Now This Is a Rivalry | by Brian

This Saturday marks the 79th meeting of one of the college game's greatest rivalries, as USC travels to Notre Dame Stadium to take on the Fighting Irish (drink). With the exception of a three-year break during World War II, the schools have met on the gridiron every year since 1926. The series began during the tenures of head footbawl coaches Knute Rockne of Notre Dame and Howard Jones of Southern Cal. The USC program was looking to make a name for itself (having cast aside their original mascot, Lifestyles: Her Pleasure), while Rockne's Ramblers had established themselves as the nation's preeminent squad.

USC Footbawl Patriarch Howard Jones

As the story goes, Rockne was reluctant to take his team on the long trip to Southern California every two years, but the wife of Gwynn Wilson, who served at SC in a position along the lines of the modern-day athletic director, convinced Rockne's wife of the appeal of heading to the fun and sun of SoCal every other year. (Note: Mrs. Wilson may or may not have used the actual phrase "SoCal" back in the mid-1920's.)

The rest, as they say, is history. Knute Rockne went on to win two more national titles at ND before dying tragically in a plane crash in 1931. Gwynn Wilson went on to do many fine things, of that I am quite certain, just don't ask me what. And Howard Jones went on to record such '80's smash hits as No One Is To Blame and Things Can Only Get Better.

Pontiac Game Changer of the Week: Carl Spackler

The most important person associated with the Notre Dame program this week is not new starting quarterback Evan Sharpley (the Sharp-Dressed Man). It is not Trevor Laws or Maurice Crum, and it is not even Coach Weis. No, the key to the game for the Irish is Head Greenskeeper Carl Spackler. Spackler is in charge of installing the Super Secret Grass Surface in Notre Dame Stadium this week, in an attempt to slow down the merciless assault of the Trojan offense. When reached for comment, Spackler elaborated:

"This is a hybrid. This is a cross, ah, of Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbed Bent, and Northern California Sensemilia. The amazing stuff about this is, that you can play 6 overtimes on it in the afternoon, take it home and just get stoned to the bejeezus-belt that night on this stuff."

The Notre Dame administration has declined to comment on reports that, in their usual heavy-handed draconian fashion, they will again kick Irish point guard Kyle McAlarney out of school if he so much as steps foot in the stadium on Saturday.

The USC Song Girls get the lay of the land at Notre Dame Stadium

They Don't Play the Games on Paper

On paper, the Trojans came into the 2007 season with an offensive unit that would scare the stink off a skunk, and the attitude to make him feel self-conscious about it. The projected starting lineup was full of recruits with more stars than Ursa Major and Minor combined, no doubt possessing ample amounts of Pac 10 Speed:

2007 USC Starting Offense, Projected
QB John David Booty
RB Emmanuel Moody
RB C.J. Gable
RB Chauncey Washington
RB Stafon Johnson
RB Joe McKnight
RB Hershel Dennis
RB Broderick Green
RB Desmond Reed
RB Marc Tyler
RB Allen Bradford

Other than possessing a tendency of running to set up the run, only to beat you over the top with a play-action run, this talented squad presented a tough challenge to opposing coaches.

However, by this point, the offense has suffered a great deal of attrition. Moody transferred to Florida. Gable is out for the season with an injury. Johnson, Green, and Tyler have also been injured (though Johnson may have toughened up enough to roll on a Trojan uniform this week). The lineup now includes honest-to-god linemen and receivers, giving the Trojans a more traditional look that is easier to attack from a defensive perspective.

More notable is the recent change in quarterback. A combination of ineffectiveness and injury forced Booty (whom I refer to as Fairweather Johnson, since the much-anticipated follow-up to a great first season as starter has been largely a disappointment) to the sideline for last week's game with Arizona, in favor of former high school player of the year Mark Sanchez, or as I call him, Vosotros, since he is seldom used and rarely recognized.

The SC defense has not been immune to the injury bug itself. Linebacker Chris Galippo (back) and defensive back Josh Pinkard (torn ACL) are out for the year. Linebacker Brian Cushing also is coming into the game a little soft, and Rey Maualuga thinks he may have left a vowel back in his dorm room. Nevertheless, the SC defense remains one of the stoutest in the college game (drink), ranking 3rd nationally against the run with 66.8 yards per game, and 8th in total yards allowed with 266.7 YPG.

If the Irish are to win this game, it will probably have to be similar to the UCLA win, with the defense creating turnovers and possibly getting into the endzone, to pick up an Irish offense which figures to have a long day, what with it being a Saturday and all. John David Booty and McLeod Bethel-Thompson both have three names. Coincidence? You better believe it.

Unclean!!! Unclean!!!

OJ being OJ

"Some break the rules
And live to count the cost.
The insecurity is the thing that won't get lost."
---Howard Jones, No One Is To Blame

Let's not mince words: the USC program is dirtier than the helmet of the Dread Pirate Manny. First of all, there's this (right).

But the troubles didn't begin and end with the Juice. The Trojan program is currently embroiled in an investigation surrounding benefits received by the family of 2005 Heisman's Trophy winner Reggie Bush. Allegations allege that Bush and his family received benefits from prospective agents while he was still playing for SC, with Bush's family most notably living rent-free in a $750,000 house for a year. This could lead to sanctions for the USC program, and Bush could theoretically have to give up his Heisman if he is ruled to have been ineligible in 2005.

Bush has utilized his renowned escapability, consistently refusing to comment on the matter, citing pre-release confidentiality obligations under his contract with HarperCollins, the publisher of his forthcoming book If I Did It: How I Would Have Received Benefits From Prospective Agents While Still Playing For SC, Most Notably Living Rent-Free in a $750,000 House for a Year.

A Look Deep Into the NCAA Rulebook

When the Trojans last came to ND two years ago, they won a 34-31 classic which ended in controversy when Reggie Bush pushed quarterback Matt Leinart into the endzone with seconds remaining for the winning score. This was in violation of Rule 9, Section 3, Article 2B of the NCAA rulebook:

"You cheat, Dr. Jones. You cheat!"

"The runner shall not grasp a teammate; and no other player of his team shall grasp, push, lift or charge into him to assist him in forward progress. PENALTY---five yards from the basic spot"

USC faithful rallied to the officials' defense, pointing out that it's a little-known penalty which is seldom called in the college game (drink). In that spirit, we at BGS would like to take the opportunity to inform the officiating crew assigned to this week's game of some other obscure rules which the Trojans may try to stretch to its furthest limits, ultimately tearing the lubricated fabric of justice, spilling the abundant seed of dishonesty all over the field. Carl Spackler would not be pleased by the sticky icky.

* Rule 7, Section 2, Article 3A: Personal Foul --- Staged Homicide

Hypothetical Situation: Fairweather Johnson is intercepted by Maurice Crum, the quarterback's third pick of the game. He's playing like an ass. From the sidelines, a deranged Pete Carroll runs onto the field, carrying a spear and looking for a fight. He appears to run Booty through with the spear, killing him instantly, but ultimately Booty is revealed to be perfectly fine, thanks to the technological wizardy of a prominent alumni, George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic. Carroll later says that he staged the stunt to keep the mood of his team light through the tried-and-true practice of making you think your teammate, the one you ride and die with, has shuffled off this mortal coil.

