May I Have Your Attention Please | by Jeff

"Never drive like an animal when it's raining cats and dogs."

- Officer Tim McCarthy

Game On! | by Pat

Purdue Flashback | by Jay

Since our '66 championship team is being honored this week, I thought I'd dig up some stuff on the Purdue game from that year, an exciting matchup between two highly-ranked teams.

The first game of the season for either team, ND was ranked #6 and Purdue #8. The Irish started an untested sophomore quarterback in Terry Hanratty, while the Boilermakers returned veteran Bob Griese, who had led Purdue on a game-winning drive against ND the year before.

In '66, however, it was the upstart Irish who were victorious, 26-14. As the Chicago Tribune gushed:

Under the intermittent brilliance of scattered Indian summer clouds, Terry Hanratty, an 18-year-old finance major, and his 19-year-old sophomore classmate, Jim Seymour, rewrote the record book and the pre-season ratings by trouncing Purdue, 26 to 14, in two of the most spectacular debuts since Red Grange exploded on the intercollegiate football firmament.

The tall, muscular Hanratty, operating behind a line that was almost fanatical in its zeal to protect him, threw touchdown passes of 84, 39, and 7 yards to the [even] taller Seymour, and completed 16 of 24 attempts for 304 yards. Seymour gathered in 13 of those attempts for 276 yards, both records for receiving in the 79-year history of Notre Dame football.

Purdue got close in the fourth quarter. Griese engineered a 4th quarter TD drive (and kicked the extra point himself) to bring the game to 20-14, and the Boilermakers were beginning another drive when Alan Page smashed across the line and into Griese, forcing a fumble that the Irish recovered on the Purdue 12. This set up ND's final touchdown. Purdue never mounted a serious threat through the final 10 minutes, hindered by an interception on one drive, and a devious ND student section on the last.

...the Notre Dame student body beat [Griese] out of a final chance when it chanted off the seconds to end-of-game. Both teams accepted the erroneous count and headed for the locker rooms. Referee R.E. Meyer tried to call back the squads, but no one responded. Meyer finally signalled time in and, surrounded by fans but no ball players, stood over the ball until the final seconds had expired.

The Purdue coach [Jack Mollenkopf] explained the comic sequence at the end of the game when fans poured onto the field with [time] remaining and the players of both teams heading for the tunnel.

"Ara said to me, 'What do you want to do, call them back for one more play?' I said, 'Hell, let's don't bother.'"

Ara was exhilarated by the win.

"I think we just beat a darned good football team, gentlemen. I feel wonderful about it because Purdue is so dangerous...

"Stop Griese. That was our objective today. We tried to zone him most of the time because if he gets you man-for-man he'll kill you. Above all, we just tried like the dickens not to give Griese any cheap touchdowns."

Parseghian was as effervescent as the carbonated beverage in his hand as he discussed the play of Hanratty and his sophomore battery mate, Jim Seymour.

"It's easy to see why I'm not a very good poker player," exclaimed Ara. "I didn't make any secret of the fact that Hanratty is great. I couldn't hide my enthusiasm for him. And Seymour? He can go get 'em, can't he?"

Here are a couple of great videos from the game, care of TJND88 (also linked up in the BGS Video Vault).

First off is Nick Eddy's kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter. Keep an eye on the blocking scheme on that return -- one Irish player, at the moment of the kick, fires out and basically chop blocks one of the middle cover guys. Then the two up guys for the Irish on each side cross each other and pick off the gunners. Eddy follows a convoy right up the middle of the field. Old school.

Second is a Hanratty-to-Seymour montage from the game. Check out a fired-up Ara dashing into the end zone to congratulate Seymour on that last TD catch.

And if that's not enough, UND.com has an excellent season highlight video of the 1966 National Champs.

Poll Position | by Jeff

As Jay mentioned below, while the Irish schedule to date has been the toughest in the country according to both the computers and opponents records, the next seven Irish opponents grade out just below average, with a combined record of 13-12 (an average schedule would be against teams in the neighborhood of 14-11).

One implication of this is that Southern Cal is the only opponent that would enable the Irish to make a dramatic leap in the polls. Consistent winning, however, should allow the Irish to inch their way up week-by-week as other teams fall.

The absolute number one priority for ND (to state the obvious) is winning out, preferably in a convincing and consistent manner. But, while the Irish still control their own destiny with respect to BCS eligibility (ND is estimated to be 11th in the BCS standings), any shot at the national title will require some serious pratfalls from teams ranked ahead of them.

With eight weeks to go before the showdown in LA, there are plenty of opportunities for the Irish to gain ground. Here are a few other games this weekend (along with the corresponding spread) that could have an immediate impact on the Irish ranking.

#9 Georgia at Ole Miss (UGA by 18)
Expect the Bulldogs to rebound from their poor play vs Colorado.

#10t LSU vs Missippi State (LSU by 32)
This should be a warm-up game for LSU before traveling to Florida next week.

#10t Virginia Tech vs #24 Georgia Tech (VT by 9.5)
A Yellowjacket win is a double-whammy boon for the Irish, not only dropping the Hokies in the polls, but also helping out ND's strength of schedule and putting GT in the drivers seat to win the ACC.

#12 Oregon at Arizona State (Oregon by 1)
Will ASU bounce back from the beat down they took against Cal last week?

#13 Iowa vs #1 Ohio State (OSU by 6.5)
Certainly the best chance for the Irish to move up a single spot with a Hawkeye loss, but this could be a tough one for Ohio State.

the Walkin' Irish | by Jay

It's true: ND's football players actually do go to class, and almost all of them graduate. According to the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) results released this week, ND football graduated 95% of its players over the four-year span of entering classes from 96-97 through 99-00. Among Division 1 football schools, this was good for 3rd overall behind Navy (98%) and Boston College (96%).

Some notables for the wall of shame: Southern Cal (55%), Ohio State (55%), Michigan State (45%), Georgia (41%), and the defending national champs, Texas (40%).

Bang a Drum | by Jay

Hurrah! The circus is coming!

The undefeated Boilers thus far:

1. Killed Indiana State (1-AA), 60-35. It was 26-21 PU at halftime, and then Purdue just turned it on.
2. Beat Miami of Ohio (MAC), 38-31 in overtime (Miami of Ohio is now 0-4).
3. Beat Ball State (MAC), 38-28. Score not as close as it would seem; it was 38-13 before the Cardinals scored two late touchdowns.
4. Beat Minnesota, 27-21 in a pretty hard-fought game.

• Despite the saccharine schedule (154th in the nation by Sagarin), Purdue is only 105th in total defense.

• The gamesmanship on the part of the coaches has been relatively low-key (especially in comparison to last week). Joe (Jazz Hands) Tiller is taking a Holtzian approach to the game against the Irish.

“I want to preface this by saying I could be wrong, but this is most likely the most talented team we play this year,” Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. “Maybe we’ll see a team down the road that’s more talented, but I don’t think so at this time. ... I don’t think we’ll play a more experienced team and I don’t think we’ll play a more talented team. Those two factors right there suggest that this is one of the better Notre Dame teams that I’ve ever competed against.”

I initially scoffed at the idea that ND would be the toughest team on the Boilers' schedule, but then I took a look. No Ohio State. No Michigan. Iowa (#13), Penn State (NR), and Michigan State (NR) are the toughest remaining games. For the last game of the year, they head to Hawaii. Coupling the late-season luau with the cupcakery at the beginning (two MAC teams and a division 1-AA), does Purdue have the weakest out-of-conference schedule among BCS schools? (Well, we're on it, so maybe not.)

• Our preseason roster rundown on the 'makers has shifted a bunch since the beginning of the season. In one big change (so to speak), 6'9 wide receiver Kyle Ingraham was declared academically ineligible and will miss the season.

• The strength of the Purdue offense is its line, with five returning starters averaging over 300 pounds apiece. We had them listed as the best OL we'll see all year, and according to Lafayette reporter Tom Kubat they are living up to their billing.

• Other guys to watch on offense: QB Curtis Painter and WR Dorien Bryant. Painter took over from Kirsch down the stretch last year, and has incrementally improved his performance in each game so far this year. Bryant is a 5'10 lightning bug, very quick with good hands.

• RB Kory Sheets is tied for the lead in scoring in the NCAA with 10 TDs. You could look it up. In addition to carrying the ball, he also returns kicks and punts.

• In the secondary, Purdue lost two starters to injury, one for the season and one for 6-8 weeks. They are now starting two JUCO transfers (CB Terrell Vinson and SS Justin Scott) and two true freshmen (CB Royce Adams and FS Brandon Erwin). The nickel back (David Pender) is also a true freshman. They are giving up a lot of yards so far.

• Brock Spack apparently switched his defense to a 3-4 alignment, to better defend the pass. Results are mixed.

• Both of Purdue's defensive tackles are tall (6-5), but on the lighter side (282 and 275)...the lightest we've faced so far this year.

• Defensive end Anthony Spencer is Purdue's best player on defense. Here's a good piece on him from the FWJG.

• Flann over on NDN had a mini-review of the Boilers-Gophers game last week.

...and Toot a Horn

• While Purdue's schedule is an exercise in stretching, ND has the #1 strength of schedule so far. Our opponents are a combined 9-1, with that single loss coming to Ohio State.

• Someone to keep an eye on is freshman running back James Aldridge, who is recovered from a knee injury and has been practicing at full speed with the team this week. He should probably see his first action tomorrow. Here's a bit from the Observer on his likely debut. Outside of Sam Young, Aldridge was probably the most eagerly-awaited recruit from last year's class.

the Conversation, Week 4 | by Jay

Pop on over to MarkMayBeWrong for the next installment of the Conversation. The guys have done a great job breaking down the records of the teams in contention, and have come up with a sensible snapshot based on what a team has accomplished thus far in 2006.

Six Pickin' | by Jay

AP Poll here. Notre Dame still sitting at 12.

Pick Six didn't have much of a shakeup this week. Boston College dropped out of #20, but that's about it. In fact, it might be the most boring week-to-week result in some time: the top 8 are exactly the same as last week, and in the top 20, four sets of teams simply switched spots. The most exciting thing that happened are Rutgers (!), Missouri and Georgia Tech (finally) cracking the poll for the first time this year.

Reliant77 takes over the lead with 95 points, while Big Tom Callahan is still in the running with a number of other folks at 93. Wyndycity and Davikowski hit the skids, occupying the basement with 24 points apiece.

the Spartan Spectacular | by Jay

Sorry for the late report, but I'm back from the road trip. Physically, I've been back since Sunday, but it's taken me a while to process that night's events. I want to memorialize it as best I can, every little detail, from the feeling of utter hopelessness when Michigan State jumped out to a big lead, to the rivulets of rain that turned into a gale in the third quarter, to the almost indescribably intense euphoria that flooded through us when the game was finally over. I found myself saying, over and over, "I don't believe what I just saw!", and it took me a moment to realize I was quoting Jack Buck and his famous call of Kirk Gibson's homerun. No matter -- the monumentality of the moment seemed apt. It was literally unbelievable. The game had everything: hard-nosed running, long touchdown passes, wild swings in momentum, ballsy fourth-down calls, trick plays, improbable tips, hurricane weather, game-saving interceptions, a heroic comeback, and even a fight. In the end, it was the most exciting, delirious sixty minutes of football I've seen in quite some time.

The day started in Chicago. My old roommate Brian, who was riding shotgun, called in a few hours before we were set to leave to give the weather report. "Looks bad, thunderstorms all night," he said, trailing off, letting the possibility of scrapping the trip hang in the air like a tantalizing possibility. I could tell he was on the fence, but no way in hell was I driving to East Lansing by myself. "Yep. Better bring a poncho." He laughed, and a few hours later we were racing up I-94, making it to Lansing in time to scrounge a few beers from a tailgater and head inside. Already stormclouds were rolling across the sky, and as we passed the statue of Sparty the MSU band came rumbling down the road, marching through the darkening twilight towards the garish lights of the stadium.

The stands, the fans. It was derogatory and anti-Irish, most of the day & night. This is par for the course for an Irish road trip to a Big 10 venue, where Notre Dame is less of a curious novelty and more a familiar target of deep-seated scorn. We heard it all. We heard from Spartan observers in various stages of inebriation that Charlie has a slight weight problem, Brady is confused about his sexuality, the Irish can feel free to perform anatomically-impossible acrobatics upon themselves. Occasionally an Irish fan would respond and things would get heated but it didn't seem worth it. We were outnumbered in a hostile environment, and everybody in Spartan green was pretty well-liquored, and bad-tempered. That's what you get with a night game against Notre Dame. We kept a low profile when we got to our seats, but frankly, the Irish gave us nothing to cheer about for a long while.

The game began with an Irish three-and-out, and then MSU got the ball and Stanton hit that wide-open touchdown pass down the middle of the field, with a flailing Maurice Crum trying desperately to get back into coverage. The Spartan guys around us were going nuts (there didn't seem to be many women, except for a stumbling, drunken mother of three of who kept going up and down the aisle.) The seats down low at Spartan Stadium are right on top of each other, the aisles barely wide enough to fit two people side-by-side, and with the spray of the weather the whole effect was like being crammed into a WWII landing craft -- but with the enemy's army, not yours. At one point a fight broke out, and an ND fan was led out by the cops.

A few minutes later Zbikowski fumbles a punt, picks it up, runs for a bit, and fumbles it again. Michigan State ball. We are not off to a good start. The Spartans then hit on a trick play, the double-pass from Stanton to Trannon to a wide-open Ringer, and the stands explode again. Ringer had nobody around him for twenty yards, a disturbing, recurring nightmare a la Manningham (and Ginn) running downfield, unnoticed by Irish defenders. John L. Smith seemed like Patton at this point, knowing exactly what to call against our defense (I pictured him saying, "Minter, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!") By the end of the first quarter it was 17-0, and with the noise roaring around me, I mentally curled up into a ball, wanting to dissolve into thin air. Poof, I'm gone, and an empty poncho floats to the ground.

The worst part about it was the feeling that something was deeply wrong with Brady Quinn. He was missing open receivers and throwing behind guys, just like he had versus Michigan. And that just revved up the derision and jeering even more from the hostile Spartan crowd.

In the second quarter we finally put a drive together, and Brady capped it by hitting Rhema on a beautiful fade to the corner. McKnight, by the way, would have a tremendous game, catching two crucial, razor's edge TDs just on the inside of the end zone, and also blocking superbly, springing the Shark for his two touchdowns later in the game.

With about ten minutes to go in the half Stanton runs left, heads out of bounds, and Ndukwe hits him right on the line. Flag -- late hit. We had a really terrible view of what happened next, but with the power of Tivo I have now cranked the film forwards and backwards about fifteen times, Zapruder-style. In short, it is clear to me that Matt Trannon was the instigator of all the foolishness, John-el's protestations notwithstanding. We might address the fallout of Trannongate in a post later on tonight, but I will need to be about six deep before entering the insanity that is JLS's world. Stay tuned. (Ed. note: followup on this has since been posted below.)

In any case, the offsetting flags ultimately didn't matter, as a minute later Brady Quinn was picked off and MSU returned it to the house, making the score 24-7. In terms of aesthetic awfulness, it was the worst interception for Quinn since SirDarean Adams' pick for a score last year at ND. Actually, maybe it is Quinn's worst. He simply threw it to a defensive end (a defensive end?), Ervin Baldwin, who had dropped into coverage, without even looking, really. Unreal. (Although we didn't know it yet, this was the last boneheaded mistake Brady Quinn would make all game.)

ND got the ball back, got a first down, then stalled out and faced 4th and 1 on our own 37. Timeout Irish. Yep, we're going for it. Ho-lee crap. Travis Thomas checks into the game, and we go I-formation, two tight ends. It's a play-action to the decoy Thomas, the Spartan defenders collapse into the line and-- holy smokes, Carlson is wide open, coming right at us! Come on Brady, find him. Brady makes a terrific fake, hiding the ball on his hip, and tosses a lob to 89 for a twenty-seven yard gain and a huge fourth-down conversion. My gosh. Say what you want about Charlie Weis, but he has brass ones the size of boulders. Quinn finishes the drive with a swing pass to Samardzija in the slot, who scampers into the end zone with some help from Rhema's blocking. It's 24-14. Things are looking a little better.

Well, until the ensuing kickoff, that is. Somebody (Ray Herring?) was offsides, and what should have been MSU ball at the 12 is now a re-kick, with the Spartans returning this one out to about the 40. (Charlie on the sidelines: "Give me a f---ing BREAK!") And what happens? Stanton drives right down and scores, hitting Kerry Reed on a photo negative of the Samardzija swing pass. Every time we try to stand up, Sparty kicks out our legs. It's 31-14 at the half.

Craig James on the ABC halftime show said that "ND was in over its head", and had I heard him say it, I wouldn't have disagreed. "And I'm telling you," crowed James, "we all got fooled by that Irish drinking water that they were really good coming into the season!" My friend Matt called. "Well, there's still a chance," I said, but I didn't really believe it. Quinn had been kooky, and our tacklers seemed to be bouncing off of Ringer and Caulcrick instead of wrapping them up. This would be the first of about a dozen moments during the rest of the game where I simply cashed it in, resigning myself to a loss. "It's over," I would think to myself, and Brian would just shake his head. It was over.

A kernel of truth arrived via text message from my wife.

"We need more points!"

I chuckled. That cut right to the essence of the issue, didn't it? Spoken like a true Theology PhD. A dispassionate statement on its face, but that exclamation point seemed to indicate...hope? No way. It was definitely over. Wasn't it? We stood around in the drizzle, sort of dazed and dejected. I got a Diet Coke. Brian didn't get anything.

We opened up the second half by stopping MSU on a three-and-out, got the ball back, and after a first down, we had 2nd and 7 on our own 38 when Brady hits Carlson over the middle and he goes 62 yards for a score. Quinn read the blitz beautifully, and checked out of whatever he was going to run to exploit the middle of the field, left empty by the blitzing linebacker and the cornerback that Samardzija dragged out to the flat. It's back to a ten-point game, 31-21, and what a great way to start the second half. We follow it up by forcing another MSU three-and-out, and the Spartan punter shanks it, and we get the ball on their 41. Great field position. But then the rain showed up.

Rain? It was a monsoon, actually; a driving, swirling downpour. We had driven through it on the way to Lansing, and when we got into our seats there was a drizzly mist coming down. The folks next to us were ND fans from Fort Wayne. "If this is all we're going to get, hell, it's not so bad," they exclaimed. We chuckled. "Oh, don't worry, it's coming." It finally showed up. I had a pretty good poncho that did the job, but the rain scoffed at Brian's "waterproof" pullover, so he ended up buying one of those five-dollar trashbags, a white plastic thing with green Spartans on it. He turned it inside out. We were in the 12th row behind the ND band, and when the rain came, all the water from the upper rows came rushing down the aisles and under the stands, and everybody down low had to stand on the bleachers. There was a river rushing below us, six or eight inches deep. We could have kayaked onto the field.

The weather and the big MSU lead made for an interesting chess match during the second half. When the rain showed up, Michigan State went heavy and started pounding the ball, running it four times in a row. On the last run, big Jehuu Caulcrick finds a seam inside and goes thirty yards for a touchdown. He killed us all day. State fumbles the slick ball on the extra point, so it's a 16-point lead. I have the hood of my poncho cinched around my face against the wind and the rain, and when Brady fumbles the snap, jumps on it, and two plays later fumbles it again, I can barely see it. The ball is a greased pig, running wild through the mud.

Finally, at the end of the hard-fought third quarter, daylight breaks in the form of a Zibby punt return. Again, he drops the ball on the fly, but picks it up and darts upfield, shaking tackles and veering into the promised land. For the first time all game, the Spartan crowd is getting quiet, and ND fans are finding their voices. We love Tommy Z. And...shit. There's a flag up around the 40. It's coming back. The ref starts walking it off...and walking...and walking...all the way back to the seven? It seems that the call was a block in the back on McNeil, right around where Zibby fielded the punt, and the flag was thrown not by the two linesmen right next to him (who have the best view, and keep their flags in their pockets), but by the head referee, forty yards upfield. If you have the game saved, check it out -- you can actually see Zibby run past the flag laying on the ground, nowhere near the spot of the infraction. Anyway, it's marked on the seven, and our drive stalls out just as the quarter ends. We're showing some grit so far in the second half, but fate seems to be conspiring against a big comeback.

As is the weather. I know it was mentioned on television, but you almost had to be there to believe it: the wind actually shifted 180 degrees against the Irish when they started going the other way in the fourth quarter. It's true. Picture this flag to the right, when the clock hits :00, swinging completely around and pointing the opposite direction. I couldn't believe it. I started yelling and shaking my fist at the hurricanoes, just like Lear. I was mad, in both senses of the word.

A flurry of holding calls on the Spartans backed them up from excellent field position into punting territory, and we took over with about 10 minutes to go in the game on our 20. On first down Quinn fires a bullet to David Grimes, who tips it with both hands like a volleyball setter, sending the ball up and back and into the waiting arms of John Carlson, ten yards down the field. It is Immaculate Deflection II, and it gives us a first down. We are amazed. Three plays later, Quinn hits Samardzija on an inside slant, and the Shark makes a nifty outside move, galloping forty yards for the score. We go for two. Weis calls a sweep left behind three tight ends, but Walker is taken down at the two. It's 37-27 with eight minutes to go. We are feeling it.

The chess match continues. On this next MSU drive, Minter sends in three linebackers (we'd been playing nickel for most of the game), featuring Anthony Vernaglia who will rush and blitz on almost every down. Michigan State is sticking with the run, and on a quarterback keeper Ndukwe rips the ball from Stanton's hands and pounces on it. It's a pure effort play by Nedu, one of two game-changing turnovers in the second half. Outside the south end of the stadium there is a surreal sight: fireworks start going off. It is as if someone hit the switch for the victory celebration too soon, and after a few bursts, they stop.

Quinn takes over and fires the ball downfield, where Samardzija is tackled by two Spartan defenders, and sits up laughing. Pass interference. Amazingly, the Spartan crowd around us boos this call, and for the first time in the game Brian and I start jawing back at them. Quinn hits Samardzija again, and then throws a fade to Rhema, who touches a foot inside the end zone just as he's making the catch. Touchdown. It is 37-33. Just as we're celebrating, Gioia shanks the extra point. Oh, crap. Instead of hitting a field goal to tie it, now we need a touchdown. Nothing is easy in this game.

Okay. 4:40 to play. We are focused. MSU gets the ball, and Stanton tries an option right. More chess: we lined up with three linebackers again, but both the outside guys move up just before the snap, giving us six guys on the line. I don't think Stanton ever saw them (looking at the replay, you can tell he's got his eyes forward, looking downfield.) When Stanton sprints right, Thomas, unblocked, is simply waiting for him, and drops him for a loss.

On the next play it gets crazier. We rush two linebackers up the gut, and drop Laws and Landri into middle coverage. It is a perfect call. Crum zooms up the middle unblocked, right into Stanton's face. Stanton, panicked, tries to complete a pass over the middle to Trannon, who has three guys around him. It is not on target. Terrail Lambert puts a paw on the ball and hauls it in for an interception, darting around the side and cutting back to the middle for an Irish touchdown. Irish fans explode. The band goes nuts. Samardzija, coming onto the field to hold for the extra point, whispers something nasty to Drew Stanton. I am jumping up and down and nearly kill myself falling off the bleachers. It is crazy. It is impossible. It is 40-37, and the Irish have the lead. Spartan Stadium is absolutely stunned.

