Every Rose has its Thorn | by Jay

Yesterday an ABC affiliate in Louisiana reported that LSU to the Rose Bowl was a done deal, but last night the chief exec of the Rose Bowl refuted the claim:

"That's not true," Rose Bowl CEO Mitch Dorger said from his home Wednesday night. "We have not made any final decisions at all. I think some people have gone out on a limb and are making assumptions. We will make our decision on Sunday."

The LA Times has a pretty good breakdown of the Rose Bowl possiblities this morning, speculating that Michigan vs LSU is the most likely matchup. That's probably how it's going to shake out. But there's one thing that everyone's assuming: that Michigan is definitely going to Pasadena, given the long-standing ties between the Integer and the Rose. But should we automatically assume that? Considering the fact that...

1) ND, with its well-travelled fans and high TV ratings in tow, is the darling of the bowl set, and
2) Michigan has already been to the Rose two of the last three years, and
3) nobody wants a ND-UM rematch, and
4) the Rose has carte blanche to pick its teams,

maybe an LSU-Notre Dame matchup is more attractive to the Rose? Believe it or not, I chatted with two different people "in the know" this week who said it's at least being considered by the Rose Bowl committee.

The Rose picking ND over Michigan? Chuckle. We'd have screwed them over twice.

Update: Eric Hansen also has some more food for thought along these lines in the SBT today, including some more quotes from the Rose Bowl CEO:

"First of all in general, the BCS is not enthusiastic about rematches," Dorger said via telephone Wednesday. "In fact, they specifically tell us to avoid those if at all possible. In most cases, there's not as much enthusiasm for a rematch, particularly if you're going to have to spend thousands of dollars to travel out to see it. I think that's a big factor.

"One of the other things you have to think about is Michigan will be here potentially for the third time in four years. So breeding enthusiasm in Michigan has got to be a big consideration. You can fill in the blanks."

"We do look at TV ratings very closely, because TV ratings drive our brand identity," Dorger said. "When we go to renegotiate our contract in the coming years, we're going to have to lay our TV ratings on the line. So yes, we're looking at good TV ratings."

"Yet in the final analysis, we need to pick what's best for the Rose Bowl," he said. "We're just not sure what that is yet."

End Game: the Second Half | by Jay

We're set to kick off the second half. One thing I missed in the broadcast: when did Ndukwe come out of the game? Bruton replaces him, which leads to...well, you'll see.

Plays/Yards	Result	What went wrong?	What went right?
SC Drive 8. ND kicks off and it's a poor one, bouncing out of bounds at about the 30 yard line and giving the ball to SC at the 35. On the first series it's 3rd & 5, and Crum is showing blitz. Instead, he drops back to cover a short zone, but doesn't drop far enough and Fred Davis slips behind him for a first down catch. On the next series Booty launches one deep to Jarrett in the end zone, but Lambert is there and breaks it up. Nice coverage. Since his first few catches, we're blanketing Jarrett pretty well. SC ends up in a 4th & 1, and they get it easily on Washington's run to the left down to the SC 25. Great blocking by the Trojans. The next play turns out to be the highlight reel clip of the game... Jarrett cuts across field to the right side and finds a soft spot between the CB and safety in the zone. We had him bracketed, but not tight enough. Booty throws a crummy pass, just sails it, but Jarrett makes an incredible one-handed grab just inside the sideline, giving SC 1st & goal at the 6. We run a corner blitz on the next play, with Lambert rushing and Zibby dropping off to cover Jarrett 1-on-1. Ballsy, but ineffective; Zibby commits a pass interference. Washington punches it in on the next play.		Poor kickoff; failure to force a punt on 3rd & 5 and 4th and 1; Jarrett makes the play of the game.
10-65	TOUCHDOWN, 10-28
ND Drive 9. Deep kickoff, good return by Grimes to the 25. Walker rips off a great run of 18 yards, his long of the game (even though Morton misses a block here). Another run, then a pass for no gain, then a sack of BQ on a corner blitz we fail to pick up. Not an auspicious start to the half.		BQ sacked; no blitz pick-up.	Nice run by Darius.
4-13	Punt
SC Drive 9. A good punt by Price puts the Trojans on their own 21. Richardson is the star of this short series. First he stops Gable on a short run, then drops Steve Smith on a complete pass, then combines with Brockington to stuff Gable at the line on 3rd & 1 and force a punt.			Excellent job by Richardson; he's all over the field making tackles. Three-and-out.
3-9	Punt
ND Drive 10. The Trojans sky a bad punt and we get good position on our own 42. On second down, Quinn finds McKnight down the left sideline and Rhema makes a fantastic catch over Terrell Thomas. Finally! Forty-two yards on the play. We throw a fade to Samardzija in the end zone that goes through his hands; tough catch, but definitely catchable. On 4th & 1 we run Aldridge up the gut and he grits out a first down (barely; it was a horrendous spot, and we ended up making it by a half-inch). SC challenges the call, it stands up and the Trojans have just wasted their second timeout of the game. In the back of my mind I'm thinking, "That's going to come back to haunt them." Travis Thomas checks into the game, and Musburger says, "Clearly Weis is upset with Darius fumbling down here last time." I want to knee him in the groin. On first and goal at the 4, the sequence goes: BQ throws it away; BQ rolls right, throws it away again; 4-wide, Quinn sneaks it to the 2. Fourth down. We use the same 4-wide formation but motion Darius left for an empty backfield. Quinn finds McKnight on the slant from the left. It was first and goal, and we threw it four times. But no matter. Touchdown. There's only 1:57 left in the third quarter. It's back to 11 points, but we're running out of time.		Didn't (or couldn't) run it from 1st & goal on the 4? It worked out, anyway.	Rhema is the story of the drive: 42 yard bomb, and hot TD catch. Way to bounce back.
10-58	TOUCHDOWN, 17-28
SC Drive 10.We pooch the kickoff again but this time it stays in bounds, and SC takes over on the 20. There's a shot of Brady on the sideline, shooing away a phone call from the booth. The first half of this drive is abysmal: Booty finds Davis for a first down, then Gable runs 14 yards, then Booty hits Jarrett for another first down. On that last play, we brought six men on the line and Booty saw the man coverage with no one deep, checked off, and hit Jarrett easily. Booty launches one to the end zone and Steve Smith is open, but the pass is a little long and Smith can't get a handle on it. On 3rd & 9, Booty completes a pass to McFoy into triple coverage. I don't know how we didn't break that up. After a Brockington sack, Booty connects with Jarrett on yet another 3rd down conversion, where he just outjumps everyone. He's a tree. Musburger mentions the grudge that Jarrett has against ND for dropping him during recruiting. SC wastes their last timeout trying to get something called correctly, and ends up on 4th & 13 and having to kick a field goal. A Pyrrhic victory for the defense: we kept them out of the end zone, but they were able to chew up the clock and still put 3 more points on the board. Ten minutes left in the game.		Despite blitzing, we get very little pressure on Booty, who throws for 60 yards on this drive alone. Gave up 5 first downs, allowing key conversions on 3rd & 9 and 3rd & 13.	We manage to bottle up Gable pretty well, and we kept them out of the end zone. That's about it.
13-65	FIELD GOAL, 17-31
ND Drive 11. A good return by Zibby out to the 30, but it's wasted. BQ completes a pass to Freeman for four yards, then a false start, then an incomplete, then a sack where Morton gets blown up. We punt (after a delay of game). This isn't how you come back. Punt from our own 19.		Nothing working; penalties; bad sack of Quinn.
3-(-10)	Punt
SC Drive 11. Ball on the SC 43. Gable rushes up the middle for 14 yards -- is the defense gassed at this point? The next play-- well, dammit, no need to mince words. It's the worst play of the game. SC lines up in an I-formation with Jarrett split left (pre-snap diagram here.) The fullback Williams (#41) motions left, wider than Jarrett (#8) is lined up. Richardson (#30) was lined up across from Jarrett with Bruton (#27) over the top. Now, with Williams coming across, there's mass confusion. Bruton looks like he wants to take the outside man, but then Richardson shoos him back inside. The ball is snapped. Williams streaks down the sideline uncovered. Jarrett runs a post. Richardson sort of splits the difference, unsure of whom to cover, while Bruton hangs out in middle with nothing to do. It's an easy pitch-and-catch to Jarrett down the middle. Richardson reacts to the ball in the air, recovers, and tries to tackle Jarrett after the catch, but can't wrap up and instead bounces off. Jarrett gallops into the end zone. Booty had his choice of two wide-open receivers. Horrible miscommunication by the Irish defense.		Worst play of the game. The backbreaker. Miscommunication leads to blown coverage, then a poor attempt at a tackle gives up the touchdown.
2-57	TOUCHDOWN, 17-37
ND Drive 12. It's not looking good. We're down by 20 with only 8 minutes to go, and we need a quick score. Unfortunately, we get a long, drawn-out drive instead. We run a series of nice plays here, dinking and dunking our way down the field, and getting six first downs in the process. Even thought we're running a hurry-up, it takes us 14 plays to get down the field. An 18-yard pass to Samardzija brings us to first and goal at the 9, and we can't punch it in. The maddeningly stubborn SC defense holds us to 4th & goal, when Terrell Thomas gets called for pass interference, and it starts all over. First and goal, second and goal, third and goal, and finally -- Quinn hits Samardzija on a fade for the score. That's eight plays inside the ten yard line. 3:39 left in the game, down by two scores. Let's onsides kick it.		Took way too long to get down the field.	At least we scored.
14-78	TOUCHDOWN, 24-37
SC Drive 12. Does this even count as a drive? Carl Gioia executes the worst onsides kick I've ever seen, chopping the ball way short of the coverage. Brian Cushing snaps it up and runs it back for a touchdown. The final nail in the coffin.		We had an outside chance until this blunder.
0-0	RETURN FOR TD, 24-44
ND Drive 13. The last drive for the Irish is an exercise in futility. Quinn hits Grimes for a nice gain of 27 yards into SC territory. After that, it's a sack, an incomplete pass, a pass complete on 3rd & 16 to make it 4th & 1, and a final incomplete pass ending the drive.
5-36	Downs
SC Drive 13. The Trojans get the ball back with about a minute and a half left, and run out the clock.
4-44	Game

If you told me that we would a) win the turnover battle, b) have the same number of yards as SC (404), and c) Quinn would throw more touchdowns (3) than any other opponent had against SC this year, I would have predicted an Irish win. But as we can see, the problems were pervasive: offense, defense, special teams, playcalling, coverage, communication, mistakes, poor execution. Any way you slice it, it was a butt-kickin'.

(In fact, the only good thing to come out of this game is that we inadvertently screwed Michigan out of a rematch with the Buckeyes. A good thing, no doubt, but now I don't have a use for my t-shirt idea. Bummer.)

It's tempting to say it's strictly the defense that let us down, from poor schemes (middle wide open early on), to biting on fakes (Zibby), to miscommunication (final Jarrett TD), to poor tackling. And yet we had some spectacular defensive plays as well, especially the two interceptions by Richardson and Laws, some fine run-stopping, and a nice TD pass breakup by Lambert.

But the truth is that both units (well, all three) were manifestly culpable. We had 12 possessions in the game and only scored on 4 of them; our conversion rate was horrendous; our playcalling was suspect in the red zone; we dropped too many passes. It's two years into the Charlie Weis era, and we still can't get the short yardage reliably when we absolutely need it.

Let's give due deference to the Trojans. Their offense had us twisted in knots for much of the game. Jarrett is absolutely incredible, and just as Reggie Bush was "the difference" in the SC game last year, Jarrett was "the difference" this year. Their young secondary is tremendous, with superb recovery speed and instincts. Terrell Thomas batting the ball away from McKnight in the end zone was amazing. Against any other coverage, that's a touchdown.

Where do we go from here? To a bowl game, and hopefully to a win. But next October looms large even now, and the Trojans are a young team loaded for the future. Their secondary starts two freshmen and a sophomore, Maulauga is a sophomore, Gable is a true freshman, Booty is around for another year (with Sanchez right behind him), and Patrick Turner steps into Jarrett's shoes next year. Someday we'll beat these guys again, and I hope it's sooner rather than later, but we've got our work cut out for us.

Halftime | by Jay

At one of the breaks in the SC game, ABC showed a clip from the Trojan pep rally from the night before. Right after the rally, on the eve of the biggest game of the season, the players had a little "pep circle" of their own, hootin' and hollerin' and having a good time.



That's Petey on the far right.

Maybe our players do this kind of stuff to stay loose as well. I don't know. I don't want to extrapolate too much from just a minute of footage, but for the first time in the Pete Carroll era, color me a little envious. Here our team struggles and plays tight, while their team looks like they're having the time of their lives. Our man shows up on 60 Minutes cursing players out left and right, while their man pops out in a Wonderbread jumpsuit.

There's no question Petey runs a terribly loose ship. But say what you will about his gumchewing, backslapping, goofball antics, somehow he keeps his team relaxed and confident for the big games.

The Trojans are in the midst of one of the great runs in college football history. They're 47-3 since 2003, having won three Heismans and 1-1/2 national titles. They're probably in the title game again this year. And they're having a blast doing it.

End Game | by Jay

I rewatched the rest of the game last night with the Tivo remote in hand, a dictaphone, and a clipboard, deconstructing the debacle like a detective from CSI: Coliseum. Southern Cal is a talented team, sure, but as in the Michigan game, it seemed like we shot ourselves in the foot quite a bit. Thus I wanted to look at all the missed opportunities, tally 'em up and see where the drives broke down for us.

Right off the bat, something is different: Zbikowski shows up for the kickoff return. I'm mystified, but then Charlie mentioned in his interview yesterday he wanted to get a bunch of starters involved in special teams, to have "all hands on deck", which was a rallying cry in the week leading up to Southern Cal. I guess we're pulling out all the stops; everything but the green jerseys. (Zibby actually ends up doing a pretty good job on KO return.)

