Electrolite | by Mike

Charlie Weis spent the month of May traveling across the country in almost ceaseless pursuit of the nation's top football prospects. When asked whether he enjoyed racking up the frequent-flyer miles, Weis explained:

“I’ll enjoy it when I know what the results are."

With a little over two months left until National Signing Day, the results have begun to emerge. Weis has secured the verbal commitments of twenty-two high school stars from fifteen different states.

Recently, Gatorade announced the winners of its 2005 High School Player of the Year awards. A winner from each state is chosen. In seven of the fifteen states that boast a Notre Dame recruit, the winner is headed to Notre Dame. These states are:

Georgia - Morrice Richardson
Illinois - Demetrius Jones
Indiana - Luke Schmidt
Massachusetts - Barry Gallup
Missouri - Munir Prince
Nevada - Jashaad Gaines
New York - Eric Olsen

Three other winners are being heavily recruited by Notre Dame:

Florida - Sam Young
Minnesota - Matt Carufel
Oklahoma - Gerald McCoy

Current members of the Irish who won the award include Scott Raridon (Iowa), John Sullivan (Connecticut), Tom Zbikowski (Illinois), Victor Abiamiri (Maryland), Trevor Laws (Minnesota), Darius Walker (Georgia), Justin Hoskins (Michigan), D.J. Hord (Missouri), and Asaph Schwapp (Connecticut).

Samardzikoff | by Pat

Jeff Samardzija started off with an 80-yard bang and made some big catches during the final game-winning drive against Stanford and now is up for ABC Sports All-America Player of the Week honors as well as being awarded a "game ball" by the Master Coaches Survey. If he wins the Player of the Week award, he'll join 2-time winner Brady Quinn and Tom Zbikowski as ND's third winner of this particular award.

Below I figured that Hass seemd the most likely candidate for the Biletnikoff Award, but I really think that Samardzija has a legitimate shot now. I updated the table with Jeff's up-to-date numbers. The biggest thing in my mind is that Samardzija brought his yards/catch average up an entire yard and is very near Hass' average now.

Wide Receiver	Games	Catches	Yards	TDs	Yds/Catch	Yds/Game	Misc.
Mike Hass	11	90	1532	6	17.02	139.27	1st 3-time Pac-10 1,000 WR
Dwayne Jarrett	11	75	1070	14	14.27	99.90	Has one game remaining
Jeff Samardzija	11	71	1190	15	16.80	108.2	Leads nation in TD catches

I don't think that Jarrett will win unless he has some sort of highlight worthy game-winning catch against UCLA. He's only a sophomore which I'm sure will keep some voters from picking him, as will the thought, factual or not, that Jarrett faces defenses more concerned with containing Reggie Bush. In the battle between Hass and Samardzija, Hass has the edge in most of the stats and the better personal story as the former walk-on turned All-American caliber player, but Samardzija has joined Brady Quinn as a poster boy for the resurgence of the Irish program.

So, while I was leaning towards conceding the award to Hass just a few days ago, I've flip-flopped and now think that Samardzija should be the front runner. Hass's yardage production is impressive, but the big hit in my mind is the fact that Samardzija has 2.5 times more touchdowns than the receiver from Oregon State. While Jeff was catching 2 touchdown passes in a closer than expected victory necessary for a spot in the BCS, Hass failed to catch a touchdown in the Beavers' final four games (they went 1-3) as they ended the season one win shy of bowl eligibility.

Clearing up the speculation | by Pat

Earlier in the year many Irish fans were surprised when it was announced that Travis Leitko would not be a member of the 2005 Irish team. Amid concerns from depth chart engineers about ND's razor thin margins at defensive end, the rumors started to fly as to the reason for his absence and many were not flattering. His reputation and character took more than a few hits and low blows.

Now however, Eric Hansen reports on a side of Leitko that not many have seen while all the attention has been on the Irish team. This fall semester, Leitko has been back at his home in The Woodlands, Texas taking care of his parents, both of whom are battling cancer.

"I've been pretty much bed-ridden since the end of May," said Travis' mom, Janice, who has been struggling to deal with internal scarring from radiation treatments to eradicate her cancer. "They say God has a reason for everything, and I pray this is not the reason this has all happened to Travis. However, I don't know what I would have done without him.