The final minutes are a terrifying blur. We kick off, and Stanton takes over with about two minutes left and only one timeout (they burned two of them earlier in the game unnecessarily, when there was confusion in the Spartan huddle). On the second play, Abiamiri breaks free on a Stanton rollout and it looks like he's about to take him down, when Stanton launches it and Zbikowski picks it off. Whistle. It's coming back; Abiamiri grabbed his facemask. State converts on third down, on a pass and catch to Trannon, amazingly, his first reception of the game. Given the way this game has gone, Brian and I are convinced we are going to overtime. A couple more plays, and Landri tackles Stanton on a third-and-five keeper. Michigan State takes their last timeout on 4th and one. (We couldn't see it at the time, but it was then that Charlie delivered an impassioned speech to the defense, shown here in all its glory.) Stanton, the warhorse who never quits, converts it on a run left.

Ball is set, clock winds down, Stanton drops back, avoids a sack, and throws downfield to the right. It looked like it was tipped. There is a whistle. There is no call yet. The Irish players are lobbying for an interception, the sideline judge takes a moment...

...and suddenly, miraculously, joyously, he signals...Irish ball. It is the most improbable play in an improbable game, the ball traveling like the magic bullet, going off of Richardson's foot and ricocheting off Lambert and then teetering on the Spartan player's back, whereupon Lambert scooped it up and rolled over, cradling the ball -- and the Irish victory -- in his arms. We did it. We won.

POSTGAME. Euphoria. I have never been in an environment like that. The MSU fans around us cleared out, like water receding after a storm, revealing the Irish faithful standing proudly in the northwest end zone. The band played. The players jaunted over, helmets aloft, jumping up and down. And smiling. They looked so happy, so relieved, like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders. (Somewhere across the way, a few Spartans were protecting their 50-yard line from a nonexistent ND flag planting, but nobody really noticed). This was a comeback not just within this game, but a comeback that had been brewing for a good solid week, after the humiliating defeat to Michigan. I said last week that this team could go two ways after the Michigan debacle, and redemption is so much sweeter.

(For a video of the final few minutes of the game, including the postgame celebration, click here.)

After the game we hiked through the muddy fields and parking lots and bellied up to the bar at the Roadhouse Grill on the northwest side of campus. It was late, and the bar was smoky and crowded. Four guys put down about six pitchers and a round of shots, and we stayed to the bitter end, clapping high fives with random Irish fans and commiserating with some dejected, but friendly Spartans (we'd been there last year, after all.) We ended up at an IHOP on Grand River at three-thirty in the morning, still shaking our heads and marvelling at the game. Brian said to me at the end of the night: "I'm glad you didn't let me bail out of going. I would have hated myself."

Lord knows, this team isn't perfect, and there is a time for diagnosis and identifying problems. For the coaches, it started early Sunday morning. For the players, it was at team meetings starting on Sunday afternoon.

Me, I'm still celebrating. It's Wednesday afternoon, and I'm still in Spartan Stadium, the glare of the stadium lights illuminating the fine mist falling onto the field, and the glistening helmets pumping up and down, and the band playing (over and over, even staying past the Spartan band's exit), and players throwing gloves and wristbands into the crowd, and Sam Young doing a jig with the Irish guard, and Charlie doing this, and we few, we happy few, cheering and waving and soaking it all in. I'll be there for a while.

(That's me in the blue, and Brian in the white.)

His Methods Unsound | by Jay

You know something, man, I know something that you don't know. That's right, jack. The man is clear in his mind, but his soul is mad. Oh yeah. He hates all this, he hates it! But the man's...he reads poetry out loud, alright? And a voice! A voice...

I mean, what are they going to say, man, when he's gone, huh? Because he dies, when it dies, man, when it dies, he dies. What are they going to say about him? What, are they going to say, he was a kind man, he was a wise man, he had plans, he had wisdom? Bullshit, man! Am I going to be the one, that's going to set them straight? Look at me: wrong!

-- Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now

One final bit of zaniness before we move along to Purdue. On Monday, Coach John L. Smith of the Michigan State Spartans kicked off his press conference with this little ditty:

Michigan State coach John L. Smith's news conference Monday opened with a video presentation to dispute what MSU interpreted as Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis suggesting he had been slapped in the face by a MSU player during a sideline altercation in the second quarter.

Weis went on the field and pleaded with game officials who were trying to sort out the penalties at the time. A replay shows Weis telling the officials he had been struck in the face, and the implication was that it was one of the Spartans who did it.

"I'm not going to contend that anybody is lying, but you take a look at the film," Smith said.

During a post-game news conference, Weis reiterated that he had been struck during the incident, but he then clarified his stand Sunday by adding he wasn't certain it was a Michigan State player.

"Charlie Weis has never said it was anybody from Michigan State," said John Heisler, a senior associate athletic director at Notre Dame.

The video presented by Michigan State showed the incident from various angles.

"That's a very serious allegation," MSU associate athletic director John Lewandowski said, referring to Weis. "Coach Smith demanded a full investigation. That type of behavior by one of our players won't be tolerated.

"… If you look at the complete video from every angle possible, below and above, at no time does he (Weis) come in contact with any player from Michigan State. We're trying to get our players' reputation cleared."

Smith said the video has been sent to the Big Ten. He indicated he thinks it's up to Notre Dame to decide what to do with Klunder and Powlus for their involvement.

"If it was us doing that … the league would probably step in and do something, suspend (someone)," Smith said. "But I don't know, they don't have a league. Who knows what's going to happen?"

Weis' weekly news conference is scheduled for today. Brian Hardin, Notre Dame's sports information director for football, said he hadn't seen the video, but he believes the Notre Dame administrators (Klunder and Powlus) were trying to separate the MSU players from the Irish players so the incident wouldn't escalate.

The incident actually did escalate after Trannon got pulled from behind by Klunder.

As for his players' role, Smith said, "They didn't throw a punch in the whole deal. Their quarterback's head is under the bench. They're over there to help protect him and get him out of there."

Smith said he was angry with the officials, who were from the Big Ten, for calling a personal-foul against Trannon that wiped out the 15-yard penalty against Notre Dame for the original late hit.

"I thought the call (by the officials) was wrong," Smith said. "You listen to a cockin' bull story (from Weis) and you change it and now you make it a no-call after a kid gets hit like that out of bounds, it's wrong."

Yes, this is what most consumes him: not the upcoming game with Illinois, but settling scores and refuting perceived slights from Charlie Weis. If you're courageous, click here for the presser feed to see JLS in all his raving mania.

Look, John-el, here's what happened. Ndukwe hit Stanton and sent him flying. The refs threw the flag for a late hit. Fair enough. And then a sequence of events transpired. (If you have the game on tape, you can clearly see each of these events as they unfold.)

1. After the tackle, Trannon and a few other Spartans run into the ND sideline. Trannon gets in Ndukwe's face in the middle of the bench area. Ndukwe backs off.

2. Trannon remains to stand over Stanton. For what reason? Who the hell knows.

3. Ron Powlus (or someone who looks just like him; the article above indicates it may have been Chad Klunder) is herding MSU players out of the bench area. A smart move, as the longer they are there the more opportunity there is for shenanigans.

4. Powlus grabs Trannon by the jersey and corrals him back towards the field. He is not instigating anything. He is not picking a fight with Trannon. He is clearing the area. He is trying to maintain order in a chippy environment.

5. Trannon reacts by pushing past several people and going after Powlus, shoving him in the back. Trannon is picking a fight (for the second time), this time with a coach without pads who was trying to clear the area. While he did not "throw a punch", as JLS states, he definitely shoves Powlus in the back, who has turned away to clear more players from the area. Trannon is clearly an out-of-control menace at this point and must be controlled.

6. Ryan Harris gets in his face. Polian's (or someone who looks like him) reaction is to grab Trannon's facemask and pull him down. Maybe not the wisest thing to do, but it is in self-defense as much as anything, as Trannon seems willing to fight anyone/everyone at this point.

7. A few players including Chris Frome get in between them and shove Trannon out to the field. Trannon's helmet is pulled off. Trannon grabs Frome's facemask, right in the face of the ref, who throws a flag. This is the penalized incident, not anything to do with Charlie complaining.

8. A moment later you can see CW talking to the ref, and you can clearly read the words "I got hit in the face". This is well after the flag was thrown.

So the flag wasn't a result of Charlie talking to the refs. Bottom line, Trannon is the bad actor here, not the Irish coaches, and ND should do nothing punitive against Powlus, Polian, or any other Irish player or coach as a result. What really galls me is the lack of respect Trannon had towards the opposing coach Powlus; Powlus had removed a couple of Spartan players from the sideline without confrontation, but when Trannon is ushered away, he retaliates and tries to start a fight.

It is unfortunate that Smith chose to play the victim, put all the blame on Notre Dame, and gloss over the fact that without Trannon charging into the bench area, and then shoving Ron Powlus, there would be no controversy. It is especially disturbing that this would the main focus of his press conference, in light of a host of issues that, unlike this event, actually contributed to the Spartan collapse. We maintain that John L. Smith is bad for Michigan State football, and we hope they replace him at their earliest opportunity. The Spartans deserve better, and judging from the discussions we had in East Lansing after the game, many Spartan fans agree.

Odds & Sods - Night of the Living Base Head Edition | by Mike

Still flat. Hopes that the Irish would come out with fire and intensity following the Michigan game were quickly dashed in East Lansing. In the first half, the Irish looked as rattled against the Spartans in all phases of the game as they had against the Wolverines. A fumbled punt return, an interception, an offsides penalty on a kickoff that produced a 28-yard swing in field position - it all felt nauseatingly familiar. Without the luxury of playing the functional equivalent of speed bags in any of the first four games, Weis appeared reluctant to get his team too keyed up for any one of the opening games. It will be interesting if Weis sticks with this strategy during the start of the 2007 season.

This is a call. Michigan State's last touchdown of the first half came when Notre Dame sent Mike Richardson on the familiar corner blitz. I also recall at least one of Michigan's touchdown passes coming against this defense. In fact, I can think of several big plays against the Irish when Richardson blitzes. It's been a long time since an opponent was surprised by this call, and when a team is prepared for it, it's easy to defend. Can anyone recall the last time sending Richardson on the blitz created a big play for Notre Dame? If so, let us know in the comments. Note that this is not meant as a criticism of Richardson, who played an excellent game against the Spartans.

Perfect disguise. Once again, Charlie Weis treated Irish fans to a beautiful bit of misdirection. Last year, a pump fake to the sideline set up a wide open Stovall touchdown against BYU. Against Penn State this year, another pump fake to the sideline set up a 12-yard Walker dash on 4th and 2. Against MSU, with the Irish facing 4th and 1 from their own 37, Weis sent in Travis Thomas and multiple tight ends leaving the MSU defenders convinced Notre Dame would try to grind out the yard on the ground. Instead, Quinn lofted a pass to a lonely John Carlson for a 27-yard gain after the Spartan defense was completely fooled by play action. Beautiful design and beautiful execution.

We made it. After the game, many sought to attribute the comeback solely to a characteristic MSU implosion. Yet the critical plays in the second half were not the product of Spartan mental breakdowns - like only sending ten men out onto the field. None of Michigan State's turnovers could be considered unforced; all resulted from outstanding efforts by one or more Irish defenders. Stanton's fumble didn't simply squirt free in the rain. Ndukwe got both hands on the ball and ripped it free. Three Irish defenders combined to produce Stanton's first interception. With linebacker Maurice Crum quickly closing in, Stanton had to rush to get rid of the ball. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Derek Landri once again demonstrated his fantastic instincts and ability to read plays and dropped in front of Stanton's safety valve. Crum and Landri forced the awkward throw that Terrail Lambert grabbed and deposited in the endzone. Lambert's second interception was also the product of great efforts by three Notre Dame defenders. Stanton was about to get drilled by defensive tackle Trevor Laws and with no timeouts left, the Spartans simply could not afford to take a sack. Thus Stanton's attempt to throw into double coverage. Because Richardson and Lambert had the receiver blanketed the deflection and caroms that resulted in Lambert's pick were possible. The specific bounces the ball took should not distract one from the fact that deflections resulting in interceptions are exactly the sort of thing that happens when the ball is thrown into tight double coverage. The real luck regarding fourth quarter turnovers favored MSU, as Zbikowski had an interception negated by an incidental facemask.

Go ahead in the rain. There's nothing like Bob Davie commentary to put an Irish fan further on edge during a tight game. Following up his declaration during the Georgia Tech broadcast that "As a coach, your worst nightmare is to be tagged as someone with poor clock management," Davie assented to Musberger's bizarre clock management theories. When MSU had the ball with about five minutes left, Musberger wondered why Weis wasn't using his timeouts. Of course, had Weis used his timeouts at that point in time, he would have ended up saving more time for the Spartans on their final drive. One of Weis's less touted strengths is game management - which also explains how Weis has managed a 2-0 record in games where the Irish have scored less than 20 points. However, the comments that really brought back the Davie era occurred at the start of the fourth quarter. After Notre Dame had been fighting a strong wind all third quarter, the wind shifted directions between quarters and the Irish found themselves again going into the wind in the fourth quarter. Davie's attitude toward this phenomenon reminded me of both the weight he ascribed to factors beyond the coach's control and his defeatist belief that "no magic was going to fall out of the sky." Despite their shaken confidence early, by the fourth quarter the Irish were ablt to greet the shift with nonchalance.

Hang on to your ego. After the game ended, that lunatic John L. Smith sent his players out to guard the "S" at the center of Michigan State's field. Since Notre Dame has never and will never plant a flag in East Lansing, you're probably asking yourself why Smith & Co. felt such a step was necessary. The answer can be found here.

Gold Stars | by Pat

Brady Quinn and Terrail Lambert were honored this week with a number of weekly awards for their roles in one of the most thrilling comebacks in recent ND history.

Quinn was named the National Offensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation for his 5-touchdown, 316-yard performance. Meanwhile, Terrail Lambert was named the Nagurski Defensive Player Of The Week by the Football Writers Association of American and also won the National Defensive Player of the Week by the Master Coaches Survey.

Also of note...

• For those who want to rewatch the game, it will be airing tonight on ESPN Classic at 9pm (EDT).

• The Don Criqui radio call of Lambert's late game heroics can be found on ndfootballradio.com, as well as highlight clips and full-game audio from all of the Irish games this year. It's great to see Westwood One set up such a helpful and useful site.

• Of special interest to Irish fans should be the Station Finder on Westwood One, which lists out which radio stations in which states carry the Irish games. The link has been added to the BGS sidebar on the right for handy reference.

Conference Call | by Jeff

With many teams wrapping up their non-conference schedules last weekend, now is a good time to take a look at the relative performance of each conference.

• The big winner in inter-conference play thus far this season is the surprising Big East. Not only did the Big East schools put up the most wins against other BCS conferences, they also kept their schedules relatively competitive, playing the fewest games against non-BCS and 1-AA opponents. They were also the only confernce who did not lose to a non-BCS conference, and joined the SEC and PAC-10 as the only conference who did not suffer a loss to a 1-AA program.

• Coming in a close second is the PAC-10, who at 6-4 has the highest winning percentage against other BCS conferences, however 3 losses to non-BCS teams hurts their resume a bit.

• The only other conference to post a winning record against the other majors is the Big Ten, who stayed above .500 at 7-6, but padded their schedule with 16 games against non-BCS teams (going 15-1) and 7 games against 1-AA (losing 2 of them).

• The SEC sneaks into 4th place, with a 4-5 record against other BCS conferences, and actually has the highest overall winning percentage against all schools thanks to a 14-1 performance against non-BCS conferences and a four game sweep of 1-AA schools.

• The ACC is tied with the SEC with a 4-5 BCS record, but three losses to non-BCS schools and another loss to 1-AA put them squarely in 5th place. Their overall winning percentage is a dismal 68%, putting them just behind the Big 12 for last place overall.

• The Big 12 has had a rough non conference season. A 3-8 record against other BCS conferences, six losses to non BCS teams, and another 1-AA loss put them squarely at the bottom of the barrel, although Colorado alone accounts for a significant portion of those woes.

Conference	vs BCS		vs non-BCS		vs 1-AA
ACC	9	4-5	12	9-3	7	6-1
Big 12	11	3-8	27	21-6	9	8-1
Big East	16	9-7	6	6-0	6	6-0
Big Ten	13	7-6	16	15-1	7	5-2
Notre Dame	4	3-1	0	0-0	0	0-0
SEC	9	4-5	15	14-1	4	4-0
PAC 10	10	6-4	12	9-3	3	3-0

Statistically Speaking - Michigan State | by Pat

3rd Down Breakdown. Much has been said by fans, the media, and Coach Weis about the Irish's lack of production on 3rd down. As noted below, the Irish 3rd down converstion rate is only 27%, after being nearly 50% last year. At first I thought that the reason for this drop in efficiency is that ND has been in 3rd and long (read 3rd and 7 or longer) on 49% of all 3rd downs. Surely this was a high number and would be adversely affecting the conversion rate. But then I looked up the 2005 numbers and saw that ND was in a similar 3rd and long on 50% of all 3rd downs. So that isn't it.

What is hurting the Irish then? Maybe it's the 3rd and short. ND converted 69% of all 3rd and short (read 3rd and 3 or under) attempts last year. So far in this season, ND is only converting 33% of all 3rd and shorts. Breaking the numbers into rushing and passing you get 30% conversion via the run (3 of 10) and 40% via the pass (2 of 5). That compares to 74% via the run in 2005 (29 of 39) and 54% (7 of 13) via the pass.

First Quarter Woes. What's the best way to stop a team defensively? Make them one-dimensional on offense. And what's the best way to do that? Put them in the hole early on and never let them dictate the pace of the game. And that is exactly what has happened to the Irish so far this year. Just look at the lopsided scoring margin in the 1st quarter.

SCORE BY QUARTERS     1st  2nd  3rd  4th    Total
--------------------  ---  ---  ---  ---      ---
Notre Dame..........   10   45   28   33  -   116
Opponents...........   44   31   15   21  -   111

ND has the edge in all other quarters, but not by all that much. If ND wants to keep winning, and preferably win by a more comfortable margin, the differential in the 1st quarter is going to need to change. That 44-10 margin is even more damning when you realize that 7 of those points came gift-wrapped when the ND offense took over on the 4 yard line following Ndukwe's INT return against Michigan.

Year to Year. There has been much discussion about the apparent regression of Brady Quinn from last year to this. Ask any Irish fan and you'll hear that Brady certainly is doing far worse this year than he did last year. Then again, when you actually take a look at the numbers, you see that he's really not too far off of last year's record breaking pace.

Year	Cmp	Att	Yards	TDs	INTs	QB rating
2005	95	154	1181	10	2	144.94
2006	92	158	1086	11	4	133.88

There is however one big difference in Quinn's performance between this year and last. Sacks. Last year after 4 games, Quinn had been sacked 6 times for 37 yards. This year, Quinn has been sacked 10 times for 73 yards. I haven't broken down if they are coverage sacks or the result of some matador blocking by the OL, so I'm not looking to assign any blame, but the increase certainly stands out.

Season Long Running Averages

Offense

Category	GT	PSU	UM	MSU	2006	2005
Yards Per Rush	3.5	3.1	0.2	2.8	2.7	3.6
Avg. Yards per PA	6.5	8.0	4.9	8.9	6.9	8.7
Avg. Yards per PC	10.7	11.5	9.6	15.9	11.8	13.5
Pass Completion %	61%	69%	51%	56%	58%	65%
3rd Down Conv.	7/16 (44%)	5/13 (38%)	2/14 (14%)	1/11 (9%)	15/55 (27%)	90/184 (49%)
Rushing Yd Avg.	138.0	110.0	4.0	47.0	74.8 (108th)	147.08 (55th)
Passing Yd Avg.	246.0	287.0	241.0	319.0	273.3 (16th)	330.24 (4th)
Quinn Passing Eff.	114.91	163.91	92.2	170.3	133.9 (43rd)	158.40 (7th)
Total Offense	384.0	397.0	245.0	366.0	348.0 (55th)	477.33 (10th)
Scoring Offense	14.0	34.0	21.0	33.0	29.0 (39th)	36.67 (8th)
Time of Possession	35:25	33:11	26:04	24:21	29:45	32:51
Red Zone TDs	2/3 (66%)	4/6 (66%)	2/2 (100%)	2/2 (100%)	10/12 (83%)	38/55 (69%)

Defense

Category	GT	PSU	UM	MSU	2006	2005
Yards per rush given up	4.2	4.8	2.9	5.8	4.4	3.9
Avg. yards per PA	5.8	5.5	10.0	6.1	6.6	7.7
Avg. yards per PC	11.7	9.4	16.9	12.7	12.1	14.6
Pass completion %	50%	59%	59%	48%	55%	53%
Quarterback sacks	1	2	2	3	8	31
Rushing yards against	119.0	158.0	120.0	248.0	161.3 (92nd)	132.33 (34th)
Passing yards against	140.0	225.0	220.0	140.0	181.3 (50th)	264.6 (103rd)
Passing Eff. defense	112.75	107.8	186.64	124.6	134.0 (47th)	121.41 (53rd)
Total yd. against	259.0	383.0	340.0	388.0	342.5 (63rd)	396.92 (75th)
Scoring Defense	10.0	17.0	33.0	30.0	27.8 (94th)	24.5 (53rd)
Red Zone defense	2/2 (100%)	3/4 (75%)	4/4 (100%)	2/2 (100%)	9/10 (90%)	31/41 (76%)
Red Zone TD defense	1/2 (50%)	2/4 (50%)	2/4 (50%)	1/2 (50%)	5/10 (50%)	23/41 (56%)

Turnovers

Category	GT	PSU	UM	MSU	2006	2005
Interceptions by ND	0	1	1	2	4	13
Fumbles forced/recovered	0/0	3/2	0/0	2/1	5/3	20/11
Turnovers gained	0	3	1	3	7	24
Had intercepted	0	0	3	1	4	8
Fumbles/Lost	0	1/0	2/2	3/1	6/3	17/6
Turnovers lost	0	0	5	2	7	14
Turnover Margin	0	+3	-4	+1	0	+10

Special Teams

Category	GT	PSU	UM	MSU	2006	2005
Kickoff Return average	39.5	13.0	22.6	24.8	24.9	19.0
Kickoff Return avg. allowed	17.5	13.2	14.8	20.0	16.1	21.2
Punt Return average	7.5	2.0	4.0	25.0	7.9	14.1
Punt Return avg. allowed	8.0	6.0	16.0	15.0	11.5	6.4
Net Punt avg.	41.6	44.0	39.9	41.1	40.7	36.1
Kickoff avg. / Touchbacks	64.7/1	59.1/2	60.0/0	60.1/2	60.4/5	59.3/10
Field Goal Att./Made	0/2	2/2	0/0	0/0	2/4	12/18

Upon Further Review - Week 4 | by Dylan

A couple of notes on the MSU game before I span the globe.

First, there’s been a lot of talk about how MSU “gave” the game to Notre Dame, and that that act of charity diminishes the Irish win. You know what? I can live with that. If it makes Sparty Nation feel better to think so, I can’t begrudge them looking for some silver lining on that soul-crushing black cloud of a game. But it’s important to remember how the game was “given” to ND. It was not given as a result of freakish bad luck or random acts of God. It was given by their coach, their quarterback, and their best wide receiver. If John L. Smith had not started playing “not to lose” in the first half, State may have run away with the game. If he had not called for his special teams to execute a panic-induced kickoff non-return, and if he had played a field position game rather than throw on third and 5 from his own 15 (no doubt fearing that punting and giving the ball back to ND would inevitably lead to a score and a loss), he may still have won the game. But he didn’t do those things because he is a bad football coach. So if Sparty wants to say that they lost because their bad football coach gave the game away, I can sympathize. Notre Dame fans know that feeling well, and in the end, it’s still a loss.