Plays/Yards	Result	What went wrong?	What went right?
ND Drive 1. Terrific catch by McKnight down the left sideline to start the game, a 38-yard pass. The field looks patchy, and Samardzija slips twice on two more plays, once on a swing pass and another on route downfield. (Maybe SC should have grown the grass a little bit to prevent injuries?) ND stalls out at 4th & 9 on the SC 29. If we had a more reliable kicking game, I think we would try the FG (a 46-yarder) here, but instead we go for it. Morton gets blown off the ball by a defensive lineman and Brady has to scramble and improvise, overthrowing McKnight in the end zone.		Samardzija slips twice; bad blocking/good pressure by SC on 4th down.
5-39	Downs
SC Drive 1. Southern Cal immediately goes to the air. Booty hits Gable for a long pass, and converts two more third downs on passes down the middle to Turner and the TE Davis. The middle coverage (or lack thereof) looks wide open. It's first and goal on the 9, and Booty hits Jarrett on a lob over the middle. The coverage seems to be there; it seems like Ndukwe had a play on the ball, but gets outrebounded by the taller Jarrett.		Poor coverage over the middle; athletic play by Jarrett.
8-71	TOUCHDOWN, 0-7
ND Drive 2. The sequence is Walker run for 5 yards, incomplete pass, incomplete pass. On the last incomplete, McKnight simply drops an inside slant that would have converted. We're forced to punt, and the coverage is terrible: there's nobody down the right side and Reed goes 43 yards to the ND 26 before Price forces him out of bounds.		McKnight drops a third down conversion.
3-5	Punt
SC Drive 2. From the ND 26, Booty hits Steve Smith over the middle (again) who comes down right in front of the goal line. Two plays later Jarrett makes his second TD grab, another jump ball with Richardson right on him.		Terrible punt coverage results in short field for SC; two terrific grabs by Smith & Jarrett.
3-26	TOUCHDOWN, 0-14
ND Drive 3. Starting at our own 20, Quinn finds Freeman for a first down, then again for a first down, then Walker breaks a run for another first down. We're moving the ball well and Freeman looks to be comfortable filling Carlson's shoes. On second and 10 from the SC 34, McKnight drops a touchdown pass at the back of the end zone that goes through his hands. Next play, Samardzija makes a leaping grab down to the SC 9, setting up first and goal. Sequence goes: rollout right, throw it away; pass to McKnight on an in-and-out route, where Terrell Thomas makes one of the best recoveries and pass knockdowns I've ever seen; Quinn looks for Freeman over the middle but misfires and overthrows him. Gioia kicks the FG.		McKnight drops a TD; Terrell Thomas makes a great play in the end zone to bat away another TD; Quinn overthrows Freeman. Another failure to convert.	We're finally on the board. Gioia hits his kick.
14-71	FIELD GOAL, 3-14
SC Drive 3. Starts off with a short kickoff by ND and no discernible coverage downfield; SC returns to the SC 41. SC starts running the ball; this drive will feature 7 rushes and two passes. Gable gets a first down on a burst through a tackle; Abiamiri should have taken him down but he slipped out. On the next play, Jarrett beats man coverage by Richardson; gets him all turned around and bumfuzzled -- 25 yards down to the ND 19. On the plus side, it looks like we adjusted coverages to compensate for the wide-open middle on the previous two drives, switching to a man-under zone here with Richardson assigned to Jarrett. No matter; Jarrett just beats him on a move and turns him right around. SC rushes a few times, then there's a key play here on 4th & 1: a fake quarterback sneak by Booty with a pitchout to Gable who beats Zibby around the side for 9 yards and nearly a TD. Watch Zibby bite on the dive fake -- Booty sells it pretty well -- and Zibby can't recover, missing an open-field tackle (and committing a facemask to boot). Booty sneaks it in for the TD.		Missed tackle by Abiamiri; Richardson can't keep up with Jarrett on the fake; Zibby bites on the fake sneak and fails to tackle on 4th & 1.
9-59	TOUCHDOWN, 3-21
ND Drive 4. Zibby returns the kick again, out to the ND 21. After a Walker run, Quinn tries to force one to Samardzija, but Dallas Sartz bats down the pass on the inside slant -- great coverage. On third and seven, BQ drops back to pass, finds no one, and takes off on a 60-yard scamper down to the 17, breaking a couple of tackles along the way. Tremendous run by Quinn. A couple of runs and a pass and we've got another first down, converting on a draw to Walker up the middle. On first and goal, Walker gets pegged on a dive and coughs up the ball (he also got shaken up on the play, but would return). SC recovers.		Walker fumbles in the red zone.	BQ ate up most of the field on his long run; we converted again and were poised to score.
7-72	Fumble
SC Drive 4. Terrific defensive stand by the Irish; we force a three-and-out on three incomplete passes intended for Smith and Jarrett. SC punts. But Steve Quinn jumps in there and blocks it! Irish ball on the SC 7.			Excellent pass coverage; blocked punt.
3-0	Blocked Punt
ND Drive 5. First and goal. First play, a thread-the-needle bullet to Freeman in the end zone. I feel like we're back in this thing.			Perfect throw by BQ and good hands by Freeman.
1-7	TOUCHDOWN, 10-21
SC Drive 5. A line drive kickoff bounces around and SC ends up at the 19. On the first play, Booty tries to hit Jarrett down the middle again, but this time Richardson reads it perfectly and picks it off. Beautiful play. Rich runs step for step and turns right into the pass. ND finally takes away the middle (for a while, anyway). Now I really feel like we're back in it.			Awesome INT by Richardson.
1-0	Interception
ND Drive 6. Ball on the ND 48. We run a trick play, something we haven't ever seen before. Grimes lines up at running back, takes the handoff from BQ and then immediately looks to pass the ball to McKnight who's streaking down the left sideline. Rhema's covered, so Grimes tucks and runs for two yards. This play was a bust because Grimes didn't sell the run, and the CB covering McKnight never dropped off. A pass to Samardzija makes it 3rd & 1, and then disaster strikes. First, the Irish attempt an identical fake-sneak-it-and-pitch that Booty and Gable ran with such aplomb a few drives earlier. When ND runs it, however, Sartz never bites on the sneak and wraps up Walker for a loss with a clean, open field tackle. (Zibby, take a note). On fourth and 1, BQ finds McKnight open on a slant and puts the ball on the money -- and Rhema drops it. Again. That's one catch, three drops by Rhema so far: a nice catch to open the game, then a dropped third down conversion, a dropped TD, and a dropped fourth down conversion.		Grimes trick play goes nowhere; fake sneak & pitch fails miserably to convert 3rd and 1; Rhema drops another catch on 4th down.
4-7	Downs
SC Drive 6. Another great stop by the Irish defense. First, Crum drops Gable for a 8-yard loss, then Trevor Laws (!) gets his first interception of his career, dropping into coverage, putting a paw on a ball over the middle and hauling it in.			Superb tackle by Crum; Laws makes a helluva interception.
2-(-8)	Interception
ND Drive 7. It's our ball on the SC 36. At this point there's about 3:30 left in the half; plenty of time to punch it in. What happens? We run a draw that goes nowhere; Brady has to scramble out of bounds on a pass when the blocking breaks down; BQ fires one over the head of McKnight on a bad pass. It's 4th & 4 on the 32. As in the opening drive, here's another situation where we might have kicked a FG to get within 8 points (if we had a decent kicker). Instead we have to go for it, and we don't just try for the first down, we go for all the marbles. BQ tries to hit Samardzija on a fade to the right corner of the end zone, but it's way too long. That's three times we go for it on fourth, and three times we miss.		BQ throws two uncatchable passes; lack of a kicker forces another 4th-down try. Questionable decision to go for the end zone when all we need is 4 yards.
4-4	Downs
SC Drive 7. 2:19 left, and Southern Cal decides to turtle until the half. Three runs by Gable go nowhere and Southern Cal has to punt.
3-1	Punt
ND Drive 8. 22 seconds left, ball on the ND 27. Quinn hits Freeman for a nice first down pass, but the clock runs out and that's the half.
3-12	Half

Let's take a station break here. At the half, it's an 11-point game: 21-10 Southern Cal. The offense has sputtered, failing on three 4th down conversions, and McKnight is the first-half goat with three crucial drops. On defense, after getting out-hustled, out-jumped, and out-maneuvered by Jarrett, the D has salvaged itself with a middle adjustment and two interceptions. Unfortunately the offense couldn't capitalize on the turnovers, especially with the short field after the Laws interception. The special teams are a mixed bag: we gave up a big return that set up a Trojan TD, but we also blocked a punt deep in SC territory that led to seven points.

Stats at the half:

                  ND        SC
Total Yds        218       149
3rd-Down     5 of 10    2 of 5
4th-Down      0 of 3    1 of 1

We had the ball 7 times (discarding the short possession right before the half) and came away with 10 points. That's terrible. Yet despite the inefficiency on offense and the TD passes given up on defense, we're still very much in it, and the defensive adjustments have to be encouraging: the Trojans have failed to score on their last four possessions. Too bad it all goes to hell in the second half.

(One quick PSA during the half: I'd like to take this opportunity to say that Brent Musburger was an exceptional doofus in the booth for this game, even by his usual standards of doofusness. See you after the break.)

"Stats Are For Losers" | by Jay

So said Charlie in his postgame comments. When I got the paper yesterday morning I flipped immediately to the box score. It's pretty amazing that if you just look at the surface indicators, the offensive performances between both teams were remarkably similar (on paper):

                      ND     SC
First Downs           18     21
Rushing Yds          130    139
Passing Yds          274    265
Total Yds            404    404
Time of Poss.      30:53  29:07
Total Plays           76     60
Turnovers Lost         1      2

Looks like it should be a close game, right? Yet that added up to a 20-point loss. Scanning the box score further, I think the story of the game is right here:

                             ND        SC
Average Per PA              6.1       9.5
3rd-Down Conversions    7 of 18   5 of 11
4th-Down Conversions     2 of 6    2 of 2

I rewatched the first half when I got home last night, but already it's pretty clear. In an otherwise statistical dead heat, this game boiled down to efficiency: Southern Cal's ability to make the most of its possessions, and our failure to do likewise. More on the way.

But Look on the Bright Side | by Jay

My sister's wedding yesterday was a blast.

It is on. | by Pat

Dwyre takes down doofus Trojan media | by Dylan

Former L.A. Times sports editor Bill Dwyre, '66, comes to the defense of his alma mater with a column in today's sports section, taking Trojan media lackeys to task for their bogus reporting on Desmond Reed and the knee-high Notre Dame Stadium grass. The tone is pitch perfect for such a ridiculous allegation, somehow passed off as fact in a supposedly reputable paper: pure scorn.

Can't Hardly Wait | by Pat

If you are having a hard time sitting still waiting for the night game against the Trojans, here's a great video retrospective of the Notre Dame-USC series from UND.com.

Poodle Party | by Jay

Six questions I have about Southern Cal:

1. With Chauncey Washington banged up, who's the main running back now for the Trojans? It's #25, freshman C.J. Gable. Gable picked up the slack from season-long starter Washington, who went down with a knee sprain against Oregon. Gable looked pretty nifty against Cal, getting 91 yards on 19 carries and ripping off a couple of nice runs and returns (Gable is also one of the kickoff returners for the Trojans). Washington is supposedly back in the fold for tomorrow, but don't be surprised to see the tall speedster Gable shoulder the rushing load.

2. What's up with Dwayne Jarrett? Jarrett suffered a mild concussion on a TD catch against Cal, but he says he's fine for Saturday. It bears mentioning that even if Jarrett isn't 100%, it doesn't really matter; when he missed the game against Washington State, Steve Smith calmly went out and caught 11 balls for 186 yards and two scores. Then there's third-option Patrick Turner, who put up over a hundred yards against Washington. The Trojan wide receiver position are like a crimson and gold hydra: cut one All-American down, and another grows in its place.

Southern Cal '06
at Arkansas	W 50-14
Nebraska	W 28-10
at Arizona	W 20-3
at Washington State	W 28-22
Washington	W 26-20
Arizona State	W 28-21
at Oregon State	L 31-33
at Stanford	W 42-0
Oregon	W 35-10
California	W 23-9
Notre Dame	8:00 pm
at UCLA	4:30 pm

3. I know the Trojans have played some close games. Seriously, how good are they this season? The nutshell answer: better than last year on defense, worse than last year on offense, and still one of the best teams in the country.

The offense is decidedly less explosive, especially in the running game. Comparing Trojan offenses between last year and this year:

Offense rush avg    rush td/g    pa avg     pass td/g
2006    4.83        1.50         7.37       2.30
2005    6.44        3.92         8.64       2.46

You don't have to scrape at those numbers too long to come up with an obvious conclusion: this isn't the same offense without Reggie Bush and Lendale White. Consider that last year they had 101 rushes of 10+ yards over 525 attempts (or roughly 20% of all carries going for 10 yards or more). This year it's 38 rushes of 10+ yards on 383 attempts (or less than 10%).

Scoring is way down too: 31.10 points per game in '06, vs 49.08 last year. But let's not minimize this: they're still dangerous. They still have the 19th-best offense in the country.

Defensively they're terrific; this might be Petey's best Trojan defense yet. Their scoring D is 11th-best in the country (14.2/game) as compared to 35th last year (22.8/game).

Defense   rush avg    rush td/g    pa avg     pass td/g
2006      3.02        0.50         5.97       0.80
2005      3.82        1.32         6.62       1.38

And here's something worrisome: they haven't given up more than 2 offensive touchdowns in a game all year long.

4. So who's good on defense? Three names you'll probably hear tomorrow: junior lineman Lawrence Jackson, who despite the low sack total, is one of the best defensive ends in the country; sophomore inside linebacker Rey Maualuga, who not only owns the police, but is playing so well he sent incumbent ILB and '05 defensive star Oscar Lua to the bench; and cornerback Terrell Thomas, who typically covers the opponent's top receiver and leads the young, impressive Trojan secondary in pass breakups with 10.

5. We know they're mortal, because they already have a loss. Go over that Oregon State game again. How did that happen? Yep, one of those Trojan near-losses finally turned into a near-win this season. Petey had a great quote after the loss to the Beavers: "We thought we were going to win all the way until we didn't."

Basically, the loss boils down to three fumbles, an interception and a punt return for a TD. That and Oregon State All-American kicker Alexis Serna, who won the Groza last year and is one of the frontrunners again this year. He hit four field goals, including a 53-yarder. The Trojans were down 33-10 as late as two minutes to go in the third quarter. Even so, Booty led a furious comeback and Southern Cal got within a two-point conversion of tying it.

Does this game hold any special insight for the Irish? I don't think so. We don't have that luxury of an All-American kicker, and we certainly can't bank on four turnovers going our way. We're going to have to get it done with offensive touchdowns against a stingy defense that is much improved from last year (see above). Charlie sez:

Weis dropped a subtle hint of how he was going to approach this game when he said he did not want to get into a track meet. "Ever hear of four corners?" he said, referring to a basketball formation designed to kill the clock. "Any team that has gotten into a track meet with them has lost. We don't want a 50-49 game."

To me, that's the biggest question of the game: can we move down the field and put the ball in the end zone more at least three times? If we can do that -- a tall order, as the Trojan D hasn't given up more than two in a game all year -- we've got a shot.

6. Finally, what in the hell is Desmond Reed still squawking about? What in the hell, indeed. He seems to know a lot about grass, though.

the Quotable McKay | by Jay

Some great memories here in this LA Times article, with guys reminiscing about the ND-Southern Cal matchups of yore. J.K. McKay (legendary Trojan coach John McKay's son) recalls, "In our house, we had a good Christmas if we beat Notre Dame. And a crummy one if we didn't."

John McKay. In addition to being quite possibly the best coach Notre Dame ever faced, McKay had one of the sharpest wits around. Some quotes from the McKay file, culled from his coaching days both in college and in the pros:

In response to a question about the team's execution: "I'm all for it."

After walking off the field in his final game and being cursed by Jets players for his decision to surrender a score so James Wilder could try for a record: "How embarrassing to hear language like that in the NFL."

On the prospect of a late-season game in Wisconsin: "Going to Green Bay is like winning the 98th prize in a contest with only 97 prizes."

On USC's effort after a 51-0 loss to Notre Dame: "The bus leaves in an hour. Anyone who needs a shower, take one."

On that same loss to Notre Dame: "I told our players there were 700-million Chinese who didn't even know the game was played. The next week, I got five letters from China saying, 'What happened?' "

On Leeman Bennett, his replacement: "It's going to be better for Leeman Bennett if he and I don't get real close. If we do, it might get him shot."

On sports writers: "I said on my TV show they didn't know a quarterback from a banana stand, and someone sent me a crate of bananas. This week, I'm going to say most sports writers don't know a quarterback from a Mercedes."

On a play in which a Bucs running back fumbled as he crossed the goal line, and an opponent recovered as the Tampa Bay players stood with their arms in the air: "We looked like the Italian army out there."

On comparing St. Louis quarterbacks Jim Hart and Steve Pisarkiewicz: "Hart is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Pisarkiewicz is hard to spell."

On kickers: "Kickers are like grass. You can find them anywhere."

On kicker Garo Yepremian, who accused McKay of dodging him after he was waived: "[Bleep] Garo Yepremian. How old he, 37 or 12?"

On kicker Bill Capece, who missed a short field goal against Detroit: "Capece is kaput."

On kicker Peter Rajecki, who complained that McKay made him nervous by watching: "Please inform Mr. Rajecki that I plan to attend all of the games."

To a reporter after a 55-14 loss to Green Bay: "Get the hell away from me or I'll punch you in the mouth."

On an interception thrown by Steve DeBerg: "It was thrown to nobody. Well, it was thrown to somebody -- Harry Carson. But he happened to be playing for the New York Giants at the time. It would have been a good pass if Harry was playing for us."

On leaving a practice and hearing a fan yell "Four more years!": "I didn't know what he meant. He might have thought I was Ronald Reagan."

On the difficulty of his childhood: "There weren't many cookies floating around."

On his first job, when he had to help coach Len Casanova, who was in a body cast, change his pants: "Damn it. I should have read the fine print in that contract."

On USC being ranked No. 1 by Playboy: "Playboy knows a lot more about the female formation than the T-formation."

On rival Stanford: "I'd like to beat Stanford by 2,000 points. They're the worst winners I've ever gone up against."

Before playing No. 1-ranked Notre Dame: "If we play our best and don't make any mistakes, we'll definitely get a first down."

On Bear Bryant: "When you scrape away all the hayseed, there's a royal flush underneath."

In a pregame speech to his players: "It's obvious you aren't going to win this game for yourselves. So how about winning it for the coaching staff's eight wives and 23 children?"

After watching a kick returner fall untouched: "My God, they shot him."

To his wife, Corky, who mentioned she didn't sleep all week before his Southern Cal team played UCLA: "Why? I didn't plan on using you."

On going 0-14 his first year: "Who cares? It doesn't matter if you aren't first. Seattle won two games. Should we throw them a party?"

On his last season, when the defense missed Hugh Green, who was injured when his car was hit by another driven by an interior decorator: "It's the first time I've ever been done in by an interior decorator."

After a USC running back admitted he wasn't tough enough: "Finally, I've found an honest man."

After the Bucs broke their 26-game losing streak: "Three or four plane crashes and we're in the playoffs."

On pressure from the fans: "I'll never be hung in effigy. Before every season I sent my men out to buy up all the rope in Los Angeles."

On recruiting son J.K.: "I had a rather distinct advantage. I slept with his mother."

On intensity: "Intensity is a lot of guys who run fast."

Why O.J. Simpson carried the ball so much: "Why not. It isn't very heavy. Besides, he doesn't belong to a union."