Signal: The referee mimes banging a gavel, as if passing sentence.

Penalty: 15 yards from the end of the return and a loss of down.

* Rule 10, Section 4, Article 1C: Ineligible Law Enforcement On the Field

Hypothetical Situation: Rey Maualuga, who claims to "own the police" but still refuses to present appropriate documentation, brings a cop across to the Notre Dame sideline to arrest Top Jimmy for violating obscure Indiana blue laws.

Signal: The referee twirls his index finger above his head, like an umpire signalling a home run, while mimicking the noise a siren makes.

Penalty: Ten yards, automatic first down.

* Rule 12, Section 3, Article 2B: Illegal Use of Beanbags

Hypothetical Situation: Former SC quarterback, de facto Bengal warden and 2002 Heisman's Trophy winner, Carson Palmer runs out onto the field, equipment in hand, to interrupt an Irish drive with a spirited game of the noble "sport" of cornhole.

Signal: The referee makes an underhanded throwing motion and then, having apparently missed his shot, mimicks drinking a beer.

Penalty: Dead ball foul, five yards, repeat the down until someone scores 21.


Prediction From The Blind Oracle At Bristol

"A foe of ancient lore invades, wounded but dangerous. Their leader, jacked, pumped, psyched, and tanned, steers his charges into battle. I see a Fleetwood Mac cover band in their midst. Bottom line, the Irish lack the team speed to keep up with the Trojans. USC beats Notre Dame 35-10."

Statistically Speaking: Boston College | by Pat

It's a Numbers Game

• BCF Toys has unveiled the first Fremeau Efficiency Index rankings of the 2007 season. The FEI is the brainchild of Brian Fremeau, fellow Domer and writer for Football Outsiders, an excellent NFL-oriented football stats site. There is a full explanation of the rankings for those who are interested, but this is the short and sweet summary.

Fremeau Efficiency Index (FEI)
College football rating system based on drive-based Game Efficiency data that rewards playing well against good teams, win or lose, and punishes losing to poor teams more harshly than it rewards defeating poor teams.

It's an interesting way to look at team performance and I suggest you check it out. The Irish check in at #88 in the rankings.

• Brian also has a note on Field Position Advantage in his latest article on Football Outsiders. FPA is the difference between a team's average starting position and their opponent's. Currently, ND is -7.7 yards in FPA, meaning the Irish opponents are, on average, starting each drive 7.7 yards further down the field than ND. That number puts the Irish at 111th in the nation.

• Nose tackle Pat Kuntz is currently tied for 14th in the nation in passes broken up with 7. The only other defensive linemen in the Top 60 are Philip Hunt from Houston, Chris Long from Virginia, and Sedrick Ellis from Southern Cal. Kuntz has already broken up as many passes as ND's team leader, Chinedum Ndukwe, from last year. The school record for passes broken up is 14 by Shane Walton.

• Notre Dame is 1 of 2 teams in the country that not yet played a team with a losing record. The Irish are also the only team in the country to play a BCS conference program in each of the first 8 games. That is double Florida Atlantic, which had the second longest streak with 4 straight BCS conference opponents to start the season.

• 22 Players have now made their first start for Notre Dame this season. 12 on offense and 10 on defense. The breakdown is 1 senior (Vernaglia), 5 juniors (Kuntz, Turkovich, Hand, Bruton, Duncan), 11 sophomores (Jones, Ryan, Parris, Olsen, Wenger, West, Carufel, T. Smith, Aldridge, McNeil, Yeatman), and 5 freshman (Clausen, Allen, Neal, Tate, Kamara).

Gotta Have M.O.E.

The Irish offense took a step back in the efficiency department with a M.O.E. score of 19%. One of the primary culprits this game was dropped passes. ND also had the highest number of offensive penalties since the Penn State game.

Breaking down the M.O.E. score by quarterback, both Clausen and Sharpley had an identical score of 19%. Clausen was on the field for 36 plays and the team combined to commit 7 offensive errors (2 interceptions, 2 drops, 3 penalties). Sharpley was also on the field for 36 plays and again, the offense committed 7 errors (2 sacks, 3 drops, 2 penalties).

The Eagles posted the second worst M.O.E. score of the year for an Irish opponent with 15%. The main cause for the subpar score was 10 offensive penalties called against BC.

The complete breakdown can be viewed here.

Season Long Running Averages

The overall numbers aren't getting much better. One bright spot: there is a noticeable decrease in opponent yards per pass completion. Corwin Brown said he wanted to take away the big pass play and so far the numbers seem to indicate success in that area.

Pass de deux | by Jay

As promised, here's all the second half passes versus Boston College. Clausen throws the first one for an interception, and then it's Sharpley for the rest of the game.

Any observations based on the Clausen passes (a couple of posts below) and Sharpley's set?



Pat: my overall take is this
Pat: clausen is more accurate
Jay: yeah
Pat: he's also more cautious
Pat: and is quick to avoid the negative play
Pat: Sharpley pushes a bit at times
Pat: that means a chance for a big play or big screwup
Jay: I concur
Jay: he's high risk, high reward - like finding Schwapp and Carlson on scrambles, but nearly throwing a couple a picks
Jay: while clausen is low risk, average reward - made a few nice passes, didn't take any sacks, but didn't do anything tremendous, either
Jay: the stats may show they performed about the same, but sharpley "feels" like he did more
Pat: and the team and home crowd will react to that.
Jay: yep

[pause]

Jay: f*ck it. we're 1-6 and playing USC. you have to try something

Out the Door | by Pat

As you may have heard, sophomore offensive guard Matt Carufel has decided to leave Notre Dame. Carufel did not show up at practice on Wednesday or Thursday and was given the weekend by ND to make up his mind if he wanted to return or not. At the end of the weekend, he made his choice and called Charlie.

“I spoke via telephone with Matt Carufel Sunday evening,” Weis said in a statement. “And he informed me he was going to leave the team and withdraw from the University of Notre Dame. I appreciate all Matt has done for Notre Dame and wish him nothing but the best.”

Carufel entered the 2007 season as the backup to classmate Dan Wenger at right guard. When Wenger went out with a leg injury against Michigan, Carufel started the next three games and rotated with classmate Eric Olsen. On Tuesday of last week, Carufel was informed that Olsen would be the starter for the Boston College game. That was Carufel's last practice at Notre Dame.

Did Carufel simply quit over losing his starting spot? Possibly. More likely, it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Carufel's high school assistant coach agrees:

“I am not placing blame on Notre Dame and the staff or Matt,” Cretin-Derham Hall assistant coach Andy Bischoff told BlueandGold.com web editor John Haynsworth late Sunday night. “Unfortunately it was just a bad marriage and Matt ended up very unhappy as a person.

“Football was a huge factor but there were other factors to his decision other than football. He never made a bunch of friends in or outside of football. He missed home and school was hard on him. He is a pretty quiet kid that keeps to himself and just never really felt comfortable, but we have other kids who have had good experiences and we will continue to support kids looking at Notre Dame if that is a school they are interested in.”

It would be interesting to hear Matt's own take on the matter, but for now he's not talking.