Second, not only is John L. a poor coach, he’s a horrible leader, and his team has taken on his personality. He really is a suitable case for study. It seems that every word out of his mouth is a case of psychological projection. The “defend the S” embarrassment is a case in point. John L. assumes that all teams must be as undisciplined as his, therefore the “Block S” on their fifty yard line was certainly in for an Irish flag planting. John L. sent players out to “defend the S.” Think about that. He had a plan for what to do after they lost, and that plan included sending three players out to, presumably, get their asses kicked by an unruly Irish horde bent on flag-planting. Nice. Like his coach, Matt Trannon felt the need to go into the Notre Dame bench to “protect his quarterback.” Protect him from whom? Trannon assumed that Notre Dame’s bench would do to Stanton what his bench, presumably, would have done to Quinn on the other sideline. The resulting penalty nullified an ND personal foul. It was an insane reaction to an everyday play, which made it typical of a John L. Smith team. But enough about Sparty…

Ty Willingham would have lost that game by 5 touchdowns, and I don’t think that’s really debatable. As if to spite the lunatic ravings of the NDNation Game Day message board, Weis (who was called on to fire Rick Minter, Jappy Oliver, and Brian Polian by one bedwetting poster), Rick Minter, and Brady Quinn (who’s benching was being called for by many) proved that they are not prone to quitting or seeking solace in their man-molding abilities. Terrific adjustments led to a 26-6 second half. This team will never quit, and that’s something the previous staff could not say.

The SEC said “to hell with this!” after serving up some good matchups in week 3 and reverted to preseason petit four form. Here’s the non-conference slate from Saturday:

Buffalo (1-3)
Colorado (0-4)
Tulane (1-2)
Marshall (1-3)
UAB (1-3)
Tennessee State (2-2, even Vanderbilt is in on the act)
Florida Atlantic (0-4)

Good God, men. 6-21. That’s embarrassing.

The cupcake universe almost folded in upon itself when Central Michigan kicked off against Eastern Michigan. If football games can have historical analogues, this one was the Korean War. It was a civil war by proxy, with CMU (a UM spankee) and EMU (MSU appetizer) engaging in a cruller cage-match, vying for directional supremacy. Since CMU won, they get the raspberry for scheduling weakness. At least it was in conference (ahem, SEC). It is unknown at this point who will control the UP, or if they'll just give the damned thing to Wisconsin.

Not to be outdone by the SEC, Oklahoma and Nebraska, both recovering from losses, took nice, easy steambaths and let Middle Tennessee State and Troy State (respectively) gently massage their weary hammies and glutes in shutout victories. Baylor, again imitating a Big 12 team, scheduled Army. The Bears lost, proving that they have as much to learn about cupcake scheduling as they do about winning conference games.

Is West Virginia any good? There’s no way to know, really. It appears that some of the Mountaineers are fast, at least in relation to the teams they’ve played (a murderer’s row of Marshall, Eastern Washington, Maryland, and East Carolina). Their languid, banjo-accompanied waltz to The BCS Championship seems to have just one tricky step thrown in when they visit Louisville. One of those teams is going to go undefeated. Unbelievable. BYU ’84 is hoping WVU loses so they can hold on to the title of Worst National Champion Ever, assembling each week hoping to pop champagne with the ’72 Dolphins.

Florida State feasted on Rice. Stragely, an hour later they were hungry again, agitating for their next game against N.C. State, looking forward to the breast meat on the menu.

Of the teams on ND’s remaining schedule, most acquitted themselves well, with the exception of Stanford (ZOK!), UCLA (CRACK!), and North Carolina (OOOOF!). USC lost another key player to injury when last-man-standing fullback Stanley Havili broke his leg against Arizona. Purdue racked up their fourth win against what has to have been the weakest Division 1-A schedule in the country, and the Academies again showed as much grit and whatever else gritty teams have, going 2-1 against teams that scheduled them as gimmes (yeah, I know Air Force was a conference game). I love it when that happens.

Despite a bad loss crushing the dream of an undefeated season, I think getting through these past four games with a 3-1 record is a hell of an accomplishment, particularly now that we know what we (don’t) have at certain critical positions. I fully expect the Irish coaching staff to take a “back to camp” mentality into the soft part of the schedule. Hopefully, we’ll see some players get “coached up” and the Irish will emerge in November with fewer holes, a 10-1 record, a date with Southern Cal, and a BCS (Championship?) game on the line.

Go Irish!

Michigan State game photo galleries | by Pat

This week we have galleries from UND.com, Michigan State's official football site, the South Bend Tribune, the Detroit News, Irish Illustrated, Blue and Gold Illustrated, and the AP photo wire.

What an incredible roller coaster of a game. For the photo of the game, I'm leaning towards this shot of Terrail Lambert as he reels in the interception that he would turn into the game-winning touchdown. I do have a feeling though that the photo that will be the most remembered from this game is this one of three lone Spartans, standing stunned at midfield, protecting their turf from a flag attack that never was going to happen.

And while the linked photo galleries give you some great shots from the game, I highly recommend checking out the sideline video shot by und.com that shows the end of the game and the team celebrating with the Irish fans, singing the Victory March and Alma Mater, and throwing their gloves into the stands for the loyal fans who sat through a monsoon to watch old Notre Dame win over all.

The Agony and the Ecstasy | by Dylan

For those of you without the stamina to read all of the comments to the Kickoff! post below, here's the abridged version:

8:41 pm, suave andrew - "this team is falling apart in front of our eyes."

8:45 pm. Sean - "I predict 35 - 0. Oh and bench Brady. If to just make him wake up." Quinn's final line - 20/37, 316 yards, 5 touchdowns.

8:51 pm, Nate - "I second the Bench Brady motion--our punter is our MVP...Oh, and fire Minter. Now. Get a new DC by the second quarter." Last nine Spartan drives - 101 yards, 6 points, 3 turnovers.

8:55 pm, Pantsb - "Anyone else thinks Rhema McKnight ... sucks?”

9:01 pm, Nate - "no touch, no accuracy whatsoever. Brady's lost whatever he had last year."

9:13 pm, Chuck - "Td - Rhema McKnight!! Do the Irish actually have it in them to come back??"

9:13 pm, scott - "Ok. My rage-fueled aneurysm will have to wait."

9:23 pm, Sean – “NM. Brady just threw an INT for a TD. The rout is back on.”

9:25 pm, Chuck – “Bring in Evan Sharpley!! Brady's not even looking to who he's throwing to!!”

9:29 pm, brian - “Will we ever beat Sparty?”

9:33 pm, brian89 - “Damn. I don't know if I can watch the rest of this game. You can't spot any team (let alone MSU) 24 points, and expect to win.”

9:56 pm, JohnWA - “Can we get Clausen a REALLY early enrollment? Like maybe by the second half?”

10:19 pm, DCDomer - “I have confidence that this team and Charlie will pull it together and pull it out.” A voice cries in the wilderness….

10:38 pm (MSU returns INT for TD), Sean – “Well, that's that.”

11:05 pm, JohnWA – “No way ND is coming back with this weather.”

11:18 pm, Chuck – “This game is playing games with my heart!!”

11:29 pm (after the missed PAT), PK - “Wow. I can't believe it. No matter what we do over the next few series, we deserve to lose this game.”

11:34 pm (Lambert INT for TD), PK – “Ho-lee shit.”

11:35 pm, scott - “Sweet mother of Jesus...”

11:38 pm , Nate - “My 9 month old is having a blast watching his daddy and mommy freak out...”

11:42 pm, obediah - “ugh, I wish I had alcohol in my system to dull my nerves”

11:46 pm, PK – “Did we just f'in intercept it?”

11:46 pm, Sean - “Excuse me while I do laps in my basement!”

12:32 am, Sean - “Beer tastes much better with a W.”

You can say that again, Sean.

It was almost worse | by Jeff

...this time it rained.

Kickoff! | by Dylan

Post-game note: The time-stamped comments responding to this post are hilarious. Definitely worth a read. Bench Brady?

Beat State | by Jay

Off to East Lansing...man, I love road trips. I've hit every Irish roadie in the Charlie Weis era save Washington, and I'm proud to say the Irish are 5-1 when I make the trip.

The last time I went to Spartan Stadium was junior year, 1990, and it was a doozy. The Irish were #1, but found themselves down 19-7 in the fourth quarter to the 24th-ranked Spartans. The Irish scored a touchdown, and were driving for another, when Rick Mirer tossed up a wounded duck, a sure interception that would have sealed the upset for the Spartans. But the ball careened off of Spartan player Todd Murray's shoulder pad and settled cozily in Irish flanker Adrian Jarrell's arms at the MSU 2-yard line. This set up a Rod Culver touchdown run with 34 seconds left, and the Irish won, 20-19. The play is now known far and wide as the "Immaculate Deflection", and from our endzone seats, we had a great view of it.

Tickets? Check. Rain gear? Check. Confidence? Uhh...check. (The late, great Spartan coach Duffy Daugherty once said, "My only feeling about superstition is that it's unlucky to be behind at the end of the game," but with the inclement weather, and the prospect of a high-scoring shootout, we might need some of that Adrian Jarrell-style Irish karma tonight. I will be sure to head-butt my dog on the way out the door for a little extra boost.)

Go Irish. Beat State.

This is Why They Play the Games | by Jay

I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen tomorrow night, and it really doesn't have much to do with the weather (forecasted thunderstorms, all night long). Not only is our own Irish team an unmitigated enigma, but outside of two scrimmage games, the 3-0 Spartans have really only played one semi-worthy opponent, beating a 2-1 Pittsburgh (who in turn beat Virginia, who was also crushed by GT last night; and Cincinnati, 1-2, lone win against E. Kentucky). The Spartan '06 resume is relatively blank at this point. Michigan State is a tough team with good players, but we really don't know how good or how tough. Much like last year: how could the team we saw in ND stadium end up going 5-6? Although this year MSU is averaging 39.9 points per game, you have to wonder, are those muscles for real, Sparty?

In our positional preview, the Spartans graded out third among opponents in across-the-board talent, behind Michigan and Southern Cal, and just ahead of Georgia Tech. You can familiarize yourself with the starters here.

We all know about Drew Stanton. Against Pitt, he threw for 198 yards and ran for another 112. Javon Ringer chipped in another 166 yards (on 15 carries) and all told, the Spartans racked up 335 yards on the ground and 533 yards overall. In that game, they tried to pass some in the first quarter, ran into some trouble (punt/punt/interception), then switched gears and just decided to grind it out against Pitt's smallish defensive line, going on a run of 38 unanswered points. As SpartanBlog put it:

All in all it was a solid effort by Michigan State, who played as well over the the final three quarters as they played poorly during the first. And credit has to go to the coaching staff for making adjustments on both sides of the ball which allowed the Spartans to take advantage of their size and strength and grind down the undersized Pitt offensive and defensive lines.

Here is a highlight reel of the Pitt game. (And if you're interested, here are some more Sparty highlight reels against E. Michigan and Idaho.)

Five Questions We'll Have the Answers To Come Tomorrow Night

1. So we've got Stanton, who's probably the best QB on our slate this year, and ol' crazylegs has some wheels. Will we try to contain him and force him to throw, or will we try and get pressure up the middle (something we could be able to do against the interior Spartan linemen) and flush him from the pocket? Unlike Reggie Ball, Stanton has shown tremendous ability to throw on the run. One advantage we have this year in preparing for him is the speedy QB Demetrius Jones running the scout offense this week.

2. Depending on the answer to (1), will we play mostly nickel against Michigan State to counter Stanton's arm and the fleet of Spartan receivers, or do we need to stay in a 4-3 to ward against Ringer and the running game? Last year, we played almost exclusively 4-3 against the Spartans (out of personnel limitations), and didn't defend the run (161, 4.47/ypc) nor the pass (327 yards) very well.

3. On offense, we've harped on the inept Irish ground attack thus far. Should the Irish try to establish a running game against the Spartan front 7? The defensive line is relatively inexperienced, but the linebackers are huge (MLB Thornhill: 240lb, OLB Herron: 245lb). Or should we come right out and start picking on the weak link of the Spartan defense, the cornerbacks? (Cooper is a converted free safety, and while Williams is a returning starter, he pretty much stunk it up last year.)

4. A micro-level question for our offensive line: will we see a change in blocking schemes and protection help come tomorrow night? Let's hope so. We've seen a number of times where Morton and/or Carlson slide over to help Sam Young, but Young's actually been fairly solid in holding his own. Given the exposure in the interior of the line against Michigan, is it time to mix things up?

5. Finally, how is the team coping after the Michigan meltdown? Did we go in the tank, or will we rebound? Charlie alluded to (or are we inferring?) the team's attitude post-UM in his presser yesterday:

Well, we went out in full pads every day this week...I wanted to make sure the pace of the practice on Thursday was up. And the pace of the practice was up, and I feel a little bit better this week than I did last Thursday.

There are no signs of people just going out there and going through the motions. There is no evidence of that, and trust me, I’ve been looking for it all week; because if there had been evidence of that, there would have been repercussions.

This team had more hype and more preseason attention than just about any Irish squad in recent memory, and that over-inflated balloon was rudely popped by the Wolverines. Not to get all Freud on you, but it seems to me this team can go one of two ways: they can curl up in a ball and write off the season, or they can process the beatdown, and use it as a springboard. We'll find out which direction they're heading tomorrow night.

The Nice Department

• A couple of good sidebars on the '66 game from the MSU official site, here and here.

• We've linked this before, but here's a great page on the '66 game.

• A bunch of links on the UND.com MSU preview page, including player interviews and the post-practice session with c-dub. Be sure to check out the video retrospective on the '66 game -- it's terrific.

• East Lansing PD is girding itself for the post-game revelry. (Seen here in all its glory.) On my two roadies to State while in school, Lansing seemed pretty sleepy. We never had as much of a problem with chippy fans or the fuzz as we did in say, Ann Arbor (I'm still trying to get the tear gas out of my eyes from the night before the '91 game). Looks like the sparty students have stepped it up lately. Irish roadtrippers, be sure to bring your officially-licensed Notre Dame Brick and join in the post-game fun.

the Conversation rolls on | by Jay

The gents over at MarkMayBeWrong have picked up the ball on the Conversation and are running with it for this week. We'll have our next installment/refinement after this weekend's games.

The Cunning Use of Flags | by Pat

One of the storylines that ABC will undoubtedly beat into the ground during Saturday's ND-MSU broadcast is the flow of bulletin board material, both real and imagined, coursing between Notre Dame and Michigan State this week.

The Crime

You remember this from last year's overtime loss to the Spartans. Of course the incident caught MSU some flak, and after Minnesota did the same thing to Michigan the following week, the Big Ten banned this lastest fad in being a sore winner. Chastened, some Spartans began to claim it was payback for the Irish planting their own flag at Spartan Stadium in 2004.

There's a small problem with the payback angle: it never happened. I have scoured the internet for photos, read Spartan message boards, checked postgame summaries from every newspaper...70,027 people were in Spartan Stadium, and no one has a picture of the Irish committing the alleged crime. (I came up with this post-game picture, but no flag is visible.) And keep in mind that in '04, ND was coached by Michigan State alum Ty Willingham. Was Ty going to allow his young protégés to stray from the path of upright and dignified manhood by taunting his alma mater?

Other Spartans went with the blame-the-new-kid routine. Said 2005 Michigan State captain Clifton Ryan:

"It was young guys who did it. I'm not sure what they were thinking; I guess they got caught up in the moment."

Bzzzz. Try again, Clifton. This video of the flag planting (it's at the end, around the 5:20 mark, and it includes a little Boston College-style turf tearing as well) shows that one of the two players who carried the flag out to midfield and planted it was safety Eric Smith, who not only was a senior, but was one of the four Spartan team captains along with Ryan (Ryan, by the way, was also the player who claimed prior to the game that Touchdown Jesus "wasn't all it's cracked up to be.") The other player who carried out the flag with Smith was Kaleb Thornhill, the Spartans' starting middle linebacker.

The Bulletin Board

Either way, ND has shrugged off any notion of using the flag as motivation. Or have they? On Saturday in his post-game presser, Weis had the following to say.

Q. You mentioned State a little bit. Do you use the struggles your team had the past few years with them or is this game all the motivation you need?

COACH WEIS: There's one incident in particular that I'll use as motivation.

But then on Tuesday he clarified that statement and claimed he wasn't talking about the Spartan post-game flag party at midfield.

Q. You alluded after the game on Saturday the flag incident.

COACH WEIS: I did not allude to it. You inferred. I did not allude to it.

Q. Are you planning on using that this week as motivation? Do you have to?

COACH WEIS: Here is what I think we have to do. I think we have to put the flag incident and Michigan behind us because if we sit there, and when you use something like the flag incident, try to use that as your motivation for the game, that lasts for about five minutes once the game starts. Once you start hitting each other in the mouth a few times in the game, that stuff is over with.

So I think that settles that. I'm sure that both teams are under strict orders not to go near any flags if they should win on Saturday. Still, despite everything that is being said to the press, I would certainly hope that each player on the Irish roster takes a nice long look at this before heading out onto the field. The Irish looked flat and somewhat unemotional against Michigan and if that happens again, given the recent history between these two teams, I just don't know what to say.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Meanwhile, the Spartans are also upset at the fact that when they beat Notre Dame last year, the "Megaphone" -- the trophy awarded to the winner of the ND-MSU game -- was not in the Stadium for the coaches and players to claim.

"I think they didn't plan on losing it, so they didn't bring it," Smith said Monday.

Said Stanton: "When they said that they didn't have it because they weren't expecting us to beat them, we were kind of shocked."

Yep, that's it, John L. We had the arrogance to disrespect such a long-standing tradition between our teams, and we did it out of pure hubris? Nevermind the fact that I can't remember a single game when ND paraded around the field with a rivalry game trophy. When MSU won at ND in 2003, I don't recall them bothering to look for the Megaphone or anyone making a stink about it not being in the stadium. Maybe if we had something cool, like Paul Bunyan's Axe, we might, but we don't. ND doesn't care much about trophies that don't say "National Champion" on them. Zibby said as much earlier this week.

Q. Before this week, had you ever heard of the megaphone trophy?

Tom Zbikowski: Yeah, from last year, I don't know. I don't know what type of trophy it is. We play for a megaphone, I guess.

Here's what Heisler had to say back in 2004 about how ND regards rivalry trophies.

Does it require a shillelagh (USC and Purdue), a megaphone (Michigan State) or a crystal bowl (Stanford and Boston College) to make it a rivalry? Those traditional trophies historically have been more fodder for game notes and media guides than post-game, mid-field presentations.

Heisler re-visited those remarks this week, saying that "except for a trophy with Stanford, Notre Dame has never presented a rivalry trophy after a win." And I suspect they haven't bothered to make a big deal out of accepting one, either.

More Bad Mojo

Another tidbit of trash talk from East Lansing. Apparently, MSU coaches, players, and fans are convinced that Charlie Weis publicly dissed them at an alumni gathering over the summer, supposedly vowing that Notre Dame would never again lose to the Spartans. There are no exact quotes for this statement, or location, or a specific date and time, or...well...anything other than hearsay.

Yet, rather than dismiss it as the sort of rumor that pops up all the time on the internet(s), Coach Smith and his boys latched onto it like puppy dogs.

"I think we all heard it, didn't we?" Smith said. "I think we'll probably throw it up. It motivates us as coaches. Does it motivate our kids? Probably not. I think they could probably care less what Charlie's saying."

"I'm going to be careful about what I say this week," Stanton said. "Coach Weis is as competitive as any coach out there and he's proven himself with the offenses that he's been able to conduct, but that's a pretty bold statement to make, that you're never going to lose to a team that's beaten you seven out of the last nine times."

Now, MSU has a fine football tradition against us, and for the life of me I can't figure out why they need to instigate cheap, high school hijinx (especially in the press) to get themselves ready for a game against the Irish. Then again, John-el isn't exactly someone you would call grounded (witness his deranged outburst at the halftime of the OSU game last year, or the fact that he brings a priest on road trips to exorcize evil spirits from the field before the games). He's certainly not cut from the same cloth as previous honorable Spartan coaches like Biggie Munn and Duffy Daugherty, who won with class against ND. Which brings me to...

The Spartan-Irish Legacy

Crack open a book on Michigan State-Notre Dame and you'll find a sort of shared football history. In the early part of the century, ND helped get MSU, then Michigan Agricultural College, on the map as a football program, and later MSU repaid that debt by continuing to schedule the Irish when other Big Ten programs attempted to boycott ND. There have been terrifically exciting games between the two schools, especially lately. And then there's the Game of the Century, the 1966 10-10 tie, which both teams will be honoring by wearing 40th Anniversary patches on Saturday. It's pretty sad that these two midwestern powerhouses, with a long history of hard-nosed, fight-and-claw-in-the-mud games are being dragged into a war of words by the media and a few petty Spartans.

So here's to a great game on Saturday, where all the silliness -- the flag-planting, the missing megaphones, the specious trash talk -- gets buried under an avalanche of running, blocking, and tackling. Let's play some damned football, finally.

Ty-ed after Fifteen | by Jeff

I keep tripping over a certain chestnut in many of the recent stories trumpeting the Return to Mediocrity of Notre Dame football: "Well, Ty Willingham also started 11-4!" Admittedly, there are some disturbing similarities on paper between Ty's start and Charlie's start:

• Both coaches started 11-4
  
• Both coaches lost their initial bowl game
• Both coaches lost their 15th game in blowouts to Michigan

However, there is another Irish coach that started 11-4, and, perhaps not surprisingly, I haven't seen any mention of Dan Devine in any of the "11-4" articles. Lets take a quick look at where Charlie stacks up after 15 games.

Coach	First 15	Win Pct	MOV	Career Rec.
Harper	13-2	.866	+453	.863
Parseghian	13-2	.866	+317	.836
Brennan	13-2	.866	+276	.640
Rockne	12-1-2	.866	+197	.881
Leahy	12-1-2	.866	+189	.855
Layden	12-3	.800	+126	.770
Anderson	11-3-1	.766	+379	.630
Devine	11-4	.733	+168	.764
Weis	11-4	.733	+148	?
Willingham	11-4	.733	+38	.568
Faust	9-6	.600	+102	.535
Holtz	8-7	.533	+138	.765
Davie	8-7	.533	+11	.583
Kuharich	6-9	.400	-54	.425

Drawing conclusions from this breakdown is actually rather difficult. If you think Wins and Losses are the essential factor, it is tough to rationalize how Terry Brennan is tied for first with 13 wins and an .866 winning percentage, yet Lou Holtz is second-to-last with only 8 wins. Sorting the list by Margin of Victory does little to clear up the picture, as Hunk Anderson jumps to second place, and Brennan stays in the top five. However, MOV does appear to be a slightly better indicator on the low end, as Faust, Willingham, Davie, and Kuharich all started with MOVs of +102 or worse.

Based on the numbers, a coach's performance after 15 games is a very poor predictor of his ultimate success. Fifteen games is simply not enough time to evaluate the full range of changes that a coach will instill in a program. Strength of schedule is also a factor, as a couple of extra easy opponents can rocket someone from middle-of-the-pack to top-of-the-list. (Hunk Anderson's first three games in his second season were won by an average score of 59-0.)