After his unbeaten '69 team, the Cardiac Kids, beat UCLA 14-12 on a touchdown pass by Jimmy Jones with 1:32 to go: "I've checked my heart, and I don't have one."

Told by son J.K. and quarterback Pat Haden that they were considering going to Stanford: "If it was between Stanford and Red China, I would pay your way to Peking."

In 1965, USC had to wait on the field for 20 minutes before Notre Dame came out. In '67, McKay said he wasn't coming out before Notre Dame. The referee threatened the Irish would win by forfeit 2-0: "That would be the best deal we've ever gotten in this stadium."

On losing: "Boy, do I hate to see that (movie) scene in the dressing room where a player gets up with tears in his eyes and says, 'We'll get 'em next year.' Damn it, I think, why didn't we get them this year? Don't worry about the next one. Next year may come and we may all be dead."

Statistically Speaking - Army | by Pat

Passer. Going into his final regular season game, Brady Quinn is tied with Tom Clements and Ron Powlus for career victories by an Irish quarterback. All three have 29 career wins. If Quinn breaks the three-way tie, it will give him 36 different Irish school records.

Runner. Darius Walker hit the 1,000 yard mark and in doing so became only the 4th Irish running back to record back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons. The other three were Vagas Ferguson (1978-79), Allen Pinkett (1983-85), and Autry Denson (1996-98). Walker currently has 1,083 rushing yards, which is only 23 yards behind last year's 1,106 yard total. With two games and an entire season left in his career, Walker is 1,253 yards away from Autry Denson's career rushing total record.

Receiver. Already holding the career records for touchdown catches and total receptions, Jeff Samardzija is 57 receiving yards away from overtaking Derrick Mayes (2,512 yards) for career reception yards.

Winner. With the victory over Army, Coach Weis became the first coach in Notre Dame history to win at least 10 games in his second season and the first to notch 19 wins in his first two seasons. Looking at the first 23 games of each Irish head coach's tenure, Charlie is currently 5th in winning percentage (.826) and only trails Knute Rockne (.913), Jesse Harper (.830), Ara Parshegian (.848), and Frank Leahy (.848).

Blitzkrieg. The Irish blitz stats against the Black Knights of Army.

Down	# of blitzes	# of chances	Percentage
1st	8	24	33%
2nd	12	18	67%
3rd	11	15	73%
Total	31	57	54%

Season Long Running Totals

Check out all the season long averages and totals here.

Brady Clutch | by Dylan

The ND-Southern Cal game dominates the sports section of today's LA Times, anchored by a terrific profile of BQ from Chris Dufresne. Definitely worth a read.

With God as my witness.... | by Dylan

This has nothing to do with football, but it's funny.

Happy Thanksgiving | by Pat

Among all of the many things to be thankful for on this day, I think we should also note that it was 119 years ago today that a handful of Notre Dame students got together with a group from a school up in Michigan and played the very first Notre Dame football game. That was the start of what has turned into something special: a football tradition that has been a source of entertainment and inspiration for many, many people.

We here at BGS want to also say thank you to all of the readers and commenters and emailers who make this blog a joy to write. At this time last year, BGS had just passed it's 1,000,000th visitor and now we are nearing in on the 3,500,000th visitor. The increase in traffic is very flattering and quite frankly, more than we ever expected. Thanks again to everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Beat SC | by Pat

Plenty of spirited debate in the past few days about the potential matchups in the BCS bowls, the feasibility of a playoff system, and various poll conspiracy theories. But I'm here to tell you: none of that matters right now. There is only one thing that deserves attention: The University of Southern California Trojans.

This is SC week. Nothing else matters. I've seen way too many hypotheticals start with "if ND beats SC...". Wrong. We are not overlooking this game. It is the sole focus. The Trojans are a huge challenge for this Irish team and the game will have even more at stake than last year's classic.

I'll take it a step further: this game is going to be one of the defining games of the Weis era. A win will validate the praise heaped upon Charlie for the last two years, while a loss will crush us, giving critics (and opposing recruiters) even more ammo against a program that still would not have a signature win over a truly great opponent.

Brady Quinn and his classmates are going to go down as one of my favorite all-time classes at ND. And yet they are 0-3 against the Trojans, and one loss away from joining the 1981, 1982, and 2005 classes as the only graduating classes in ND history that lost to the Trojans for four straight years.

Consider that Notre Dame has a chance for 11 regular season wins for the first time since 1993. Consider that the collective rankings of the Irish (#5 AP, #6 Coaches) and the Trojans (#3 AP, #2 Coaches) going into the game is the highest combined since 1988, the year the Irish had to defeat SC in LA for the chance to play for the national championship.

Need more motivation? Consider that while Charlie is undefeated on the road, Pete Carroll has a home winning streak of 33 games and is undefeated, lifetime, in the month of November. Consider that none of the media pundits are giving the Irish a snowball's chance in hell of winning this game. Consider that the talk that the Irish "backdoored" themselves into the BCS has already started.

The players and coaches have all said the right things to the media, but we all know that this game has been a gold star on the schedule ever since the comeback win against Michigan State that salvaged the season. Each week they've had to say that the focus is only on Stanford, or North Carolina, or Army, and they've acquitted themselves pretty well in taking care of the business in front of them.

But how could you not look ahead? There is a reason the end of the Army game spontaneously erupted into a Southern Cal pep rally: we're finally here. We're finally at the game that everyone has been looking forward to since last October, when Reggie Bush pushed Matt Leinart into the end zone.

Go Irish. Beat Trojans!

Turkey Legs | by Jay

I'm about two days late on this, but since this is a blog of record I wanted to archive a few things before we move onto the matters at hand: eating some turkey, and beating SC.

Green Jerseys. I was scratching my head when we ran out of the tunnel in the gold-on-forest colors. Here's Charlie's rationale:

Two nights ago I was sitting there with my wife and my son. My son actually brought it up he said, "Dad we should wear the green uniforms." "Charlie, that's an unwritten rule, uniforms you never wear when you're playing against the No. 1 ranked team in the country."

"He goes, well, Dad you tell me how special this senior class is. It just doesn't seem right that they don't get an opportunity to be honored as seniors going out." I thought for a 13 year old kid to make a statement like that, I thought it made a lot of sense.

So I sat down with our captains and I brought it up and we went over the pros and cons of wearing green. I felt that we would get a little juice in the locker room and by the fans when we went out there, which I was definitely concerned with us being flat...

But I thought more importantly, it gave an opportunity to let this special group of seniors, which we really feel that this is a special group, is kind of like our gift from the team, the coaching staff, the underclassmen, to our seniors.

I get it. I think this redefines the rules of when we wear the green, but I get it. I almost expect a yearly appearance from now on, and not just when we're underdogs to a top team.

A Moment for Bo? Bo Schembechler was a giant personality, and despite his record in the bowls (and a distinct lack of a national title) he was definitely one of the iconic figures of the game over the last thirty years. His death was a sad event for Michigan, a proud program which he rescued from the doldrums; and a loss for college football at large, which is now deprived of one of its more cantankerous, colorful characters.

And while we offer our condolences, we shouldn't forget who Bo Schembechler was vis-à-vis Notre Dame. His passing is a newsworthy event, and we acknowledge it and we pay our respects and everything, but we shouldn't forget that this is someone who really hated us during his lifetime. This was the guy who famously said, "to hell with Notre Dame", and the guy who not even six months ago was once again bitching publicly about ND. I remarked to a friend of mine at the game that any knowledgeable Irish fan should be treating this like the death of a lifelong enemy, like the passing of a Soviet Premier or something. (NDoldtown ran with the same sentiment and came away with this brilliant parody.) CNN actually had frontpage coverage of the Schembechler memorial yesterday, and Lloyd Carr summed up Bo's feelings for our alma mater:

Bo did not have a particular fondness for Notre Dame. One day I got a call from Lou Holtz, who offered me a job as defensive coordinator. So I went in to see Bo, and told him about the job, and how I thought I should take it. Bo leaned back in his chair and said, "NO. You're NOT going to Notre Dame. You're MICHIGAN. So forget that." Now I was 40 years old, and it was better than he was paying me, but I didn't go. I can promise you this: the first time that Bo Schembechler will ever cheer for Notre Dame will be this Saturday.

So color me confused as to why we gave Bo a moment of silence at the Army football luncheon on Friday, calling him "part of the Notre Dame family", and then gave him another moment of silence at the game, on national TV. I realize a lot of people (especially in Michigan) were sad to see him go, but Notre Dame was an object of scorn for this man for his entire life. There is paying respects, and then there is reverence, and I think some of the PTB at Notre Dame got swept up by the (inexplicable) national outpouring and forgot exactly who it was we were eulogizing.

The Black Knights Ride Again. Bobby Ross called three timeouts at the end of the game so he could score a meaningless touchdown against our second string and walk-ons. Did Bobby have money on the game (the early line was +32, and Army would have covered with the extra point)? Or was this retaliation for us going for it on 4th on our own 20? When asked about why we went for it, Charlie replied cryptically, "There is a reason, but I don't want to talk about it." I am truly mystified. What was he talking about? Any guesses?

I met up with my cousin Pete after the game at a big Army tailgater. Pete's a former West Pointer who also played football for them (he was the "passing quarterback" in an option offense, and when he would come in -- maybe twice a game -- you could see the defensive backs immediately start backing up). We jawed about the game a little bit. He likes Bobby Ross, but we both agreed that Army had no business running any offense but the option.

A TV was on, and we watched the end of the Ohio State-Michigan game, with the dreams of a title shot for the Irish going up in smoke (any other outcome would have been better than a close Buckeye win: an OSU blowout, a Michigan win, anything).

But no matter. The circled game of the season for us was always this Saturday at the Coliseum. It's our Super Bowl; the bowl game is far away. Pete also has an MBA from USC, and he actually switched hats from Army to So Cal at the tailgater, shifting allegiances with the swap of a baseball cap, for which he caught no small amount of shit. We will be watching the game together this Saturday at my sister's wedding reception between toasts (and dodging my mother). It's going to be a doozy.

At the end of the Army game, after the players did a victory lap, and Brady & Rhema jumped into the crowd and led everyone in a cheer, "BEAT SC! BEAT SC!", the scoreboard magically changed:



With those green jerseys in the foreground, I couldn't help thinking about last year's game, and how close we came to knocking off #1, and how gut-wrenching the final minute was, and how devasated I was at the loss. Well, it's payback time. Happy Thanksgiving, and game on!

Fight On | by Jay

By the way, congrats to Morrissey Manor for winning the interhall football championship on Sunday in the stadium, beating O'Neill 14-7. I was proud to be there cheering on the Manorites to victory, including my brother-in-law (who scored a touchdown). Well done, gents.

Army Game Photo Galleries | by Pat

Check out this week's game photo galleries at the following links: the South Bend Tribune, Era of Ara/Irish Eyes (password: army) Blue and Gold Illustrated, Getty Images, and the AP photo wire.

Plenty of good shots from this week, including Derek Landri's FG block, Victor flying in for the hit, and Darius Walker diving in for the touchdown. But for the shot of the week I'm going with the South Bend Tribune photo taken by Marcus Marter of Brady Quinn cheering with the crowd at the conclusion of the last game he'll ever play in Notre Dame Stadium.

And in case you missed it, make sure to check out Nevin's highlight video of the Senior Day game against the Black Knights of Army.

Anyone But Michigan | by Dylan

Let's do a little thought experiment. Imagine you, Sherman, and Mr. Peabody could hop into the way-back machine and journey back in time, all the way to last Friday night. Imagine observing Ohio State coach Jim Tressel being proposed the following scenario by a sportswriter, fellow coach, or BCS bigwig: Ohio State will play their next two games against Michigan. If they win both, they're the national champion. If they win one and lose one, Michigan is the national champion. What would you say if you were Tressel? What would any neutral party make of the mental capacity of the poser of the question?

Michigan is an outstanding team, but they do not deserve another shot at the national title. They had that shot and they lost, and it's really that simple. Head-to-head extrapolations and hypothetical "this one would beat that one" exercises don't stand up in the face of the fact that the Ohio State-Michigan game has been played and the result is not disputed. Ohio State beat Michigan. There is no reason to think the outcome of a second OSU-UM game will be any different.

Although the final margin on Saturday was just three points, the outcome was never in doubt, at least not after OSU scored three straight touchdowns answering UM's opening touchdown drive. From the six minute mark of the second quarter when OSU went up 21-7 until the final 2:16 of the game, UM managed to reclaim only three points of their fourteen point disadvantage, despite three Ohio State turnovers. With 2:30 left to play in the fourth quarter, the margin was 11 points and OSU had gone, essentially, into a prevent defense. Yet only as a result of an astonishing phantom pass interference call was UM able to move the ball quickly enough to cut it to three. If the game were five minutes longer, UM would not have completed the comeback. They likely would have done what they had done all game long; let OSU walk down the field and score, and lose by ten.

Michigan should still have a shot at a National Championship, just not the BCS Championship. They lost a one-game playoff for their conference title and the right to play in the national title game, and should be content to go to the Rose Bowl. Once there, they can make their case that they truly are the second-best team in the country by beating Pac-10 champ USC. If they do that, and Ohio State somehow loses in the BCS Championship game, then Michigan will surely win the MNC in the eyes of the Associated Press. It was good enough for them once (I've not heard any UM fans disavow the 1997 split title), so they should have no problem with a second 1/2 title.

Who should play against Ohio State in the BCS Championship game? Basically, anyone but Michigan, barring a complete meltdown by all the current one-loss teams. In the order of today's latest inexplicable coaches' poll, here's how the contenders would need to disqualify themselves from consideration over Michigan:

• USC - By losing to either Notre Dame or UCLA.
• Florida - By losing to either FSU or Arkansas.
• Arkansas - By losing to either LSU or Florida.
• Notre Dame - By losing to USC

If all of these things happen and the current top 6 of the BCS gets shot to hell, then UM should get a "do over" against a team that put up over 500 yards and 42 points against them in their last game. "But Dylan," you say, "didn't Michigan beat the hell out of Notre Dame back in September?" Yes, they did. But it really doesn't matter in this context. If the situation involved a one-loss Notre Dame team and a one-loss Michigan team vying for a chance to play an undefeated opponent to whom Michigan had not already lost, then the answer would be clear and the vote would be unanimous. Michigan would go.

If there is any justice, the coaches and Harris voters will come to this realization as the post-game afterglow fades and will vote to send a different opponent for the Buckeyes to face in Glendale. If they insist on a UM-OSU rematch, they will provoke two possible outcomes: one in which Michigan wins and nullifies OSU's victory, making the Big Ten season a meaningless exhibition; or one in which OSU comes out, does not turn the ball over three times, and beats Michigan by three touchdowns. Both outcomes damage the spirit of the competition for the title of "National Champion" by forcing us to watch a replay of the championship game of a conference in a down year. Both outcomes provide a less satisfying result than the old bowl system would have, a system that the BCS, ostensibly, improved.

For those who would think this is just an anti-Michigan crusade, I'll remind you of two things. First, Notre Dame fans have no love of Ohio State. Second, Notre Dame was in this situation (for one short week) in 1993, and the sentiment was the same. You get one chance at the title. If you lose, you lose, and that's it. There are no mulligans.

Odds & Sods - You And Whose Army? Edition | by Mike

A fairly vanilla game left it up to the postgame salutes to provide the afternoon's electricity.

Fame throwa. Prior to climbing into the student section to lead the "Beat SC" chant, Brady Quinn threw for 218 yards and and 3 touchdowns. Quinn's career totals now stand at 90 touchdowns and 11,340 yards (ahead of Peyton Manning on both counts). Unfortunately, Quinn's streak of consecutive passes without an interception came to an end at 226. While the interception came on an ill-advised throw, the play should have been nullified due to Army linebacker Cason Shrode's obvious hold of Jeff Samardzija.

Watch me jumpstart. When Army led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, it appeared that playing in the seniors' last game at Notre Dame Stadium had the team out of rhythm. Whatever the cause, by the time the second quarter rolled around, the Irish offense and defense were both controlling the Black Knights. In the middle two quarters, the Irish outgained the cadets 329 to -12. The only flaw in Notre Dame's play during these quarters was special teams play. Carl Gioia missed an extra point (Samardzija blamed his hold during his postgame comments). Army returned three kickoffs beyond the 35-yardline. If Southern Cal's speedy returnmen have similar holes to work with, the Trojans can count on points from the return game.

Trampled under foot. Darius Walker rushed for 162 yards on 24 carries, his second highest single-game rushing total. All told, Notre Dame ran for 221 yards, outgaining Army on the ground by over 100 yards. This marked only the ninth time in Weis's 23-game tenure that the Irish have outrushed their opponent. As you would expect, Notre Dame is undefeated in those nine games.