Travis still has plans to return to Notre Dame in 2006 and rejoin the football team. In the meantime he will continue to take care of his parents and take classes at the local community college and University of Houston. And while I'm sure he is glad he can be home to be close to his parents, he's also keeping one eye on the Fighting Irish.

"I'm so happy for my guys," Travis said. "They're doing so well, but it hurts not to be out there. I've tried to stay out of their hair, but I've talked to a few guys and they seem to be doing pretty well.

"I wasn't really surprised by how well they've done. I knew we had talent. I knew guys could get the job done. Especially in the spring, I could see there was a different mental attitude."

It really is a touching story that hopefully will remind all Notre Dame fans of the caliber of players who unfortunately at times get measured solely by their contribution to the weekly box score.

---

Speaking of players and rumors, one current player that has been a target of many internet rumors is Rashon Powers-Neal. RPN has been suspended from the Irish team since the Purdue game and recently was not on the field for the final home game of his final season. This past week he came clean about the reason for his suspension -- a DUI while home in Minnesota during ND's first bye week -- and accepted the blame for his mistake.

"I'd like to apologize to my family, teammates, coaches and to the University of Notre Dame for the problem that I caused with my poor decision-making on Oct. 8," he told The Tribune via telephone on Friday. "I realize I placed many others and myself in jeopardy, that I paid dearly for my choices on that day. I ask that you forgive me, and I assure you that this type of incident will never occur again."

According to the article, the University imposed suspension officially ends on December 7th, at which point it will be up to Coach Weis to decide if RPN can return to the team or not.

"To my understanding, it's all up to the coaches after that," Powers-Neal said. "But I wasn't about to talk to them about it this week. I'm just going to let them worry about winning this next game."

RPN also clarifies that he did not sit out of the game against Michigan State due to any suspension or punishment. The decision not to play him was solely a coaching decision, not a disciplinary one.

At this point I'd like to point out that while we like to have some fun from time to time on this site, I don't think this is the situation where we should compare Rashon's punishment to those meted out at other programs around the country. As Lou Holtz once said, "burning down your neighbor's house doesn't make your own house look any better."

Odds & Sods, Chardonnay and Brie Edition | by Mike

This week's thoughts...

Two states. Brady Quinn looked like two different quarterbacks in Saturday's game. In the first half, Quinn struggled with Stanford's defensive scheme. To the Cardinal's credit, they appeared to craft a well-designed gameplan that exploited Quinn's occasional tendency to try and force a deep pass when the short route is open. Whatever the source of Brady's problems, Weis and Quinn solved them at halftime. Quinn's first half numbers: 9/19, 175 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions. Quinn's second half numbers: 16/19, 257 yards, 1 touchdown, no interceptions. His quarterback rating for the second half was 215.2.

Walking to do. While several other key Irish players appeared to be slowed by nagging injuries, Darius Walker appeared to have finally recovered from the bumps and bruises that had slowed him down earlier in the season. Walker contributed 241 total yards to the Irish effort, every one of them critical. He rushed for a personal record of 186 yards on 35 carries and hauled in five passes for 55 yards. Walker finished the regular season with a 4.7 yard/carry average, bulling his way to a six-yard TD and taking a direct snap in for the 2-point conversion on his final two touches.

Carry the zero. Several Notre Dame players had statistical milestones within their reach entering the Stanford game. These milestones quickly fell by the wayside as the Irish offense zipped along to 665 yards. With his 80-yard catch and run on the second play of the game, Jeff Samardzija passed the 1,000-yard receiving mark, becoming only the third Irish receiver to do so. His second touchdown reception of the first quarter gave him 15 on the season. With 15 receiving TDs, Samardzija finds himself leading the nation. (However, because teams that play Hawaii are allowed an extra game, Dwayne Jarrett (14) will have the opportunity to catch or pass Samardzija when USC plays its twelfth game of the regular season next week.) When the game ended, Samardzija had racked up 191 receiving yards. Samardzija's season total of 1,190 yards gives him an Irish record, passing Tom Gatewood (1,123). Playing on a bum ankle did not prevent Maurice Stovall from recording a 136-yard night that brought him past the 1,000 yard mark, bringing his season total to 1,023. His second-half touchdown gave him 11 TD receptions on the season, tying Derrick Mayes for second on the Irish single-season list. Walker's bravura performance gave him 1,106 rushing yards on the season. Notre Dame and Miami of Ohio are the only schools with a 1,000 yard rusher, two 1,000 yard receivers, and a 3,000 yard passer. If Steve Smith notches 100 yards receiving against UCLA, USC will join this group.