Even if you do buy the idea that there is something meaningful about "11-4", there is a lot of hope for Coach Weis and ND fans. While Willingham lost his 16th game 22-16 to Michigan State, Devine won his 16th game, 41-0 against Oregon. Had ND gone to a bowl game after Devine's 8-3 first season, his 16th game would have been his 24-6 win over who else, but Michigan State.

Let's see how Weis does with his shot at the Spartans this weekend (and, over the next year and a half) before we start making lazy comparisons to our erstwhile Molder of Men.

Statistically Speaking - Michigan | by Pat

Beat at home. The 47 points scored by the Michigan Wolverines was only the 9th game in ND Stadium history where the opponent topped 40 points with all 9 games being Irish losses. The 47 points also ties the 1956 Michigan State game for 2nd all-time in terms of most points allowed by the Irish at home. In 1960, Purdue scored 51 points in a 51-19 win.

Beat bad at home. The 26 point margin of victory marks only the 7th game in ND Stadium history that Notre Dame has lost a game by 25 or more points. The list of coaches who have accomplished this feat in addition to Weis include Terry Brennan (47-14 to MSU, 40-0 to Oklahoma), Joe Kuharich (51-19 to Purdue, 28-0 to Iowa), and Ty Willingham (45-14 to Southern Cal, 37-0 to FSU).

We're #2. The Irish are now 40-6-3 all-time when ranked #2 going into a game. Prior to this season, the last time the Irish were #2 going into a game was the 31-24 defeat of then #1 FSU in 1993. The last time a #2 ranked Irish team lost was in 1980 when Southern Cal defeated the Dan Devine led Irish 20-3.

Kick away. One somewhat positive note to take away from the game was the performance of punter Geoff Price. Price punted the ball 7 times for 363 yards. That 51.9 yard per punt average set a Notre Dame single game record. The original record was 51.6 yards set by Joe Restic against Air Force in 1975. Currently, Price is ranked 2nd in the nation with a 49.8 yard per punt average.

Blitzkrieg. Here are the week 3 results of the blitzin' Irish. Or in this case, the read and reactin' Irish. With ND worried more about the run, ND choose to keep the linebackers back and let them fill up the holes open by the Michigan zone blocking. In the 1st half, ND really dialed back the blitzes with only 4 blitzes, 2 on 1st down, 1 on 2nd down, and 1 on 3rd down.

Down	# of blitzes	# of chances	Percentage
1st	6	27	22%
2nd	5	14	27%
3rd	5	12	42%
Total	16	53	30%

Season Long Running Averages

Offense

Category	GT	PSU	UM	2006	2005
Yards Per Rush	3.5	3.1	0.2	2.7	3.6
Avg. Yards per PA	6.5	8.0	4.9	6.3	8.7
Avg. Yards per PC	10.7	11.5	9.6	10.6	13.5
Pass Completion %	61%	69%	51%	59%	65%
3rd Down Conv.	7/16 (44%)	5/13 (38%)	2/14 (14%)	14/44 (32%)	90/184 (49%)
Rushing Yd Avg.	138.0	110.0	4.0	84.0 (102nd)	147.08 (55th)
Passing Yd Avg.	246.0	287.0	241.0	258.0 (28th)	330.24 (4th)
Quinn Passing Eff.	114.91	163.91	92.2	123.14 (62nd)	158.40 (7th)
Total Offense	384.0	397.0	245.0	342.0 (68th)	477.33 (10th)
Scoring Offense	14.0	34.0	21.0	25.33 (60th)	36.67 (8th)
Time of Possession	35:25	33:11	26:04	31:33	32:51
Red Zone TDs	2/3 (66%)	4/6 (66%)	2/2 (100%)	8/11 (72%)	38/55 (69%)

Defense

Category	GT	PSU	UM	2006	2005
Yards per rush given up	4.2	4.8	2.9	3.9	3.9
Avg. yards per PA	5.8	5.5	10.0	6.7	7.7
Avg. yards per PC	11.7	9.4	16.9	11.9	14.6
Pass completion %	50%	59%	59%	56%	53%
Quarterback sacks	1	2	2	5	31
Rushing yards against	119.0	158.0	120.0	132.3 (68th)	132.33 (34th)
Passing yards against	140.0	225.0	220.0	195.0 (68th)	264.6 (103rd)
Passing Eff. defense	112.75	107.8	186.64	127.15 (66th)	121.41 (53rd)
Total yd. against	259.0	383.0	340.0	327.33 (63rd)	396.92 (75th)
Scoring Defense	10.0	17.0	33.0	24.67 (80th)	24.5 (53rd)
Red Zone defense	2/2 (100%)	3/4 (75%)	4/4 (100%)	9/10 (90%)	31/41 (76%)
Red Zone TD defense	1/2 (50%)	2/4 (50%)	2/4 (50%)	5/10 (50%)	23/41 (56%)

Turnovers

Category	GT	PSU	UM	2006	2005
Interceptions by ND	0	1	1	2	13
Fumbles forced/recovered	0/0	3/2	0/0	3/2	20/11
Turnovers gained	0	3	1	4	24
Had intercepted	0	0	3	3	8
Fumbles/Lost	0	1/0	2/2	3/2	17/6
Turnovers lost	0	0	5	5	14
Turnover Margin	0	+3	-4	-1	+10

Special Teams

Category	GT	PSU	UM	2006	2005
Kickoff Return average	39.5	13.0	22.6	25.0	19.0
Kickoff Return avg. allowed	17.5	13.2	14.8	14.4	21.2
Punt Return average	7.5	2.0	4.0	5.4	14.1
Punt Return avg. allowed	8.0	6.0	16.0	11.1	6.4
Net Punt avg.	41.6	44.0	39.9	40.5	36.1
Kickoff avg. / Touchbacks	64.7/1	59.1/2	60.0/0	60.5/3	59.3/10
Field Goal Att./Made	0/2	2/2	0/0	2/4	12/18

the Bad Ones | by Jay

Napoleon had his Waterloo; Shakespeare had Titus Andronicus. Even the Rolling Stones had Emotional Rescue. And speaking of flops, every Notre Dame coach, no matter how great, has suffered a bad one sometime during his career. (Some, like Willingham, have a stash of 'em).

Charlie's blowout loss to Michigan was the worst of his young tenure with the Irish, and if he's destined to be one of the greats, he likely won't top it. The very best Irish coaches have endured a Little Big Horn only very rarely, and as Dylan said below, it's usually an historic occurence when an Irish coach loses by more than a couple dozen points.

Rockne lost by 26 or more points only once in his career. Leahy, also only once. Devine never did. Ara had a couple, and Holtz, never. (Willingham, by contrast, suffered losses by 26 points or more seven different times -- in just three years.)

Herewith, the worst losses, by the best coaches:

Rockne. 0-27 loss to Army, Oct 17, 1925, at Yankee Stadium. ND had beaten or tied the West Pointers seven times in a row coming into the game, and the Irish were the reigning national champs in 1924. But the '25 Irish were a very young team, Army was growing into a juggernaut, and even Rockne thought the Irish would lose. "Army will win, but defeat will do us good. Our team has brains and ability, but it needs a lot of experience," said Rockne at the time. He was right -- the Irish were drubbed for four touchdowns and never mounted a serious threat to the Cadets.

Leahy. 0-35 loss to Michigan State, Nov 10, 1951. Leahy only lost 11 times over his career, but this was the worst, by far. The Irish were #11, and the Spartans #5, and it seemed that it would be a pretty competitve game. But on the Spartans' first play from scrimmage, halfback Dick Panin took the handoff and went 88 yards for what turned out to be the winning touchdown, and the rout was on. The Irish didn't even cross the 50 until the second play of the fourth quarter, and were outgained 465 yards to 173. After suffering the worst defeat of his career, Leahy couldn't help but crack a wistful joke: "Now I know how some of those other coaches feel."

Parseghian. Ara had a couple of bad ones, starting with a 6-40 loss to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl on Jan 1, 1973. The Irish were 8-2, having lost to #1 Southern Cal in the regular season finale, but were outmanned by the Huskers, who featured diminutive Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers. Rodgers had a game for the ages, scoring four touchdowns and passing for another. The Irish offense was completely stalled, and didn't score until late in the fourth quarter. This Orange Bowl turned out to be famed Husker coach Bob Devaney's final game, and newly-minted Tom Osborne would take over the following year.

Ara's most infamous defeat, however, was a 24-55 loss to Southern Cal on Nov 30, 1974. It ended up a blowout, but it sure didn't start that way. The Irish were up 24-6 at the half, and it looked like ND would cruise to an easy victory. But Anthony Davis took the second half kickoff 100 yards for a score, and the Trojans exploded for a 35-point outburst in the third quarter, the most ever scored against the Irish in a single quarter. Southern Cal scored its eight touchdowns in a span of just 17 minutes, all against the #1 defensive squad in the country, one that had yielded just nine touchdowns in the ten previous games. Davis ended the day with four scores, and the Trojans scored 55 unanswered points all told. "It was the greatest, most incredible game," exclaimed the namesake, about what would come to be known as The Anthony Davis Game. "We had some magic. We turned into madmen."

Devine. 18-40 loss to Tennessee on Nov 10, 1979. The 13th-ranked Notre Dame lost to an unranked Volunteer squad at Neyland Stadium in a game that was a comedy of errors for the Irish: four fumbles (two lost), two interceptions, and failing to score three times from the Tennessee 26-, 17- and 1-yard lines. Meanwhile, the Vols drove the field at will, even despite losing starting quarterback Jimmy Streeter in the second quarter to an injury; running back Hubert Simpson scored four touchdowns. Irish linebacker Bob Crable couldn't explain the Irish performance. "We were flat for some reason...you've got to have discipline to be ready every week. Not many teams do."

Holtz. 10-35 loss to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, Jan 1, 1988. Coming on the heels of the second-worst loss of his career, a 24-0 whitewash at Miami, Lou's first bowl game as an Irish coach was a decisive whipping. The 12th-ranked Irish actually led the game 10-3 with four minutes to go in the half, and had outgained the 13th-ranked Aggies 208-73 to that point. But Terry Andrysiak threw an interception in the end zone that A&M was able to convert into points, and then Braxston Banks fumbled on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, and the Aggies scored again. A two-point conversion on a swinging gate made it 18-10 A&M at the half. Early in the third period, the Irish forced a fumble on their own goal line, and momentum seemed to swing back to Notre Dame for a fleeting moment. But Mark Green fumbled it back to A&M on the very next play, and soon the Aggies were in the end zone again. The game ended with an ugly incident, when Aggie player Warren Barhorst, the walk-on "12th Man", stole Tim Brown's towel from around his waist. Brown ran him down and tackled him from behind, drawing a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Holtz's Irish, of course, would rebound nicely the next year.

The Gray Lining | by Pat

One of the few postives to take away from the Michigan game weekend/debacle was the verbal commitment of South Carolina cornerback Gary Gray. The highly-regarded prep player was at one time committed to his home state Gamecocks but opened his recruitment back up in the summer in order to take another look at Notre Dame. He liked what he saw while on his visit to Notre Dame and pulled the trigger to become ND's 9th player of the 2007 class.

"[Gray] kind of said that he had decided a couple weeks ago, and this trip was mainly to confirm it," [Gray's coach Duane] Wages said. "He wanted to go and experience the game day atmosphere...that solidified his decision."

Now, that might sound a little incongruous, considering ND was on the receiving end of a 26-point drubbing, but that didn't deter Gray.

“Gameday, there’s nothing like it Saturday, a gameday at Notre Dame,” Gray said Monday. “They had me doing push-ups when they scored the first time.”

Then when Michigan torched the Irish secondary on several passing touchdowns...some fans said, “See why we need you?”

As a recruit, Gray certainly has received quite a bit of attention from college coaches and recruiting services alike. In addition to offers from over 30 programs including Texas, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, and Tennessee, Gray is ranked the #6 CB in the nation according to Scout, #3 by Rivals, and #2 for ESPN's Scouts, Inc. Further more, he's ranked the 62nd-best player overall in the nation by Scout, 29th by Rivals, and #14 overall by Scouts, Inc. Not too shabby.

Another welcome trait is that Gray, like Darrin Walls and Raeshon McNeil before him, has been a cornerback in high school and won't be a convert from another position like many recent Irish corners. Obviously that's not a guarantee that he will be a successful cornerback, but it does mean that the transition from high school to college won't be as extreme as it was for some of the current Irish players who were switching to a new position.

Gray will also be an early admit, and will join Jimmy Clausen in South Bend in January for the spring 2007 semester. He will also get the benefit of an additional semester of collegiate weight training (a good thing for the 5'11" 170 pound Gray) as well as the chance to participate in spring practice and crack the secondary depth chart.

Cornerback has long been a weak link in the Irish recruiting machine, with the best corner in recent memory being a converted soccer player. But in the last two years, ND has received commitments from three cornerbacks ranked in the consenus Top 10 in the nation. Finally, there appears to be depth and talent at a position long viewed as ND's achilles heel. Again, not too shabby.

Pick Six, etc | by Jay

AP Poll here. Notre Dame drops to 12.

Pick Six update here. As you can imagine, all the ND pickers dropped like an anvil, while Southern Cal (23 points, group B), Michigan (20 points, group C), Louisville (18 points, group C), Virginia Tech (15 points, group D), and Oregon (13 points, group E) look like the best preseason bargains going right now. Miami (group C) is the only team ranked that highly in the preseason that has dropped out of the top 25 entirely. Amazingly, after three weeks of football only two unranked teams have climbed into the top 25: Boston College (6 points) and Boise State (1 point).

Big Tom Callahan from Sandusky, Ohio is all alone in the lead, with 100 points and the top team in every group (save Michigan). The Lo end of the Hi-Lo split belongs to Voidoid, whose picks of ND, Cal, Miami, Texas Tech and Stanford have him squarely in the basement with 22 points.

From the Pens of Babes | by Jay

BGS reader [name redacted to protect the innocent] just sent us this story. I'm sure many of you can relate.

Against my own better judgment, I submit to you what my 7-year-old son made for me during the ND-Mich game.

As you all know, Notre Dame brings out the best and worst of us during both wins and losses. And Saturday was no exception. Sometime during the 3rd or 4th quarter (it didn't really matter considering how the game was going), my son, who has acquired my fanatical ND Football gene as well as an astute attention to detail, noted by putting pen to paper just how Daddy (me) carries himself during a Fightin' Irish telecast.

With both giddy enthusiam and a tinge of embarrassment, I give you: The Happy Daddy...



...and the Bad Notre Dame Daddy.



(Yes, he wrote it. What can I say, he's a good speller.)

I've officially been banned from watching the games in front of the kids by my wife. And I realize it is a good thing for all.

Oh the humanity!

Go Irish!

Yours truly,
Parent Anonymous (Seriously, don't post my real name, I beg of you!)

Michigan game photo galleries | by Pat

These aren't quite as fun to look at, but here are the online photo galleries anyway.

This week we have galleries from Michigan's official football site, the South Bend Tribune, the Detroit News, Era of Ara (Irish Eyes), Blue and Gold Illustrated, SI.com, Getty Images, and the AP photo wire.

Upon Further Review - Week 3 | by Dylan

National Championships and Heisman Trophies are overrated anyway...

The typical UFR post is written after watching the weekly CFB wrap-up show on ESPN and scouring through the sports page of the L.A. Times. I’ll make some smart-alecky remarks about how poorly some of the teams on our schedule played, talk about creampuff scheduling, compare Joe Tiller to Wilford Brimley, you know the drill. Well, I watched three and a half hours of football yesterday, and that was enough. No SportsCenter, no L.A. Times. So this week’s UFR is devoted exclusively to the “Fighting” Irish. I have not re-watched the abomination, so I’ll beg your pardon in advance for any small factual errors. If you don’t like Notre Dame alums trashing their alma mater's football team, stop reading. If you’re thinking about filling up our comments box with notes about how I’m an ass and we have to be supportive of the players, don’t. Start your own blog and rip me there. I'm mad and I'm tired and I feel like I did on September 2, 1995 (which beats the numbness of November 1, 2003, I suppose), and you can take this for what it's worth.

In brief, our players got what they deserved.

In years past, particularly the Davieham years, one needed look no further than the head coach when the Irish were on the receiving end of humiliations like the one that happened on Saturday. You could tell that the game plan (or lack thereof) was the primary reason for our team getting pole-axed. Was Weis’ game plan to blame for last Saturday’s catastrophe? I don’t see how it could be. By the time the Irish ran their twelfth play, they were already down 20-7. Throw the script out the window. By the time they ran their twenty-third play, it was 34-7 and the game was over. In a non-Pearl Harbor type of game, ND’s twentieth play would have been when they began hitting their stride, taking advantage of adjustments made. For that reason, I don’t see the game as a strategic failure. However, Weis is responsible for the attitude and mental preparation of the team. For allowing this group of pre-season all-world prima donnas (on offense, at least) to show up for this game expecting to stroll out on to the field and beat Michigan, Weis earns an F-.

I also have a hard time finding too much fault with the defense, outside of the fact that Ty Willingham recruited a lot of guys who can’t play the linebacker position better than a backup running back and a 5th cornerback. While the corners did not play well, the defense gave up 150 yards passing if you take out the Ted Ginn…er, Mario Manningham bomb, and 340 yards overall to a skilled offense. The defense was not the problem in this game. They intercepted a pass on UM’s third play and forced a three-and-out on UM’s second possession. They gave up one big play and then had to defend a 27 yard long field after the fumbled kickoff. After ten minutes of play in which they forced a turnover, a punt, and allowed 36 non-bomb yards, they were down 20-7. Their reward? Another Irish three-play drive and being sent back out onto their own half of the field. In the first half, the offense let the defense rest by going on four epic three-and-out drives and one spectacular 5-play drive. The Irish mounted eight first half “drives.” The first seven were over in 22 plays. The result? The defense was made to take the field seven times, was forced to play twenty of the first thirty minutes, and gave up 242 yards and 27 points. Despite being hung out to dry by the offense, the defense gave up only two field goals in the second half.

(By the way, the Michigan game and the two games before it are that much more evidence -- call it "exhibit Z" -- that Kevin White needs to be fired. There is simply no excuse for allowing Big Ten officials to call a game between Notre Dame and Michigan. And let me be perfectly clear, the officiating had absolutely nothing to do with the outcome of the game (if the Irish had an ounce of heart on Saturday, it might have). However, either our opponents have been the best coached squads in the history of the universe, or there is something funky going on, particularly with the holding penalties. Notre Dame has been flagged about ten times so far this year (at least three of which were complete fabrications), while our opponents have not been called for holding once that I can remember. Officials from BCS conferences have an undeniable conflict of interest when it comes to Notre Dame. That White would allow not just BCS conference officials, but officials from our opponents’ conferences, is a demonstration of naivete at best and a negotiated surrender at worst. It’s an untenable situation that has to change, because it has, and will, cost us wins.)

Brady Quinn had the worst game of his life on Saturday. He’s picked a bad time to have a bad year. In addition to his 3 INTs and fumble on Saturday, he’s thrown about 5 balls that were flat dropped by opposing defenses. It’s a miracle that he doesn’t have more turnovers than touchdowns. We’ll have to hope that he begins playing better now that the Heisman is out of reach (the door-slamming counterargument to his candidacy is the replay of the ball flopping out of his hand and being run into the endzone by LaMarr Woodley, one of the most inept plays in the history of Irish football.). I don’t doubt he will, since he and Darius Walker are the only two players on the offense that I trust to show up every week. But he’s got to get the ball down, which might be difficult because...

This is the worst offensive line I’ve ever seen in my years of watching Notre Dame football. Before the season, when pundits were ooohing and ahhhing over the offense, I cringed when I would hear them talk about the “outstanding veteran offensive line.” A million combined starts doesn’t matter if you suck, and the seniors on the interior have been so very average for years now. It’s a testament to the absolute horribleness of Tyrone Willingham’s recruiting that these guys are playing. Morton whiffs more than Dave Kingman. He, Sullivan, and Santucci communicate about as well as Ali G and Pat Boo-Cannon, and they’re trying to get Quinn killed. Well, at least there are plenty of Juniors and Sophomores pushing them, ready to take their place when they screw up. Oh wait. @$%& YOU, TY!

Rhema McKnight has become Maurice Stovall…circa 2004. I don’t know if he expected to breeze through this season, racking up the yards and touchdowns that his backups did last year, but he’s just not there yet. I’m willing to chalk some of it up to the layoff, but he’s had more balls bounce off his hands than…well, I’ll keep this PG. But you get the picture. That’s a concentration issue, and it’s costing the team points. He has to do better if the Irish are going to beat good teams.

I don’t generally like getting into psychoanalyzing why players do stupid things, but I am completely bumfuzzled by Jeff Samardzija this year. I don’t want to say he’s dogging it, but he certainly seems less hungry (tired sports cliché alert) this year. He appeared to give up on Burgess’ second interception, running away from a blocker and leaving the dirty work for McKnight 10 yards down the field. It seemed out of character and I couldn’t help thinking about the Cubs and those seven million dollars. Shark (16 catches, 160 yards, 2 TDs, 1-2, 2.70 ERA, 17 SO through three games) needs to start playing like a backup again. Like Quinn, his dreams of postseason awards are over, and he needs to realize that he’s on the verge of becoming a footnote instead of a legend.

Here is the bottom line. Notre Dame has only once before lost a game that badly when ranked that highly (1945 versus Army). There have only been 19 worse margins of defeat in the past 50 years. It was the seventh worst home loss in history, putting Weis in the company of Brennan (2), Kuharich (2), and Willingham (3). Lou Holtz and Dan Devine never lost by more than 25 points in 202 games. Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian combined for 3 losses of more than 25 points in 223 games. I’m not pointing that out to say that Weis is applying for membership in one club or the other, but that beat-downs like we experienced on Saturday are historic occurrences. His players let him down, to be sure. But let’s not make a habit of it, alright Coach?

MSU is up next. You would think that between last year's game and last Saturday's debacle, Sparty is in for a long day. But, you'd never have thought that we'd go down 34-7 in the first twenty-eight minutes against Michigan. At this point, I'd say MSU is a 50/50 proposition. The good news? Win this one and it looks like a date with Southern Cal for a BCS bid is well within reach.

Hallelujah! Pass the Tylenol...

Go Irish.

Odds & Sods - Fredericksburg Edition | by Mike

I have not yet reviewed the game tape since returning from South Bend, so feel free to supply any corrections evident from watching the broadcast.

Dots and loops. Both before the season started and after the opening two games, I expressed concern over the matchup between Michigan's running game and the Notre Dame linebackers. For Notre Dame to win, the Irish would need to take Mike Hart out of the game. Since I didn't expect Notre Dame's run defense alone to shut down Hart, I had hoped game situations would limit Hart's opportunities - that Notre Dame would jump out to an early lead. Instead, Michigan dominated the first quarter, grabbing an early lead. This created a negative feedback loop. With a big lead, Michigan had an even greater incentive to stick with the running game, allowing Michigan to hammer away at the Notre Dame defense's weakness and open up their passing game. Mike Hart had 31 carries, and if you had been told on Friday that Hart would get that many carries, you would have known the game's winner. In other words, Michigan's offense was in a position to dictate the flow of the game. The Michigan staff recognized the enormous impact an early lead would have on this game and thus appeared willing to go for big plays earlier than they usually do in road games. As yesterday's events demonstrated, this was a great strategy.