Pick up the change. For the second time this season, an Irish cornerback had a two-interception game, as Mike Richardson recorded his fifth and sixth career interceptions in his final game in Notre Dame Stadium. Derek Landri managed to block yet another kick. In my estimation, Richardson and Landri have been two of our three best players on defense this year and will be difficult to replace next year.

Last stop: this town. Following last year's game against Syracuse on Senior Day, Weis said his favorite play was Marty Mooney's strike to Michael O'Hara. That would lead one to believe that Weis's favorite play against Army was one of senior walk-on John Lyons' fourth quarter runs. Based on his expression on the sidelines, they certainly appeared to be Darius Walker's favorite plays.

Beat SC.

Senior Day | by Pat

Army Training, Sir! | by Jay

Here's a bunch of interesting stuff on the ND-Army series, which, as you all know, had much more impact on the lore of college football than any provincial midwest rivalry, no matter how pretentiously-named. These notes are cribbed from Irish Legends, Murray Sperber's book Shake Down the Thunder, and UND.com.

The first game between Notre Dame and Army was in 1913. Legend had it that an Army student manager picked ND as an opponent at random (backstory here), but the truth is that ND coach Jesse Harper wrote a letter to Army proposing a football game after the Irish baseball team had played Army the year before and made some money on the east coast road trip.

Army agreed to pay ND $1,000 for the match, and the Cadets needed a game. Eastern schools like Yale had stopped scheduling Army because Army, believe it or not, was the biggest cheater in football. They didn't play by the 3-year eligibility rule, and they signed up kids to play who had already been through college, claiming they needed the best of the best for the Army to help defend America. Case in point: Elmer Oliphant. All-American at Purdue from 1911 to 1913, then played at Army from 1914 to 1917.

Army thought the Irish would be an easy opponent, since, as the conventional wisdom went, Midwest football was vastly inferior to East coast football. And coming off the train, ND likely didn't look all that impressive by showing up at West Point with 18 players, and only 14 pairs of cleats.

Yet, the game started with Army taking the ball and only going one yard on 3 downs. ND then took over and started a revolution in college football. Teams passed in that day, but normally only in desperation. ND, however, mixed the run and pass liberally and Army just wasn't ready for it.

The game was 14-13 Notre Dame at halftime (a picture of halftime, above) and then ND started to pass even more. After two incompletions on his first two attempts, Irish QB Gus Dorias finished the day by going 14 of 15 for 243 yards. Dorias had a 40 yard completion to Knute Rockne, which at the time was the longest pass play in the fledgling college football history. ND won, 35-13.

From a NY Times article about game:

Football men marveled at this startling display of open football. Bill Roper, former head coach at Princeton, who was one of the officials of the game, said that he had always believed that such play was possible under the rules, but that he had never seen the forward pass developed to such a state of perfection.

Said Rockne, in retrospect:

"The press and the football public hailed this new game, and Notre Dame received credit as the originator of a style of play that we simply systematized."

In 1920, George Gipp was the Irish superstar. (That's him to the right holding a coat, waiting for the train to go to New York).

It was common in those days for teams to wager on their own games, with each team collecting cash from the players and throwing it in a central pot, winner take all. Gipp and best friend Hulk Anderson organized ND's team share for the 1920 game: $2,100, which was the price of new house in South Bend at the time. Army came up with similar amount. A local shoemaker held the winner-take-all purse.

ND was losing at halftime. Rock says to Gipp "What about you, Gipp? I don't suppose you have any interest in this game?"

Gipp replies "Look, Rock. I got four hundred dollars of my own money bet on this game and I'm not about to blow it."

Back on the field, Gipp and the rest of the Notre Dame squad had a huge second half, and ND won the game 28-17.

In 1923, Rock wanted a game in New York City as opposed to West Point in order to get more media attention for ND. The game was supposed to be at the Polo Grounds in New York City, but the New York Giants made the World Series, so the game was moved to Ebbets Field.

Army enlisted a famous actress, Elsie Janis, for the ceremonial kickoff. The ND prefect of religion, Fr. John O'Hara, quipped that "Elsie Janis will kick off for Army, while Joan of Arc will kick off for Notre Dame." He then gave Joan of Arc medals to all players. It was really the first joining of religion and football at ND, and O'Hara gave players medals of the saints for the rest of his time at ND. The press picked up on the ritual and helped popularize the Catholic boys' practice of wearing medals during sporting events.

1928: Win One for the Gipper. The game was played in Yankee Stadium, and Rock gave his famous speech in the locker room before the game.

The game was tied at halftime, before Army took a 6-0 lead. Then ND halfback Jack Chevigny scored a TD, yelling "That one is for the Gipper!" (Here's Chevigny rushing earlier in the game).

Chevigny got injured just as ND was driving again. Billy Dew replaced him, and Johnny O'Brien (a hurdler from track team) came in as a substitute at end. O'Brien caught a pass, scored a TD, then went back to the bench. He is forever known as Johnny "One Play" O'Brien. Rockne ran up and hugged O'Brien after the play, and legend has it that was the only time that Rockne hugged a player during a game.

But the game wasn't over. Army had the ball and was driving to tie the game, but the clock ran out with Army on the 1-yard line, poised to score.

Author Francis Wallace's account of the final, crazy drive:

Cagle [the Army All-American] got hold of the kickoff, which he was not supposed to have done, set sail with all his fury and speed behind the enraged Army blockers, passed midfield, hit the sidelines, seemed to be going all the way when Collins came across and knocked him out of bounds with a shoulder block-the perfect play at the sidelines for Cagle was as hard to tackle as Blanchard or Davis in full flight.

The next two minutes were as riotous as I've ever seen at a football game, not excepting the finish at Ohio State in 1935. Cagle, on the option pass and run, was a touchdown threat on every play, a wild man, carrying, passing, moving steadily ahead; but Army drew two five-yard penalties- and suddenly Cagle was taken out of the game and Hutchinson came in.

I was never so glad to be rid of any man. Later I asked Biff Jones why he had taken Cagle out. He said time was running short-there was no electric clock for the crowd to see in those days- and Hutchinson was a better passer. Ted Twomey and Moynihan, in there at the time, told me that Cagle had also been arguing in the backfield.

Hutchinson threw a pass into a mass of men on the three yard line -and Army came up with it!

It was getting dark and the crowd was crazy. There was an argument with the officials-and through my field glasses I saw and Army man throw his headgear disgustedly to the ground. That gave me the first tip that the game might be over. It was."

In a tragic and eerie footnote, four of the chief actors in that game died violent deaths: Rock in the plane crash; Chevigny at Iwo Jima; O'Brien in an automobile accident, and Cagle, mysteriously, on a subway platform.

Here's some more on the '28 game and Rock's speech.

1933 was coach Hunk Anderson's last game. ND (2-5-1) was a huge underdog to an undefeated Army team. Like in many of the other games that season, the Irish quickly fell into a hole, this time down 12-0 in the 3rd quarter. But then ND began to claw it's way back and in a huge upset, won the game 13-12. When news reached South Bend, the town erupted in celebration and fans partied downtown until the wee hours of the night. ND fans were pumped up with the display of "old time ND football", and hoped the game meant that Anderson was turning the corner as a coach.

Despite the win though, ND decided that Anderson wasn't going to get it done as head coach over the long term. And so, after only 3 years as head coach, ND announced his resignation the following Saturday.

1936: Watch Your Head!

IrishLegends recounts the tale of the '36 ND-Army game and why ND players took to wearing helmets in the locker room of Yankee Stadium.

When the Notre Dame team was dashing out of the locker room and through the catacombs of Yankee Stadium, Captain Johnny Lautar led the way. Suddenly, Lautar banged his head against an overhanging steel beam and was knocked out cold.

Larry Danbom was right at Johnny's heels and the big fullback had to step over his prone teammate to get through the dugout. The whole team had to step over him, as "Scrap Iron" Young, the trainer, rushed up to work on the unconscious captain.

As a precautionary measure, after that accident the Irish wore their helmets leaving the locker room at the stadium, and guards were posted to remind the players to duck their heads as they trooped out into the arena.

Fully conscious but still a little wobbly, Lautar greeted Woody Stromberg, the West Point captain at midfield for the toss.

In the end, Lautar recovered and ND won the game 20-6.

1946: the 0-0 Tie. This Saturday's game is the 60th anniversary of what was at the time the latest Game of the Century. ND and Army had collectively won the last three national championships (ND in '43, Army in 44-45). Leahy's Irish had beaten Army in '42 and '43, but Notre Dame was embarrassed the following two years (a 59-0 loss in '44, 48-0 in '45) while Leahy was abroad during the war. ND's team chant during the practice week: "Fifty-nine and forty-eight. This is the year we retaliate!"

Leading up to the game, ND students sent daily postcards to renowned Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik, signed "SPATNC" -- Society for the Prevention of Army's Third National Championship.

In the game Notre Dame’s defense contained Army’s touchdown twins — Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis — who were often caught behind the line of scrimmage.

But Blanchard, frustrated by an Irish line that refused to budge, made a last ditch effort to score, and he almost succeeded. Army crossed into Notre Dame territory for the first and only time all day as Blanchard, "Mr. Inside," broke around the end, cut for the sideline and had a clear path to the end zone. Only one man was in a position to try and stop him. As 74,000 fans leaped to their feet, Johnny Lujack sped across the field and dove for Blanchard’s ankles. The All-American was dragged down on the Notre Dame 37-yard line.

Legend says it was one of the only times Blanchard was tackled in the open field. The hard-fought game ended in 0-0 tie. "I suppose I should be elated over the tie,’’ mused Leahy after the game. "After all, we didn’t lose, but I’m not."

Both teams finished the season undefeated and the various national championship polls at the time split their votes between Army and ND. The Irish did end up with the AP national championship, due mainly to their 26-6 victory over USC in the final game of the season while Army played a much closer 21-18 game against Navy.

ND won the game the following year in 1947, but then Army then dropped ND because Blaik didn't want to play Leahy anymore. After Leahy left, Army put ND back on the schedule.

and finally, flashing foward about fifty years...

1995: the Ivory Covington tackle. Whew.

Ryan Harris' Pancake House | by Jay

Buried in a Chicago Trib profile of Ryan Harris yesterday was this gem:

"I like the offensive line," he said. "I just love knowing the play, and knowing what can happen before it does—deploy the chaos, kind of make things crazy."

"Deploy the Chaos" -- I like.

Statistically Speaking - Air Force | by Pat

The Mighty Quinn. Not content to only making his mark on the Notre Dame record book, Brady Quinn is poised to etch his name in some all-time NCAA records as well. With 11,112 career passing yards, Quinn is only 178 yards away from passing Tim Lester for 5th place in the NCAA all-time career yardage stat. Quinn is also 5 touchdown passes away from passing David Klinger for 5th place in NCAA career touchdown passes and 41 completions away from passing Todd Santos for 5th place in NCAA career completions.

Tackling Machine. Responsible for the pitchman in the Air Force option scheme, Chinedum Ndukwe turned in a yeoman's performance by totaling 22 tackles against the Falcons. His tackle tally (15 solo, 7 assisted) is not only the high water mark for an Irish defender on the year, it's also the highest single game tackle total in the NCAA this year, both total and solo. Nedu now leads the Irish in tackles by two over Maurice Crum, Jr. In terms of Irish history, Nedu becomes the first defender not named Bob to crack the all-time Top 5 for single game tackles.

Tackles - single game

1	Bob Crable	26	vs. Michigan - 1978
1	Bob Crable	26	vs. Clemson - 1979
3	Bob Golic	22	vs. Pitt - 1978
3	Chinedum Ndukwe	22	vs. Air Force - 2006
5	Bob Crable	20	vs. Michigan - 1981

Return Man. One of the more overlooked contributions to the Irish this year is the work of sophomore David Grimes on kickoff returns. Currently, Grimes is averaging 26.6 yards per kickoff return, which is good for 16th in the nation. That puts him ahead of such notable kickoff returners as Ted Ginn, Jr. of Ohio State, Steve Breaston of Michigan, and Jonathan Stewart of Oregon, who led the NCAA is the same category last year.

Block that Kick. A review of the North Carolina game found that Derek Landri, and not Trevor Laws as initially credited, blocked the Tarheel 3rd quarter extra-point attempt. When paired with Landri's 2nd quarter extra-point attempt block, Landri recorded two point-after attempt blocks for the game and become only the 2nd player in NCAA history to accomplish that feat. The only other player was Nigel Codrington of Rice, who accomplished the feat in 1988 against Notre Dame.

Returning to Glory. With a 9-1 record this year, the Irish have clinched back-to-back 9 win seasons for the first time since 1992-93, when the Holtz-led Irish went 10-1-1 and 11-1 in successive seasons. In a sign of just how far the program had fallen, the back-to-back 9 win seasons are also the first back-to-back seasons with winning records for the Irish program since 1997-98, Bob Davie's first two years as head coach.

Season Long Running Totals

Once again, check out the full table here for a look at the season long stat averages and totals for the 2006 Irish.

Title Shot! | by Jay

Eddie Shore! Old-time Football!

I am approaching Poodlian levels of pumpitude. With the parting of the red sea last weekend we've got an outside shot at the title game and a very good -- almost certain -- shot at a BCS bowl. Even with a loss to Southern Cal, ND will still be BCS-eligible and a surefire lock for one of the big four.

Let's go over the rules, just so I have this right.

• If we're in the final top 8, we're automatically in.

• If we're in the top 14, we are eligible to be picked (and will be picked), assuming the bowls don't fill up with automatic qualifiers, and they won't. After you put in #1 vs #2, the six conference champs, and possibly Boise State (an automatic qualifier as a highly-ranked non-BCS conference champ), you'll still have at least one, and maybe two at-large slots open.

Bottom line? We're in, baby. Eric Hansen comes right out and says what we've been alluding to for a few days now:

Apparently the scenarios that could see the BCS fifth-ranked Irish (9-1) fall completely out of the BCS have dwindled to one.

Losing Saturday to Army (3-7).

That's not to say that Notre Dame's Nov. 25 showdown at BCS No. 3 USC isn't stuffed with plenty of bowl implications. It's just that a 10-win Irish team appears headed for the Sugar Bowl or Rose Bowl. An 11-win ND squad has an outside shot at the Jan. 8 title game in Glendale, Ariz., as well.

"There's not a chance Notre Dame would get passed over for a BCS slot at 10-2 this year," said Gator Bowl president Rick Catlett, whose bowl along with the Cotton Bowl would stand to benefit from an ND snub...

"I guess anything can happen," Cotton Bowl spokesman Charlie Fiss said. "but right now we're figuring Notre Dame is going to be a BCS team."

Catlett said the Irish have that look this year even more so than they did last year, when the Irish were the national surprise team. Even with head coach Charlie Weis' press conference comments getting contorted at times and thrown back in his face, even with the Irish regularly getting jumped in the polls on weeks when they win, even with the national media dissecting all of that and their schedule and their NBC contract and Weis' sideline decorum.

Especially because of all of that.

"The bowls don't care who the best team is outside of 1 vs. 2," Catlett said. "Outside of that, the rest of us are trying to get good, deserving teams that put people in the stands, give us good television ratings so that our title sponsor is happy and so we can write those big checks to the schools.

"The beauty of Notre Dame is the same thing with the Dallas Cowboys. Everybody in America that's a college football fan either loves Notre Dame or hates Notre Dame. Nobody has a neutral opinion about Notre Dame. And from a bowl's perspective, what better scenario can you have?

"People who love them are going to watch them on TV, and the people who want to see them get beat are going to watch them on TV. Either way, they get the highest ratings. And that's why whenever I get a chance to put them in my bowl game, I do it."

Jacked enough about a repeat BCS appearance? It gets better. Let's talk TITLE SHOT. Right now the BCS looks like this:

Rk	Team	W-L	Harris			Coaches			CPU %
			Rk	Points	%	Rk	Points	%		Avg
1	Ohio State	11-0	1	2800	1.000	1	1574	.999	.930	.977
	remaining: vs Michigan
2	Michigan	11-0	2	2688	.960	2	1513	.961	1.000	.974
	remaining: @ Ohio State
3	USC	8-1	3	2458	.878	4	1373	.872	.860	.870
	remaining: vs Cal, vs Notre Dame, @ UCLA
4	Florida	9-1	4	2441	.872	3	1381	.877	.800	.850
	remaining: vs W. Carolina, @ FSU, SEC champ vs Ark or LSU
5	Notre Dame	9-1	5	2267	.810	5	1273	.808	.840	.819
	remaining: vs Army, @ So Cal
6	Rutgers	9-0	7	2024	.723	8	1082	.687	.950	.787
	remaining: @ Cincy, vs Syracuse, @ WVU
7	Arkansas	9-1	6	2234	.798	6	1248	.792	.680	.757
	remaining: @ Miss St, vs LSU, and assuming 1 win, SEC champ vs Fla

Grab a machete and let's clear some brush. All we need to do is get to #2.