When reached by cell phone late Sunday, Carufel hung up.

Carufel's transfer will certainly affect the depth on the offensive line, but a larger concern is the continuing attrition within the program. As noted earlier, Carufel is the fourth sophomore to leave out of his original class of 28 (Frazer, Jones, Reuland, and now Carufel). With scholarship limits of 85, the sophomore class took up one-third of the available scholarships -- so some eventual fallout was to be expected. But what's notable about the recent spate of transfers (or near-transfers in the case of Chris Stewart) is the number and the timing. Is there something sour going on around the program, or is this a case of individuals making individual choices?

First, let's look at the numbers. As pointed out by Irish Roundup a few weeks ago, the ND attrition is generating headlines, but the Irish are hardly alone when it comes to sophomores switching schools.

Like the departures at other schools, a desire for playing time seems to be the primary reason for the Irish departures. Zach Frazer and Demetrius Jones left looking for more PT. Konrad Reuland and Carufel apparently left for similar reasons, although neither reportedly were completely happy at ND either.

The timing of these transfers is a bit more curious. Jones, Reuland, and now Carufel have all left while the season was in full swing. While Minnesota and NC State have also had three players quit during the 2007 season, mid-season transfers are generally rare.

One potential motivation is a largely unknown rule that players can leave one school and, as long as they enroll at their new school by the 12th day of class, can apply the 2007 season as part of their one year NCAA mandated transfer penalty. This quirky loophole is what Jones and Reuland exploited and both will be eligible to play next year at their new school. Carufel, however, will have to sit out the 2008 season at whichever new school he picks.

I honestly do think that both Jones and Reuland left when they did in order to get back on the field as soon as possible. Still, it's perhaps naive or willfully ignorant to blow off the transfers as just the price of improved recruiting and an obscure NCAA transfer policy. After all, Carufel and Reuland may not have been starters, but each had the potential to play bigger roles in the coming years. And who knows where Jones would factor in to the current QB situation. So in that regard, I think it's fair to consider if there is a more serious issue behind the recent transfers. Charlie is far from a back-slapping, high-fivin' players' coach, and this lousy season would test even the most upbeat of personalities. But you wonder just what the hell is going on.

We aren't at practice, in position meetings, or in the locker room, so we can't even attempt to answer that question. What we can do is consider the case of two players who left the program and decided to come back. Both Darrin Bragg and Junior Jabbie left the team after barely seeing the field and both chose to return. Would they really return if being a backup under Charlie Weis is such a miserable experience?

Bragg left after switching from QB to wide receiver and getting buried on the depth chart. He didn't play at all in 2006. Before the UCLA game, the California native discussed the circumstances around his return to the team.

Over the summer, the senior Film, Television and Theater major was an intern at 20th Century Fox under Executive Vice President of Production Jim Sharp. Bragg said he was on the set when Notre Dame Director of Football Operations Chad Klunder called him in July and asked him if he would return to the Irish.

"I was in the middle of work and they said, 'We need you to come back and play quarterback,'" Bragg said. "And I'm like 'OK, sure. Why not? What am I going to say, no?'"

"When I left school in May I thought I was probably going to be done next year," he said. "But then I got the call, and it was exciting - and I thought, 'Sure, why not?'"

"I could never imagine going from playing quarterback to a new coach ... and moving to receiver and then moving to quarterback," he said. "In four years, that's not how you really plan out to be. It's been fun. It's been a great ride so far."

Granted, having two players deciding to rejoin the team doesn't prove that all is well any more than the departures prove that the program is crumbling. But given that there are instances of players -- especially one player already moving on with his professional career -- returning to the fold, I'm inclined to think that the departures are not indicative of anything endemic.

At the very least though, I would hope there will be improved communication between the coaching staff, the players, and the athletic department to reduce these in-season flights in the future.

---

One postscript. As noted in the South Bend Tribune, 17 players have left the program for some reason or another during the Charlie Weis tenure. Here is a breakdown of those who left, where they went, and the publicly given reasons for their departure.

Didn't want to play football anymore
Tregg Duerson: Still enrolled at Notre Dame.
John Kadous: Still enrolled at Notre Dame.

Academic Reasons
Joey Hiben: Student at Minnesota. Just walked on to the Gopher football team.

Suspended from University
Chris Vaughn: Transferred to Louisville.

Left in search of more playing time
Freddie Parish: Transferred to Stephan F. Austin.
Brandon Nicolas: Transfered to Colorado.
LaBrose Hedgemon: Transferred to Jackson State.
Justin Hoskins: Transferred to Central Michigan.
David Wolke: Transferred to Western Kentucky.
Zach Frazer: Transferred to Connecticut.
Demetrius Jones: Transferred to Cincinnati.
Konrad Reuland: Currently at Saddleback Junior College for the year.
Matt Carufel: Considering Minnesota or Iowa.

Injury-forced retirement
Abdel Banda: Still enrolled at Notre Dame.

No official reason given
Ronald Talley: Transferred to Delaware.

Early Entry into the NFL Draft
Darius Walker: Currently on Houston Texans practice squad.

a Sharper Image | by Jay

No, I'm not talking about massage chairs or swinging ball desk toys. In an effort to kickstart the offense, Charlie's tabbed a different kind of novelty, Evan Sharpley, to start on Saturday. Here's what the big man had to say about it:

Charlie Weis: Evan Sharpley will start at quarterback. Both Evan and Jimmy were told that yesterday afternoon after I had time to visit with our medical staff and our coaching staff, and that's the way we're going. So Evan will be one, Jimmy will be two.

Q: Is this now a permanent switch, is this a week-to-week thing?

Charlie Weis: We're just talking about USC. That's all we're talking about. Evan Sharpley is the quarterback for USC. That's all we're talking about. How would I know if it's permanent? I don't know that answer. It's a permanent switch for the USC game. Evan is the starter. I'm not changing tomorrow and picking Jimmy as the starter (laughing). That's the best I can do.

Q. As far as since Penn State, has Evan just increased dramatically? Was the chasm between them that large at that point?

Charlie Weis: No, I don't think at any time this year has there been that wide a discrepancy between these two guys. I think it's been fairly close most of the year. So I think that we're at a stage now where we think that Evan playing gives us a better chance of winning, so that's why you go with Evan.

Q. Having seen how hurt Jimmy is from a physical standpoint, was there ever any consideration earlier on of starting Evan?

Charlie Weis: When?

Q. At any point earlier on.

Charlie Weis: At any time we would have thought the best person for us to win a game would have been Evan, Evan would have been in there. We have reached that point. So the answer to that question would be no.

We were in the midst of pulling the clips of every pass in the BC game to assist Charlie with his decision when he jumped the gun and went ahead and announced the starter on us.

Well, let's pull 'em anyway. Here's the first half. It's every pass Jimmy threw in the game, save his costly INT to open the second half. Notice the stellar blocking, the sure-handed receivers, the-- ah, I can't do sarcasm well these days.



Second half passing coming in a bit. Get ready to compare/contrast.

Odds & Sods - Same Old Thing Edition | by Mike

With the BC game largely going according to the 2007 script, it seems like I'm just rehashing previous comments here.