As I watched the game unfold, I thought about how rarely Weis's teams have had to play from behind. Before the Michigan game, last year's Michigan State game was the largest deficit for a Weis-led Irish team. However, last year's linebackers - despite their problems against the pass - were quite stout against the run. Thus when MSU tried to run clock in the second half, they were attacking the defense's strength, allowing Notre Dame to get back in the game. Yesterday's game revealed how this year's Irish squad is poorly suited to overcoming a significant deficit.

Hard to explain. Heading into the game, I was more optimistic about how Notre Dame's defense would fare against the UM offense when the Irish could get into nickel situations. However, Michigan had an answer for this defense. Michigan OC Mike DeBord moved Mario Manningham around in order to match him up against Notre Dame's nickel back, Terrail Lambert. The first time this resulted in a big play, I had to give credit to DeBord. Yet when Michigan was able to get this matchup repeatedly, I had to ask why Notre Dame DC Rick Minter - and then Weis, when it continued - did not adjust to this. While Manningham's out-and-up touchdown did come against Wooden, I don't understand the rationale behind allowing the other team to line their best receiver up against one's fifth defensive back. This puzzle came just two weeks after the curious decision to leave a freshman on an island with Calvin Johnson.

Run. Michigan's defense looked markedly unconcerned with Notre Dame's running game. The gameplan appeared to be to take off after the quarterback on every play until Notre Dame gave them a reason to look for the run, which the Irish never did. Once again, the Michigan staff's decision to take more chances on the road paid huge dividends.

In the 2004 and 2005 wins, Notre Dame relied on 100-yard efforts from Darius Walker. It's hard to picture Notre Dame beating Michigan without a strong rushing performance, yet Notre Dame failed to produce any semblance of a power rushing game. Falling behind so quickly was obviously a contributing factor, but that does not entirely explain why Walker had only 2 carries in the second quarter.

No joy in Mudville. It's hard to find positives when your team gets shelled, but there are a few moments from the game that should probably be acknowledged. Filling in for an injured Asaph Schwapp, fullback Ashley McConnell recorded his first career reception and his first career touchdown in the first quarter. Last week, McConnell got the Irish a first down with a fourth-down carry shortly after Schwapp was taken off the field. It's nice to see a senior who hasn't played much take advantage of his opportunities. Needless to say, as Michigan rolled up the points, the opportunities for a fullback diminished rapidly.

Once again, Quinn guided the offense on an end-of-half touchdown drive. After taking over at the 28 with 2:30 left in the second quarter, Quinn went 7-7 for 71 yards and a touchdown. Without looking at the tape, it looked like Michigan played conservatively on this drive, and Quinn responded with machine-like efficiency. Given the contrast between this drive and most of the rest of the game, one can predict what strategy opposing defenses will employ for the remainder of the season.

It Could Have Been Worse | by Jeff

... it could have rained.

Rewind to Friday night, when I met a really cute girl who unfortunately turned out to be a Michigan grad. Unwisely, I didn't hold that against her, and I even agreed to coming up with a wager between us for the game tonight.

My first suggestion was that the loser would have to get a cat and keep it for a year; the winner would get to pick out the cat. (A special thanks to my friend Visalia Oaks manager Tom Seidler for dreaming up this type of bet a while back. And feel free to use these severe terms for your own wagers in the future.) Fortunately, she didn't go for it. My suggestions quickly moved to slightly more adult themed activites, none of which she was going for either.

Before the game this morning, we finally settled on the terms:

• The straight-up loser of the game would have to do two shots.
• Plus, I'd give her six points and the loser has to do a shot for every 3 points in the margin of victory.

So, lets take a look at what I've gotten myself into...

26 point loss	8 shots
6 point spread	2 shots
Straight up loss	2 shots
Grand Total	12 shots

Does anyone have an extra liver I can borrow?

On the Bad Side of a Whipping | by Pat

That one was rough. Notre Dame lost that game in all phases -- offense, defense, special teams, and coaching -- and Michigan came away with a 47-21 win that was about as dominant as you can get. We'll see if the team can put it behind them as they head into a stretch of games that quite honestly shouldn't be hard until the late November trip to Southern Cal. For the time being, the national championship hopes are in the hands of other teams and it's very possible that Lamar Woodley returned Brady Quinn's fumbled Heisman for the final Wolverine touchdown.

It's going to be a long night for ND fans after this, the biggest loss in the fledgling Charlie Weis era.

Wolverine Flashback | by Jay

The Ballad of Ricky & Reggie

Let me tell ya story 'bout a boy named Ho
Poor Cavanaugh kicker, only played for interhall
Then one day he got a call, it was old Coach Lou
And before he knew what happened, he was wearin' gold and blue

(Reggie, that is. From Hawaii. Five-foot-fiiiive.)

The scrappy Fightin' Irish had a problem to behold
the Wolverines were comin' and they'd try and knock 'em cold
Reggie strapped his helmet on amid the ballyhoo
and out from the tunnel roared the Maize and Blue.

(Michigan, that is. Our old nemesis. Annnn Arbor.)

Well we tried to run and tried to pass and couldn't seem to score
Until a kid from Pennsylvania opened up the door
the Irish O that day was as quiet as a mouse
so Ricky being Ricky took a punt to the house

(Watters, that is. Elbow pads and towels. "Heiiiir apparent.")

Reggie marched onto the field and lined up for the try
Counted off his paces back, and two more to the side
Suddenly he twisted 'round and threw his arms way out
Magic fingers did the trick, the Irish gave a shout.

(It's up, and It's good. Right down central. Threeee points.)

Reggie booted two more kicks and split the poles between
Yet the Skunkbears had the lead, 17-16.
A minute left, would magic fingers work just one more time?
Irish faithful said a prayer -- Reggie was sublime.

(Perfect, that is. Four field goals, and an extra point. Alo-haa.)

Now Michigan got one last shot to move it down the field
but past the 30 yard line, the Irish would not yield
on 4th down a kick went up and towards the Irish net,
but drifted right into the night -- thank God for Mike Gillette.

(Close shave, that is. Holdin' our breath. Irish win!)

Now Ricky being Ricky, his football career was grand
And Reggie, he's a doctor, fixin' folks across the land
But on that night in eighty-eight they sailed the Irish ship
And in the end, come New Year's Day -- a National Championship.

(Eleventh, that is...aaand countin')

Handy Household Tips for scUM Removal | by Michael

ScUM can find its way into the damnedest of places, but with gameplanning, some elbow grease, and a little vim and vigor, it can be removed quite effectively. Here are some basic suggestions for cleaning your home field from scUM.

How to Attack scUMmy Buildup

• Make Michigan's base defense defend your backs and tight ends. Last year Notre Dame had much success using its personnel package of 3 WRs, 1 RB, 1 TE. They spread the field, which forced Michigan's base defense to defend the pass from sideline to sideline. In the process, this opened up running lanes for Darius Walker until Michigan finally adjusted. Last year, however, Weis had the benefit of gameplanning with three outstanding receivers in Jeff Samardzija, Maurice Stovall, and Rhema McKnight. This year is different, not only on the Irish side, but also on the scUM side. Ron English will bring a much more aggressive defense to South Bend. Don't be surprised to see the Irish force the Michigan linebackers to defend every inch of the field using Walker, John Carlson, Marcus Freeman, and possibly even Munir Prince. There are winnable match-ups for Notre Dame against scUM.

• Run right at defensive end Lamarr Woodley. I'd expect one of the Irish TEs (Freeman) to line up next to Ryan Harris and pound Woodley on running plays. Given that the left side appears to be the strength of this Irish offensive line, it would make sense for the Irish to focus their running game at Woodley rather than allowing him to chase down plays from the backside.

• Misdirection also has a way of washing scUM defenders away. English wants an aggressive defense, and given the results of Penn State's passive defense as compared to Georgia Tech's aggressive defense, it would be surprising if scUM's attack didn't mirror the Yellow Jackets' gameplan. Charlie Weis didn't call any misdirection plays against Tech (to the best of my memory), and the only memorable one from the Penn State game was the brilliant play fake to Samardzija in the slot followed by the hand-off to Walker up the middle. That could all change on Saturday. Sometimes scUM can get too aggressive (see the beautiful counter draw run by CMU), and I suspect there will at least be one trick play that incorporates misdirection.

• The Irish can make life difficult for scUM's linebackers by spreading them out and isolating them in coverage. Especially David Harris, the middle linebacker. Then, if scUM adjusts by bringing in nickelback/safety Ryan Mundy, it might be easier to run the football.

How to Defend Your Home from scUM

• Stop Mike Hart. I don't care how it's done, whether it's 4-3, 3-4, 4-2-5, 5-2, 4-4, 3-3-5, or 8-1, but the defense must control the line of scrimmage and prevent Hart from consistently picking up yardage. Also, Hart must not be allowed to get out of bounds, because every time he totes the ball, he should be punished by at least two tacklers. I'm going to guess that Minter and Weis will be creative and variable with the defenses we use Saturday.

• Force Chad Henne to beat you. Braylon Edwards is gone, and so is Jason Avant. The tight end production just hasn't been as good as it once was. As a result, for the first time since 2002 the Irish finally have corners whom we should feel confident can defend the pass. If there are eight guys defending the run, the corners will have man coverage. On the plus side, the Irish can blitz aplenty against Henne; pressure causes him to make not only mechanical errors (throwing) but also mental errors (progressing too quickly to his check-down receiver). Dwight Ellick and Preston Jackson are no longer manning the defensive backfield, so aggression will work. Putting Ambrose Wooden, Mike Richardson, and Terrail Lambert on islands won't have the same results.

• Wrap up, wrap up, wrap up. Make scUM earn every inch of the field.


That's it. Four easy steps to rid your house of scUM, and three more steps to make sure it doesn't come back. If problems persist, there are always Special Teams who should be able to dominate scUM in the coverage and return games.

Yep, special teams. Placekicking? Let's just hope it doesn't come down to that.

The Inside Man | by Michael

It's about thirty-six hours until game-time, and our best talent evaluator just showed up on our doorstep. Back from a six-month, successful infiltration in Ann Arbor, he brought back boxes and boxes of useful photos and crib notes from actual Michigan practice sessions. Since his return, we've been scrambling to assemble the info in as concise and detailed a report as possible. According to our man, much of the info was corroborated from a very good source...one of those "little birdies" that people often cite. This birdy, though, probably won't be singing much after Saturday's game.

Before you continue, keep in mind that all of this information was collected from watching Michigan practices during the spring, summer, and fall. In other words, some of it may be dated. Once Michigan started gameplanning for Vanderbilt, our man was forced to go into "hiding." Yet, that doesn't mean the information is inaccurate or frivolous; take for example our own practice session rumors. Several reports coming out of Notre Dame's fall camp centered on the senior-laden offensive line's inability to dominate the line of scrimmage, the linebackers' difficulties in shedding blocks, and the inconsistency of the placekickers. Two games into the 2006 season, those pre-season concerns haven't been assuaged.

Here's a few bullet points from the practice spy reports.

1. With Mike Hart in the backfield, the Michigan offense should steamroll most front sevens. However, against those stronger defenses, the pressure falls squarely upon the shoulders of Chad Henne. But for all the chatter of Henne's greatness coming out of high school, he hasn't considerably improved three years later. Some of his issues that continued throughout the offseason:

• Over-reliance on arm strength. Henne has a tendency to wait a little too long on mid-range timing patterns; he waits after the WR cuts and then tries to throw a bullet. Bad things can happen: the pocket may break down; the heat on his passes sometimes causes the pass to be too high; yards after catch is reduced because the receiver isn't hit in stride; and, the gameplan is affected by relying more on short passes where the ball must be thrown more quickly.

• Throwing to the left. When Henne throws left, he brings his left foot left and that opens opens his left shoulder. He has a huge tendency to over stride to the left by opening his shoulder too soon. This causes him to drop his arm into a different throwing slot, and his ball will sail. Over striding also occurs when Henne feels pressure and wants to gun the ball.

It's hard to find holes in the running back and wide receiver corps, but Michigan has been having some issues with their offensive line. In the spring under new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, Michigan practiced zone blocking schemes and also ran more draws, shotgun runs, and misdirection plays.

2. Left tackle Jake Long is very strong, but he hasn't progressed as much as expected as a run-blocker. It's been said this problem is due to his stamina issues. Most of this is due to his injury and his inability to push off his ankle, although some of it is also his inconsistency in staying low; he simply stands up too much. That happens more frequently when he is tired. This trend continued into fall camp. For all the talk of how big Long is, his added weight makes it harder for him to stay low. As far as pass blocking, he seems to have adjusted well to the left side; he does a nice job handling speed rushes to outside. However, he struggles when ends go hard to the outside and then come back inside. It's a footwork issue.

3. Adam Kraus might be the most technically sound OL on Michigan's team. They ask him to do a lot of pulling, and his only weakness appears to be that he may not be physical enough at the point of impact and in short yardage situations. Ditto the center Mark Bihl. He might be the key to the Michigan OL, though, because he's so versatile and the depth behind him is a little scary.

4. At left guard, Alex Mitchell beat out former Irish recruit Jeremy Ciulla, although both struggled in pass blocking, and overall quickness is a concern. Over the summer, Mitchell lost some weight, but it also appeared that he lost some strength. In addition, there was some talk that Mitchell may have some issues regarding nervousness and confidence during game situations. Games against Vandy and CMU may have helped that.

5. Reuben Riley was moved from right guard to right tackle very late in spring practice because the hopefuls were struggling in run-blocking. Look for Michigan to help out their RT by cheating their TEs and RB to that side quite often. Their staff feels that it's a way they can protect a weaker pass blocker in Riley.

On the other side of the ball, the front four of Michigan present a difficult challenge for an Irish offensive line that has struggled to find consistency. Like the new-look Notre Dame defensive line, aggression is the key for Michigan's front four. There is no more OL-engagement; now it's all about shooting gaps and getting into the backfield. This is the Ron English way.

6. The improvement of defensive end LaMarr Woodley is noticeable but he still struggles on those plays run right at him. He has proven to be much more effective when he is free to run down backs. The staff has been telling Woodley this year, "Don’t worry about the run first; we need you to make plays." And through the Vandy and CMU games, he has taken this advice to heart.

7. Defensive tackle Alan Branch is huge, but teams can have success running right at him. This is an area where he is going to have to improve because the opposition knows this, and if you watch 2005 tape, you'll see that most times teams ran right at him. This didn't change much over the summer. Branch also tired quickly; he is one of the players who noticeably needs to get in better condition. Branch does well when asked to pass rush, but he needs to defend the run more consistently.

8. Alongside him in the trenches is Terrance Taylor, another player who needs to get in condition. Strength here is no problem, but his stamina has been questioned. Can he play effectively in long spurts or in 2nd half of games? Many times he starts out practice by getting great penetration as he's difficult to block. Then, as practice wears down, he seems to get easier to block and offense gets more effective running the ball. For all the hype, he's unproven. Getting in better shape might help a lot.

9. Rondell Biggs is probably the most underrated Wolverine defender. He has demonstrated that he is the best run-stopping defensive end on the Michigan roster. At the same time, his pass rushing ability is underrated.

---

These practice reports and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Michigan players raise a few key points about how to approach this game against the Wolverines.

First off, there isn't an Irish fan around who doesn't believe that stopping Mike Hart is the key to this football game. The Irish will likely sell out to stop the run, but can they cause disruption along the enigmatic Michigan offensive line and get into the backfield? If they can, that'll slow Hart down.

As the Irish front is selling out, the Michigan wide receivers will likely be facing man coverage; can the same Irish front seven generate enough pressure on Henne by attacking the weak links in the Wolverine line? And can that pressure cause Henne to make the mechanical errors he has historically made?

Finally, judging from the first couple of games and the strategic focus given to the Wolverine defense throughout practice, Michigan is probably likely to adopt Georgia Tech's aggressive strategy against the Irish rather than Penn State's passive one. Can Notre Dame's offensive line protect Brady Quinn from Woodley and company?

No Secret Decoder Ring Needed | by Pat

We usually find some funny stuff while scouring the web for ND-related stories and pictures, but this takes the cake.

In 1947, Catholic Comics (yes, Catholic Comics!) did a series on "Bill Brown of Notre Dame, a collegiate sports star who was once spurred on to victory by catching a glimpse of the school cathedral’s golden dome!"

You can check out our Ecclesiastical All-American in action here on the first three pages. But what really caught our eye (besides the exciting news that In This Issue, Ann Winslow!) was the team lined up against our Catholic Quarterbacking Hero. Those uniform colors look familiar...could they be...maize and blue? It's not an exact match, but who else could it be?

Just as Notre Dame is shown as the beacon of all holiness and light, it's pretty funny that Michigan, a team that ND wasn't even playing in the late 40s, is arrayed on the cover as the Forces of Darkness, hellbent on stopping our golden savior. To the thousands tens of kids that must have read this comic, the message was certain: the Wolverines aren't just interested in a win, they're also out for your eternal soul!

Hart to Hart | by Jay

This is my running back, Mike Hart - a tough, between-the-tackles juggernaut. He's quite a guy. These are Notre Dame's linebackers, they're quick, but maybe a little small. By the way, my name is Lloyd. I have to worry about both of them, which ain't easy; 'cause when they met... it was murder!

Here's a kaleidescope of stuff on Michigan's workhorse, Mike Hart:

• Mike Hart is listed at 5-9, 198lb. Here are his career stats.

• Michigan's record when Mike Hart has 100+ yards rushing: 11-1.

• Last year, Mike Hart hurt his hamstring against Notre Dame and missed two games. He hurt his ankle against Iowa and missed two more.

• In fact, injuries have limited Hart to only 8 carries for 21 yards against ND over the past two years. ND has never faced a fully healthy Mike Hart for the entire game.

• Against Central Michigan, on his first carry of the game, Mike Hart fumbled. It was his first fumble in over 400 carries. It was recovered by Michigan. To date, he has only lost one fumble in his career, against Iowa as a freshman.

• Here's what Weis had to say about Mike Hart at his Tuesday press conference.

Q. Talk about Mike Hart. What is it about him that impresses you?

COACH Charlie Weis: A lot of times when you see a guy that's like 5'9", a shade under 200 pounds and people don't think he can run with power, that they're just elusive, the thing is he runs with power. So any time you have a running back that can run inside and out, usually the running back is good at running either inside or outside except for the just great ones, Tomlinson, but they can run inside or outside. This guy can run inside and outside. Any time a guy can do that, now you can't say, okay, great, Hart is in there, now he can run inside, we'll just press the edge and give away the inside run. You can't give away anything with the guy because he's got vision, he can cut, and he's got wheels, too. He can run. He's got speed.

• Here's a clip of Mike Hart in high school. Tecmo Mike Hart.

• Here is a highlight reel of Mike Hart during his spectacular 2004 freshman season. Sorry about the music and the cheesy graphic effects.

• Mike Hart once said that "We don't ever lose three games a year. If we lost three, what would that make us look like?" The last season Michigan had fewer than three losses: 1999. Since then: 9-3, 8-4, 10-3, 10-3, 9-3, 7-5.

• Today there is a nice profile piece on Hart in the Chicago Trib.

• Here's what Mike Hart (and his teammates) had to say about the game this Saturday.

• Oh, and almost forgot...here's Hart's backup, Kevin Grady.

Old Man Stomps Feet, Shakes Fist Angrily | by Mike

Not long ago, Bo Schembechler claimed Notre Dame "need[s Michigan] more than we need them." It's difficult to figure out what Schembechler meant by this, as no interpretation lends itself to substantiation.

If Schembechler meant that Notre Dame could not find a comparable opponent to replace Michigan should the Wolverines beg off the series, he was indisputably incorrect. When the Notre Dame-Michigan series took a two-year break in 1995 and 1996, Notre Dame replaced Michigan on the schedule with UM's fraternal twin Ohio State. In 1995, Michigan's non-conference opponents were UVa, Memphis, Boston College, and Miami (of Ohio, of course). Even if you can identify a marquee name from that bunch, it's hardly a comparable program. In 1996, Michigan played Colorado. When Notre Dame and Michigan again took a two-year break in 2000 and 2001, Notre Dame opted for a home-and-home series with Nebraska. While the Huskers have fallen on hard times under Bill Callahan, recall that Nebraska rolled into South Bend as the top-ranked team in the nation. In 2000 and 2001, Michigan dropped games to UCLA and Washington, respectively. The bottom line is that Notre Dame did a better job of finding replacement programs with cachet equivalent to Michigan than Michigan did of finding replacement programs with cachet equivalent to Notre Dame.

New data continually emerges that belies the notion that Notre Dame will ever have difficulty finding opponents. In the last four seasons, Notre Dame's appearance has resulted in a new stadium attendance record seven times. The stadiums at which records were set include Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Kyle Field in College Station, and Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. In addition to crushing ticket demand and overwhelming media interest when Notre Dame comes to town, teams know that their return trip to South Bend will garner them a national television appearance. Scheduling Notre Dame offers programs so much exposure that Notre Dame will always be able to find big-time schools looking for a series. (Also, note that Michigan's home network, ABC, will be airing more Notre Dame games nationally than Michigan games this year.)

All this leads to the inevitable question: Who the hell is Bo Schembechler, anyway? When one thinks of great coaches, one generally thinks of coaches who won championships or at least fared well against great teams. Neither is true of Schembechler. When I read Schembechler's quote, I remembered some brilliant research done by ndoldtown on NDNation awhile back. ndoldtown looked at the tenure of a collection of renowned coaches at the school where they made their mark. In other words, he looked at the performance of Parseghian and Spurrier at Notre Dame and Florida, respectively, but not at Northwestern and Duke. Of the coaches listed, Schembechler has the second-worst winning percentage against great teams and the fewest wins per year against great teams. Note also that this data is only current through 2004. If I had taken the time to update it through 2005, Paterno's victory over Ohio State last year would leave Schembechler with the worst winning percentage of the group. When you take into account the fact that Schembechler never won a national title, he just doesn't belong with the other coaches on this list. What's so special about inflating the overall winning percentage against the likes of Illinois, Indiana, and Northwestern if you hardly ever beat great teams?

Record vs Teams in AP Final Top Ten through 2004 (at school most associated with).

Coach	School	Years	Pct vs Top 10	Rec vs Top 10	Game/Yr vs Top 10	Win/Yr vs Top 10
Leahy	ND	11	.659	13-6-3	2.00	1.18
Switzer	Okla	16	.544	18-15-1	2.12	1.125
Blaik	Army	18	.500	7-8-2	0.94	.368
Bryant	Ala	25	.472	17-19-1	1.42	.654
Holtz	ND	11	.469	15-17-1	3.00	1.36
Parseghian	ND	11	.447	7-9-3	1.72	.636
Devaney	Neb	11	.447	7-9-1	1.54	.636
Royal	Tex	20	.416	14-20-2	1.80	.700
Spurrier	Fla	12	.394	13-20-1	2.85	1.08
Hayes	OSU	28	.372	14-25-4	1.53	.500
Wilkinson	Okla	27	.368	7-12-0	1.12	.411
McKay	USC	16	.363	10-19-4	2.06	.625
Bowden	FSU	28	.359	20-36-1	1.96	.689
Dooley	Ga	25	.354	11-20-0	1.24	.440
Robinson	USC	12	.347	8-15-0	1.92	.666
Fulmer	Tenn	13	.346	9-17-0	2.17	.750
Dodd	GaTech	22	.340	7-23-1	1.41	.318
Neyland	Tenn	21	.333	4-8-0	1.00	.333
Osborne	Neb	25	.326	16-33-0	1.56	.640
Daugherty	MSU	19	.319	11-24-1	1.89	.579
Crisler	Mich	10	.315	6-13-0	1.58	.500
Donahue	UCLA	20	.279	8-23-3	1.70	.400
Broyles	Ark	19	.218	7-25-0	1.60	.350
Schembechler	Mich	21	.214	7-27-1	1.67	.260
Paterno	PSU	39	.210	12-45-0	1.46	.307

These numbers also put the lie to another of Schembechler's pet canards. Schembechler often predicted Notre Dame would struggle against the allegedly tougher competition of the Big Ten. Schembechler once told the Detroit News that if Notre Dame joined the Big Ten:

They may find out what (Penn State Coach) Joe Paterno found out, which is, it was a lot easier when they were playing Syracuse and Rutgers and Temple. When they went into the Big Ten, they found out they couldn't go to the Rose Bowl every year.