Ohio State-Michigan. A Michigan win helps us (and helps Brady's Heisman chances) although I don't think it is absolutely necessary. Even if Ohio State wins, the Irish would be roughly in the same situation. Might as well root for the meteor in this one; whoever wins, let's hope for a blowout that sinks the loser behind...

Southern Cal. A big win over Cal this Saturday could put the Trojans into a strong #2 position and ahead of the OSU-UM loser, ripe for the plucking by...

Notre Dame. Beat Army, knock out Southern Cal on their home turf, and we can make a strong claim for #2.

For good measure, we can also use any combination of losses by Florida, Arkansas, and Rutgers, all of whom have significant hurdles left.

It gets tangled if...the Buckeyes and Skunkbears play a squeaker, USC loses to Cal, or Florida wins out and beats Arkansas in the SEC game.

So book a hotel in New Orleans, but put one on reserve in Phoenix, too. Old Time Football!

"Stay Where You Are" | by Pat

Check out this excellent UNC travelogue by Danny over on The Extra Point.

Yea! Woo! Nostalgia!

It's a good reminder amidst heated conversations about the Irish defense and Brady Quinn's Heisman chances that there really is nothing greater than a Notre Dame football weekend.

A Local Call | by Jay

I found this part of Charlie's presser yesterday pretty amusing, especially in light of the brouhaha a couple weeks ago over his "cheeseburgers" line and his perceived whining about the ranking of the Irish in the BCS.

Q. Some observers have said that one of your strengths is you're not afraid to ask questions or admit you're learning something; what would be the biggest lesson you've learned from this season?

Charlie Weis: Oh, we're getting into philosophy now. Well, there's several, but let's just cite one.

I think that realizing that this is Notre Dame and you're always under a microscope. I think that you have to understand that the people who cover you on a daily basis have a different perspective on what you're saying than the people who don't. And I think because of that, you've got to be very leery of saying something that even in jest, because it's often misconstrued as a state of mind rather than what is actually stated as. And I think that it's a learning experience, because sometimes you say it, you say something, and you don't realize the negative connotation that could go with it. I think that's something that I've learned that's kind of important.

There's a whole bunch more good stuff in yesterday's presser, too, from thoughts on Senior Day, to the play of freshman DE John Ryan, to Travis Leitko returning to finish his degree, to whom Charlie is rooting for in the Ohio State-Michigan game (Answer: neither. Whatever outcome benefits ND the most, that's what he's rooting for).

Anyway, it's ironic that one of the chiefs lessons learned by Charlie is not to be so loquacious. Do you remember the way Charlie barged his way into the Irish consciousness for the first time last winter, and how mollified the press was to hear him talk about how I am in charge now and this is going to be a tight ship and I will control all information and don't bother asking the players questions, because they don't know anything and so forth? He came on so strong in that opening conference back in January of '05, and a lot of people in the media freaked out, expecting a Belichick-style freezeout from the new Irish coach. I'm sure the beat writers were breaking out the flak jackets and helmets; it was going to be pure hell covering this guy.

Well, here we are a few dozen press conferences later, well into his second year, and what do you know? Charlie holds court for the local beat writers like they were all sitting on the porch with a pitcher of lemonade on a Sunday afternoon: relaxed, mostly jovial, and always gregarious. (Sometimes too gregarious). Access to the players seems to be a non-issue; the weekly interviews are plentiful and wide-ranging. Charlie even gave the 60 Minutes crew an extended insider-interview and allowed them to mike him up during a few games. (In fact, the structure of that program nearly mirrors our two-year experience with Charlie: the gruff exterior -- such language! -- eventually giving way to a more humane portrait of the big guy.)

That's not to say ND football under Charlie is an open book; sensitive stuff is still protected (what happened with Ron Talley, anyway?) and he can still get after guys who piss him off (the Carroll & Weineke episode). But the mood at the Gug isn't as austere as once feared, and Charlie's not the truculent lout everyone expected. Like a lot of things about New Jersey, there's the brash surface and the rough first impression, but then you get to know him, and the bark proves worse than the bite.

Zoom-a-zoom | by Jay

A couple of concluding remarks on Air Force before we complete the military trifecta.

High-flying. Brady Quinn was once again the model of excellence, going 14 of 19 (with three drops by my count), 4 touchdowns, and no picks. Going back to the Purdue game (a six-game span) he's 138/199 (69%) for 1,700 yards with 18 touchdowns and no interceptions. Simply amazing. A Denver writer shares his views on the Heisman race.

The efficiency of the offense was breathtaking, scoring five touchdowns on the first six possessions, including a bang-bang opener featuring a 29-yard pass to Samardzija followed immediatley by a 51-yard TD bomb to the Shark. It was the fastest scoring drive to start a game in recent memory -- maybe since '02 FSU, although that game started with the defense on the field. (Ed. note. Apparently I've got a terrible memory. Last year's Stanford game featured an 80-yard scoring strike to Shark on the second play of the game, with only 15 seconds elapsed. I can't believe I didn't remember that. And I was AT that game.) The rest of the game was simply a shooting gallery from then on, with just about everyone hitting the bullseye. Darius Walker? Best rushing day so far this year (153 yards on 15 carries, 10.2 ypc), including a season-high 39-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. McKnight? His three catches put him at 158 career receptions, which is a new all-time record for the Irish. Freeman? Scored his first-ever TD, slipping comfortably into the first-TE role after Carlson had to leave.

And grounded. Unfortunately the option defense didn't exactly take a cue from the second half of the Navy game. It was frustrating as hell to watch Carney move the Falcons up and down the field on sustained drives. The alignment included Zibby playing up on the line and having QB responsibility, with Nedu as a single safety and flying in to tackle the pitch man whenever they pitched it. They pitched it a lot. Thankfully, Ndukwe wrapped up very well, and finished with a robust 22 tackles.

Still, you have to wonder why we didn't adjust and clamp down in the second half like we did against Navy. Pat & I discussed this a little bit yesterday. On one hand, the vanilla D was probably a function of the score of the game: we were up 14-0 within three minutes, and up 27-3 at the half, and by that time the game was effectively over. So we played a prevent, more or less, and were content to let Air Force run the clock. Charlie confirmed this yesterday:

Now, that was not something we normally do, we don't normally play the whole game with a post safety. The majority of the times we play, we have some form of two safeties, whether they are corner or half-field players. When you have to go away from your normal deal, I think that, you know, it almost becomes a bend-but-don't-break mentality right there as you're making sure they nickel and dime you down the field, especially after you get up pretty big early.

Still, you just know Charlie wasn't happy with the sustained scoring drives, especially the 3rd & long conversions that kept our winded defense on the field way too long in this game. They converted a 3rd & 14 on a QB scramble, and then we handed them a couple more first downs with penalties (a questionable pass interference on 3rd & 7, and a highly questionable intentional facemask -- it should have been incidental -- on 3rd & 20). Mix in the blocked FG for a score after a 15-play drive -- a wonderful result, but then the defense had to get right back out there and defend a 17-play drive -- and the net result was an overwhelming time of possession imbalance, with Air Force controlling the clock for nearly two-thirds of the game. Letting a team nickel and dime you when you're up big is one thing, but gassing the defense probably wasn't the original idea.

One thing's true: we're not going to have to take many lessons learned from this game and apply them going forward. Playing an option team is such an anomaly; it's like a hitter in baseball enduring a season of fastball pitchers, and then suddenly you have to bat against Phil Niekro. You have to change your entire approach, and you do your best, but when it's over you file away the debriefing until the next time you have to face one. In the meantime, there's another fastball on the way.

He's Got a Knee | by Pat

The Irish offense took a hit when John Carlson went down with a leg injury against Air Force. Noting is 100% certain yet, but Weis isn't expecting Carlson to be back for the rest of the regular season.

“It’s not as bad as we thought it was,” Weis said. “My first report was that he was going to be gone for the year, but we might lose him for the next two games. We might lose him for Army and USC, but we’ll have him back for the bowl game.

“I was encouraged because when they first gave me the initial report, I was like ‘Oh, no.’ They said two to four weeks, so I’m being practical by saying it is a long shot we’ll have him back for USC, but we’ll have him back for whatever game we end up playing in at the end of the season.”

The injury not only will take away one of Brady Quinn's favorite options, but put a damper on Carlson's attempt to become the Jeff Samardzija of 2006; that is to say, a previously unheralded backup emerging in one season as an All-America candidate. Right now Carlson is second in the nation in receiving yards per game to Wisconsin's Travis Beckum, and both have 4 receiving touchdowns. Carlson is also one reception short of passing Anthony Fasano for second-most single season receptions by a tight end, and 176 receiving yards short of Ken MacAfee's mark for single season receiving yardage by a tight end.

Luckily for the Irish, Marcus Freeman should be able to step right in. After Carlson went down, Charlie didn't change a thing in the offense; Freeman snagged a 23-yard touchdown in the 3rd quarter for his first career score. There likely will be some drop-off in production -- Carlson is really, really good -- but tight end is one of the few positions where ND has depth, and the offensive options shouldn't be terribly limited by Carlson's absence. As Charlie said yesterday:

Q: How does your offense change now that Carlson is out?

Charlie Weis: It doesn't change. Despite one of your good players isn't playing, the offense doesn't change. I think that when you're developing young guys, or backups, or depth, the important thing isn't how much they've played, it's are they ready to go when their number is called. And just like yesterday, Marcus was ready to go. Now he's played a lot this year on all our 2-tight end sets, but yesterday's game was featuring one tight end the whole game. Fortunately that was the way it was planned out; if the game plan was designed around two tight ends it would have been a little more difficult. But it wasn't, so John went out, and Marcus went in, and we moved on. I have a lot of confidence in Marcus. It's not like I'm turning to Reuland and Yeatman and saying you're the starters this week. I've got a 5th-year senior in there [Freeman] who's had plenty of reps.

Q: What kind of year has Marcus had for you?

Charlie Weis: He's been solid all year. It's just that a lot of balls haven't come in his direction. A lot of times when a guy doesn't have a whole lot of catches people correlate that with not having a good year. But he's been solid all year. And solid as a blocker all year. That's why we've had so many multiple-tight end packages, because of our confidence in Marcus.

Q: Speaking of multiple tight ends, how do you feel about the two young guys [Reuland & Yeatman] getting more involved in the offense?

Charlie: I really don't have much of a say on that, because they're involved (laughing). We don't panic in that situation. When that happened [Carlson's injury], we get together on the sidelines and say okay, if we go to multiple tight ends, this is what we're going to do. If it's Marcus and Yeatman, this is how we're lining up, if it's Marcus and Reuland, this is how we want them lining up. We did that in about five minutes. And we had plenty of time -- that was in the second quarter, where I could have installed a whole new offense if I wanted to (laughing).

It should also be noted that from Fasano to Carlson to Freeman, perhaps no coach has had his position more ready to play than tight ends coach Bernie Parmalee. Parmalee's name rarely gets mentioned, but since he's come on board, the Notre Dame tight ends have been terrific. And with Konrad Reuland, Will Yeatman, and next year Ragone waiting in the wings, Notre Dame tight ends should remain a force in the coming years.

Air Force Game Photo Galleries | by Pat

Check out this week's game photo galleries at the following links: the South Bend Tribune, the Gazette, Matt Cashore/Irish Illustrated, Blue and Gold Illustrated, Getty Images, and the AP photo wire.

For the picture of the week, I'll go with Brady Quinn executing the play action fake that worked all game long.

Quinn had one of the most efficient days of his career, dissecting the Falcon defense for 4 touchdowns and a 74% pass completion rate on only 19 passes. He spent a large part of the game standing on the sidelines, but when he was in the game, Air Force was helpless to stop him.

Louisville lost. Texas lost. Cal lost. Auburn lost. | by Jay

Florida won - barely.

We won - big!

Forgive me for feeling a little like this guy:

Poll Position - Dansk Edition | by Jeff

Well, there are some advantages to being six or seven hours ahead of the rest of the BGS guys. First off, I got to tour the Carlsberg Brewery yesterday before the game (a self guided tour, but pretty interesting). Plus, the whole CSTV thing didn't bug me much, since I got to watch the game on my computer in my hotel room (please, no comments about sitting alone in a hotel room on your computer at from 10pm-2am on a Saturday night). And, although I went to bed knowing many of the scores, I got to wake up this morning to a surprise Texas loss. But finally, I get to be the first one to post about all the weekend's upsets and start playing the "What if" game. I'll leave it up to Jay or Pat to recap Air Force, I'd rather stick to the meaningless "guessing game" posts.

I have been working out scenarios on my computer, and I wish I could tell you where the Irish will end up in the BCS, but I really haven't got a clue. Certainly, Ohio State and Michigan will occupy the top two spots, but the next five spots will be filled by some combination of Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Florida, Rutgers, and Arkansas. With Florida struggling against the Gamecocks, I have to think they will lose their #3 spot, but to whom? The Irish definitely had a solid win, but 39-17 doesn't appear on paper to be as impressive a win as Southern Cal had over Oregon (35-10) or Arkansas had over Tennessee (31-14). Certainly, Rutgers and Arkansas will jump up in the polls with their wins last weekend, but how far really remains to be seen. For argument's sake, I will predict...

#1 Ohio State
#2 Michigan
#3 Southern Cal
#4 Florida
#5 Notre Dame
#6 Rutgers
#7 Arkansas

Bowled Over
The fun part of this weekend's games is predicting where the Irish will go bowling or guessing their opponent. Here are a few possibilities. As a reminder, the BCS selection order is...

1) Host bowl of the #1 BCS team (if any, currently the Rose Bowl with Ohio State)
2) Host bowl of the #2 BCS team (if any, currently Michigan would be an at large pick or Florida would get pulled from the Sugar Bowl)
3) Sugar Bowl (host: SEC)
4) Orange Bowl (host: ACC)
5) Fiesta Bowl (host: Big 12)

The Rose Bowl has two host schools (Big Ten and PAC-10), and only enters the selection process if it loses one or both of it's hosts. Where will the Irish end up?

Sugar Bowl - New Orleans
With due respect to Prince and apologies to Allstate (who actually just got me a really good quote on my car insurance), the bowl formerly known as USF&G is certainly the most common destination picked for the Irish. And why not? The Rose Bowl is likely to pick the Ohio State-Michigan loser to meet up with the PAC-10 champ (most likely Southern Cal), leaving the Sugar salivating over the possibility of bringing the Irish to New Orleans. If the National Championship ends up with the Big Ten champ facing Florida in Glendale, the Sugar would actually get two picks in a row, meaning the Irish would likely face the second highest rated SEC team (probably Arkansas, although don't count out LSU or Auburn just yet). If the SEC #2 is pretty low in the BCS rankings, I could also see an ND vs Louisville matchup as a possibility. Probability: 85%

National Championship Game - Glendale, AZ
Ah, dare to dream. Although, in reality, this scenario is not that far fetched. If the Irish win out, there is a good chance they will jump the other current one-loss teams in the BCS standings. Losses by Arkansas (to LSU or Florida), Florida (to Florida State or Arkansas), and Rutgers (to West Virginia) certainly wouldn't hurt either. The biggest issue here is whether a one-loss Big Ten team would fall below the Irish or not, especially if that team is Michigan. The best hope for the Irish is a Michigan blow out win over Ohio State, setting up an ND vs UM rematch in Glendale. Probability: 10%

Rose Bowl - Pasadena
This one is intriguing, and maybe not even that far fetched. Here's the scenario: Next weekend, Ohio State and Michigan play a close game and Southern Cal loses to Cal. ND wins out, but the Big Ten runner-up occupies the #2 spot in the BCS. If so, Michigan and Ohio State would play a rematch for the National Championship in Glendale. This leaves the door open for the Rose Bowl to use their first choice to select the Irish to match up against Cal. There can only be two teams from a single conference in the BCS, so Wisconsin would not be eligible. Probability: 5%

Orange Bowl - Miami
I can't imagine the Sugar Bowl passing on ND, even if the Irish end up 10-2. Plus, there is a good chance that Georgia Tech will end up representing the ACC in this game, and I doubt the bowls will want a rematch. Still, there is also the chance that the BCS feels they need a marquee team to bring in ratings if the ACC Champion is either Wake Forest or Maryland. And there is this clause in the BCS selection process about the BCS stepping in to create "more attractive" matchups:

...whether alternative pairings may have greater or lesser appeal to college football fans as measured by expected ticket sales for the bowls and by expected television interest, and the consequent financial impact on Fox and the bowls.