Line of best Vic. In the first half, Notre Dame's offensive and defensive lines seemed to be showing the effects of a season's worth of wear-and-tear on units with limited depth. This was particularly true on the defensive line, where attrition has thrust new faces into significant roles. During the summer, Notre Dame's depth chart at defensive end projected to be something like this: Victor Abiamiri, Chris Frome, Travis Leitko, Ronald Talley, Justin Brown. Leitko was the first casualty, departing the university for a year. Frome suffered a season-ending injury against USC, and Talley suffered an injury against Syracuse that kept him out of Saturday's game. Thus Justin Brown notched his first start against the Cardinal. The new configuration along the defensive line seemed to have trouble in the first half, particularly when Trevor Laws sat out a few series. However, the line put things together for most of the second half. Abiamiri simply refused to be blocked, collecting four sacks for 43 yards.

Can I kick it? During the Syracuse game, Steve Gregory hit punter D.J. Fitzpatrick while Fitzpatrick's kicking leg was fully extended, drawing a personal foul. When Brady Quinn punted for the Irish in the first quarter, it was too early to tell whether Quinn was used primarily for the element of surprise or because Fitzpatrick had not fully recovered. However, when Fitzpatrick, wearing a cumbersome knee brace, missed his first PAT of the seaon, it looked like Fitzpatrick's injury would figure prominently in the game. Following Fitzpatrick's missed FG attempt in the third quarter, Carl Goia was given the opportunity to kick Notre Dame's first FG attempt of the fourth quarter. Yet when Notre Dame neededd a field goal to seal the game with 2:15 left, Fitzpatrick was sent out again and missed from 29. While Fitzpatrick's willingness to play through injury is commendable, the decision to use Fitzpatrick on the final attempt was perplexing. Fortunately, Fitzpatrick has five weeks to recover before the Irish take the field in their BCS game.

Jack-ass. Long-time BGS readers know how I feel about Keith Jackson. ABC's refusal to put the old fool out of his misery forced viewers to suffer through disconcerting displays of Jackson's dementia. Throughout the night, Jackson's descriptions of play were wildly inaccurate, such as the time he declared "completes it" as a pass was intercepted or when he stated that Stanford's PAT attempt was "for the win" or when he speculated the Notre Dame would use a tee on an FG attempt. However, Jackson moved from mere senility to outright jackassery when discussing Matt Shelton. Having suffered a second major ACL injury, Shelton was unable to repeat his spectacular performance of 2004, one that saw him torment Michigan defensive backs. Nonetheless, Shelton's ability to come back and contribute after another reconstructive surgery is certainly more laudable than, say, June Jones's solicitude of felons. While ESPN praised the latter on Friday, Jackson scoffed at the "horrible" season Shelton was having. The blustering fool made this comment after Shelton threw the block that sprung Samardzija on the 80-yard TD. Shelton would go on to haul in a 25-yard reception on a critical third down.

What if we give it away? As Stanford kept the game competitive until the final minute, it was hard to keep visions of past last-season crushing losses out of mind. Would the Stanford game turn out like '91 Tennessee, where Notre Dame's inability to kick a field goal following Craig Hentrich's injury allowed the Volunteers to pull off the largest comeback in Notre Dame Stadium? Fitzpatrick's injury and the two missed FGs made this comparison hard to ignore. Or would '93 Boston College be the more appropriate comparison? At times, Matt Traverso looked like Pete Mitchell against Rick Minter's defense. Or were we witnessing another '96 USC, where a certain trip to a Bowl Alliance game was lost in the final regular season game due to a missed extra point? Fortunately, one ruthlessly efficient final drive and Abiamiri pressure spared us this debate.