The Notre Dame coaches on this list all played great teams with greater frequency than Schembechler. Lou Holtz played an average of 3 teams every year (!) that finished in the Top 10 during his 11-year tenure at Notre Dame. Frank Leahy played an average of 2 such games per year, while Ara Parseghian played 1.72 such games per year. Schembechler played 1.67 games against Top 10 teams per year. While joining the Big Ten appears to have presented tougher competition for Paterno (1.46/year), it would have been a huge step down in competition for Holtz. Schembechler has apparently severed all ties with reality.

---

While we're in the process of exposing overrated Big Ten coaches, we should also address the coach that took those shots at Weis in the Sporting News' college football preview. In an earlier post, we speculated that the source was Tiller. We have since confirmed that Tiller was the source. Tiller said almost the exact same thing at a Purdue alumni luncheon in Indianapolis not long ago. Additionally, Sporting News columnist Tom Dienhart recently revealed that he was the one at the magazine who spoke with the anonymous coach. Since (a) Dienhart graduated from Purdue and (b) Carroll, Fulmer, and Carr assuredly do not take Dienhart's calls, we would know it was Tiller even if we hadn't been told about his comments at the luncheon.

the Conversation | by Jay

If you've been reading the blog comments this week, you may have seen us talking about a new methodology we're tinkering with for ranking college football teams. At this point, it's still very much a work in progress, although there are a few basic guidelines that undergird the effort. Let's see if can spell it out, and maybe y'all can help us refine it as the year goes on. Wouldn't it be nice if College Football had some sort of built-in standings system, like the NFL or Major League Baseball? But it doesn't, so we have to try and graft one onto it instead. So we ask your patience, gentle reader, as we begin to test this grand experiment.

One of the major flaws in college football rankings is that by virtue of human pollsters, the rankings can reward you this year for how you did last year. And if you think about it, CFB is the only major sport where spectator judgment determines your standing. (Well, maybe also synchronized swimming. Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova have been getting by on rep for literally years, and they definitely didn't deserve the gold in Athens. Miho Takeda is much more technically proficient.) It's hard to imagine this hangover effect being accepted in another major sport; take for instance baseball. Say back in April the White Sox are ranked #1 in the mythical Baseball Preseason Poll for winning the World Series last year, and receive what amounts to a ten-game lead right out of the gate. (They could use it right about now too, but that's a different story).

Basically, that's what happens in CFB: teams are pre-slotted before even a single game has been played. From day one, some teams are already glimpsing the summit and must merely hang on, while others have to break out the ice picks and crampons. And sometimes, you climb, climb, climb, and still don't get a shot at the ring. Ask Auburn, circa 2004.

So the first concept we came up with is the Conversation. It goes like this.

In the beginning, there was nothing. And then teams started to appear. And we looked, and some of them were good.

Before you can even begin to talk about who's better, who's best, you have to pare down the list of 117 Division-1 programs. You have to boil it and distill it and figure out which teams are worth talking about, and which teams aren't. You have to ask, is this team In the Conversation, or is this team out? And then you have to do this on a weekly basis. After that, after you've got a pool of teams worth talking about, maybe, maybe you can think about how to rank them.

There are a few starting guidelines to the Conversation that we came up with:

1. You are introduced into The Conversation only when you have done something to merit your mention.

2. Only this year's results count. No hangovers allowed.

3. Wins are golden.
3a. Wins over major conference teams (the BCS members) are always worth talking about.
3b. Wins over non-BCS teams are sometimes worth talking about.
3c. Wins over Division 1AA (and lower) are NEVER worth talking about.

4. Likewise, losses sink you in the eyes of the Conversation, especially losses to 1AA teams (I'm looking at you, Colorado).

5. Winning is everything, but no matter by how much. Margin of Victory is for ruffians like Bobby Petrino. Conversely, there is no such thing as a "Bad Win".

6. Power teams from non-BCS conferences may join the Conversation if they prove they belong there, and not a moment before. It's true that a number power MAC teams could dispatch Duke with the agility of a cheetah, but let's let them do it first. (The Boise State codicil.)

7. Teams are free to move into and out of the Conversation as the year progresses.

8. There can be a variable number of teams in the Conversation from week to week. We are not sure what the upper bounds are. But consider your average Top 25 list; those teams in slots 21-25 are rarely worth talking about, are they? We don't think so either.

9. Your opponents' records are important. In time, the records of your opponents' opponents will be important, too.

---

So who's in the Conversation for Week 2, 2006? Here's what we've got:

2-0 versus BCS

Team	Record	BCS Bonafides	Opp. Record
Auburn	2-0	WSU and Mississippi State	1-3
Notre Dame	2-0	Ga Tech and PSU	2-2
Pittsburgh	2-0	Cincinnati and Virginia	2-2
Rutgers	2-0	UNC and Illinois	1-3
Wake Forest	2-0	Syracuse and Duke	0-4

1-0 BCS teams versus BCS, undefeated overall

Team	Record	BCS Bonafides	Non-BCS Win	Opp. Record
Alabama	2-0	Vanderbilt	Hawaii	0-3
Boston College	2-0	Clemson	CMU	1-3
Florida State	2-0	Miami-Fla	Troy	2-2
Georgia	2-0	South Carolina	W. Kentucky (1AA)	1-1?
Iowa	2-0	Syracuse	Montana (1AA)	0-2?
Louisville	2-0	Kentucky	Temple	1-3
LSU	2-0	Arizona	La-Lafayette	1-3
Michigan	2-0	Vanderbilt	CMU	0-4
Missouri	2-0	Mississippi	Murray St (1AA)	1-1?
Ohio State	2-0	Texas	N. Illinois	1-3
Oklahoma	2-0	Washington	UAB	2-2
Oregon	2-0	Stanford	Fresno State	1-3
Southern Cal	1-0	Arkansas	n/a	1-1
Tennessee	2-0	Cal	Air Force	1-2
Virginia Tech	2-0	North Carolina	Northeastern (1AA)	0-2?

Notable teams NOT in the Conversation:

Texas. Lost to Ohio State, no other BCS games yet.
Miami. Lost to FSU, no other BCS games yet.
Florida. Hasn't played a BCS team yet.
West Virginia. Hasn't played a BCS team yet.

Stay tuned for the next installment, where we move beyond the Conversation, and begin to rank teams within the pool according to various criteria. As teams start racking up wins and losses and we can start to track opponents' records (and opponents' opponents' records) this is going to get a little more complicated. And although we'll keep refining the rules towards some kind of system, I have a sneaking suspicion that some subjectivity will always remain in the process. In the end, hopefully we'll come up with something resembling a true "standings" for college football -- just like the other major sports.

Penn State fan photos | by Pat

Rather than weekly posts letting people know the new fan photo gallery is up and begging people to send in their pictures for the next game, I set up a listing of the game galleries on the right hand side of the blog. Each week a new link should show up with the current contents.

There weren't all that many pictures sent in this week, so this week's gallery is short. But thank you to those that did send in pictures. If we get more, I'll add them to the current slideshow.

Update: Thanks to those who sent in more pictures. The slideshow has been updated. I don't want to make it too long so I'll probably cut it off here. Thanks again!

War Whoop | by Jay

Zibby's new haircut forces me to revisit my list of Top 9 Mohawks, an important index which I have been keeping and revising for some time now. It is filed in the BGS archives between Top 12 Manfred Mann Cover Songs and Top 16 Muppet Show Guest Hosts (Alice Cooper, #1). Anyway, I'm trying to figure out where to slot Zibby, and it's not as easy as it would seem.

Jay's Top 9 Mohawks, current edition revised 2005© (991.357Mo):

9. David Beckham
8. Mr. T
7. Marvin the Martian
6. Maddox Jolie
5. Wez from the Road Warrior
4. Travis Bickle
3. Chief Joseph Brant (Theyendanega)
2. the 101st Airborne
1. Joe Strummer

Statistically Speaking - Penn State | by Pat

First-stringers. While some PSU fans pointed out that ND only out-gained the Nittany Lions by 14 yards (397-383), ND fans counter that a lot of that yardage came in garbage time against ND backups. And while there is some truth to that, a breakdown of the numbers shows that total yardage stats may have been inflated by the final few drives, but the Penn State yards per play numbers were about the same.

Team	Rushing yards	Passing Yards	Total Yards	Yards/Play
1st	95	131	226	5.1
Mixed	31	58	89	4.9
2nd	32	36	68	5.2
Total	158	225	383	5.1

So while the final score is all that matters and ND certainly did a good job keeping Penn State from scoring, the 5.1 yards per play average suggest that the defense really wasn't as effective as the final score indicates. As a point of comparison, ND only averaged 5.5 yards per play. And while I was thinking that this where the time of possession stat comes into play -- ND dominated this stat by having the ball more than 7 minutes longer than PSU -- Penn State actually ran more plays than did the Irish (75 to 72).

In and of itself, this isn't a horrible stat, but it should set off a few warning bells and certainly make ND fans a bit more nervous about the upcoming Michigan game. My take is that the defense is still benefiting off of turnovers and teams forced to abandon parts of their game plan in an effort to score more quickly. Eventually though, the turnovers and scoreboard disparity won't be there. What will happen then?

Slow start. Another defensive stat that is rather disheartening is how the Notre Dame defense starts both the game, and individual series of downs. The great stats website, cfbstats.com, has the breakdowns of the Irish defense and it isn't pretty in the first quarter. Taking the Tech and State games into consideration, ND is allowing 6.2 yards per rush and 7.8 yards per pass in the 1st quarter of games. The numbers all get better in the 2nd quarter and over the rest of the game, but that sort of porous start isn't a good sign.

The start of a series isn't much better either. Against Penn State, Notre Dame allowed an improbable 8.4 yards per play on Nittany Lion first downs (21 plays, 176 yards). In the first half alone it was 9 yards per play. (Thanks to BGS writer Michael for digging this stat up.)

Blitzkrieg. Here are the week 2 results of the blitzin' Irish. The total is lower than it was against Georgia Tech, which wasn't what I would have predicted. Then again, some of that is due to the fact that ND called off the blitz as the score disparity increased. After blitzing on 55% of 1st half plays, ND only blitzed on 29% of 2nd half plays.

Down	# of blitzes	# of chances	Percentage
1st	9	21	43%
2nd	5	14	36%
3rd	4	8	50%
Total	18	43	42%

Season Long Running Averages

Offense

Category	GT	PSU	2006	2005
Yards Per Rush	3.5	3.1	3.3	3.6
Avg. Yards per PA	6.5	8.0	7.2	8.7
Avg. Yards per PC	10.7	11.5	11.1	13.5
Pass Completion %	61%	69%	65%	65%
3rd Down Conv.	7/16 (44%)	5/13 (38%)	12/30 (40%)	90/184 (49%)
Rushing Yd Avg.	138.0	110.0	124.0 (71st)	147.08 (55th)
Passing Yd Avg.	246.0	287.0	266.5 (27th)	330.24 (4th)
Quinn Passing Eff.	114.91	163.91	138.75 (45th)	158.40 (7th)
Total Offense	384.0	397.0	390.5 (39th)	477.33 (10th)
Scoring Offense	14.0	34.0	27.5 (56th)	36.67 (8th)
Time of Possession	35:25	33:11	34:18	32:51
Red Zone TDs	2/3 (66%)	4/6 (66%)	6/9 (66%)	38/55 (69%)

Defense

Category	GT	PSU	2006	2005
Yards per rush given up	4.2	4.8	4.5	3.9
Avg. yards per PA	5.8	5.5	5.6	7.7
Avg. yards per PC	11.7	9.4	10.1	14.6
Pass completion %	50%	59%	55%	53%
Quarterback sacks	1	2	3	31
Rushing yards against	119.0	158.0	138.5 (73rd)	132.33 (34th)
Passing yards against	140.0	225.0	182.5 (55th)	264.6 (103rd)
Passing Eff. defense	112.75	4.2	138.8 (50th)	121.41 (53rd)
Total yd. against	259.0	383.0	321.0 (63rd)	396.92 (75th)
Scoring Defense	10.0	17.0	13.5 (31st)	24.5 (53rd)
Red Zone defense	2/2 (100%)	3/4 (75%)	5/6 (89%)	31/41 (76%)
Red Zone TD defense	1/2 (50%)	2/4 (50%)	3/6 (50%)	23/41 (56%)

Turnovers

Category	GT	PSU	2006	2005
Interceptions by ND	0	1	1	13
Fumbles forced/recovered	0	3/2	3/2	20/11
Turnovers gained	0	3	3	24
Had intercepted	0	0	0	8
Fumbles/Lost	0	1/0	1/0	17/6
Turnovers lost	0	0	0	14
Turnover Margin	0	+3	+3	+10

Special Teams

Category	GT	PSU	2006	2005
Kickoff Return average	39.5	13.0	30.7	19.0
Kickoff Return avg. allowed	17.5	13.2	14.2	21.2
Punt Return average	7.5	2.0	5.7	14.1
Punt Return avg. allowed	8.0	6.0	7.2	6.4

Maxwell Smarts | by Pat

We missed the first week of this, but here is our 5-man selection for Week 2 of the Maxwell Pundit poll. If you're unsure what this is all about, check out the student-run ND blog, Rakes of Mallow, for the 411. This is a weekly poll where each participant picks 5 players that it thinks are the best in the country. Votes are tabulated and eventually a winner will shine forth in all his glory. Here are the overall results for Week 2. And here's our picks for this week.

1. Troy Smith.
Troy gets the top spot for taking his team deep into the heart of Texas and picking on those replacement Texas corners with efficient passing and a nice deep ball. The only odd stat about Troy Smith thus far in the season is that he has fewer rushing yards and fewer rushing TDs than Brady Quinn. I think a Week 3 visit from the Cincy Bearcats will cure that.

2. Adrian Peterson
The nation's best running back had another 150+ yard day, which is amazing considering how teams are gunning to take him out of the game and force Oklahoma to pass.

3. Brady Quinn
A few rough edges , and he isn't putting up Playstation numbers, but Quinn is managing the game with safe passes that keep the errors to a minimum and keep the opponent defense on the field far longer than they would like to be. He's also scrambled for a few key first downs. And that TD run against Georgia Tech wasn't too shabby either. It's a slightly more conservative Quinn thus far than the one that was flinging passes all over the place last year, but I think that is mostly by design. His passes down the middle to John Carlson against Penn State were things of beauty.

4. Dan Connor
I realize that Penn State has lost a game already and their defense didn't exactly slow down the Irish scoring last Saturday, but I've been incredibly impressed with Dan Connor in both the Akron and ND game. He's on track for 156 tackles, 42 tackles for loss, and 24 sacks this year. I doubt he reaches all of those numbers, but it's very possible that he will lead the nation in tackles this year.

5. Calvin Johnson
I have a hard time thinking any receiver will be able to convince me that he's a better all-around college wide receiver than Calvin Johnson. Samardzija is a close #2, but Johnson's size, speed, and hands are unfairly wasted as the target of Reggie Ball's errant throws. Just imagine what he could do with a Quinn, Brohm, or Stanton as a QB.

Other players who just missed out on the Top 5: Steve Slaton of WVU, Ian Johnson of Boise State, Tom Zbikowski of Notre Dame.

Lights Out! Guerilla Video! | by Pat

We get a lot of great suggestions for story ideas, ND links, and plenty of other useful bits of information in our comment section and our email inbox on a daily basis. We appreciate all of it, and usually when we see something that we think others might enjoy too, we put it up in a post.

Well, yesterday we posted about NBCSports offering up full game videos and lo and behold, there was a comment from "IrishFan12" today mentioning that they are now also offering pre- and post-game shows, as well as live and streaming video of the band performing at halftime. At that time I was thinking it was interesting and started to work up a post about it for future posting.

But then I was reading another ND blog, MarkMayBeWrong and noticed the exact same comment, word for word, from someone named "Matt". This seemed a bit odd and I wondered if someone was going for some guerilla marketing. So I clicked over to some other ND blogs listed on our blogroll and found the same comment on nearly all of them. And then I found this.

"Question. Why is ND so awesome?"

Sure enough, a quick check of our IP logs shows that the initial comment on our blog from "IrishFan12" tracks back to a certain altaec1.nbc.com.

Come on now, NBC. All you had to do was shoot us an email and let us know about the additional online video coverage of ND football and we would have gladly posted about it. But this "hey guys, look what I found!" guerilla marketing move is pretty silly and sneaky, not to mention wholly unnecessary, for a major TV network. As penance, we demand that you switch around some of your on-air talent and get Dwight Schrute to be the new sideline reporter for all ND home games.

Odds & Sods - Sam Raimi Edition | by Mike

"I must break you"

Atonement. After missing both attempts against Georgia Tech, Carl Gioia was successful on both of his field goal attempts against Penn State. While it's easy to overlook a pair of field goals during a game that at one point was 41-3, Gioia's field goals helped set the tone early. Because the Irish were able to come away with points on the early drives, subsequent events became backbreakers. With Notre Dame already holding a two-possession lead, the beautiful drive to close the first half and then Zbikowski's touchdown broke Penn State's spirit. Contrast this with the momentum-killing impact of Penn State's field goal bungle (although Trevor Laws appeared to be in great position to block the kick even if Penn State had not had problems with the hold). In addition to their impact on the Penn State game, Gioia's field goals were a welcome development with Michigan on the horizon.

Take it there. Notre Dame's drive at the close of the first half was a thing of beauty. With 1:24 remaining in the half, the drive started at the Notre Dame 31. Seven plays, 69 yards, and 1:17 later, the drive ended with the touchdown that put Notre Dame up 20-0. Quinn hit Carlson, Walker twice, and McKnight twice on the drive and had an eleven-yard scramble of his own. The drive illustrated once again how deadly the Weis-Quinn combo is at the close of a half. Many may have been reminded of the final drive of the first half against Georgia Tech, but the drive was also reminiscent of the final drives against Southern Cal and Stanford last year in that Notre Dame never even faced a third down.

Clampdown. Penn State's speed on the perimeter was negated by the Notre Dame defense, in part due to excellent open-field tackling. For all the talk about his speed and elusiveness, Derrick Williams was a statistical no-show in the box score. Despite the many ways Penn State tried to put the ball in Williams's hands, he had a combined 10 yards rushing and passing. The Irish also bottled up Penn State's speed guys in the return game. Penn State's best field position following an Irish kickoff was the 30-yard-line, and this came on the squib kick that ended the first half.

Minnesoter. Though John Carlson did not appear to be quite at Anthony Fasano's level as a blocker against Georgia Tech, the Minnesota native had the best receiving game yet for a tight end during the Weis era. Carlson had six receptions for 98 yards. Carlson's second catch of the game went for 29 yards, a career high that would be bested when Carlson hauled in a 32-yard pass on his fourth catch of the game. The block fellow Minnesota tight end Marcus Freeman put on Derrick Williams during the fake punt is also worth mentioning.

Hot nickels. Once again, a strong performance by Notre Dame's nickel defense carried the day. Between the second half of the Georgia Tech game and the first half of the Penn State game, Notre Dame played four consecutive quarters of shutout football. Whether Notre Dame can maintain this defensive performance when game situations require a base 4-3 defense remains to be seen. One of the keys for the Michigan game will be how often Notre Dame is forced to play a 4-3 defense.

Come out and play. Last week, we saw twelve freshmen get on the field against the Yellowjackets (Brown, Gaines, Jackson, McNeil, Prince, Richardson, Ryan, Smith, Walls, West, Yeatman, and Young). This week, freshmen Eric Olsen, Robby Parris, and Konrad Reuland also saw the field. The passel of highly touted recruits visiting Notre Dame this weekend surely appreciated Weis's willingness to let players contribute early in their collegiate careers.

Leaders of men. After time expired, a group of three players led the team over to the corner of the stadium to salute the student section. The three were Ambrose Wooden, Bob Morton and Travis Leitko. Given the adversity the latter two have recently faced, the emotion on their faces as they approached their peers was one of the highlights of the day.

T² | by Jay

In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight

I'm still sorting through the euphoric haze of the big win over Penn State on Saturday. In the meantime, hoist a glass to Charlie's two-way monster, Travis Thomas. While a bunch of guys have cameoed on the other side of the ball over the years (especially defensive backs under Holtz like Jeff Burris, Willie Clark, etc), I think you have to go back to the days of Leon Hart (ed. note: or Dick Arrington) to find an ND player who put in significant time on both offense and defense. Thomas isn't a true two-way player -- nobody does that anymore -- but he's been getting more than a cup of coffee on offense in these first two games.

You've got to love a guy who can play all game at linebacker, a new position he picked up this year, yet still has enough juice left in the tank to burn out the clock against Tech, or bowl over a cornerback on a jawbreaking, helmet-ripping collision, and get into the endzone. Oh, and in between, play punt coverage, kickoff coverage, and serve as one of the three team captains.

On a team full of cult heroes, Travis Thomas might be the most improbable. It wasn't that long ago that Trav was fumbling against BYU, and was benched against Michigan. The next game he resurfaced against MSU, whereupon he fumbled again, and was finally stashed on the bench for pretty much the rest of the 2004 season. How bad was it? Thomas had six carries and two fumbles in the opener; the rest of the year, he only touched it 19 times, finishing with 25 rushes for 25 yards, a bad case of the shakes, and a shattered confidence.

Nowadays he's one of the shining, successful reclamation projects of the Charlie Weis renaissance. The trials of '04 are ancient history for Thomas. Back then, the coaches were afraid to give him the ball; now, his playing time is restricted only by his endurance, which seems to be limitless. After starring at running back last year as a change-of-pace battering ram from the shifty Darius Walker (especially in the Southern Cal game), he was asked to switch to linebacker for '06, his senior year.

Think about this for a second. The guy is benched as a sophomore, finally works his way back into the mix on offense under a new coach, and just when he's feeling supremely confident -- he had a hell of a Blue-Gold game at running back this spring -- Charlie asks him to switch positions for his senior year (he does have one more year of eligibility left). A lot of guys might take the proposal half-heartedly, or simply outright refuse to move. Not Thomas. After a short period of discernment, he jumped in and started soaking up the new position with enthusiasm. And while he's still a work-in-progress at linebacker, it's not for lack of effort. Here's an interview we linked earlier where Thomas talks a bunch about the move to the new position.

On Saturday, he was directly responsible for 14 points. His hit (along with Mo Crum) on Morelli was a killer for Penn State, who was trying to generate some momentum on their first drive of the second half. Thomas jarred the ball lose and Zibby scooped it up and took it in for a score. Later on Saturday, after his ramble on the fake punt (which was actually cued by Thomas, based on his sizing up PSU's defensive alignment), you could tell that Charlie wanted to give him a chance to hit the end zone, rushing him three times in four downs, and he finally got in on the sweep left. (Here's a video link of the play, care of The Extra Point).

The Chicago Trib had a pretty good recap on Thomas' exploits against Penn State.