My gut tells me that the Orange Bowl will end up pitting the champions of the ACC and Big East in a Rutgers-Wake Forest cage match. Both of the people who watch this game on TV will tell you about it the next day. Probability: a little better than my odds of hooking up with a "more attractive" matchup

Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, AZ
No way. The Fiesta Bowl has all but committed to taking Boise State, and the Broncos are a near lock to qualify for the BCS. Boise State either needs to finish in the top 12 of the BCS, or the top 16 of the BCS if they are ranked ahead of another conference's champion (it is very likely that the ACC champion will not finish with a high BCS ranking). Even if Boise State does not qualify for the BCS, I just can't believe that the other three bowls would pass on the Irish. As a side note, if Colt McCoy is out for Texas, the Big 12 race could get a little more interesting. A Texas loss to A&M after Thanksgiving would probably matchup Oklahoma and Nebraska for the Big 12 title, and even if Texas won the Big 12 South, they would still face a Nebraska squad in the Big 12 Championship that they barely beat with their star-in-the-making QB. Probability: So you're saying there's a chance?

Gator Bowl or Cotton Bowl
At this point, I think only losses to both Army and Southern Cal would keep ND out of the BCS. The Irish need a Top-14 finish to be eligible as an at-large selection, and I have to think a 10-2 ND squad wouldn't fall too far in the BCS. Probability: I'm not going to touch this one.

Off We Go | by Jay

A grab bag of Air Force notes before we zoom off to Colorado Springs...

• A good overview in the SBT on the similarities between the University of the Navy & Air Force:

But Air Force, like Navy, doesn't use the option for the sake of simplicity. Rather both teams use it to compensate for a lack of mass that comes with the service academies' strict admission requirements and the subsequently shallower pool of talent to recruit.

"If you're bigger and stronger than everybody else, then you don't have to worry about a lot of schemes," said DeBerry. "We'll play two teams this year -- Tennessee and Notre Dame -- that are in the top five in the country in recruiting success. They may have to do a few less things than we have to do to compensate for a difference in size and ability."

The option overcomes the size differences on offense. But on defense, there is no grand solution.

Like Navy, Air Force relies on sound fundamentals just to hope and contain teams. The Falcons have given up an average of 323 yards per game, 191 through the air and 132 on the ground.

There's some good background reading on option footbaw at the college level here and here (the latter, a tidbit from an old friend).

• Fisher DeBerry is getting a little fresh:

"Notre Dame better bring its A game because of what's at stake," Falcons coach Fisher DeBerry said, referring to its chances to make the Bowl Championship Series national title game as a one-loss team. "We don't have anything to lose and everything to gain. ... I think we've got a good plan. And I'm interested to see what adjustments we'll have to make as the game goes on."

• John Walters' got an article on the pugnacious quarterback for Air Force, Shaun Carney. Once an Irish fan, now he's a little bitter.

"I was a big Notre Dame fan all the way through my childhood," says Carney. "Then I went to a football camp there and that changed things."

Carney was between his freshman and sophomore years at St. Edward when he attended a summer football camp in South Bend. It was during the Bob Davie era.

"I just didn't like the intensity of it there back then," Carney, who at 5-10 is quite undersized as a college quarterback, says. "I started rooting for Ohio State after that."

"He heard from other coaches that he'd thrown some of the best balls they'd ever seen for a player that age," his mother recalls. "But it was just because of his size that they weren't very interested."

Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski was an option quarterback in high school and he attended summer camps as a quarterback at Nebraska and Northwestern. How'd that work out for him?

"I got offered (scholarships)," says Zbikowski, "so I guess it worked out pretty well."

Zing.

• Irish defensive line coach Jappy Oliver coached at Air Force for eight years.

• Only two teams have held the Falcons to under 200 yards rushing: Navy and BYU (although against Navy, AFA threw the ball 19 times, a season high).

• One thing about playing a triple option team that likes to run the ball 50 times is that you have to make the most of your possessions. You're only going to get 7-8 drives per game, so you can't afford to stall out, punt, or turn the ball over. The Irish offense was brilliant in this regard against Navy, scoring on all five of its first drives.

• While it's true Air Force's option attack is 4th in the country in time of possession with 32:58 minutes per game, look who's there at 13th: the Irish, with a TOP mark of 32:05. Ball hogs.

• Hopefully we learned something about defending the option from the Navy game. If I were gameplanning, I would consider using the brick wall approach from the second half (86 yards given up, no points) and not the soft-as-tissue scheme from the first half.

• Air Force season in a nutshell:

• Came flying out of the gate with a nailbiter loss to Tennessee, 31-30.
• Beat Wyoming, New Mexico.
• Was down all game to Navy, trailing 24-7 in the fourth quarter, but scored a FG and a touchdown to make it a 7-point game. The Falcons even recovered an onsides kick with 3:00 minutes left, but couldn't do anything with it. Lost 24-17.
• Beat Colorado State in a squeaker; lost to San Diego State in another squeaker, the Aztecs' only win of the year.
• Got crushed by BYU, then turned around and crushed Army.

Overall record: 4-4.

• BGS sez. I did this a few times last year, comparing average points scored and given up for both teams, and modeling out a score prediction. Here goes.

AFA's offense averages 24.38 ppg, about +3.41 points better than their opponents usually give up.
AFA's defense averages 20.75 ppg given up, about -2.99 points better than their opponents usually score.
ND's offense averages 31.66 (repeating, of course) ppg, about +8.59 points better than usual.
ND's defense averages 22.11 ppg given up, about -0.48 points better than usual.

Average of AFA Off (24.38) + ND Def (22.11) = raw AFA score of 23.24 points.
Average of ND Off (31.66) + AFA Def (20.75) = raw ND score of 26.21 points.

AFA score (23.24) + AFA avg (+3.41) - ND avg (-0.48) = 26.18
ND score (26.21) + ND avg (+8.59) - AFA avg (-2.99) = 31.80

BGS sez...final score: ND 32, Air Force 26.

• Will this be the last time we ever play Air Force?

A Tribute | by Pat

A quick note on a story that will certainly be mentioned during the game tomorrow.

The Irish and the Falcons will wear the same helmet sticker tomorrow to honor '92 Air Force Academy graduate Gregg Lewis, son of ND coach Bill Lewis, who was killed along with 11 other Airmen in a helicopter accident in 1998. It will be the first time that ND has ever put a sticker on a helmet for an individual game.

Make sure to check out the Irish Round Table for the whole story.

Little Big Man | by Pat

Two days after the Irish gained the 10th member of the Class of 2007, North Carolina wide receiver Greg Little announced his commitment to ND to become #11. At a high school press conference that was previously scheduled to announce his nomination to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Little took the opportunity to end a rather lengthy recruiting process by taking off the U.S. Army hat and donning one with an interlocking ND.

The opportunity to attend Notre Dame "was just something that I just couldn't turn down," he said. "Notre Dame is the biggest college stage right now that you could play for."

Recruited as a wide receiver by the Irish, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him wind up at running back (his main high school position), linebacker, or safety. At 6'3, 215 pounds, Little is an explosive athlete who put up a 40" vertical leap at one of the summer combines. Due to his combination of size, speed, and strength, the recruiting pundits are projecting him as a future star on whatever side of the ball he winds up. It does seem that Little is set on making it work at wide receiver, however. For a recruit as sought-after as him (more on that in a second) it's not uncommon for them to skip all of the summer combines as a bad time or bad performance could scare away the top programs that have already expressed serious interest. Little, on the other hand, attended a number of combines, and kept working out with the wide receivers to showcase his skills.

Both Rivals and Scout have him listed as a 4-star recruit with Scout.com putting him on their Top 100 list at #77. ESPN's Scouts, Inc. has him listed as the 29th best player in the country, regardless of position. Most importantly, Little has one of the most impressive collections of scholarship offers in the nation. Joining the Irish in offering Little were schools like Ohio State, USC, Florida, and Michigan.

In the end, it actually came down to ND versus the home town North Carolina Tar Heels for Little in a crazy, rumor-filled recruitment that certainly kept the recruiting message boards busy. About a month ago, Little called a press conference, presumably to announce his college choice, but after a short delay, only announced that he had not made a decision and was still deciding between his two finalists: ND and UNC.

No doubt the mid-season firing of UNC head coach John Bunting played a role in the delay, but in the end the new coach didn't really matter. Little traveled to ND this past weekend for the UNC game where he made his choice for ND.

"It's a very family-oriented place," Little said. "It's just something I could really see myself fitting here."

It wasn't exactly a textbook recruiting story with Little, and I doubt it's completely over. I don't expect the new UNC head coach, especially if it's the as-rumored Butch Davis, to let Little go without a fight. But with the daunting task of replacing both Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight looming large, keeping Little in the fold will be a high priority of the Irish staff.

Nwankwo is Number Ten | by Pat

The recruit tally hit double digits as Florida offensive lineman Emeka Nwankwo gave his commitment to Notre Dame and became the 10th member of the class of 2007. For Emeka, ND wasn't as close to home as some of his other choices, but it was just the right fit.

"After my trip to Notre Dame, I was really impressed," Nwankwo said. "It isn't just the football, it's the academics as well. They're the highest level you can get and I feel like I fit in perfectly with that system."

Emeka, like Sam Young and Dan Wenger, hails from Broward County, but isn't from the same program as the Irish freshman. Still, it is interesting to see the Irish making inroads into the Florida recruiting scene and coming out with offensive lineman, rather than skill position players. Then again, that Jeff Faine guy turned out all right and Young certainly has a bright future, so I don't have a problem with that.

The big test when it comes to Florida recruits is if they get offered by the power home state schools. In Nwankwo's case, he was offered by Florida State and Florida, although it seems that Florida tried to put him in a bit of a holding pattern while waiting out the decisions of other recruits. Out of state, Auburn, Georgia, and Virginia also wanted the lineman out of Hollywood, Florida. The recruiting sites have him as a solid 4-star (scout.com) / 3-star (rivals.com) kind of guy.

At 6-5, 265 pounds, Nwankwo isn't just going to walk into ND and battle for a starting spot. It will probably take him a year or so to add some weight to his frame in order to take the physical abuse from opposing defensive lines. Emeka is listed as a tackle/guard, but my guess is that he will wind up at guard at ND. According to the online reviews of his game, as well as recent quotes from his head coach, his strengths are his athleticism and quickness.

"His biggest quality is he's an athlete playing offensive line," Chaminade-Madonna coach Mark Guondolo said. "I just think to have an offensive lineman with great athletic ability is huge. He needs to get bigger and stronger, but those things will happen. It's tough to teach athleticism."

And while you might think that all coaches talk up their star players, opposing high school coaches have noticed Nwankwo as well.

They have a big lineman (Emeka Nwankwo), who is 6-4, 290 pounds and as athletic as any offensive lineman I've seen all year."

Now, considering that we're talking about south Florida football, I'd like to think that that is one heck of a compliment.

The OL still needs additional bodies this year, but Emeka and Andrew Nuss are a very solid first two steps. Slowly but surely, the Irish offensive line depth chart is on its way back from the brink of disaster.

Poll Position - Week 11 | by Jeff

Once again, the Game of the Week is in the Big East, as another Thursday night undefeated match-up takes place at the top of the standings. A Louisville loss will almost certainly drop the Cardinals below ND, but it is likely that Rutgers will do some serious leapfrogging with a victory. As for the rest of the Top 10, the oddsmakers say the most likely upset victim is Southern Cal, as every other team is favored by a couple of TDs or more.

#1 Ohio State at Northwestern (OSU by 23)
#2 Michigan at Indiana (UM by 19)
Both teams go on the road against after weak perfromances last weekend. IU and Northwestern have played well at times this season, so maybe upsets aren't as far fetched as we might have thought at the beginning of the season.

#3 Louisville at #13 Rugters (Cards by 6.5)
Louisville can all but clinch a spot in the BCS Championship with a win. It will be interesting to see Rutgers' highly ranked defense match up against Louisville's powerful offense, but Rutgers' offense may be what decides this game.

South Carolina at #4 Florida (Gators by 13.5)
Steve Spurrier returns to The Swamp, but the Gators look to be rolling to the SEC Championship.

#5 Texas at Kansas State (Horns by 17)
I still don't buy that Texas is that good, but the voters seem to love them.

#6 Auburn vs Georgia (Auburn by 13)
Georgia is reeling, and Auburn is unlkely to help break their fall.

#7 Southern Cal vs #21 Oregon (Trojans by 8)
The Trojans finish with four tough games, a victory over Oregon would keep them in the hunt to win the PAC-10.

#8 Cal at Arizona (Bears by 13.5)
Cal should roll before their matchup with Southern Cal next weekend.

And most importantly...
#9 Notre Dame at Air Force
Air Force has played well at times this season, and should bring their A-game to Falcon Stadium.

There is one other matchup with big BCS implications, although I'm not really sure how it will affect the Irish. Arkansas hosts Tennessee and gets a chance to prove their victory over Auburn was not a fluke. However, an Arkansas victory all but assures Auburn a spot in the BCS, as it would likely mean that Arkansas would win the SEC West and thus play Florida in the SEC championship game. Auburn, by virtue of their loss to Arkansas earlier in the season, will lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with Arkansas, even if Arkansas loses one of their last three conference games. As a result, Auburn is a near lock for a BCS bid, and could sneak into the BCS championship game without winning their division of their conference. I believe Nebraska did this a few years ago and got pounded by Miami in the Rose Bowl.

Sharpen Your Quills | by Jay

We're gonna have a contest! For the first time ever we've got some swag to give away. Suzanne Dobson of A&E Home Video sent us a couple of promotional copies of a terrific new DVD box set that hasn't even been released yet: The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Collector's Edition, College Football's Greatest Games! This eight-DVD set includes the complete telecasts of some of the greatest games in ND history:

• Southern Cal, 1977: the "Green Jersey" Game

• The 1978 Cotton Bowl vs Texas - National Champs!

• The 1979 Cotton Bowl vs Houston - the "Chicken Soup" Game

• ND-Miami, 1988: "Catholics vs Convicts"

• The 1989 Fiesta Bowl vs West Virginia - National Champs!

• Penn State, 1992: the "Snow Bowl"

• Florida State, 1993: #1 vs #2

• And a bonus, the complete second half (the only surviving footage) to the 1966 ND-Michigan State "Game of the Century"

The set also includes over two hours of vintage highlight films, original radio calls for key plays featuring play-along video function, and an "interactive sleeve design" featuring team rosters, trivia, key facts, and statistics.

So how do you win one of these babies? Simple:

Come up with a good post for BGS!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write something that you think would make a nice addition to the site. If you've been reading the blog for a while you know we've covered a lot of ground and done lots of different types of posts: historical pieces, statistical analysis, game reports, satire, personal reflections and all kinds of other stuff. We're leaving the subject matter up to you, with just a few criteria: your entry should have something to do with Notre Dame, should be long enough to make it a substantial post (how long exactly, we're not sure, but probably at least 1,500 words -- unless it's a piece of original artwork), and should be in to us via the BGS mailbox by December 15th. Oh, and it should be creative and interesting and entertaining and brilliant.

That's about it. We'll read 'em, judge 'em, and announce the two winners sometime before Christmas. And of course, we'll publish the winning posts.

Any questions or clarifications? Hit us up in the comments. And get crackin'!

How They Got There | by Jay

Judging the defense this year is an exercise in cognitive dissonance. When you watch the games in person, you mostly just remember the big plays: Manningham torching an Irish secondary, Lymon breaking tackles on a 88-yard touchdown, Caulcrick busting loose through the middle of the line. You stomp your feet on every converted third down, yell and scream when a defender whiffs on another tackle, and curse the Irish D when the other team scores yet another seemingly easy touchdown. Goddam Minter/Zibby/Nedu/[other defensive scapegoat]!

So you drive home angry (despite the win) and look at the box score, and do a double-take. We only gave up 244 yards to North Carolina? Only 243 yards to UCLA? That can't be. That's impossible!

Yet it's true. Despite the burnt toast, overall, the stats aren't terrible. Total defense is actually improved from last year, statistically speaking, anyway: we're 53rd (321 ypg) in total defense, as opposed to 75th (397 ypg) last year. Scoring defense is slightly better as well (22.1 ppg, versus 24.5 a year ago). Despite getting torched by some long plays (like that 72-yard TD by North Carolina) we are nevertheless, squarely mediocre. Not gawd-awful. Not one of the worst defenses in the country. Just average.

The totals seem innocuous enough, but how we got there is the real story. (I was reminded of an old Spike Jonze short film, How They Get There, where a pair of shoes end up in a gutter by a very circuitous route.) Yep, it's those big, explosive plays. The car crashes. Those are what gall you. They gall the Irish, too.

"You can't sit there and say, 'Hey, we had 41 good plays but we had eight bad ones.' Just like on the kickoff coverage you can't sit there and say, 'Hey, we were great on eight of them but we were terrible on one of them. You can't do that,'' Weis said Sunday. "For you to have to have a good game, those have to be at a minimum. Because if not, you really haven't achieved your goals.''

The Irish players saw it the same way.