All Falls Down. Special teams miscues, turnovers and penalties have put the Notre Dame defense in difficult positions all year long, and the BC game was no different. Three of BC's four scoring drives began in Notre Dame territory, with a special teams error, a turnover, and a penalty each leading to one such drive.

1. Trailing 6-0 in the second quarter, Notre Dame drove to the BC 41. Yet, as has often been the case this year, the drive stalled when a penalty put in the Irish in a long-yardage situation and the Irish were forced to punt from the BC 46. Over the course of the game, Geoff Price and the punt coverage unit would combine to produce a net punting average of 42.2 yards. This time, however, Price dropped to one knee to field a low snap, the ball was down, and the Eagles took over at the Notre Dame 42. This had the same effect as a costly turnover. To roughly approximate the effect of this play, we can add the twelve yards lost on the fourth down play with Notre Dame's 42.2 yard net punting average, and arrive at a 54.2 yard swing that set up BC's second touchdown.

2. On the first possession of the second half, the Irish defense contained the BC offense, forcing the Eagles to punt from their 28. Following the BC punt, the Irish offense had good field position, starting at the ND 36. However, on the first offensive play of the half, Clausen threw an interception that was returned to the ND 11, setting up BC's third touchdown.

3. Notre Dame would score two touchdowns to draw within six points, only to be flagged for excessive celebration on the second touchdown. This costly penalty forced the Irish to kickoff from the 15, and BC would start their next possession at the ND 44.

Whenever the Irish appeared to be building some momentum and confidence, there seemed to be a costly miscue that put the game back in the Eagles' hands.

Minnesoter. I incorporate by reference all my previous comments about Trevor Laws. What more can I say about Trevor at this point? I can't help but wonder if Jagodzinski's decision to go for it on 4th and 9 in the first quarter was due to BC's scouting report on Laws. I would have loved to have seen what a Laws-Landri-Abiamiri defensive line could have done in Corwin Brown's defense.

Youthful Expression. On defense, several freshmen and sophomores seem to be making the transition from providing the occasional spark to being consistent contributors. Darrin Walls appears to be the underclassman that is furthest along. Although BC was able to complete a few passes to his man, Walls had tight coverage throughout the game and showed why he leads the CBs in playing time. The Irish were unable to sack Ryan, though freshman Kerry Neal did draw a holding penalty after beating BC's fifth-year senior Gosder Cherilus. Freshman Brian Smith had the biggest play on defense, taking a Matt Ryan interception in for the Irish's second score. Morrice Richardson also made the case for a bigger role.

Parris 2007. Robby Parris has quietly emerged as Notre Dame's most productive receiver. He leads the team in receiving yards, and is second only to Golden Tate in yards per catch (14.3 to 26.0). When Sharpley has been at quarterback, he has also provided a rare target over the middle for the Irish.

Wearing and Tearing. Aside from the Whitworth run, BC did not have many big plays. However, the Eagles did produce an effective ball control offense. BC nearly doubled the Irish in time of possession (39:03 to 20:57). Despite all this time on the field, the Notre Dame defense managed to keep BC from scoring in the fourth quarter. Part of this is due to BC being more concerned with running clock than putting points on the board at that time. Still, given Notre Dame's lack of size and inexperience in the defensive front seven, it wouldn't have been surprising if a gassed defense had been unable to stop BC in the fourth quarter. The defense is clearly still a work in progress, but Corwin Brown seems to be gradually building something on his side of the ball.

Kickoff! | by Jay

Kickoff!
Originally uploaded by Blue-Gray Sky

Examining the Eagles | by Pat

A few other coach and player notes heading into the matchup with the BC Eagles.

Notre Dame defensive backs coach Bill Lewis and Boston College offensive coordinator Steve Logan both shared time at East Carolina, where Lewis was the head coach back in the early 90's and Logan was the offensive coordinator. But most don't know how they came to work together. Irish Insights has the low-down.

Logan and Lewis go back further than ECU. They were opposing coordinators in the SEC when Lewis was at Georgia and Logan was at Mississippi State. Lewis said when Logan was there, the Bulldogs couldn't stop them.

So when Lewis went to ECU, he brought Logan with him and also brought along (Mark) Richt, then an assistant at Florida State, who stayed at ECU for a year before heading back to FSU. When Richt left, Lewis promoted the quarterback guru.

"He's a quarterback coach, that's what he is," Lewis said. "He loves to coach quarterbacks and to be involved in that part of the game. He's as good as anybody. He doesn't take a backseat to anyone when it comes to coaching quarterbacks and coaching offense."

Lewis also talked about the difference in focus in the BC OC and their head coach.

"I swear, if you'd let him throw the ball every snap, he'd throw it every snap," Lewis said. "He'd spread you from sideline to sideline and you'll see it this week. He'll use every inch of the field and he's got a quarterback that can throw the ball to every inch of the field that's there so he's in his element. Jags is an offensive line coach. I'm sure he's got to pin him down and say let's run the ball a few times.

Boston College players have been exceedingly diplomatic when talking about Notre Dame. Linebacker Mark Herzlich even in all seriousness called the Irish the "best 1-5 team in the country." (next up, Herlizch praises the funniest episode of ABC's Cavemen) Coach Jags has had good words as well, but he was also honest about his true feelings about Notre Dame.

Asked if he was rooting for Notre Dame to get its first win of the season last week against UCLA, BC head coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who grew up in the heart of Big Ten country in Wisconsin, said with a smile, “I didn’t root for them at all and I don’t think I ever will.”

Following up, another article got to the heart of the matter.

But the real enmity did not arise until Jagodzinski was the offensive coordinator at BC. In the 1998 game between the two Catholic rivals, the Eagles were stopped four times within the 5-yard line, and Mike Cloud was thwarted on fourth down from inside the 1 with six seconds left. Final score: Notre Dame 31, BC 26.

“I always had a bad taste in my mouth from that fourth-and-inches game,” Jagodzinski said. “That one’s always stuck in my craw.”

For those who don't remember, here's that fourth and one play.



Getting back to Herzlich, he's the player tasked with replacing the injured star Brian Toal. The 6'4" 238 pound sophomore has made an immediate impact in his first year as a starter and has the making of a future star. Number 94 is one to watch today.

Other Eagle players to keep an eye on include:

Ron Brace (#60): The 6'3" 325 pound defensive tackle is a run-stopping load in the middle of the Eagle line. If he is able to give Sullivan fits, the lackluster Irish running game could be even worse. His importance to the Eagle defense is magnified by the fact that his fellow starting defensive tackle Brady Smith went down with an ankle injury that knocked him out of the game last weekend. Smith is expected to play, but likely won't be fully healthy.

Taji Morris (#29): DeJuan Tribble is an excellent cornerback, which is why most offenses steer clear of him and target the 5'9" Morris. He frequently has help over the top from free safety Jamie Silva (5 interceptions so far this year), but expect to see ND still try and isolate Morris and test him.

Anthony Castonzo (#74): As mentioned in the Q&A with Bill from Eagle in Atlanta, the true freshman right tackle has played well so far this year. But he'll be facing a tough assignment as both Trevor Laws and Kerry Neal will be lining up against him. (That is unless Trevor Laws flips to the other side of the line like he did against Michigan) If Castonzo struggles early, BC will have to keep a running back in more to help pass block and that will give Matt Ryan one less target.