The blueprint. Saturday's game can be cast into several familiar narratives. For example, one could describe how Stanford followed the blueprint for an upset victory to near perfection. The familiar formula for an underdog victory is to win the turnover battle, limit penalties, and make big plays in special teams. Stanford did not commit a single turnover, finishing the game +2 in turnover margin. Only two penalties were enforced against the Cardinal (others were called, but those were declined). T.J. Rushing's 87-yard kickoff return provided Stanford with a huge special teams play. The Trees were also aided by Notre Dame's inefficacy in the kicking game due to a hobbled D.J. Fitzpatrick. It was this formula that allowed Stanford to remain in the game despite being outgained by over 300 yards. Viewed in this light, Notre Dame's seven-point win doesn't look so bad. Alternatively, one could interpret the game as a disappointing performance by a team that isn't quite as good as it thinks it is. Notre Dame never needed to punt in the second half, reaching the Stanford red zone on every second-half possession. Yet the Irish red zone offense sputtered, leading to two missed field goals. Which narrative is more accurate? Probably somewhere in between. That the Irish were able to win a game where they made so many more mistakes than their opponent is a good thing, but of course it's a bad thing that they made so many mistakes in the first place.

Holy. Crap. | by Pat

Never in doubt...right?

A Major Award | by Pat

Recognition for Notre Dame's offensive explosion continues to flow in as a trio of Notre Dame players have all been named finalists for three of the more presitgious college football post-season awards. Brady Quinn was named as one of three finalists for the Davey O'Brien award which is awarded to the nation's best quarterback. Jeff Samardzija was named a Biletnikoff Award finalist for the nation's best wide receiver and Anthony Fasano was named finalist for the Mackey Award as one of the best three tight ends in the country. All three with be invited to the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, set to air live on ESPN on December 8th from 7-9pm, where the winners will be announced. Until that day, fans can vote for their choice here.

Brady Quinn's finalist nomination isn't entirely surprising given his Heisman darkhorse status, but it is still a nice honor for the junior QB. The interesting thing is that Quinn wasn't even listed as one of the 33 pre-season nominees even though he was listed as a pre-season nominee before his sophomore year in 2004. His competition for the award is USC quarterback Matt Leinart and Texas quarterback Vince Young. Stats wise Quinn is right there with the Rose Bowl bound QBs with each player one game away from finishing their regular season.

Quarterback	Games	Comp. %	Yards	TDs	INTs	Rating	Misc.
Matt Leinart	11	66.38	3217	24	7	161.9	#1 ranked offense, 38-1 as starter
Brady Quinn	10	64.85	3201	29	5	161.5	Only first season in new system
Vince Young	10	63.52	2414	22	8	169.8	774 yards & 8 TDs rushing

Of course, the award is supposed to incorporate more than just statistics. The official site describes the nominees as being judged on:

Quarterback skills/athletic ability

Academics

Being a team player

Character

Leadership

Sportsmanship

As with the Heisman, I feel that Quinn is going to finish behind Leinart (my best guess for winner) and Young but he should be the clear front runner for 2006 even if Young comes back for his senior year. It's possible that Quinn could sneak out a win here, but I really think that Leinart will win this award, mainly because he's being squeezed out of a possible repeat Heisman, despite better numbers, by Reggie Bush and Vince Young.

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One of Quinn's favorite targets, Jeff Samardzija pulled off the somewhat surprising leap to finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. I say surprising because there are a number of highly publicized receivers who had good years and still didn't make the list and Samardzija wasn't a pre-season nominee. Still, Samardzija has earned this honor with a breakout season that should put Quinn to Samardzija on near equal billing with Huarte to Snow. Here's the breakdown of the three finalists; Samardzija, Mike Hass of Oregon State, and Dwanye Jarrett of USC.

Wide Receiver	Games	Catches	Yards	TDs	Yds/Catch	Yds/Game	Misc.
Mike Hass	11	90	1532	6	17.02	139.27	1st 3-time Pac-10 1,000 WR
Dwayne Jarrett	11	75	1070	14	14.27	99.90	Tied for national lead in TDs
Jeff Samardzija	10	63	999	13	15.86	97.27	TD catch in 9 games

I'd have to say that Hass is the likely favorite, especially since he is the only senior on this list and lacks the surrounding offensive talent that benefit Samardzija and Jarrett. But like Quinn with the O'Brien award, Samardzija has set himself up nicely for next year as an odds on favorite. For those interested, the selection committee has many media crossovers with the selection committe for the O'Brien award.