Thomas, who blitzed on the [Morelli fumble], wouldn't mind getting a little love from the statisticians, as well. "I hope I get credit," he said. "I hit him first. But Mo might have knocked it out, so we'll see it on tape [Monday]. But it doesn't matter. We got six out of it."

Thomas almost got another six on a fake punt late in the third quarter. Still leading by 24, Notre Dame faced fourth-and-3 from Penn State's 48. Irish coach Charlie Weis would pin the Nittany Lions deep, right?

Nope. If we have learned anything from Weis after 14 games, it's that the man hates to punt. He doesn't view fourth down as a time to surrender. Before Thomas took the field as a punt protector, he said he got "an alert" from special teams coach Brian Polian: "He was like: `Hey, if they line up in a certain alignment, you're free to call [a fake]."

Thomas took the direct snap and knifed though the middle for an easy 43-yard run.

"It parted like the Red Sea," he said. Thomas, the starting weak-side linebacker, then stayed in the game for Notre Dame's goal-line package.

On fourth-and-goal from the 1--Weis likes field-goal tries about as much as punts--Thomas sprinted around left end and smashed into cornerback Justin King.

Next came a moment that will become legend in Notre Dame's film room. The collision knocked King's helmet off his head. Thomas loved it.

"That was personal," he said. "[King] is a Pittsburgh guy, from Gateway [High School]. So I just wanted to let him know that I'm from Pittsburgh too. I said a little something in his ear when his helmet was off but I think he was a little dazed, so he didn't know what was going on."

Would he even have wanted to know? Doubtful. The touchdown gave Notre Dame a 34-3 lead. Call it the knockout blow.

On Sunday after the game, Charlie was talking about Carl Gioia, but what he said made me think of Travis. A reporter asked Charlie if he was nervous about sending Gioia back out there for a field goal on Saturday after missing two against Georgia Tech, and Charlie elaborated on his philosophy on reestablishing confidence in a player who makes a mistake.

I was really happy for that situation to occur, especially early in the game. I said, Okay, Carl, let's go, you're in there. I think the sooner you can get a player out of that rut, the sooner you can break through, usually you can move past that. It's like a good quarterback, a good quarterback that throws an interception. It's always good after a quarterback throws an interception to come back and throw the ball again and get a completion. It's always good after your starting running back fumbles the ball, knock on wood, because that's not what I'm rooting for, but it's always important after he does that to give him a touch right off the bat and get that by him.

It was a circuitous journey, and he ended up in a place he didn't expect, but by virtue of a much-needed second chance and a deep reservoir of intestinal fortitude, TT is finally getting his touches. Hat's off to him.

Blowout Breakdown | by Pat

I'm going to switch up my weekly game review post and forgo the position-by-position breakdown. After all, there are only so many ways to say that Samardzija is really good. Instead I'll just focus on things that stood out to me, both in the game overall and at the player level.

The Game

• As Coach Weis said, just a fantastic game by all three facets of the team: offense, defense, and special teams. Sure there were mistakes, but it was great to watch all parts of the Irish team work together for a convincing win and not have to hope that the offense/defense would be able to make up for the shortcomings of the defense/offense.

• When is the last time ND got criticized for running up the score on a quality opponent? My take on the fake punt and 4th down attempts late in the game are as follows. When the fake punt occured, ND was winning by 24 points and there were still over 21 minutes left in the game. As many ND fans remember, the Irish were down by 21 points to Michigan State last year with 20 minutes left and yet still managed to tie the game and force overtime. It was unlikely that Penn State would be able to do that, but the game was hardly over then. Apparently Coach Paterno agrees that it wasn't that bad a call.

"I never really thought, till they get the fake punt, the big play, which was a great call on their part, till that happened, I still felt we had a shot at it."

There were also some cries about still passing while up 31 in the 4th quarter and going for it on 4th down. Of the 5 passes that Quinn threw after ND went up by 31, only 2 of them were thrown past the line of scrimmage. One was a dump-off to running back Darius Walker and the other was a 3 yard pass to tight end John Carlson. Not exactly throwing it deep, Spurrier-style, there. As for the 4th down conversion, ND was already on the PSU 26 yard line. That doesn't leave any room for punting so Weis could either attempt the field goal and get accused of trying to run up the score, or go for it, and get accused of trying to run up the score. I think it's worth pointing out that the guy who got the ball on the 4th down attempt was ND's backup fullback, senior Ashley McConnell; a player who had only one career carry at that point.

Once the starters were pulled with 12 minutes remaining in the game, ND didn't attempt a pass again even though it might be wise to have ND's second string QB, Evan Sharpley, actually attempt his first collegiate pass before something happens and he's forced into a more serious situation.

• While we're on the subject of backups, it was great that so many of the 2nd stringers got a good amount of game action. Perhaps it wasn't so encouraging to watch as Penn State rattled off two quick TDs, but nothing helps a player like playing in a game, which is something that really hurt ND in the past as too many close games meant very few chances to play backups and develop team depth.

• Lastly, it was nice to see that NBC finally upped the production value of the broadcast. New intro, Jimmy Roberts on location, full coverage of the team running out of the tunnel before the game and singing with the students afterward; it was all a welcome change from the cheesy guitar intro of seasons past. Of course, the price we pay is that we'll have to watch those two Vonage ads approximately 357 more times this season. "Honey, look! Dolphins!"

The Players

• Brady Quinn has looked a bit off at times, especially on his fade passes to the corners of the endzone, but his two long passes to John Carlson were things of beauty. It's hard to find passes much better than those.

• The OL did a great job against the PSU front seven, but Bob Morton still looks to be having a bit of trouble with blitzing linebackers and quicker defensive lineman, especially when they stunt. I figure teams will keep sending multiple men his way until he's able to work with Sullivan and Young to shore up the leaky right side of the line.

• Speaking of Sam Young, he continues to impress me with his size, speed, and ability to knock defenders back. His trophy case is going to be very full by the time he leaves ND. And when he went out of the game in the 2nd quarter, Paul Duncan did a pretty good job in his stead. After so much uncertainty in the pre-season, the right tackle position seems pretty solid now to me. Taking it a step further, Young and Duncan should form an excellent bookend tackle duo over the next three seasons.

• It's great to watch Travis Thomas all over the field on offense and defense. He looks very solid at linebacker considering how new he is to the position. And I think his hustle throughout the game is just another testament to the great job by Coach Ruben Mendoza and the rest of the strength and conditioning staff. All of the Irish players look to be in fantastic shape and showed just how conditioned they are as they wore down both the Yellow Jackets and Nittany Lions in the 2nd half of both games.

• With a tough running team in Michigan coming up, I don't think ND will be able to get away with running the nickel as much as they have recently. Someone is going to need to step up and have a solid game at the strongside linebacker position. Weis credited Mitchell Thomas for his special teams play, which is good, because when Anthony Vernaglia was in late in the game, he looked pretty out of place on a number of plays. He was the first linebacker off the bench, as he replaced Travis Thomas in the nickel when ND started to work the backups into the game, but for the second straight game he didn't record any tackles. I only saw ND run a straight 4-3 defense once with the 2nd string and the lineup was Mitchell Thomas, Toryan Smith, and Joe Brockington. The rest of the time it was just Vernaglia and Brockington as ND stayed in the nickel in order to force PSU to run out the clock with short throws and rushes.

• Other players that I noticed for either great individual plays or just all-around hustle: Chinedum Ndukwe - for yet another devastating hit on an opposing player; Travis Leitko - for really hustling all over the field; Terrail Lambert - for that open field punt return tackle on Derrick Williams; Sergio Brown - for holding on to the Penn State player by his jersey just long enough to allow the rest of the team to tackle him; Raeshon McNeil - for diving for Zibby's fumble punt return and out-hustling the Penn State defenders for the ball; and Steve Quinn - for a superb special teams tackle after knifing through the Penn State wedge.

Vote Quinnby | by Pat

While most internet polls rank right up there with that Speak Up! column in your local paper that all the crazy people write in to, I figure it can't hurt to dip into some shameless Irish boosterism for this one. Brady Quinn was announced as one of the four finalists for the Cingular ESPN All-America Player of the Week. If click on over to the linked page you can find instructions on how to text in your vote as well as video highlights of the four finalists, who beside Quinn include Troy Smith, Adrian Peterson, and Chris Leak. But vote Quinn. If you want to.

A is for All-American | by Pat

After celebrating Notre Dame's 7 Heisman winners at Gate B last year, phase two of the multi-year project to honor ND's rich football tradition is up and running. Now inside of Gate A in the House that Rock Built is a large display depicting the 79 Consensus All-Americans who have played for the Fighting Irish. Und.com has the rundown on the project.

Each display inside Gate A at the stadium is a 10-by-16-foot Notre Dame blue powder-coated aluminum plate with the ND logo in gold at the top. The displays are entitled "Consensus All-Americans" in Notre Dame gold letters eight inches high across the top of the blue panel. Featured on the panels are authentic Notre Dame helmets with nameplates representing the consensus All-Americans from Notre Dame, plus room for four future consensus All-Americans.

Interesting last line there. Four future consensus All-Americans? I can see two names potentially being added this year in Quinn and Zbikowski -- remember that Samardzija is already up on the display -- but that's about it as of now. I'm guessing the four open spots are just a way to avoid having to redo the sign for next year without having too many open slots.

No pictures of the display on und.com yet, so if anyone has any, kindly send them to us in an email so we can post them. The future plans for the remaining three gates include a display commenorating ND's national championship teams and championship winning coaches. Hopefully the latter includes plans for that statue of Ara on campus that is long overdue.

Speaking of celebrating ND's past, in case you missed it, each home game this year will feature a different former ND Heisman winner being honored during a ceremonial coin toss prior to the game as well as featured on the cover of the official game program and on the actual game ticket itself.

Irish replay | by Pat

In a bid to get Notre Dame fans everywhere fired from their jobs, NBC Sports is now offering free, archived streaming video of all Notre Dame home games on their website. Hat tip to ndnation poster Fayt1nd for bringing this to our attention. The video quality looks good and the best part is that the game is stripped down to only include the actual play, so the entire game can be watched in about 45 minutes. Follow the NBCSports video player link here and click on the "Notre Dame" tab on the upper right. In addition to a few online features about the Irish football program, the full game replay should be right there for your enjoyment.

And speaking of online video, our good friend Nevin just uploaded his latest highlight videos of the Georgia Tech and Penn State games. Make sure to check them out.

Penn State game photo galleries | by Pat

Some fantastic pictures out there of the 41-17 win over the Nittany Lions. Here are the major galleries: und.com, Penn State's official football site, the South Bend Tribune, Pittsburgh Live, PennLive.com, Era of Ara (Irish Eyes), Blue and Gold Illustrated, Irish Illustrated, SI.com, Getty Images, and the AP photo wire. If you notice any online photo galleries that I missed, drop a comment and I'll add it.

For photo of the week, I think I'm going with this one by John Biever of Sports Illustrated. Chinedum Ndukwe drills Derrick Williams as he attempts to launch a pass downfield over Travis Leitko's outstretched hands. The runner-up would be this excellent shot of Morelli's fumble at the hands of Travis Thomas and Mo Crum.

Upon Further Review, Week Two | by Dylan

Well, that was certainly more enjoyable than last week. I'll leave the game breakdown for the other guys, but I'll make two observations. First, as much as I like the defense, I have this nagging feeling that the linebacking situation is going to bite us in the ass. Do other great defensive teams, championship caliber teams, play eighty percent nickel? Maybe. I don't know. Second, Joe Paterno was about as involved in that game as was my four-year-old son, who spent much of the second half decorating the kitchen wall with chocolate ice cream. I got the feeling that those random smears were not too unlike the game plan running through Paterno's head. How many times did the Howitzer-armed Morelli line up at wide-out?

Week two featured another go-round on the confectioner's carousel, with West Virginia (Eastern Washington), Wisconsin (Western Illinois), Florida (Central Florida), Miami (Florida A&M), Nebraska (Nicholls State), TCU (UC-Davis), Michigan (Central Michigan), and Michigan State (Eastern Michigan), putting off dinner until after the donuts. I was unable to find box scores for the other Michigan compass-point schools (North-Northwestern Michigan?), but I'm sure they fared equally well against their Big 1? opponents. Shameful and cowardly. Last week's installment of Attack of the Killer Gelatos almost produced a sequel in Tallahassee. Oh, man, that was gonna be great! Alas, Free Shoes U managed to hit it past the ladies' tees and therefore avoids having to play Clemson with their pants down. The Seminoles shook off the rushing malaise that dogged them in the Miami game (1 yard on 26 carries) and exploded for 45 yards on 28 attempts. At least they got that sorted out.

Purdue, in a display of Spackian brilliance, limited would-be cupcake Miami (OH) to 481 yards of offense and 28 second-half points in their cagey ploy to lure the Red Hawks into overtime before finishing them off. Tiller is one crafty sumbitch. Wear 'em down and beat 'em in the fifth quarter. When asked about the game lengthening strategy, Tiller replied "We won't get old, and we won't ever die." ND might score 100 points on them, and should not require overtime to do it.

Georgia Tech, whose tenacious D dropped ND in the polls, may ultimately end up as one of ND's more impressive victories this year. Granted, after the opening loss the Yellow Jackets licked their wounds against Samford, but they showed that the Irish defensive effort in Atlanta was no fait accompli. The Wreck scored 35 first half points on their way to a 38-6 romp. Georgia Tech affirmed what a great coach Bob Davie is. They just...got...Calvin...Johnson...the...baw. I just vurped when I wrote that.

A great headline that should have been: Air Force Shoots Down Tennessee! Damn. Tennessee cements its "enigma" status, becoming heroes only after the Academy's failed game-ending act of valor.

This week's TCB in a flash teams are OSU, ND, Auburn, and LSU. That's it. Next week's games will help shake the list out further, especially Nebraska-USC, Florida-Tennessee, and Auburn-LSU. Joining Tennessee on the enigma list are Georgia, Louisville, FSU, and Oklahoma. Alone in the "We'll probably never know because they play a schedule that would embarrass a freak-show geek" is West Virginia.

Georgia beat South Carolina 18-0. Sure, an upset would have been more interesting, but I can't get enough of that face.

It was a bad week to be a former coach at Florida, as Galen Hall, Spurrier, and Ron Zook will attest. The first two have job security. Zook is eyeing Kurt Warner's old job after losing to Rutgers 33-0. Yikes.

San Jose State, whose inclusion on BGS' ballot for last week's blogpoll (long story; see SMQ for sort of what we were thinking) got us kicked out of the poll by Brian at Mgoblog, did what most of the top 25 did not do. They beat a school in a BCS conference, the second one they've played in as many weeks. Mgoblog threw out our ballot because he thought we were not taking the poll seriously enough and that we were screaming for attention with our unconventional Week 1 approach in which we rewarded teams that played well in week one, regardless of reputation or previous years' performance. Well, whatever. Mgoblog's preseason #2 (five spots ahead of Ohio State) and current #5 (one spot ahead of Ohio State) Iowa somehow managed to derail Syracuse (1-10 in 2005) in overtime. Mgoblog PRESEASON #2 IOWA scored 10 points in regulation against the Orangemen, who have won 1 of their past 13 games. They're just that daggone good.

Six days until Michigan. Six days until Chad Henne throws balls into our linemen's elbows, until Lloyd Carr goes conservative halfway through the second quarter, until those Princeton-designed helmets crash into the gleaming golden domes of our warrior poets, until Michigan fans bemoan the patent unfairness of it all and, somehow, insist to claim victory in defeat. I love it.

Go Irish.

Game Time! | by Dylan

Nittany Grab Bag | by Jay

• Pep rally is in the stadium tonight. 6:00 PM. Rumors of a "big name" appearing are at present unconfirmed.

• Pep rally is also viewable online at UND.com if you're interested. The link will be available there once the rally starts.

• Scalpers' prices are out of control, but ND is cracking down.

• UND has a transcript of a Travis Thomas interview that's really good.

• Easter Heathman is getting an honorary monogram at the pep rally.

• SBDomer posted his South Bend Pub Crawl over on NDN, which I've reposted here (so it doesn't get lost in a board flush). 10 bars in one night -- not for the faint of heart.

• Lots of good retrospectives around the web on the all-time ND-Penn State series, especially this one from the PA Centre Daily Times. We're 8-8-1 against the Nittanies overall.

• Looking at the historical rundown, what strikes me is that 12-year, home-and-home series that ran from '81 to '92. Could you imagine any team signing such a long-term deal today? Of course Penn State was the other prominent Independent team at the time, so it really made sense from both sides to do a long-running series. But that whiff of nostalgia whets my appetite for another bold stroke of scheduling, instead of more dinks-and-dunks of the Big East variety. How about a 12-year home-and-home with Alabama?

• I'm off to South Bend bright and early tomorrow morning. See you Sunday. Go team.

Snow Job | by Jay

This takes nothing away from Mike's essay below, which is heartfelt and honest, and is certainly representative of how a lot of Lions' fans feel about their coach. But I had to chuckle when this bit came across the wire last night.

Brandon Snow, Penn State's best fullback and a terrific blocker, had been suspended back in August for "a couple of games", according to JoePa.

"Brandon Snow won't get to play in the first couple of ball games for reasons I don't think it would be fair to discuss," Paterno said.

Yesterday, this report came out of Happy Valley:

On his call-in radio show Thursday, Penn State coach Joe Paterno said fullback BranDon Snow will play in the Nittany Lions' week No. 2 road trip to fourth-ranked Notre Dame. Paterno cited Snow's hard work on the foreign team during his time in the coach's infamous doghouse as the reason behind the faster-than-expected re-instatement.

While Paterno said Snow will play against the Fighting Irish, he did not say how much action he would see or if the fifth-year senior would start.

Regardless, Snow figures to be an important addition to a Penn State offense that struggled to move the ball on the ground in last weekend's season-opening 34-16 win over Akron, generating 76 yards on 27 carries.

Well, how conveeenient. We don't know what Snow's transgression was. But the sudden leniency in the face of a tough matchup reminded me of another episode in the Happy Valley blotter.

Back in 2000, Paterno had to make a very difficult decision about their quarterback. Rashard Casey was accused of assaulting a police officer, and was actually charged with the crime. And Paterno decided to play him anyway (redshirt sophomore Matt Senneca would have likely been the replacement). "I'm going to play Rashard Casey until something convinces me I shouldn't," JoePa said at the time. And he took a lot of heat for it, too. But the charges were eventually dropped in late October, and Casey (and Paterno) were vindicated.

There is some honor in Paterno's standing behind Casey and giving him the benefit of the doubt, especially in light of the eventual outcome. Still, there's no way in hell a starting quarterback at ND would ever be allowed to take the field with criminal charges pending against him.

JoePa | by Pat

It's been a long time since we've had an honest-to-goodness legend come to face ND. And while we joke around about his age, and giggle at his press conference bloopers, the fact is that Joe Paterno has been coaching in some manner or other at Penn State longer than Charlie has been alive. That kind of longevity is hard to fathom for ND fans, when even our greatest Irish coaches have lasted only about a decade or so. We did a little Q&A with Mike from the Penn State blog Black Shoes Diaries (check it out if you have a second) and in return, we had a simple essay question for him: As a Penn State fan, what does JoePa mean to you? Here's what Mike had to say.

Penn State University has played 1153 football games in its 120 year history. Joe Paterno has been an assistant coach or the head coach in 611 of them. That’s over half. Paterno owns 355 of the school’s 772 all time wins. Joe Paterno is the face of Penn State football and Penn State football is a reflection of Joe Paterno. Achieving longevity like that takes more than just winning games. It’s more than x’s and o’s. It’s about being part of the community. It’s about standing for principles and values that go beyond football. It’s about doing things the right way.

In the 1970’s Joe had a vision that has since come to be known as “The Grand Experiment.” Paterno believed it was possible to have a program that excelled in academics as much as it excelled in football. He insisted his players go to class and get good grades. He was determined to run a clean program that followed the rules and still enjoyed success on the field. In the 1998 Citrus Bowl Paterno benched his two biggest offensive weapons on the team. Curtis Enis sat out for accepting a suit from an agent, and Joe Jurevicius sat out for skipping classes. Penn State lost the game, but it didn’t matter. Winning in football comes second to winning in life at Penn State.

Paterno is deathly loyal to Penn State. He had opportunities to join the NFL in the 70’s and 80’s. He turned them down, saying Penn State was where he belonged. He and his wife Sue have given $3.5 million dollars of their own money to the University to fund various academic ventures. In the 1990’s he co-chaired a committee that raised more than $12 million for a new library. Today the main library on campus is known as the Paterno Library. Penn State is the only school to name the football stadium after a former university president and the library after the head football coach.

Joe laughs when people call him a legend. At Penn State, we laugh too. We don’t think of him as a legend. He’s just Joe. He lives just a few blocks off campus in a very modest home for someone who probably makes over a million dollars a year (the university will not release his salary). He doesn’t get around as well anymore, but he and Sue used to walk home from the games, waving to the fans and stopping to pose for pictures. He could often be seen walking around campus on his way to a meeting or practice. People would yell “Joe!” and he would wave and flash them a wink. He is always approachable. He is one of us. When he comes out of the tunnel for warm-ups on game day he circles in front of the student section and takes in a round of applause. He could keep looking straight ahead and pretend he doesn’t hear it, but he always waves and acknowledges the crowd. If it’s a big game he may start waving his hands in the air as if to say, “Is that all you got?” He’s like our grandfather. His words may be slurred and he stutters when he collects his thoughts, but you can tell his mind is still as sharp as a tack. He doesn’t have time to deal with silliness, but he still likes to mix it up.

A favorite story about Joe was last year when the wrestling coach was showing a potential recruit around the campus. He walked into Joe’s office to introduce the kid to the legendary football coach. Joe shook his hand and then dropped to his knees and tried to tackle the kid with a double-leg takedown. The kid quickly sidestepped the 79 year old man and put a reverse move on him and had Paterno pinned face down with his arm pinned behind his back in a matter of seconds. Paterno started yelling “Wait! Wait! I’m an old man!” That’s Joe. Just having fun doing what he does.

We love him because he’s tough. He tells you what’s on his mind and he isn’t going to hold anything back (other than football strategy for an upcoming game). This with his loyalty, his commitment, and his humble upbringing is what makes us love him so. In the list of great college coaches like Bear Bryant, Pop Warner, and Alonzo Stagg, Joe Paterno deserves to be right there with them. NCAA President Myles Brand called Penn State a “model institution”. He brings dignity and class to the school. I don’t mean to disrespect Bobby Bowden, but 20 years from now I don’t think you will hear anyone say they want to model their program after his. That is really all you need to know.

Joe still has two years left on his contract, and I’m sure he intends to honor it. I think he will continue to coach as long as he is physically capable. Bear Bryant was his hero when he was a young coach. The two of them were good friends which is why Penn State used to play Alabama so much in the 70’s and 80’s. When Bear retired it was only a few months later when he died. I think that personally affected Paterno and he’ll continue to coach until he just physically can’t anymore. There is no clear successor at this point, but Penn State is such a family program and there are so many assistant coaches that have been with the program for over 10 years that I suspect they will promote someone from within. Tom Bradley, the defensive coordinator, is the most likely choice. He’s been with the program for 28 years. I hope Joe stays on with the team in some capacity even after he is gone. Let him work for the Athletic Director or something. He still has amazing charisma and can make a big impression on recruits. Thanks for giving me the chance to answer such an open ended question.

Usually when we Penn State fans start talking about our coach, most people roll their eyes and walk away. So I appreciate the opportunity.