Andre Callender (#32): BC's leading rusher, Callender isn't as good as some of the other backs that ND has already faced, but if the Irish defense don't tackle well, Callender will put up the same kind of yardage as everyone. Matt Ryan is likely to do his damage. But if ND isn't able to consistently tackle the shifty Callender, the game could get ugly in a hurry.

Jeff Smith (#6): Sidelined for the first five games of the season with injury, BC's best gamebreaker came back to the field against Bowling Green and had 117 kickoff return yards on only 3 returns. As a freshman, Smith was 7th in the nation in kickoff return average. Still easing his way into the running back rotation, the sophomore is the Eagle special teams ace and could make a tough task for the Irish even tougher. The ND kick return defense has looked sloppy most of the year and letting a big Smith return set up BC with short field will only make a tall task even taller.

Let the Eagle Soar | by Jay

Matt Ryan and the Heisman:

BC's promotion of its quarterback, who is following a path Doug Flutie traveled 23 years ago, has been easy. Ryan handles the interviews matter-of-factly, always saying the right thing at the right time to the right person. He also knows that his success will be linked to his team's success.

He also lets other people offer their opinions, such as Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who linked Ryan to Tom Brady and Brady Quinn. "High and early" was where Weis expected Ryan to go in the next NFL draft. When told of this prediction, Ryan laughed.

"That's pretty good company," he said. "I will take it. I don't think I'm where those guys are yet. That's pretty flattering to have that said about you."

Ryan's routine this fall is a little bit different than in the past. He is taking three night classes, so his primary duties during the day are football, whether it be practice, meetings, film study, or media requests.

Ryan has also spent hours discussing game situations with offensive coordinator Steve Logan, who has steadily increased the QB's workload. Ryan has studied Notre Dame the way he studied tapes of the Eagles' first six opponents. The results have been solid, and at times spectacular: 62.7 percent completion average (160 completions, 255 attempts), good for 1,857 yards and 15 TDs, with 5 interceptions.

Project those numbers over a full season and Ryan will break Flutie's season school record for TD passes (27) and passing yards (3,454). But again, those numbers are something that Ryan says he will ponder after the fact.

He knows that things have gone almost as smoothly as they possibly could go. He also knows that things can change quickly with one errant pass or fumble. He is careful not to get caught up in the hype, exemplified by the website devoted to his season (ryanforheisman.com).

"You have to be honest with yourself, regardless of the outcome," said Ryan. "What does [Patriots coach Bill] Belichick say? 'Sometimes you have to serve yourself some humble pie.' "

Accidentally Shot by Claudine Longet | by Jay

I need to clear out a couple of notes on UCLA this morning before jumping to some BC stuff. I had intended to collect my postgame thoughts earlier in the week, but like Mo Crum running unhindered towards the end zone with an interception safely tucked away, I was accidentally shot by Claudine Longet, and I went down in a tumble of arms and legs.

Quickly, then, as I regain my feet:

• As hinted at by Pat's calculations of the MOE, I think the most heartening thing about UCLA is that we played pretty much mistake-free ball for 60 minutes. People were saying at the tailgater after the game that we played an "ugly" game or that was an "ugly" win, but from my vantage point almost all the ugliness was on the Bruins side. We were ineffective on offense, and sure, we didn't always make a block or find an open receiver, and we kept a few UCLA drives alive with penalties, but we took care of the footbaw and didn't do anything excessively dumb. Well, the players didn't do anything excessively dumb. As for the coach...

• I can't believe we haven't talked more about passing on 1st & goal from the one.

• And as bad as that call was, I think the 4th down go-for-it at midfield, while up by two scores was the more egregious error of the game for Charlie -- and maybe his worst call as a coach at ND. At that point in the game there was little to gain by going for it. Consider: there were 10 minutes left in the game, so you weren't going to have a chance to run out the clock (a la Georgia Tech, '06). Our defense was firmly in control, having forced 4 turnovers and a punt on UCLA's previous five possessions. Moreover, we'd already pooch-punted it once before in the game, and had perfect coverage on it, downing the ball at the UCLA 1. The worst case is the ball goes in the end zone, and they start twenty yards further back than if the 4th down fails, which it did. Essentially, we spotted them two first downs in a game with plenty of time, and in a game where they needed two scores to catch up. I've been on board with just about every one of Charlie's 4th down calls in the last two years, but I didn't understand this one at all.

• Brandon Walker has plenty of leg. We were right behind the goal post, and the conversation went like this:

Jay: "That didn't hit the crossbar, that was longer. It hit the...the...not the crossbar, the--"
Dylan: "The stanchion."
Jay: "The stanchion?"
Dylan: "The stanchion."

(It was like the dinner scene in Goodfellas with Pesci's mom. "The deer's paw...the paw, you know--" "The hoof.")

• When Olson got crunched and had to come out, I figured Dorrell would do everything he could to protect his walk-on QB, and not put the game on his shoulders. Unfortunately for the Bruins, that's not what he did. Inexplicably, Bethel-Thompson had about 40 passes called for him in a little over half a game that was really never out of reach, including an horrendous 4th & 1 call at the ND 32 (with the score 6-3), where MBT took the sack. Yes, Bethel-Thompson was raw and made some mistakes, but his coaches put him in poor situation after poor situation.

I don't think we're going to be able to reap the same kind of opportunities tomorrow.

• My estimate on the ND fan turnout: 25-30,000, based on both end zone sections completely filled with ND fans. (One of whom was Rhema McKnight, whom we spied a section over). The double serenade on either end by the ND players at the end of the game was a nice touch.

BC Brings Unblemished Record to ND | by Brian

"Our long national nightmare is over."

--- Former Michigan footbawl player Gerald Ford

Food tastes better. The air seems fresher. Colors appear sharper and brighter. The depreciation of the dollar relative to the Canadian dollar is less irksome. And the cacophony of this work-a-day world suddenly sings melodiously. Yes, friends, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are in the win column! Clearly, The Blind Oracle at Bristol doesn't have the first clue what he's talking about! (That Blind Oracle---now there's a joke that has legs.)

But the celebration must be short-lived, as a top-five opponent journeys to Notre Dame Stadium this weekend. Our preview begins after a word from our sponsors...

On November 20, see the show that will literally change the face of late night. It's Frank TV, coming soon to TBS.

This would actually be doing
ND's groundskeeper a favor.

You, Me and BC

After a three year break in the series, Notre Dame resumes exchanging pleasantries this Saturday with one of their 35 biggest rivals, the Boston College Eagles. In the recent past, BC has been like an unwelcome house guest who overstays his welcome. (Let's just say that the Idaho footbawl players are not the only vandals in Division I.) Incidents of BC vandalism in Notre Dame Stadium have included damage to the visiting locker room, extralavatorial defecation, the tearing up of huge pieces of turf. This last bit of damage would not be unwelcome this week, since the turf will be torn up anyway, to facilitate the installation of the Super Secret Grass Surface for the following week's game with Southern Cal. (See this space next week for details.)