What is interesting is that with still one game left, Maurice Stovall has an outside shot at surpassing Samardzija in nearly every category. I'm sure by the time you're reading this that the game is over (greetings from the past!) and Samardzija is still ahead of Stovall, but I wanted to highlight just how close Stovall and Samardzija are statistically. Of course, the key difference in my mind is that Samardzija started the season hot and made big catches in every game. While Stovall can match Samardzija circus catch for circus catch, Stovall still collected 7 of his 10 touchdown receptions against Navy and BYU while Samardzija scored on everyone save Navy. That type of consistency, along with the quick start, is key to garnering media attention. It's a shame Stovall won't get quite the same recognition for what has been a fabulous season, but I suspect that his reward will come on April 23rd.

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Last but not least, Anthony Fasano has made it to the final round of the Mackey Award. Unlike Quinn and Samardzija, Fasano was actually a pre-season nominee for this award. But like Quinn and Samardzija, it might be hard for Fasano to win the award this year. His competion comes from fellow finalists Vernon Davis of Maryland and Marcedes Lewis of UCLA, and both seem to have the edge in term of noticable offensive output. Here's a look at the reception stats for each candidate.

Tight End	Games	Catches	Yards	TDs	Yds/Catch	Yds/Game	Misc.
Vernon Davis	10	43	763	5	17.74	76.30	2-time TE of the Week
Anthony Fasano	10	42	545	2	12.97	54.50	Superb run blocker
Marcedes Lewis	10	55	711	10	12.93	71.10	Helping UCLA to 9-1 record

From the look of things, Fasano falls way short. But while Fasano is used as both a blocker and receiver, it seems that Davis and Lewis are more on the receiver side of things. The fact that both lead their team in receptions serves as solid evidence. And while such accomplishments are impressive, there is still more to being a tight end than out-running linebackers. Fasano has contributed devestating blocking this year to the point that Weis has mentioned that very few NFL tight ends combine pass catching and blocking skills as seamlessly as Fasano. Just ask Purdue's Ray Edwards who had a rough day even getting near Quinn and Walker due to Fasano's blocking. I'm also convinced that Fasano also leads the nation in times getting completely airbone while tackled. Whether he's diving for extra yards, somersaulting into a first down, or jumping over a hapless defender in one of this season's most memorable plays, he is always looking for that extra yard. Vernon Davis may win the award, but I'd argue that Fasano has been as productive and key to his team's success as any tight end in the country.

One Last Turkey Sandwich | by Jay

The last of the leftovers. So we've come to the end of the season, and there's just enough left for one more turkey sandwich, one final helping of cranberry sauce, one last slice of pumpkin pie. We're off to Stanford to trim the Trees and ice a BCS bowl, and there's not much more to say about this game other than we should win it, and handily.

The Walt Harris Experience is off to a shaky start (although it's probably faring better than the Wannstache Bash): problems at quarterback (Edwards banged up), problems at running back (16 yards rushing last week), problems on the offensive line (Cal sacked them nine times). Stanford's best game against a quality opponent was probably taking UCLA to overtime (yet losing) on October 29th; their worst, an ignominious early-season loss to UC-Davis.

Still, most Saturdays against APU (Aspirational Peer U.) there'd be a chance for a letdown, and maybe even a 'trap' game for us. Stanford's got some movable parts on offense and a heady coach that ordinarily might give us fits, and there's that little tradition of Stanford de-pantsing a good Notre Dame team from time to time.

Tomorrow won't be one of those games. Unfortunately for the Trees, they're catching us after we just played our worst game of the season. Against Syracuse, our focus was anywhere but on the field, and for most of that bright, windy game last Saturday, I didn't even recognize the boys in blue -- and neither did Charlie, if you read the postgame presser. (For some good Weis witticisms, check out the pre-Stanford presser -- it's one of his best all year). Unlike last week, we should be zeroed-in and laser-locked.

The difference tomorrow? We're actually playing for something. "Win this one, and we're BCS-bound" -- you can bet that's been the message this week in practice. I wouldn't be surprised to see a thorough domination, the first complete game we play all year. The last time we played at Stanford Stadium it was a 57-7 rout; except for Charlie's disinclination to run it up, expect a similar outcome.

By the way, after the on-field demolition comes another destruction: the wrecking ball swings on Stanford Stadium (an ironically-named venue whose greatest moments had nothing to do with Stanford football) immediately after the final gun. Don't tarry too long in the stadium, or you'll be a permanent resident.

Finally, Pat Morita passed away last night. I've always tried to live my life according to the wisdom of Mr. Miyagi, and it's led me out of some nasty scrapes with skeleton-suited bullies over the years. Miyagi once said, "Man who catch fly with chopstick can accomplish anything," and I think that's really important to remember as we kick off against the Cardinal tomorrow night. Wax on, wax off.