"It's the same old thing each week, or at least a lot lately it seems like, some inconsistent play here and there, which we've got to stop doing,'' defensive tackle Trevor Laws said. "But I felt like, overall we played solid out there.''

Safety Tom Zbikowski agreed.

"We feel that we're a strong defense, but we've just given up some big plays that are unfortunate and at bad times and obviously aren't helping out our stats when you look at yards per pass or yards given up,'' safety Tom Zbikowski said. "But I think when you look at us on film, I think you'll see a strong defense.''

According to cfbstats, we've given up 47 runs of 10+ yards. That seems like a lot. In '05, we gave up 45 10+ runs the whole year. (As a point of comparison, how are other teams in the top 10 doing? Ohio State has given up 37 runs of 10+ yards. Michigan, only 20. Southern Cal: 22.) Passing-wise, we've given up 37 15+ passes, which also seems like a lot until you realize that last year we gave up 77 15+ passes, and thus we're tracking a little better in that department.

It's the ones that go for scores that really stick in your craw. Here's a list of all the offensive touchdowns scored against ND this year, and how long they were.

GT	Johnson	pass	4
PSU	Butler	pass	2
PSU	Clark	run	5
UM	Manningham	pass	69
UM	Hart	run	2
UM	Manningham	pass	20
UM	Manningham	pass	22
MSU	Reed	pass	34
MSU	Ringer	pass	26
MSU	Reed	pass	15
MSU	Caulcrick	run	30
PU	Sheets	run	7
PU	Lymon	pass	88
PU	Lymon	pass	9
SU	Lynn	pass	57
UCLA	Everett	pass	54
UCLA	Snead	pass	36
Navy	Kaipo	run	1
Navy	Kaipo	run	1
UNC	Holley	pass	12
UNC	Nicks	pass	13
UNC	Nicks	pass	72

That's an average of 26.3 yards per scoring play. Yikes.

Why are we giving them up? Like a masochist, I went back and looked at every touchdown play over 20 yards that we've given up to date.

Manningham's first TD. We blitz two guys and leave Wooden on an island with Manningham. Mario simply beats him on an out-and-up move, turning Ambrose around and sprinting past him. Easy pitch and catch. (Embarrassingly easy.) 69-yard TD.

Manningham par deux. 2nd & 8 at the ND 20, we blitz two linebackers (picked up well by Michigan) and put Lambert on Manningham straight up, who beats him on the fade to the right corner. Great pass by Henne.

Manningham par trois. 3rd & 10 at the ND 22. Play-action, Lambert on Manningham on the left with safety help from Zibby. No blitz this time. Manningham beats Lambert to the opposite corner on the fade and Henne drops it in. Neither defensive back is close enough to make a play.

Kerry Reed opens the scoring at MSU. 1st & 10 at the ND 35, Stanton in shotgun with an empty backfield. ND rushes four. Reed lines up slot right and finds a soft spot in the zone between three white jerseys. Crum stays with him for a few steps and seems like he's expecting to pass him off, but Zibby and Nedu aren't there.

Caulcrick up the gut. 1st & 10 at the ND 30, driving rain in the 3rd quarter. The Spartans run a counter to Caulcrick who jukes left, then dives up the middle. Zibby & Travis bite on the outside motion and end up out of position for the cutback. Then the massive running back breaks two weak arm tackles from Richardson and Walls.

Lymon breaks loose. 2nd & 10 at Purdue's own 12, about a minute left in the half. Purdue fakes the inside handoff and Selwyn Lymon breaks down the field. He's not exactly open, but Painter chucks it anyway. Walls tries to swat it and falls down, and Zibby simply bounces off of him. Lymon splits them both and races to a 88-yard TD.

Stanford on a trick play. They pitch it to the running back Kimble, who throws a pass to a wide open Lynn. Both Richardson and Ndukwe bite really hard on the run. Keep in mind Michigan State also burned us on a similar trick play for a TD earlier in the year.

UCLA splits the middle. It's 3rd & 10 at the UCLA 46. The Bruins line up two tight ends and two receivers to the right. There seems to be some pre-snap confusion on the part of the defense, and UCLA snaps the ball as we're still milling around. We rush 4 and Abiamiri nearly sacks Cowan, who steps up in the pocket and hits Everett over the middle on a route similar to the one that MSU exploited for their first TD (above). Richardson is a step behind and you can see Nedu, who has deep responsibility, stumble a bit.

Snead stumbles in. Later in the same quarter, it's 3rd & 7 at the ND 36. We run a zone blitz, sending a linebacker but dropping off a DL. Cowan hits the TE Snead on the same damned route down the middle. This time we at least have both safeties in position to make the tackle, but Herring and Ndukwe crunch Snead at the same time and bounce off, leaving him standing and able to stumble into the end zone. So frustrating.

Carolina gets loose. 1st & 10 at the UNC 28, third quarter. The Heels line up with two backs and two wide left. We put six men on the line, including Ndukwe on the edge. We bring the house and nearly get Dailey, who has to scramble out to his left. Lambert, covering Nicks, was trying to bump and run but literally gets knocked over, and recovers too late. Nicks is open down the left sideline, and Dailey just heaves it. There's no one over the top for safety help.

The Culprits, Revealed:

1. Poor zone coverage schemes, especially that seam down the middle. Poor positioning by safeties in general (Manningham, Kerry Reed, both UCLA TDs).

2. Inopportune blitzing which a) doesn't result in a sack or disruption of the pass and b) leaves us short in the backfield (Manningham, UNC).

3. Weak arm tackling (Caulcrick, Lymon).

4. Susceptibility to play-action/misdirection/trick plays (Caulcrick, Stanford).

5. Superior players making good plays (Manningham).

Fins Up | by Jay

Congrats to Jeff Samardzija, your new all-time leader in touchdown receptions for the Irish, with 23. The previous mark was held by Derrick Mayes. It's fitting that Samardzija did it on his best receiving day of the year so far (177 yards) and on the longest scoring play of the year for him (46 yards).

Looking back, it's really remarkable that the Shark didn't have a single TD his first two years on the team, and yet here he is, two years (and a new coach) later, setting the all-time record. I expect we'll see this record (like most of the passing records) fall again before the Charlie era is over, but for now, here's to you, Shark.

For my money, Samardzija is the best Irish receiver since Tim Brown, and he certainly belongs in the conversation alongside Brown, Tom Gatewood, and Jack Snow as one of the best receivers ever to don a gold helmet.

the Nice Department | by Jay

Adam Lucas of Tarheel Monthly filed a report on his trip to South Bend for the game and came away duly impressed with the no-frills, stripped-down, nostalgic quality of 'big time football' at Notre Dame:

Big. Time. Football.

But there wasn't a video board to be found inside Notre Dame Stadium. The scoreboards only had room for down, distance, and the time left in the quarter.

Fans in the stands sat on weathered wooden bleachers with no backs and the seat numbers stenciled on in plain white paint.

Where were the contests? Where was the buzz? Where were the laser lights and fireworks and clowns jumping out of Volkswagens?

Speaking of that, where was the traffic?

Coming into town two hours before the game, there were hardly any cars on the road. You zipped into South Bend on Angela Blvd., past the house with the sign in the yard that read, "Bathrooms $5.00," went straight through a stoplight, and there was Touchdown Jesus summoning you to the parking lot.

Which is about the time you realized why there wasn't any traffic: everyone was already at the game.

Two hours early.

Big Time Football does not just happen for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. It happens all day, starting at daybreak. This is what it says on the back of the Notre Dame parking passes:

"Spots can not be guaranteed less than 90 minutes before kickoff."

Huh?

You can be cynical and you can hate Rudy, but it was almost impossible not to get a little tingle when the Notre Dame band lined up and those gold helmets and navy jerseys ran out of the tunnel. Maybe they get too much credit in national polls and maybe they get too much hype on ESPN and maybe they're on the cover of Sports Illustrated too often (the 12 covers framed in the press box are impressive...until you realize that's just the first dozen covers)--by the way, every other program in the country would love to be complained about in the same way, kind of like Carolina in basketball--but the history seeps out of every corner of the stadium.

And here's a more free-wheeling trip report from BobLee Stagger, sent by BGS reader Hardy. Pretty funny read.

The freakin’ stadium is 76 damn years old and DOES NOT HAVE A JUMBOTRON! Two scoreboards, one at either end of the bowl that “might” be as high tech as what Independence High School has … maybe. Gosh … Knute, Ara, Dan, …. Ty, Charlie how do you impress “blue chippers” without “a Jumbo”?

No amplified rock music or rap music or any music other than real live “band music”. So Notre Dame’s version of “Board Loonies” can spend all the bandwidth they want suggesting the best entry music, pre-game warm-up music, etc … but nobody that matters much cares. Granted, Notre Dame has this one catchy tune that is sorta cool. They call it “The Notre Dame Victory March”. Other than making the freakin’ hair on the back of your neck stand up and salute … it’s about all they got. Sure, the band’s pre-game entry led by the Irish Guard is sorta cool (IF YOU HAVE A PULSE!) but, I mean it’s not AC/DC or Pink Floyd...

The concourses inside the stadium have all these old black & white pictures on the walls. Guys in leather helmets and “Knute” … and Hornungs, Montanas, and other has-beens. Oh … guess what else? They have “PEEING TROUGHS” in the Men’s rooms. Not a “peeing wall” but “troughs”. I could not help wondering … “did George Gipp ever stand here doing this?”

The ND band’s pre-game entry, as noted, is OK if one likes that sorta thing … and that one tune is kinda catchy. I think they borrowed it from that movie Rudy.

The Week's Biggest Question | by Pat

Thanks to the new deal signed with the Mountain West Conference, the Notre Dame-Air Force game will be broadcast on CSTV, a fledgling CBS owned network. We've been getting a few emails and comments asking how to watch the game, so here's an attempt to collect all various ways you can watch or listen to the game this Saturday at 4:00 pm (ET).

Cable. CSTV is a relatively new cable channel and although most of the major providers do have it, it is not offered by every cable provider. And if your provider does carry it, odds are it is bundled as a specialty package that costs a few extra bucks a month. Luckily for Irish fans, CSTV did decide that the weekend of the ND-AF game is a "Free Preview" weekend, but it is still up to your local provider, assuming they carry CSTV in the first place, to offer the channel for free.

If you aren't sure if your cable provider offers CSTV, use this handy link. Enter your zip code and use "none" for your email address (unless you like spam) and a pop-up window will tell you if your local carrier offers the channel. If you do get the channel, then I'd suggest calling them and asking if they will be participating in the free preview weekend. If people post the answer they get in the comment section, that could help others in the same area.

Satellite. Both major satellite providers carry CSTV, but it is a bundled as a premium package on both. On DirecTV, CSTV is channel 610 but is only available to those who have subscribed to the Sports Pack package. For those with the DISH Network, CSTV is channel 152 and available to those who have the "America's Top 120" package.

It appears that the Free Preview weekend is open to DirecTV and the DISH Network as well, but I'm not sure if they will indeed carry the channel for free to those who don't have the upgraded packages. Again, if you have a definite answer, please post in the comment section.

Internet. If you can't get either cable or satellite option, you can still watch the game streaming live over the internet. CSTV is offering a streaming pay per view option that costs $14.95 if you advance order and $19.95 the day of the game. For the record, we were told that Notre Dame tried to get the cost down but were denied. I wonder if CSTV's lack of flexibility will affect future Irish scheduling concerns with Mountain West teams (namely, Air Force).

An alternate option to paying for streaming video is the always free Westwood One broadcast with Don Criqui. If you aren't sure which local affiliate carries the broadcast, use this handy station finder. Also, the game radio broadcast can be heard live on the internet at ndfootballradio.com.

Sports Bars, Storefronts, Etc. If you decide to venture out of your house, I suspect you're on your own as far as finding a bar that will air the game. Many bars will have the sports packages needed to show CSTV, but better to be safe than sorry: call ahead. You can also check out the NDNation Game Watch board to see where Irish fans in your area are gathering to watch the game.

Jay's house. Jay just added the Sports Package to his DirecTV programming, so he will be presenting the game. Feel free to drop by unannounced, and help yourself to anything in the fridge. Get drunk, crash on the floor, and stay the weekend if you'd like. I'm sure he won't mind.

North Carolina Photo Galleries | by Pat

Check out this week's game photo galleries at the following links: the South Bend Tribune, EraofAra/IrishEyes, Matt Cashore/Irish Illustrated, Blue and Gold Illustrated, Getty Images, and the AP photo wire.

For this week's photo I'll go with Jeff Samardzija's 23rd career TD grab, which gave him the all-time Notre Dame touchdown receiving record. Way to go, Shark.

Runner-up would probably be Matt Cashore's picture (pic #6) of Frome, Landri, and Laws blowing right through the Tarheel line to block an extra point.

Game On! | by Pat

a D.I.Y. North Carolina Post | by Jay

Here's your chance to help us unspool a UNC preview. Please add a salient fact, a relevant stat, or a witty insight about our game against the Tar Heels tomorrow. I'll get us going.

FACT: North Carolina is ranked 99th in total offense, and 93rd in total defense.

FACT: North Carolina coach John Bunting is about to lose his job.

FACT: North Carolina has a player named Richie Rich.

Add a fact, and pass it along! Here's a resource to help you get you started.

P6, Conversation Data, and Other Detritus | by Jay

Poor Petey. I sort of felt sorry for him after the Trojans dumped a game to three-loss Oregon State last weekend. Of course I felt even more sorry for the fact that Southern Cal isn't going to be undefeated going into Thanksgiving weekend. But you had to figure that Southern Cal was living on borrowed time; all those near-misses to lesser teams over the last two years (Fresno State, Arizona State, us) was going to catch up to them, and at some point a last-second comeback was going to fall short. And you have to wonder how an ignominious loss like this will affect the team; in fact, it's probably the worst loss Southern Cal has suffered going back to 2001. With games left against Cal, Oregon and ND, could we see a 4-loss Trojan team by year's end?

The Trojans' fall in the AP Poll had a calamitous effect on the Pick Six, and a whole new crop of contenders are ascending the peak (with Tennessee as the surprisingly buoyant pick in Group E). Stuffed Peppers has the sole lead with 100 points (out of 107 possible). As for Group D, I've seen better lineups on the WB: Clemson (7 points) leads the pack, Va Tech climbs back in with 3 points, and the rest (Iowa, Penn State, and Nebraska) are all unranked.

Cheeseburger Cheeseburger

Last week Charlie spoke up about ND's ranking in the polls (and along the way, making an inadvisable crack about "eating cheeseburgers"), which sparked a rash of articles and segments on sports shows railing on Charlie for being a whiner non pareil. I couldn't blame them, really: he set himself up for it. No actual good can come from a coach squawking about his treatment by the pollsters; no one's going to change his mind based on your rant, and you invariably end up looking like a crybaby (see Tuberville, Tommy). Charlie, to his credit, took some self-deprecating swipes at himself in the following presser:

That’s enough of this. I’m not going there. We have a little fun with your question, and next thing you know I’m the nationwide whiner. We’ll stay away from that. Let’s see if we can stay away from it for one week.

Of course that doesn't change the fact that he was absolutely honest in his answer to a simple question from a reporter. Moreover, he was correct. But he shouldn't be the one to say so; he should let minions like BGS carry the water. To that end...

Some Obligatory Poll Bitching

What the hell was WVU doing ranked at #3? They had one measley, "quality" win, against Maryland, and filled out the rest of their resume with three games against BCS teams with losing records (Miss St, Syracuse, UConn), two CUSA teams (Marshall and East Carolina), and a Div-1AA team that is 2-6 in Division 1-AA (Eastern Washington). For this, they were roundly heralded as a legitimate title contender. Thankfully, Louisville smote them last night. Now someone just needs to smite Louisville.

After last night's game I re-ran the points for the Conversation (using our handy scoring system) and came up with this collection of teams. Once again it yielded a pretty sensible group:

the conversation
team	BCS Wins	all Losses	Opp. Wins	Opp. Losses	points
Michigan	8	0	+23	0	31
Ohio State	7	0	+20	0	27
Auburn	6	1	+17	-1	21
California	6	1	+17	-1	21
Southern Cal	6	1	+18	-3	20
Florida	5	1	+16	-1	19
Louisville	6	0	+13	0	19
Notre Dame	6	1	+14	0	19
Tennessee	4	1	+16	-1	18
Texas	5	1	+12	0	16
Arkansas	4	1	+12	-1	14
Rutgers	5	0	+7	0	12
Clemson	4	2	+12	-3	11
Georgia Tech	4	2	+12	-3	11
Washington St	5	3	+12	-3	11
Texas A&M	4	1	+11	-4	10
Wisconsin	5	1	+6	0	10

Feel free to shift things around based on win chains and the like. I think the Southern Cal > Arkansas > Auburn > Florida > Tennessee > Cal chain is still easily enforceable, for example.