This year's Eagles team is in rarefied air. They enter the game undefeated and ranked #4. The last time BC was in the top ten prior to this year was in 1992, when a 7-0-1 team under head footbawl coach Tom Coughlin, ranked #9, was taught the meaning of the word respect by #8 Notre Dame, losing 54-7. It was at halftime of that game that footage was shot for the end of the movie Rudy; during the climactic final sequence, one can spot a few fans clad in maroon, as well as a Boston College banner. Surely, this is the only time that Boston College footbawl has been (or will be) immortalized on celluloid. I don't see Survivors in Love: The Tim and Elizabeth Hasselbeck Story getting greenlit anytime soon.

After the break, what's in a name? Borderline clever wordplay, that's what. But first, a word from our sponsors....

All your favorite Frank Caliendo impressions are here: Madden, DeNiro, Pacino, Dr. Phil, President Bush, but Frank TV, coming November 20 to TBS, also delivers the goods with special impressions ripped from the pop culture headlines: Max Headroom, Michael Dukakis, Schneider from One Day at a Time, and many more. That's Frank TV, November 20 on TBS.

The Name Game

Jeff Jagodzinski is in his first year as the head footbawl coach at BC, having most recently served as the offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. It is his first head coaching job, and some questioned whether he was the right man to replace Tom O'Brien (who had left Chestnut Hill to take the N.C. State job), but he has quickly won over the naysayers. Jagodzinski has proven to be a credible head footbawl coach and not, in fact, a kicker with a penchant for GHB, the subject of a military courtroom drama, or the most annoying character in the history of South Park.

Not -- repeat, not
Jeff Jagodzinski

Though he's experienced success on the field thus far, Jagodzinski turned heads when he hired former sports radio host Steve Logan to be his offensive coordinator. If this works out, Mark Dantonio may have to hire the "Pucker Pucker" guy to be his special teams coach or something.

Other notes on Boston College (a.k.a. Throwing the Stats Wonks a Bone):

-- The defense has forced 19 turnovers, third in the nation. They rank 3rd nationally against the run with 49.7 yards per game, and 110th nationally against the pass with 290.8 yards per contest, so you don't have to be an offensive genius like Coach Weis to figure out how to attack these guys. Hopefully, we will see success in the passing game similar to what the Irish demonstrated against Purdue.

-- On defense, watch out for senior free safety Jamie "Carlos" Silva, who leads the Eagles with 49 tackles and 5 interceptions. Senior LB Jolonn "Kim" Dunbar is just behind with 47 tackles. Their top pass rusher is sophomore DE Alex "Madeleine" Albright, with five sacks to go with his deft hand at international diplomacy.

"Earn this, Matt Ryan.
Earn it."

-- The straw that stirs the drink for the Eagles squad is quarterback Matt Ryan. He has turned heads and generated whispers that he could be the school's first legitimate Heisman's trophy candidate since Doug Flutie won the award in 1984. This is a surprising development for someone like me, who thought that Matt Ryan was a character in a Señor Spielbergo war picture.

Should Ryan really be considered one of the frontrunners for Heisman's Trophy? I consulted my Magic 8 Ball, which informed me that "All Signs Point to Yes." But I should temper that by saying that it gave me the same response when I asked if Britney Spears would settle the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through the power of song. I'll ask again later.

-- The most dangerous player on offense besides Ryan is running back Andre Callender, or as I call him, Andre 2007. Callender leads the Eagles with 537 rushing yards (with an average of over 5 yards per carry) and six rushing touchdowns. He also has 175 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and has been BC's leading kickoff returner to this point (though that may change with the return of the injured Jeff Smith).

-- The receiving corps features three players with over 20 receptions on the season. Junior Brandon "Mister" Robinson leads the way with 29 catches for 390 yards and four TD's. He's joined senior Kevin "the Champion" Challenger (25 catches, two TD's) and sophomore Rich "Holland" Gunnell (23 catches, three TD's). Tight end Ryan "Never Nervous" Purvis is just behind with 19 receptions.

Is this the real
Schneider, or merely
Frank Caliendo.
Who can tell?

Next, the special bond between a player and a coach (not his coach, mind you, but a coach) continues despite injury. But first, a final word from our sponsors....

Folks, I don't know if you've heard, but this November, Frank Caliendo brings his unique brand of comedy to TBS. He's been called "a less talented Rich Little" and "a poor replacement for Jimmy Kimmel", and TBS is lucky enough to bring him to you. See the man Americans will go to bed with starting November 20. It's Frank TV, only on TBS.

Shoulder Injury Takes Its Toal

Missing from the Eagles defense this season has been talented linebacker Brian Toal, who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum. But Toal has not had to suffer alone, or merely with the help of family, friends, and teammates. In a stirring display of camaraderie, former Notre Dame head footbawl coach Tyrone Willingham has stood by Toal through every step of his recovery.

"Coach Willingham sat with me in my recovery room after the operation for seven hours," Toal is reported to have said. "I noticed that he was wearing golf shoes, and he kept checking his watch, but he wouldn't budge until he was sure I was okay. Luckily, I had some family in town visiting me, and they were able to get him out of there. Seven hours."

Prediction

A subdued Blind Oracle at Bristol, his increasingly cocksure swagger lessened by the UCLA game, weighs in on this week's contest with Boston College.

"Though the Eagle appears serene and regal, its talons are sharp. Soaring majestically, a familiar nest seems inviting. One Irishman is gone, but another leads his charge, cool as ice. Progress on the western front is met with disappointment back east. Bottom line, the Irish lack the team speed to keep up with the Eagles. Boston College beats Notre Dame 35-10."

BC bloggin' | by Pat

BGS swapped some questions and answers with Bill from the top notch Boston College blog, Eagle in Atlanta. His answers to our questions are listed below. For those interested, here's the link to our answers to his questions.

1. BC lost a few notable defensive players prior to the start of the season in linebacker Brian Toal and huge defensive tackle B.J. Raji. Who has replaced them and how have they done this year? Have any other new starters made a big impact on defense?

Bill: The injury, redshirt, coaching change and sitting on the sideline for a year are probably the best thing that happened to Brian Toal. He was phenomenal as a Freshman. Then as a Sophomore, he began freelancing and missing more tackles. He also got hurt once they started playing him both ways. Last year he would have his moments, but was still not the player he was as a Freshman. Had he continued on his 2006 level of play, he would not be one of our three best linebackers. Next year I expect him to come back healthy and focused and be a real boost to the team. The guy who has really stepped up in Toal’s absence is Mark Herzlich. He’s a true sophomore and plays beyond his years. He’s got great anticipation and is a great tackler.

Raji is a different story. The team could really use him now. He would have been a force inside and helped our anemic pass rush. BC is fortunate that his counterpart at Defensive Tackle, Ron Brace, has stepped up and is playing at a much higher level. We’ve used a series of guys in Raji’s spot. Brady Smith, who is dinged up, but should play against ND, has been the most effective. He’s a converted DE and moves well for his size.


2. A few BC pre-season posts on your site noted worries about the OL and their adaptation to the new blocking scheme. How would you rate their play and development? Specifically, how has freshman right tackle Anthony Castanzo played? He will likely face off against ND's freshman DE/OLB Kerry Neal and that might be one of the more interesting matchups in the game.