Giving Thanks | by Mike

On November 24, 2004, Notre Dame was coming off a 41-38 loss to Pittsburgh in which Tyler Palko threw for an opponent-record five touchdowns. The loss was Notre Dame’s fourth of the season, and on November 24th the Irish were a mere three days away from the previous staff’s annual 31-point drubbing at the hands of the hated Trojans. It was not a pleasant time to be an Irish fan.

Today, November 24, 2005, the Irish stand two days away from locking up a Fiesta Bowl berth with a win over former aspirational peer Stanford. A sea change has occurred at Notre Dame, and for that Irish fans have many reasons to be thankful. There are also several people that deserve the thanks of Irish fans. Today seems like an appropriate time to recognize the efforts of those who have contributed to Notre Dame’s current direction.

Thanks to Rev. John I. Jenkins, John Affleck-Graves, Philip Purcell, and Patrick F. McCartan. Last year, these men had the courage to take the necessary action in the face of the inevitable tidal wave of media criticism. Notre Dame has an obligation to the student-athletes who work so hard on the field and in the classroom to provide them with elite coaching. Because these university leaders recognized that this duty outweighed the attacks of petty media talking heads, Irish fans have the opportunity to celebrate something of consequence this Saturday night.

Thanks to Coach Weis and his staff. Even the casual observer must realize how relentless these men have been in the film room and on the recruiting trail. Weis has impressed with his innovative play-calling on the field and his integrity off the field. In addition to baffling defensive coordinators, Weis has kept his promise to Montana Mazurkiewicz, visited the SC locker room following a crushing loss, and brought his team to salute the Midshipmen during their alma mater. While Weis’s staff has been less visible than the head man, we can be sure they have been working just as hard as Coach Weis. Weis has commented on how hard he was driven by Bill Parcells. It seems certain that Weis is just as demanding of his assistants. Their efforts are easy to notice on the recruiting trail, where the only remaining drama is which highly-touted recruits will secure one of the few remaining spots in this year’s class.

Thanks to all the members of the football team. Without their hard work and resilience, this fall would not have been so enjoyable for Notre Dame fans. In particular, thanks to the seniors. This class endured three separate coaching regimes prior to Weis’s arrival. However, rather than packing it in when handed a new coach for their final year, this class provided vital leadership. Previously maligned Irish such as Maurice Stovall and Mark LeVoir have had outstanding years. Corey Mays patiently waited his turn, then seized the opportunity when it finally presented itself. Brandon Hoyte has been a rock for the defense. The freshmen class also deserves special recognition. At a time when ND was getting absolutely hammered in the media, these men stayed true to their commitments. Their resolve has been rewarded with the opportunity to contribute immediately. Eleven of the fifteen members of the freshmen class have seen playing time this year.

Jay: I didn't spend 4 years as an Evil Communications major for nothing!

Finally, here at BGS we should thank our readers. On November 24, 2004, BGS was still a couple weeks away from its first post. Although our Fearless Leader has been too humble to mention this, earlier this month BGS received its 1,000,000th visit. Thanks to our readers for your comments and emails. (Sorry, I don’t have the coverage map.) Thanks for checking our facts and helping us avoid the groupthink of the BGS Lounge.


Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Clearing the bench | by Pat

Not sure a full position rundown is warranted after playing what looked like Syracuse's JV team. So I'll just comment on a few things that I noticed and that Mike didn't cover in his excellent Odds and Sods.

Honestly, the Orange had one of the worst offenses I've seen in a very, very long time. Poor play-calling, bad throws by the QB, bad drops by the wide receivers. Outside of the one long run and two broken play scrambles by their QB, the Syracuse offense didn't accomplish anything...except a 51 yard touchdown scoring drive against our walk-ons that still required 11 plays to complete.

Perhaps a function of being less than enthused about playing a 1-8 Syracuse team, the Irish started the game pretty flat. The line didn't seem to get the same push and 'Cuse linebacker Kelvin Smith slipped through the line on delayed blitzes a bit too much. Eventually the Irish righted the ship, but it was a pretty lackluster beginning. It was the first time all season that ND failed to score in the 1st quarter.