The biggest farce in the BCS standings (apart for the recently rectified Mountaineers) that I see is Texas at #7, ahead of other more worthy 1-loss teams like Cal, Tennessee, and ND. I just don't think the pollsters are looking at the actual games played by all these teams, and I think the Longhorns are benefitting from some national champs-style hangover.

Lastly, I think our game at the Coliseum at the end of the year is going to be quite important for our BCS chances. The way things are shaking out in the BCS, I just can't see a 2-loss Notre Dame making it as an automatic qualifier, and there may plenty of other teams ranked ahead of us at the end that would make our selection seem unsporting.

Then again, that's what they said at the end of the '91 season.

43 and Counting | by Pete

43 years and counting. We all know the number, and announcer never neglect to note it when announcing the annual matchup. Nonetheless, I was looking forward to seeing Notre Dame face Navy at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore this past Saturday. Yes, the Midshipmen had lost their starting quarterback last week, and yes, Notre Dame should be able to handle the smaller, albeit fesity, Navy football team.

While riding the Light Rail into Baltimore, the train was packed with both Notre Dame and Navy faithful. In fact, I even ran into the man, geared up in his blue and gold, who was kind enough to hunt down 4 extra tickets for my family who came down to the game, two of them 20 rows up on the 40 yard line, no less. He was an alum, so he was more than happy to help out a recent grad. Capt. Rusty Yeiser, 1974 Naval Academy graduate, greeted me with a smile, but lamented my choice in jersey. The ride down to the stadium was pleasant and calm, a sign of a meeting where both sides understand the other, and understand what this game means beyond the final score.

Arriving at the stadium, I was once again reminded that a Jumbotron and its accompanying sound system has as much of a place inside Notre Dame stadium as an orchestra pit. It was a shame that such a historical rivalry had to be tainted by Top 40 songs blaring in our ears and a host of advertisements schlocking their products during the game. Jeez, I've only been out of school for six months and I'm already sounding like an alum.

I'm not sure what made television coverage, but the game started with the marching out of all the Midshipmen. Group after group marched onto the field in smart unison, and each group leader (I'm not even going to attempt proper military jargon) and his hometown was announced. Small clusters of cheers could be heard as supporters cheered each of their Mids. A nice reminder that the uniformed mass below us was made up of a bunch of 18-22 year old actual adults, with families and friends.

Once all the groups filled the field from end zone to end zone, the Midshipmen turned to face the side of the field that contained the upper deck that housed the majority of the Notre Dame fans. In tight military unison, every Midshipmen at the Naval Academy spelled out I-R-I-S-H and yelled out, "GO IRISH." A tip of a mass of white caps followed, and the Notre Dame Victory March was played over the loudspeakers. The Mids then turned and did the same for Navy, with the stadium clapping along and cheering both fight songs. People can say that the SEC is real college football, but it wouldn't hurt if this experience was a bit more reciprocated. A really special moment, and refreshing to see two programs show actual respect for each other, regardless of ranking, conference affiliation, or BCS implications.

Following an always impressive flyover, we were ready for kickoff. I don't need to rehash the game, it's been hashed beyond recognition. Fast forward to halftime, and I moved over to sit next to my father, the '77 alum that bred me to be a Notre Dame fan, and the man that I've attended countless games with, including a few against Navy.

I turned to him and ask the question I usually ask Sunday morning when we're recounting the game: "So, are we happy?" His response, per usual, "Of course not. Our defense looks like a sieve, they're running all over us. These guys beat UMass by ONE, and we're letting them hang around? I don't like it one bit."

I've come to a conclusion about the Notre Dame-Navy game. When are we ever happy with how it goes? I remember watching Derrick Mayes pull in a second-half touchdown in front of us to FINALLY take the lead over Navy as a backup quarterback named Tom Krug replaced Ron Powlus after he was taken out with a broken humerus. I remember seeing Jarious Jackson complete a pass on 4th and 10 that went for 10 yards and one inch. I remember seeing a Navy player catch a last second pass, and keep running, and running, and running, finally to be pushed out of bounds at the one yard line to end the game. As a student, I remember beating Navy on a last second field goal. During the aforementioned Krug Game, Lou Holtz was leading the team into the locker room trailing at halftime, and an exasperated fan yelled out, "HELLOOO, THIS IS NAVY!" Of course it was Navy, it was an inexplicably close game, per usual. I've learned (or at least attempted to convince myself) not to ever get worked up over a Navy game. We have to be the most unhappy group of fans to beat a team 43 times in a row. So long as we keep winning, that's all that really matters. We stand to lose more beating Navy 70-3 in respect than we could possibly gain in the polls.

Anyways, the game continued as we all know. Brady looked like the best player on the field, as he should. The best part of the game? It was just FUN. Occasionally, Midshipmen-made videos lambasting Notre Dame would play over the Jumbotron, but always in good fun. Hell, one was inspired by the Beastie Boys "Sabotage" video, what's not to love? This was just a great game where both teams understand each other, and both agree to go out and play hard, and let the final score be just that. Final.

The game ended without much fanfare, and the fans strolled out of the stadium after cheering for both teams. And of course, Charlie led Notre Dame over to join Navy in their alma mater. He may curse, but college football stands to learn a lot from Charlie. No planted flags or swinging helmets here.

All in all, an incredibly pleasant day out to a game. As I walked back to pick up the Light Rail back, a Navy fan walked around saying, "It's alright, Mids. Next year's our year, we'll get them." Even though 43 straight wins makes for a bit of a lopsided rivalry, every game continues to carry that energy, that something special happens despite its now happenstance outcome. I don't know if I'll ever live to see Navy finally beat Notre Dame, but if I do, I'll stand up and cheer. They'll certainly have earned it, in more ways than one.

Oh, and thanks, Rusty!

Statistically Speaking - Navy | by Pat

Second half stops. The Irish defense has had it's ups and downs at times this season, but one quarter where the unit has shined is the 3rd quarter. Opposing offenses are averaging 6.8 points per game in the 1st quarter and 8.3 points per game in the 2nd quarter against the Irish, but that number plummets to a measly 1.9 points per quarter in the 3rd quarter. The number ticks back up again to 4.8 in the 4th, but is still lower than any of the first half numbers. It's pretty clear that whatever halftime adjustments are being made, they are working. Then again, some might wonder why it takes until halftime.

SCORE BY QUARTERS     1st  2nd  3rd  4th    Total
--------------------  ---  ---  ---  ---      ---
Notre Dame..........   48   83   55   54  -   240
Opponents...........   54   66   15   38  -   173

All-American. John Carlson is making a serious run towards All-America status this season. Currently, Carlson is 1st in the nation among tight ends in receiving yards per game. He is also 3rd in the nation among tight ends in receptions per game. He's also quickly moving up the Irish single season records list.

Catches by a tight end - season

1	Ken MacAfee	54	1977
2	Anthony Fasano	47	2005
3	Tony Hunter	42	1982
4	John Carlson	37	2006
5	Ken MacAfee	34	1976
6	Mark Bavaro	32	1984

Receiving yards by a tight end - season

1	Ken MacAfee	797	1977
2	Anthony Fasano	576	2005
3	John Carlson	529	2006
4	Tony Hunter	507	1982
5	Ken MacAfee	483	1976
6	Dean Mastzak	428	1979
7	Mark Bavaro	395	1984
7	Anthony Fasano	367	2004
9	Ken MacAfee	333	1975
10	Pete Chryplewicz	331	1996

Season Long Running Totals. The updated full season stats totals can be found here.

Dingbat | by Dylan

I'm not sure I can come up with a better word to describe John L. Smith. I take no pleasure in kicking a man while he's down, so I'll link to his press conference video merely as a curiosity; as a tragic portrait of a crumbling man who cannot stop doing injury to his reputation and his future employability. The contrast between the events in East Lansing and those in Louisville tonight are striking and should give pause to any up-and-comer looking for his prime-time job. Sometimes that job is your big break, and sometimes the job breaks you.

Dwindling Options | by Pat

Anyone who watched the recent game against Navy saw an Irish defense that looked almost helpless against the Midshipmen option attack in the first half turn into a near brick wall in the second half. After letting up 217 yards rushing on 35 carries for an ugly 6.2 yards per carry, the D buckled down and held Navy to 70 yards rushing (not counting any sacks here) in the second half on 18 carries for a much better 3.8 yards per rush.

So what happened? What did the Irish do differently? And why didn't they do it earlier?

Well, there really wasn't one magic bullet as much as a cumulative effect of a number of things. At first, Ndukwe lined up alongside the other linebackers in the box but it was Zibby from his strong safety spot that appeared to have responsibility for the pitch man in the option attack. As Charlie mentioned in his pressers before and after the game, you can simulate the option all you want with your scout team, but nothing gets you ready for the game speed version. And that certainly looked to be the case early on. Ndukwe got stuck in no-man's land a few times between the QB and the pitch man and Zibby took a few bad angles getting to the ball carrier on the edge. That resulted in some big gains early, and when the Irish defenders tried to get a few early steps in order to avoid arriving late, Navy brilliantly worked in some misdirection to keep the chains moving.

Despite the early struggles against the run, the Irish D did manage to shut down the fullback option up the middle. Adam Ballard, used to averaging over 5 yards a carry, found his normal running lanes clogged with defensive linemen and linebackers. Keeping Ballard from bulldozing for his usual allotment of yards early in the game took away perhaps the biggest threat of the option attack and forced Navy to have to beat ND on the edges later in the game.

Coming out in the second half, ND moved Ndukwe and Travis Thomas on the other side up to the line of scrimmage to force an earlier decision by the Navy QB Kaipo on whether to pitch or keep. Not only that, but Ndukwe started to attack the pitch man first, as opposed to the QB. This "encouraged" Kaipo to continually keep the ball and turn up field where the Irish linebackers and corners were waiting for him. Notre Dame also lined up Terrail Lambert on the line of scrimmage next to the DTs on a few occasions as well (a couple of example snapshots here and here). By eliminating the middle in the first half and then taking away the extreme edge early in the 2nd half, the ND defense started to dictate some of the running room for the Midshipmen. This is pretty obvious from the drastic change in 1st down averages for the Midshipmen. In the first half, Navy had 19 first downs and averaged 7.6 yards per 1st down play. In the second half, Navy had only 9 first downs and averaged 1.1 yards per 1st down play. That is an amazing defensive improvement.

Of course, Navy coach Paul Johnson had some other options (so to speak) to counteract the Irish defensive adjustments, but by this time in the game the size advantage of the Irish players really started to compound and ND was able to physically overpower the Middies' line. Equally important was the efficiency of the Irish offense, which put Navy in a deep hole and forced them to switch to the team's weakness, the passing game, in order to try and win.

To get a better sense of all this, I highly recommend you check out the Navy game tape study provided by UND.com. Not only do you get to see the better endzone and zoomed-out sideline angles that show you more of the play, but the video is sychronized with excerpts from Charlie's presser where he talks about the individual plays being shown. You also get to see all of the offensive highlights from different angles. Highly recommended viewing. Also, if you are a member of scout.com, there is an excellent article on the chess match between the Navy O and the Irish D by Chris Swezey. Check it out.

Other Navy notes...

• Quinn played a fantastic game against Navy. Sure, "against Navy". But still, Quinn was on target all day and also showed that he's quicker than some might think with his nifty 20 yard TD run. One of the best games of his career.

• Already having locked up the Most Improved Player award, Terrail Lambert continued to shine with some impressive hits on the Midshipmen in the game. It's easy to tell that he played linebacker in high school because he is excellent when it comes to hitting and wrapping up the ballcarrier. His week-by-week improvement in pass defense to go along with his tough run support is just great to watch.

• Although they obviously held the physical edge, the DL played very disciplined and looked great stuffing Ballard in the middle and sacking the Navy QB 4 times on only 11 Navy pass attempts. That's pretty impressive. Victor, Trevor, and Landri in particular were all over the field.

• It seems we now have a legit 3rd wide receiver. In the last two games David Grimes has come out of nowhere to total 151 yards and 1 TD on 11 catches. This after totaling 5 catches for 55 yards in the first 6 games.

Big Man on Campus... | by Jay

...and a bunch of other stuff I meant to post in the last week, while I was off basking in the glow of this.

The full 60 Minutes piece on Charlie can be downloaded here, and here's the CBS article. Also be sure to check out all the extra video clips, which are really great. The miked-up sideline clips are especially fun.

I thought the profile was pretty good, and definitely fair and honest. Like a lot of you I thought CBS' focus on the profanity was a little salacious. Every football coach cusses a blue streak (except maybe Bill McCartney), and it's really no big fuckin' deal. Yet 60 Minutes not only led off with Charlie's salty language, but promo'd the piece all through the Navy game on Saturday as something scandalous: Hear what the Priests at ND don't want you to hear, or something like that. (The funniest juxtaposition was showing Parcells chewing out assistant Romeo Crennel on the sidelines of a Giants game, and then a moment later Charlie doing the same thing to poor Brian Polian. Ahh, the tribulations of being the low man on the totem pole).

Anyway, it occurred to me that a good portion of regular 60 Minutes viewers probably had never seen Charlie interviewed before, so this was their first introduction to Coach Weis. I'd be curious to hear an outsider's impression of Charlie based on the piece. My guess is that if you can get past the language, you'd come away impressed by the man's football acumen, dedication to his players, and attention to his family.

Thrill-seeker. John-El won't be slapping himself, protecting his turf from nefarious flag planters or melting down at halftime anymore...well, not at Michigan State, anyway. Yesterday he was fired, and it's probably no exagerration to say that the ND game (and the the subsequent "slapping" incident) was the beginning of the end for JLS. In addition to under-performance on the field, Spartan prez Lou Simon also mentioned "lack of discipline" as a big factor in the decision, and I wasn't sure if he was talking about lack of discipline for JLS himself or the players under him. Probably both. (Did you know six Spartan players were dismissed this year for disciplinary reasons, and four of them are facing assualt charges?) JLS, clearly unhinged, needs a hot bath, some cool lemon water, and a rest. Instead, knowing Joh-El, he'll probably go climb Kilimanjaro again or something. In the meantime, let's hope Michigan State gets a respectable coach at the helm.

More posts on the way.

Poll Position - Week 10 | by Jeff

The Big East picture will become much more clear tonight, as West Virginia faces their first real test of the season at Louisville. This could be good news for Irish fans, since there is a decent chance that the loser of this game will drop below ND in the BCS rankings. The biggest issue with ND's recent slips in the polls is that ND might be too far back to benefit when a top team loses (especially to another top team). The Irish risk holding steady at the bottom portion of the Top 10 while teams above them churn week by week.

#1 Ohio State at Illinois (tOSU by 26.5)
#2 Michigan vs Ball State (UM by 34)
Another week, another step closer to a #1 vs #2 matchup.

#3 West Virginia at #5 Louisville (Cards by 1.5)
The Big East and the National Championship picture will become much clearer after tonight. But both teams still have to face Rutgers and travel to Pittsburgh.

#4 Florida at Vanderbilt (Gators by 16)
For some reason, Vandy seems to play Florida tough.

#6 Auburn vs Arkansas State (Auburn by 30.5)
Auburn survived a scare in Oxford last week, while Arkansas State was shut out by Florida Atlantic. This could get ugly.

#7 Texas vs Oklahoma State (Texas by 17)
Texas seems to have nine lives this year, but they won't need to cash any in vs the Cowboys.

#8 Southern Cal at Stanford (Trojans by 28.5)
Expect the Trojans to take out last weekend's loss on the hapless Cardinal.

Cal, Tennessee, and Rutgers are ahead of ND in at least on element of the BCS, so a loss by any of them probably helps the Irish a bit. Rutgers has a bye this week in preparation for Louisville next week, but the other games are:

#10 Cal vs UCLA (Cal by 17)
After starting 4-1, UCLA is in danger of losing 4 straight.

#11 Tennessee vs #13 LSU (LSU by 3)
Strength on strength: Tennessee's offense vs LSU's defense.

And most importantly...
#9 Notre Dame vs North Carolina
The Irish stand to move into the BCS "automatic qualification" zone with a win.

Brothers | by Pat

A unique article two days ago on Irish Eyes. Mike Frank interviewed some of the brothers of current team members on what it is like to be both a fan of the Fighting Irish as well as a family member of one of the players. The discussion about their interaction in the sometimes harsh realm of the online message boards is pretty interesting.

“I started reading the message boards Jeff’s senior year in high school, all the way up to Michigan State week of this year,” Sam Samardzija said. “I’ve tried to stay off since then. This year’s been a little crazy with the message board posters. My old man still checks those things out once in a great while. Mainly after games I think. Outside the family, I think the uncles and some cousins are on there though.”

The article is an insightful look into an aspect of the Notre Dame family that often gets overlooked, as well as a reminder for those who log on to their favorite ND website and don't always consider just who is reading their words. Check it out.