Bill: I think even the coaches were worried about the offensive line. We had to fill holes left by two departed NFL draft picks, changed schemes and fired their position coach in spring ball. Given all that went on, the Oline play has been very good. Teams are trying all sorts of different defensive looks against them and for the most part, they are adapting. Ryan has been hit (especially in the Wake and UMass games) but he’s had enough time to get the ball off.

Anthony Castanzo has played very well for a true freshman. He’s been called for a few penalties, but considering his experience and what he’s been asked to do, I have no complaints. I imagine he’ll hold his own against Neal. And he’ll get help. Steve Logan has done a great job of using the TEs and RBs in protection.


4. Coach Jagodzinski has BC off to their best start in a long time. What has he done that has impressed you the most this season? Has anything worried you?

Bill: We are still in the honeymoon stage so I am not really worried about anything. I am sure I’ll have a few gripes when he losses (hopefully that doesn’t come for a long time…like five or six years from now).

He’s done two things that have really impressed me. First he kept Frank Spaziani on as Defensive Coordinator and didn’t mess with him. They had worked together before so that helped, but many new coaches would have wanted to put their stamps on the program or may have been insecure about keeping someone so closely tied to Tom O’Brien around. Jags wasn’t and the defense and the team is really benefiting from it.

The second thing is how he handled the Offensive Line. LT Gosder Cherilus was a great foundation to work with, but the other four spots were question marks. LT Ryan Poles was a major underachiever prior to this season. This year he is a new man and has probably been our best lineman. Then Jags saw something in two guys who were buried on the TOB depth chart (C Matt Tennant and RG Clif Ramsey) and tabbed them as starters. Maybe they were more willing to buy into the new system because they weren’t seeing the field in the old system. Who knows? It worked. Both have played well and are playing in front of guys who were starters last year. And then Jags and his new staff in the midst of the transition found Castonzo, who had offers from schools like Northern Illinois, UConn and Temple, got him on campus last January and coached him up. Now he’s our starting RT. They are doing something right.


5. Finally, emotions always seem to run high when ND and BC meet. What is your take on the Notre Dame - Boston College football relationship? How do you regard the game?

Bill: Let me say this first, I have met and like many Notre Dame grads and subway alums. I respect the tradition. I am a Giants fan and prior to my migration to Dixie, lived in New Jersey, so I like Charlie Weis. I think your blog is one of the best on the internet. That said your message board posters are some of the worst in college sports. The “Fredo” and “Backup College” bullshit is tired and honestly, the venom they spew combined with the dismissive nature of some of the other posters just reinforces that this is a rivalry. If these Notre Dame fans don’t care and don’t consider us a rival, why do some take the time to trash talk in emails after a BC loss? I don’t even get that from the bitter Big East fans who hate BC.

I think that portion of your fanbase’s dislike of BC probably reinforced your AD to get heavy handed with us in the future scheduling. I would love to see us continue to play every year. But there is no way BC should ever agree to four games in South Bend for two in Chestnut Hill and one at the Meadowlands. We’ve already added USC and are supposedly in talks with other marquee programs. I’ll miss the ND series but we’ll move on.

As for this Saturday, I was more worried before the UCLA game. Now that you guys are off the schneid, I think our team will approach it in the right way with plenty of respect and no in-game panic at the thought of losing to a winless Notre Dame team. I think BC wins but might not cover the spread.

Statistically Speaking: UCLA | by Pat

It's a Numbers Game

• The Irish defense kept the UCLA Bruins out of the endzone, the first time Notre Dame has accomplished this feat since 2004 when ND beat Washington 38-3.

• The youth movement continues. According to the latest ND game release, 20 different players (1o on offense and 10 on defense) have had their first career start this year.

• Maurice Crum's 4 forced turnovers set a single-game school record. The winner of the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week award, Crum is also the only Irish player to ever force 2 fumbles, recover 2 fumbles, and pick up 2 interceptions in one game.

• I mentioned Sunday Morning QB's Life on the Margins breakdown last week and this week he turns his attention to the ND/UCLA game. Check it out.

• Remember the steadily declining performance the Irish defense was doing against the run? Well, things are starting to even out a bit.

rushing average against, by quarter
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q	3.91 yards per carry 4.03 4.33 4.12

• The Irish rushing offense numbers on the other hand are still terrible.

ND rushing average, by quarter
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q	0.84 yards per carry 1.32 1.23 0.59

• Taking another look at the all-purpose yards, excepting quarterbacks, broken down by class, here's where the team stands.

Freshmen   -  1070 yds
Sophomores -   656
Juniors    -   147
Seniors    -   103
5th Years  -   229 

Gotta Have M.O.E.

First off, I haven't had a chance to re-watch the game yet, so I'm going off of my memory for dropped passes. I gave ND one, when Carlson dropped Clausen's pass near the goalline, and UCLA one, when Kahlil Bell dropped the TD pass. What else am I missing?

If we stick with those numbers, ND has put up it's best M.O.E. score of the season with another 11%. That's three games in a row that the Irish have kept their offensive mistakes at or below the 12% mark.

Now, most of that can be attributed to the fact that ND went extremely conservative in the second half and basically just ran stretch plays left and right to run out the clock. Still, the young offense is eliminating many of the mistakes that sabotaged the offense early in the year. Consider that in the first three games, ND gave up 23 sacks on 76 pass attempts. That's 1 sack for every 3.3 pass attempts. In the last three games, ND has given up 9 sacks on 100 pass attempts, or 1 sack for every 11.1 pass attempts. Still not great, but a definite improvement. Yes, the quality of the opposing defense does play into that, but with over a threefold improvement, I think we can give some credit to the offensive line as well.

As for UCLA, they clocked in with a 22% M.O.E rating, by far the worst of any Irish opponent this year. The appearance of 3rd string walk-on McLeod Bethel-Thompson as Bruin quarterback certainly didn't help, but he certainly wasn't the only one to blame. I broke down UCLA's M.O.E. by quarterback and when Bethel-Thompson was in under center the Bruin M.O.E. was an ugly 23%. But when Ben Olson was on the field, UCLA's M.O.E. was still at 19%. In other words, UCLA was making plenty of mistakes -- partly attributable to the ND defense I'd like to think -- before their starting QB went down with the injury.

Complete breakdown here.

Season Long Running Averages

Get all the nitty gritty here. Just like the Purdue game gave the offensive numbers a boost, the UCLA game gave the defensive numbers and rankings a boost as well.

Meanwhile, Back at the Convent | by Jay

My wife took a writer's retreat hosted at a convent in LaGrange over the weekend. Meals were with the sisters, who probably average around 75 years old. Her report:

Some of those sisters are huge sports fans. I first discovered this on Sunday morning when I couldn't find the Sports section of any of the newspapers in the front hall. Overheard around the dinner table...

"I see you are wearing a Notre Dame shirt. That's a good school. Good theology there. Too bad about the football this year."

"Oh, I was so ashamed when they lost those first four games. Notre Dame should NEVER lose to Purdue! What do you think?"

first sister, "I'm just glad they won this week. Too bad the Cubs couldn't pull it off this year. It all goes back to the first game. They should have left Zambrano in the game. He was doing just fine. That set the tone for the series, I think."