One player that did show hustle and effort from the start was Chase Anastacio. He never seems to get much credit and recognition from ND fans, but his two blocked punts were a major reason that ND held Syracuse's punter -- who was averaging over 43 yards a punt -- to a 30.6 yard average against ND. That gives Chase three punt blocks on the year and he will be the special teams captain for the Stanford game, the second time he has earned the honor. It's great to see a guy that has been knocked down the depth chart a bit at his main position contribute elsewhere on the field.

It helps that Syracuse couldn't really hit the broad side of a barn with their passing game, but the secondary still looked good out there. Richardson made some nice moves to step in front of passes and Ferrine took full advantage of a gift-wrapped interception. I hope that the increase in confidence in our secondary leads to more blitzing from our linebackers. Mays and Hoyte were all over Patterson all game long and if it wasn't for the fact that Patterson is built like a linebacker, they would have had about 5 or 6 more sacks.

Of all the improbable stats, who would have guessed with one game left in the season -- after all of the inexperience in our defensive backfield and facing QBs named Palko, Henne, Stanton, Leinart, and Ainge -- that the ND defense would have intercepted as many passes (13) as they allowed to go for touchdowns (13). I don't think anyone would have predicted that.

Lastly, one of the best things that I didn't witness was a Halls Fruit Breezers "Screaming Fan of the Game" contest. Yeah, the time spent comparing Brady Quinn's look to Zoolander's Blue Steel was a minute of my life I'll never get back. And I certainly didn't need to hear Pat Hayden hypothesize that Quinn was probably "all night tough" in addition to "all day tough". But we made it through an entire home game season with nary a single second wasted on what was definitely the most obnoxious form of advertising I've ever seen on an ND on NBC telecast. The absence of that annoying gimmick alone is one of the best developments of the 2005 season. Actually, it's almost a pity they didn't bring it back for the last game because I think Weis would have locked up the award with his diatribe towards the sideline official after the questionable personal foul penalty called on Tom Zbikowski.

Statistically Speaking | by Pat

• With one game left, the Irish offensive players have some milestone stats well within range. Brady Quinn is 299 passing yards away from 3,500 on the season. Samardzija is 1 receiving yard away from 1,000 while Maurice Stovall is a slightly more challenging 113. Stovall is also 77 yards away from 2,000 career yards and Samardzija is 124 yards away from the single season receiving record. Darius Walker is 80 yards away from 1,000 rushing yards and Marty Mooney is 984 yards away from 1,000 passing yards.

For some historical context, we all know that Quinn is now by himself at the top of the record book so obviously he would be the first to 3,500. Notre Dame has had two 1,000 yard receivers before (Snow, 1964; Gatewood, 1971) but neither were in the same year. Likewise, Notre Dame has never had a 1,000 yard receiver and 1,000 yard rusher in the same season. If Walker manages to get 80 yards, it will be the 14th time a ND runner has his the 1,000 yard mark. He will become the 9th runner to accomplish this feat. It should be noted that bowl game stats count in the official single season totals, so even these levels aren't reached against Stanford, they should be well within range for the bowl game.

• With all the records that Quinn has been setting, one record he won't break is single season inteception ratio. However, he could nab 2nd place. Matt LoVecchio's 0.8% (1 for 125) is untouchable at this point, but at 1.36% (5 of 367) Quinn is on pace to pass up Ron Powlus' runner-up mark of 1.72% (4 of 232). Quinn can still grab 1st place in the career category though as his career mark of 2.53% (35 of 1382) is currently better than first place LoVecchio's 2.57% (5 of 194) talley.

• Maurice Stovall's touchdown against Syracuse gives him 10 for the year and makes Stovall and Samardzija (with 13 TDs) the only wide receiver teammate combo with double digit touchdown receptions each. Both enter the Stanford game with a legitimate shot at ending up as the nation's leader in receiving touchdowns. There are currently three players tied for the national lead with 14.

• There is an interesting statistic regarding D.J. Fitzpatrick, extra points, and ND single season records, but I refuse to write about it for the same reason that every time an announcer mentions who accurate a field goal kicker is, he misses his next kick. If you want to know, it's noted on the game release.

• One more obscure record to keep an eye on during the Stanford game. Tom Zbikowski currently has 5 interceptions for 136 return yards. The interception yards record is 197 yards set in 1965 by Nick Rassas (on 6 interceptions). The number 2 slot belongs to Frank Carideo who had 151 yards on 5 returns in 1929.

