete for a BCS berth in 2009.

Michigan Sucks. I won't even humor you by answering such a question that clearly requires me to throw out an established fact in analyzing this game. May as well ask me to predict the score if God decides to turn off gravity just prior to kickoff.
The only way Michigan beats Notre Dame this weekend is if the travel itineraries get mixed up, and we send our Women's Cross Country team to the Big House.
And if Michigan plays in the BCS this season, I'll eat my shirt.

2) After week 1, just as in 2008, the leading tacklers for the Notre Dame fighting Irish are both safeties: Kyle McCarthy with 7 and Harrison Smith with 5. DE Kerry Neal isn't even on the stat sheet, Brian Smith, while making 2 very big plays, didn't make a single other tackle, and Ethan Johnson had 1 tackle all game. Convince me that Michigan (sucks!) wont just run a "9 yards and a cloud of dust" offense against ND all freaking game.

Because Nevada had 153 yards rushing, compared to the 278 yards/game they averaged last year. Michigan averaged only 147 yards/game last year. Oh, and they lost their most talented athlete in Sam McGuffie. So, they showed they could move the ball against Western Michigan - paint me unimpressed.

And I don't care who makes the tackles, as long as we get the stop and get their offense off the field.

And I doubt they'll be able to stick to their run game for long if our offense continues to produce. Of course, that's probably the biggest question this week, as Nevada's pass defense is probably not the best barometer to use for testing our offense.

3) We've now got the concrete data of 1 game to bat around. Aside from any answers involving T'eo, tell me what position changes/depth chart engineering you hope to see the staff at least tinker with during the Michigan (sucks!) game.

I'm actually pretty happy with the lineup in their current positions. We shut out an explosive offense which returned nearly everyone when we were on defense. We scored at will when we were running our full offense - especially when we threw to #3.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

4) The state of Michigan has decided that they've ripped off the Rudy soundtrack long enough and need a new advertising scheme to attract people to their state and support tourism. "Pure Michigan (sucks!)" is so two-thousand-and-late. Give me the new hotness. Give me your best new tourism slogans for Michigan (sucks!).

Michigan: A Classless Society

5) Navy took tOSU down to the wire, Washington actually looked like a team that's coached to play football games, WSU put up some fight. After Week 1, do you now feel like the Irish '09 schedule is tougher or easier than you felt heading into last week? Why?

Tougher - no question. Washington outgained #11 LSU. Navy abandoned their bread and butter in a crucial situation (2 pt conversion) in barely losing to a preseason Top 10 OSU team. Michigan dominated WMU, despite all of their trials lately. Purdue, BC, and Pitt all put up big numbers against their warm-up opponents. While it will take a while to really see where everyone is, but the early returns show that there should be some more difficult challenges than appeared at first glance.