Thanks to Mike at BSD sharing his thoughts on the guy in the dark glasses and the black shoes with us. For a pretty detailed retrospective on JoePa and his legacy at Penn State, check out the Paterno bio on the official PSU site.

the Snow Bowl | by Pat

This video has been posted multiple times this week on various ND message boards and blogs, but I just wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance to watch Nevin's lastest highlight video of the 1992 Notre Dame - Penn State "Snow Bowl" in order to get ready for the game tomorrow.

UND.com also has a Snow Bowl retrospective up that includes an illuminating interview with Reggie Brooks. It's interesting to hear Brooks explain that Lou Holtz drew up the final 2-point conversion play on the spot after the Irish used their normal 2-point conversion play the play earlier when Mirer found Bettis for touchdown. Also, Brooks explains that his rep for having poor hands came from the fact that he never wore his contacts in practice. But he had them in for the game and was able to make the catch.

And of course, no mention of the Snow Bowl can be complete without the photo of the play that would be turned into the famous "Irish Impact" poster that soon became a near mandatory presence in all Notre Dame dorm rooms. (ed note: Actually, the Irish Impact poster was taken from the sideline. This is another vantage point of the same play, but is a pretty sweet photo in its own right.)

Lion Taming | by Michael

Some thoughts on attacking (and defending) the Paternos after watching the Akron-Penn State game.

• Akron consistently put 8 men in the box to stuff Penn State's rushing attack. They also blitzed a lot to put pressure on Morelli, though they never really got to him. To put it nicely, the Zips are probably mediocre at best on defense, although they do feature former Miami Hurricane/Rutgers Scarlet Knight Nate Robinson. The Zips made ten tackles for negative yardage, so their aggression clearly paid off at times. Penn State doesn't have a dominant front line, and the Zips showed that it can be exposed.

• Morelli is not very mobile, so if I'm Minter, I'm not worried about containment. I would expect the defensive line to aggressively shoot the gaps on passing downs. I'm not sure they'll do that on first and second down, though, since our linebackers appear to be somewhat vulnerable. Minter may want to use our defensive line to protect the backers and allow them to flow to the ball. For what it's worth, I also suspect we'll see more stunts like ones used in the 2nd half against Georgia Tech. The Irish will use the quickness they have upfront (Laws, Abiamiri, Landri) to be disruptive, and Morrice Richardson will rush off the edge on passing downs. Penn State does have a good left tackle in Levi Brown, one of the best in the country, so I would expect the Talley/Frome combo to be neutralized all day.

• Will Minter blitz to get more pressure? I'm going to guess that we'll pick our spots. Against Georgia Tech, in the first half we often blitzed Mike Richardson from the slot, but the Yellow Jackets also had only one receiver who could really hurt the defense. And that he did -- in the first half. Calvin Johnson had two big catches for 74 yards on plays where Richardson blitzed. Consequently, in the second half we doubled Johnson a lot more and blitzed Tom Zbikowski instead. Zibby was never the safety on Johnson's side, and so we could maintain the double coverage that shut Johnson down in the second half.

• With that said, Penn State has speedy receivers, and I'm not sure that the staff will want to leave them in single coverage (although our defensive backs covered extremely well last week). The game plan might be to confuse Morelli through lots of pre-snap movement and disguised coverages. For instance, showing cover 2 and rolling it over to cover 3 or cover 1. Showing zone (DBs 5-7 yards off the ball), and then quickly moving up to press receivers just prior to the snap. Stuff like that. As a result, the Irish may be able to confuse Morelli enough that the front four can generate enough of a pass rush.

• Now, Penn State's offensive staff clearly has a dilemma. They obviously saw that we have issues in our base defense, but their TEs are terrible. These guys have been getting ripped by their fans for their inability to make basic blocks last week. Confidence is low. The Nittany Lions will want to run the ball, but since they possess three truly talented WRs, they will have to leave one of them on the bench to encourage the Irish to use their base 4-3. Penn State's strength allows us to avoid what may be one of our biggest weaknesses. Conversely, what they would need to do in order to coax the Irish base defense will simultaneously weaken their offense.

• Everyone talks about Penn State's linebackers and they are very good. They've switched to this new 3-4 defense that will allow them to put their best eleven defenders on the field. You can't blame them for wanting to do that. However, they used outside linebacker Tim Shaw as a rush end quite a bit last week. Shaw goes 6-1, 238 lbs, and he doesn't put a hand on the ground, he stands. Jim Shaw was the starting DE but is now out with an ankle injury, so Tim is expected to stick at end and play a lot more snaps. Against Akron that kind of size sacrifice can work. But now he'll line up against Ryan Harris, probably the quickest lineman on our roster, and one of the better left tackles in the country. And if ND also puts a TE over there, it's going to be much harder for Shaw to make plays. Linebackers can be good at shedding blocks, but they also like to avoid being engaged. With Harris and either John Carlson or Marcus Freeman right on him, I'll take ND's chances every time. I think it's a match-up where we can run on them.

• Across the front, PSU only has one good DT (Jay Alford). The other three defensive linemen have a combined three starts (all against Akron). Depth is a huge question mark. At the same time, their secondary has talent, but it's youthful. Even though many prognosticators are suggesting that Penn State (and others) may copy the Georgia Tech gameplan, I think that may be a bit premature. Penn State will probably not blitz all that much. Three reasons. First, blitzes can give up big plays, and given Paterno's general conservative nature, he may not want to ask Morelli to carry too much of the load in his first road test. If Penn State gives up points quickly, it's asking a lot of a starter with only one game under his belt. Second, does Penn State really want to put their younger players in man coverage with meager help against experienced receivers like Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight? Finally, the Irish haven't demonstrated yet that they can actually kick a field goal. Defenses are going to be a lot more conservative against us in the hopes that the offense stalls in the redzone. The absence of a proven kicking game puts more pressure on the offense, not less.

• If I had to guess, ND will use a lot of two-TE packages...this is a backtrack for me as I originally thought we'd spread out their linebackers and even try to force substitutions by bringing in extra wide receivers. However, the weakness of this Nittany Lion defense will be the front four, and I expect the offense to pound, pound, and pound some more. We'll also open it up with more play-action than we saw last week. Their safeties, who may be asked to help out in the running game, could be prime targets for play action fakes.

• Ultimately, I think Penn State won't get too aggressive with the blitzes, as I think their gameplan will be more conservative, and I don't think they want to force Morelli to have to win the game on his own if they give up points on big plays early. State has a great kicker in Kevin Kelly, so they will want to limit the number of possessions and hope they can stall us in the red zone and force us to attempt field goals. It's more advantageous for them to play very conservatively on defense. However, that strategy may also allow us to tire them out by the 4th quarter with long drives made up of short passes, runs, and the occasional deep play action pass. The Irish should win not only the time of possession battle, but more importantly, the game.

You talkin' to me? | by Pat

The first BGS fan photo gallery is up and running. There weren't all that many pictures to choose from, but considering it was a first attempt at this and a road game to boot, I think it came out great. Thanks to readers Joseph M., Eddie F., and Josh R. for sending in pictures.

Make sure to take your camera along with you to the Penn State game and send us in your best shots when you get back home. It should be a great game weekend and we'd love to have you help us photo-document it. Remember, be creative!

Stand by your fan | by Pat

One of the things to stick around for at the first home game of the year is what looks to be the start of a new tradition at Notre Dame Stadium.

While it's been customary in the past for the crowd to sing the Alma Mater after the game, Weis and Dye saw room for expansion.

"I talked to the captains this summer ... and last year when we honored Navy we went over and stood behind their team while they were singing their Alma Mater," Weis told The Observer after his press conference Sunday. "And having been a student at this school, it went through my mind, 'Hey, why don't we do this?'"

From there the band was contacted and details were worked out so that from now on, the team will sing the Alma Mater in front of the student section after the game with their classmates and all other Irish fans still in the stadium.

"The players love being part of the student body," Weis said. "This is a little different place than a lot of other schools. I just thought that as long as we're here, and the band's here, and the students are here, you could do this."

Sounds like a great idea to us.

Baghdad Bob in Happy Valley | by Pat

During April of 2003, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, aka "Baghdad Bob" quickly gained minor celebrity status for his daily pronouncements of how well things were going for the Iraqi army. Soon, he declared, the American scum would be surrendering to the vastly superior Iraqi warriors. Like Chip from Animal House, Bob kept at it right up until the end, whereupon he quickly disappeared to who knows where.

There had been some speculation that he was living in the United Arab Emirates, but it's come to our attention that he may have resurfaced right here in America, in the sleepy village of University Park, PA, with a job that requires his particular skill set: official biographer for the Penn State football team.

Yes, the Nittany Lion roster biographies showcase a written style that has all the hallmarks of Bob; namely a flair for the dramatic and a complete lack of regard for hyperbole. Consider these flowery entries:

Deon Butler

Deon Butler’s mother, Valerie, had a favorite saying for he and his brother, Lee, growing up: “Reach for the moon, and even if you miss, you’ll be a star.” Butler, a former walk-on defensive back, made those words prophetic in 2005...

Tony Hunt

A former standout at T.C. Williams HS, made famous in the movie “Remember the Titans,” this Penn State senior is quietly putting together a career that will have many saying, “Remember Tony Hunt.”

Justin King

There’s something that can be said for players that can successfully do just about anything and everything on the field, especially ones that do it all very well...

Paul Posluszny

With a trophy cabinet overflowing with accolades, an equally impressive grade-point average (3.57 in finance following the spring semester) and a humble, yet piercingly intense demeanor that inspires the respect and loyalty of teammates, All-American Paul Posluszny easily could have been a too-good-to-be-true character ripped from the pages of a 1950’s teen novel...

Anthony Morelli

...the tremendous arm strength, quick release and multiple skills of the Nittany Lion junior quarterback have been the subject of much conversation. Penn State followers have caught glimpses of the accurate, tight spirals and head-spinning velocity...

Derrick Williams

History’s rarest athletes have been defined by both the physical and mental gifts to meet and then exceed the hype that precedes them. Hailed as the nation’s top recruit and a difference maker when he bypassed more than 50 Division I offers to “go somewhere [I] can have an impact,” Derrick Williams did just that in helping ignite a team that would go 11-1 and claim Big Ten and Orange Bowl titles in his freshman campaign. Playing flanker, slot, tailback and return man, Williams’ speed and athleticism spurred an evolution in what became a potent Penn State offense while his contagious confidence helped restore the swagger bred of championship football. Earning a starting berth from game one, he excelled under pressure (hauling in a 36-yard game-winning TD with 51 seconds remaining at Northwestern), delivered in big games (scoring a pair of TDs in a 44-14 romp over Minnesota) and shined on the brightest stage (scoring Penn State’s first TD in a 17-10 win over Ohio State before a national TV audience and a throbbing Beaver Stadium). His cool maturity and engaging personality prompted Joe Paterno to set aside a long-standing rule preventing freshmen from speaking to the media (Williams met the press prior to the season) and he won the respect of teammates for his work ethic and team-first demeanor grounded in an affinity for the “old school.” Posting six plays of 20 yards or more from scrimmage and averaging 11.7 yards per touch, he struck fear in opponents both running and receiving but also won praise for his terrific downfield blocking.

And in the face of this onslaught of daunting ability and overwhelming force, I say to you, trembling Irish fans, "Remain calm! All is well!"

a Frank Offer | by Jay

By the way, Mike Frank of Irish Eyes is offering a free month's subscription if you sign up today (and today only). If you're a recruiting nut like we are, for our money there's no better recruiting service that follows Notre Dame football.

Tech Tale | by Jay

Georgia Tech is nestled in the bosom of downtown Atlanta, and on game day the campus grounds are filled with people tailgating. What a difference between ND and Tech, where folks are allowed to park right on campus, unload their tents and kegs and portable music and charcoal grills and set up right in the middle of the quad.

Once upon a time at ND, some lucky few had parking passes on the lot behind the old bookstore. One roommate's father was part of this group, and I remember eating sandwiches and drinking beer right on the basketball blacktop, the dome shining down upon us. Tech is still like that. It's a very laid-back atmosphere, and the few cops I saw patrolling campus seemed friendly and welcoming; I even saw one officer cheerfully helping some fans set up a canopy. It was really hot on Saturday during the day, and at one point, we grabbed a twelvepack and ducked inside the Student Union to escape into the air conditioning and catch some of the Michigan-Vandy game. Nobody hassled us. I don't have much experience attending ACC or SEC football games, but from what I gather from friends and family (and great books like RJYH), this is de rigueur as far as the tailgating scene goes down South. My wife's family are mostly Tide fans from Mobile, and so I hope to catch an Iron Bowl someday soon and enjoy some more laid-back, hassle-free, Southern-style game day festivities.

"What'll ya have?" Other friends of ours hosted a tailgater in the parking lot of the Varsity, a burger and chili dog drive-in joint just across the highway from the stadium that I'm sure you've heard about. We headed over to the Varsity after bouncing around campus, and ended up there with about an hour and a half to spare before kickoff.

The place is gargantuan. It holds fifteen-hundred people, easy, with a long serving counter and various "rooms" nicknamed by the TV station they're tuned to. For the Tech games they sell off their parking spots to tailgaters, and some enterprising classmates of mine snatched up about five in a row.

The chili dogs at the Varsity are exquisite. We polished off a few, washed them down with beers in the parking lot, then headed into the game. Heaven.

The "Wreck". The Wreck is hilarious. The Wreck is a restored 1930 Ford Cabriolet Sport Coupe adorned by cheerleaders which comes roaring out of the tunnel through a cloud of steam, narrowly missing Tech band members, sideline reporters, and punters doing pregame warmups. It's like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, turned up to 11. I wonder how many sousaphone players in Tech's band get run down by the Wreck every year. It's easily the most dangerous pre-game "tradition" I've ever seen.

Unfortunately the marketing masters at Bobby Dodd don't stop at just showcasing hallowed and authentic traditions like the Wreck. No, they've given in to the circus mentality surrounding public sporting events that says any smidgen of down time must be filled with a contest, a video promo, fan giveaways or advertisements. The action on the field stops, and you're immediately assaulted with cheesy ads on the jumbotron. It's relentless and it's pervasive and it really, really sucks. It was almost as bad as Heinz Field last year, and that's saying something.

While most everybody we met was friendly and welcoming, some Tech fans were a little chippy, probably due to the lateness of the start and the all-day drinkfest that unfolded on campus. Cheers of "Overrated" piped up all over the stadium. That undercurrent of belligerence seemed evident on the field as well, with players from both sides jawing and shoving and generally playing to the echo of the whistle. The fans, in turn, recycled the vibe. When Tech linebacker Philip Wheeler smacked Brady Quinn helmet-to-helmet and the refs threw a flag, a collective groan emanated from the crowd, as if to say, come on, that was clean. On TV, a lone bottle bounced off the turf and hit the head referee as he was announcing the call; what you didn't see was the shower of cups, bottles and debris raining down onto both endzones. For a second, I thought I was in the Big House. Meanwhile, the players kept snapping at each other and barking at the referees. Even consummate niceguy Bob Morton got in a shoving match.

In the second half the cloud began to lift from the ND offense, and we began picking up chunks of yardage with Darius darting right and left. From section 211 it was tough to figure out exactly what was different, but we knew the attack had changed, and it was paying off. Key quote from Charlie's Sunday presser, where he talks about getting Brady out of the "pass" part of the run/pass option plays:

I think when we tweaked -- in the middle of the second quarter when I kind of went off the game plan, I kind of said, okay, we're going to have to call [runs] just to get these things run the right way. So from the middle of the second quarter through the third quarter, we got into some [plays] we felt [it would not leave us] in third-and-long situations...[situations] that we were getting ourselves in for a quarter and a half, which I thought was killing us. Every time you turned around, it was third and 12. I thought that was killing us.

I just said at halftime, we're not going to be playing the game at third and 12. We may not convert, but we're not going to be third and 12.

We finally started hitting a groove, especially on defense, and it got to the point where the mood lightened, and the closeness of the score became less dire. My fear subsided as the game went on, and when we got the ball back with just over five minutes to go, I remarked to our group that I wouldn't be surprised if we were finally clicking well enough to simply run out the clock from this point on. And we did. Travis Thomas, the prodigal running back, appeared with miraculous fresh legs after playing all game on defense and burned out the clock.

We retired to the hotel bar at the Omni, the raucous scene of the crime from the night before, where Orson and Warren and Brian and Mike and I had racked up a bar tab into the multiple hundreds in giddy anticipation of the start of the football season. Now, after an exhausting, unsettling victory, scattered Irish fans sipped their nightcaps in quiet consternation. When Fowler and Herbstreit stepped off the elevator and bellied up to the bar, there was hardly a stir -- we were still digesting what had just transpired. We'd won, yes...but there were definitely issues.

It seems fitting that a road trip to an esteemed technical school would also complete a sort of mathematical proof, one that Charlie began chalking up on the blackboard last year. Each time after the oh-so-close defeats at the hands of Michigan State and Southern Cal, Charlie proffered the notion that there is no such thing as a "good loss".

"If you're waiting for me to say it was a good loss, you won't hear that here. Losing is losing, there are no moral victories."

No Moral Victories. I took it to heart last year, after waltzing out of the Michigan State game a little too flippantly, disappointed by the loss but clearly not distraught. Charlie disabused me of that mindset right quick; as Patton once said, "I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed." No moral victories is an emblematic reminder of just how high the bar has been raised at ND.

Well, Tech proved that the inverse of "no moral victories" is equally true. After our vaunted offense sputtered and we limped home with a four-point win, Charlie was pressed to size up the quality of the victory:

"There is no such thing as a bad W," said Weis.

Yer darn tootin'. It's a binary world in college football, and while the Sports Reporters on ESPN Sunday morning debated the relative and variable merits of Notre Dame's performance (Is ND's offense this bad? Was Tech really any good? Is this a "bad" W for the Irish?) they missed the essential truth of the situation: a win's a win, and it doesn't have to be pretty. 14-10? We'll take it.

On to week 2.

Pick Six: pickin' six | by Jay

The first week's AP poll came out yesterday. I'm sure you saw it: we're #4. And with the advent of the AP comes the first update to the Pick Six. Hope you remembered your handle.

Pick Six, week 1

With so many entries this year (roughly 1,400) we had to split the results into several pages. We also added a couple of controls to let you sort it and page forward and backwards. One glitch we're working on: right now the rankings can't handle two teams ranked at the same position, as ND and Auburn are (both have 1,408 points in the AP and are ranked #4). For the first week we listed Auburn at #4 and ND at #5. So if you have ND as your Group A pick, go ahead and give yourself one extra point this week. Another fix for next week will be hyperlinking all the entries for those of you who blog about college football.

One lone entrant in the lead: Irish 57, with 92 points. Can he go wire-to-wire? (He's got BC as his unranked pick, so maybe not.) As you can see, anybody who picked Tennessee out of Group E (21-25) got a nice first-week bump.

This year we'll play a little Hi-Lo split as well. Voidoid is in the basement all alone with 41 points, where picks like Cal, Miami, and Nebraska haven't exactly panned out yet.

Results Summary
Click here for a summary of all the Pick Six entries.

Most Popular Unranked
Alabama 159 Michigan State 149 South Carolina 130 Boston College 102 Wisconsin 77 Georgia Tech 69 Navy 50 Pittsburgh 46 UCLA 46 Colorado 45 Boise State 41 Utah 39 Purdue 36 Texas A&M 31 Stanford 30 Arkansas 28 Fresno State 26 Arizona 24.

Handles We Liked
Lujack City
Ryan Harris' Pancake House
Rhett Bomar's Tax Return
Schwapps on a Plane
Can You Smell What the Brock is Cookin?

One Comment, You Know, For the Effort
"It's weird that mice like cheese, because its not a natuarally occurring food. You need human farmers with cows to make it. When they smell it, they must be like 'WTF? that's awesome'"

Statistically Speaking - Georgia Tech | by Pat

Ground game success. Notre Dame had 138 yards rushing against Georgia Tech, which isn't a great total in the grand scheme of things. However, the total sounds a bit better when one considers that from the start of the 2003 season, the Yellow Jackets have held 20 of their 38 opponents under 100 yards total rushing for the game. Even better is the accomplishment of Darius Walker. Walker totaled 99 rushing yards, which again doesn't sound all that great. Yet, in the past 3 seasons, Georgia Tech has only allowed two runners to rush for more yards while playing at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Rushing for the record books. With those 99 yards added to his career total, Darius is now 146 yards away from being the #10 all-time rusher in Notre Dame history. He will be hard pressed to get that all in the next game against the tough Penn State linebackers, but over the course of the season, I'd say that he has Julius at #4 in his sights.

Career Rushing
1. Autry Denson, 1995-98 - 4318 yards (854 attempts)
2. Allen Pinkett, 1982-85 - 4131 yards (889 attempts)
3. Vagas Ferguson, 1976-79 - 3472 yards (673 attempts)
4. Julius Jones, 1999-01, ‘03 - 3018 yards (634 attempts)
5. Jerome Heavens, 1975-78 - 2682 yards (590 attempts)
6. Phil Carter, 1979-82 - 2409 yards (557 attempts)
7. George Gipp, 1917-20 - 2341 yards (369 attempts)
8. Randy Kinder, 1993-96 - 2295 yards (404 attempts)
9. Tony Brooks, 1987-91 - 2274 yards (423 attempts)
10. Emil Sitko, 1946-49 - 2226 yards (362 attempts)
Darius Walker, 2004-present - 2081 yards (460 attempts)

Receiving for the record books. One more career acheivment type list for you and it has to deal with ND wide receivers and career receptions. Expect to see Samardzija and McKnight climb this list rapidly during the season. The only real question is, which one will finish out on top?

Career Receptions
1. Tom Gatewood, 1969-71 - 157
2. Jim Seymour, 1966-68 - 138
3. Tim Brown, 1984-87 - 137
4. Maurice Stovall, 2002-05 - 130
5. Derrick Mayes, 1992-95 - 129
6. Ken MacAfee, 1974-77 - 128
7. Tony Hunter, 1979-82 - 120
8. Malcolm Johnson, 1995-98 - 110
9. Jeff Samardzija, active - 107
10. Rhema McKnight, active - 106

Shut Out. Jeff noted below the drastic changes in the ND defense in terms of effectiveness against Georgia Tech in the 2nd half. Putting it in a historical context, the last time that Notre Dame shut out a team in the 2nd half was the game against the 1-10 Washington team in 2004.

Blitzkrieg. Part of the aforementioned second half shutout can be attributed to the new look, aggressive Notre Dame defense. It sure seemed like the Irish blitzed more than in the past. For an exact look, here's the blitz breakdown.

Down	# of blitzes	# of chances	Percentage
1st	9	24	38%
2nd	10	20	50%
3rd	5	10	50%
Total	24	54	44%

Freshman on the field. According to the box score and a second look at the game, twelve different freshman worked their way into the game against Georgia Tech. Sergio Brown, John Ryan, Raeshon McNeil, Richard Jackson, George West, and Jashaad Gaines were all in on special teams, while Sam Young (OL), Darrin Walls (CB), Munir Prince (RB), Will Yeatman (TE), Morrice Richardson (DE), and Toryan Smith (LB) all saw game action on either offense or defense. Comparatively, only eleven sophomores and juniors combined got into the game.

Season Long Running Averages
Here are the standard stat breakdowns of the season long running averages that we will track. As the games are played we will list out the individual game stats, the cumulative 2006 stats, and the 2005 stats for the sake of comparison. Remember though, many of the cumulativ