Season Long Running Averages

First six games breakdown here.

Category	BYU	UT	Navy	'Cuse	1st Six	2005	2004
Yards per rush	1.9	1.4	5.7	3.7	3.6	3.6	3.32
Avg yards per PA	11.4	8.9	9.2	7.5	8.4	8.7	7.2
Avg yards per PC	14.6	14.8	12.9	13.0	13.3	13.5	13.4
Pass completion %	78%	61%	71%	58%	63%	65%	54%
3rd downs conv.	6/11 (55%)	7/16 (44%)	8/12 (75%)	6/17 (35%)	46/96 (48%)	73/152 (48%)	68/183 (37%)
Rushing yd avg	44.0	48.0	221.0	134.0	170.8	147.20 (58th)	127.4 (85th)
Passing yd avg	467.0	295.0	284.0	286.0	318.8	324.50 (4th)	218.1 (54th)
Passing Eff. (Quinn)	222.0	164.46	184.05	138.48	150.9	161.5 (5th)	125.87 (55th)
Total offense yd avg	511.0	343.0	505.0	420.0	489.7	471.70 (10th)	345.5 (81st)
Scoring Offense	49.0	41.0	42.0	34.0	36.0	38.20 (7th)	24.1 (72nd)
Time of Possession	26:21	32:12	28:25	32:12	35:12	33:02	30:50
Red Zone TDs	3/4 (75%)	1/3 (33%)	5/5 (100%)	1/5 (20%)	21/27 (81%)	31/ 44 (70%)	25 / 36 (69%)

Defense

Category	BYU	UT	Navy	'Cuse	1st Six	2005	2004
Yards per rush given up	2.2	2.8	4.1	3.8	4.4	3.9	2.7
Avg yards per PA	7.0	5.8	7.5	3.5	7.7	7.2	7.9
Avg yards per PC	12.2	14.4	18.8	8.7	14.8	14.1	13.6
Pass completion percentage	58%	41%	40%	41%	52%	51%	58%
Quarterback sacks	4	3	0	3	13	23	30
Rushing yd avg. against	75.0	109.0	239.0	143.0	126.3	132.40 (39th)	88.2 (4th)
Passing yd avg. against	317.0	187.0	75.0	78.0	304.8	248.60 (92nd)	281.2 (116th)
Passing Eff. def. avg.	122.73	90.39	116.00	76.6	122.24	116.14 (37th)	138.34 (98th)
Total yd offense avg. against	392.0	296.0	314.0	221.0	431.2	381.00 (67th)	369.4 (54th)
Scoring Defense	23.0	21.0	21.0	10.0	25.67	22.90 (37th)	24.08 (46th)
Red Zone Defense	3/4 (75%)	4/4 (100%)	3/3 (100%)	2/2 (100%)	16/23 (70%)	28/36 (77.8%)	33/38 (87%)
Red Zone TD Def.	3/4 (75%)	2/4 (50%)	3/3 (100%)	1/2 (50%)	13/23 (57%)	22/36 (61%)	19/38 (50%)

Turnovers

Category	BYU	UT	Navy	'Cuse	1st Six	2005	2004
Interceptions by ND	2	2	1	1	7	13	9
Fumbles Forced / Recovered	0/0	2/1	2/1	1/0	13/7	18/ 9	27 / 12
Turnovers gained	2	3	2	1	14	22	21
Had Intercepted	0	0	1	0	5	6	10
Fumbles / Lost	3/2	2/1	0/0	1/0	9/3	15/ 6	15 / 6
Turnovers lost	2	1	1	0	8	12	16
Turnover Margin	+0	+2	+1	+1	+6	+10	+5

Special Teams

Category	BYU	UT	Navy	'Cuse	1st Six	2005	2004
Kickoff return average	17.2	23.3	13.5	19.5	19.8	18.8	18.7
Kickoff return average allowed	21.7	21.4	26.5	18.5	19.1	20.5	19.9
Punt return average	7.5	39.3	12.5	7.3	16.5	17.2	10.8
Punt return average allowed	11.8	4.7	-	5.0	5.2	6.2	8.2

Fun Stat O' the Day: Notre Dame is currently 4-4 against Stanford on the road. Renovation on Stanford Stadium will commence after the game is over, so ND has a chance to not only send out the old stadium with a loss, but also push the ND/Stanford away record to ND's favor.