"But I have a question. Are you worried about Coach Charlie's health? He is a big man."

another sister "I miss that quarterback from last year."

first sister "Brady Quinn?"

"Yeah, I miss him."

"I've got a question for you. You watch those games? The coach looks bored sometimes, doesn't he?"

another sister "Who?"

first sister "The COACH, Charlie Weis. I want him to yell and jump around. He looks bored sometimes, that's what I think. You think he'll last?"

another sister "Oh, he's a good coach, but we have to give him time. We have to have FAITH."

Plumbing the depths | by Pat

One thing that really jumped out at me during the UCLA game was the constant shuffling of players on defense. We've seen multiple combinations along the offensive line, but the defense has more or less been set. That wasn't the case against the Bruins; a number of new faces (and old faces in new places) were in the game from the opening kickoff. Munir Prince in at corner, Jashaad Gaines at safety, and Anthony Vernaglia at inside linebacker were all somewhat surprising.

The newly released depth chart advances that fluid approach. The entire OL depth chart seems to be mixed up, with Thomas Bemenderfer, Dan Wenger, Eric Olsen, and Chris Stewart all listed at new spots. On defense, Kerry Neal is listed as the starter at outside linebacker opposite John Ryan, and ahead of Brian Smith and Mo Richardson, while Sergio Brown is now listed as the backup strong safety behind Zibby.

Charlie clarified how he views the depth chart in his latest presser:

Well, sometimes when I'm putting guys down -- for example, you've got two outside linebacker positions, so because I -- when we did this last night for -- when we use a guy like Brian Smith, Brian Smith, I don't know, I probably have him listed as the second right outside linebacker with Morrice Richardson. But he could be in the game at the left outside linebacker, as well.

But what I do is I try to put them down in the position where I think that they'll probably get on the field the fastest because there's flexibility. For example, Justin Brown could be in the game for either Dwight Stephenson or Trevor Laws. I don't know which spot he'll get in the game first, but he'll be in the game for one of those two guys. But I'll list him probably behind Dwight on one side and I'll probably put Derrell (Hand) and Paddy (Mullen) on the other side. But Justin would go in first.

With Kerry Neal taking his starting job, Anthony Vernaglia is going to continue to moonlight as an inside linebacker.

Well, we moved him inside out of need last week. I think this week he's going to practice at both inside and outside. He'll be listed at one (position on the depth chart). I think I put him as the backup Sam behind John Ryan. I think that's where I put him, as the best backup left outside linebacker, but he'll practice at both inside and outside this week.

One complaint proffered this year (correctly or incorrectly) has been that by not playing many of the backups the past two years, the current team is unnecessarily inexperienced. This year, many more guys have been worked into the mix. And as the players get more familiar with the defense, I expect to see Corwin Brown continue to shuffle guys into and out of the lineup. In addition to giving the starters more of a breather during games, the increased use of backups will help the team in the future as more and more players gain valuable game experience. In the UCLA game, 13 players had at least 2 tackles, and 8 players had at least 1 tackle for loss in a game that wasn't really decided until late in the 4th quarter.

Here's a couple more freshman-related items.

On RB Robert Hughes and his lack of playing time against UCLA.

COACH WEIS: No, we didn't have a string of longer drives. It wasn't like we had a bunch of 13 play drives in there. He was listed right behind James (Aldridge) in all the pounding packages, we just weren't on the field that many consecutive plays to warrant James being that tired to have to go out. Robert is very much in the mix. I really think that the sky is the limit for Robert.

On OT Matt Romine's expected return from his elbow injury.

COACH WEIS: No, I don't think -- he's a little ways away. I don't expect to see him any time soon.

On WR Golden Tate being listed as the 4th "Z" receiver behind Barry Gallup.

COACH WEIS: Well, that's because Golden got dinged a little bit in the game. He got knocked in the head a little bit. Golden will be involved in this mix right here. But it's also BC week. How could I not have Barry Gallup in the depth chart for BC week?

Above the Mendoza Line | by Jeff

With the win on Saturday, Charlie Weis managed to stay one step ahead of his two predecessors for at least one more week. Weis, Willingham, and Davie all won their 31st game, and Weis remains slightly ahead of DavieHam with a 20-11 record (vs 19-12 for the other two coaches). Both Davie and Willingham won their 32nd game but subsequently lost four of their next five. So, despite a disasterous season by most measures, Weis still has a very good chance at being ahead of both Davie and Willingham at the end of the season when comparing records after the same number of games.

Weis currently trails Davie in margin of victory (MOV), Weis is +133, while Davie was +148; Willingham was far behind at +31. However, the MOV for both Davie and Willingham dropped by at least 30 points over their next six games. So, Weis should have an opportunity to keep his head above the brackish water mark with a strong showing in the last half of the season.

Coach	First 31 Games	Win Pct	MOV	Final Record
Knute Rockne *	27-2-2	.903	+672	.881
Jessee Harper	27-4	.871	+887	.863
Ara Parseghian *	26-3-2	.871	+764	.836
Frank Leahy *	25-3-3	.855	+501	.855
Dan Devine *	24-7	.774	+398	.764
Elmer Layden	21-7-3	.726	+213	.770
Lou Holtz *	21-10	.677	+347	.765
Charlie Weis	20-11	.645	+133	?
Terry Brennan	20-11	.645	+97	.640
Hunk Anderson	16-9-2	.630	+351	.630
Bob Davie	19-12	.613	+148	.583
Ty Willingham	19-12	.613	+31	.568
Gerry Faust	17-14	.548	+247	.535
Joe Kuharich	13-18	.419	-87	.425

* Won National Championship

Odds & Sods - Rose Parade Edition | by Mike

Due to my viewing circumstances and inability to record the game, there may be some mistakes here. Please chime in with any corrections.

Pick up the Change. Throughout the 0-5 start, penalties and turnovers left the Irish on the losing end of field position exchanges. Once again, the Irish committed costly penalties. The trademark penalty-on-a-punt-return-that-would-have-given-ND-good field-position (POAPRTWHGNDGFP) occurred not once, but twice. Notre Dame was penalized 8 times for 61 yards, and gave the Bruins three first downs by penalty. Fortunately, the Irish finally ran into a team that was even more penalty-prone. UCLA was penalized 11 times for 93 yards, and gave the Irish a like number of first downs by penalty. While the Irish held even on penalties, they enjoyed a monstrous advantage in turnover margin. The Irish won the turnover battle 7-0, resulting in a two-score victory over a team that produced twice the amount of total offense. Obviously, several of these turnovers resulted from UCLA playing a walk-on QB. However, Ben Olson and Kahlil Bell did account for two of the turnovers. More importantly, the Irish enjoyed the seven turnover margin because they did not turn the ball over once against Dewayne Walker's attacking defense. Hopefully this ball security will continue.

Rushed and Rushed and Attacked. For most of the game, the Irish played an attacking defense that thoroughly disrupted UCLA's offense. The Irish may have been able to stick with this because they were facing the inexperienced McLeod Bethel-Thompson (who, I believe, is our first immediate induction to the BGS All-Name Team since Jamoris Slaughter back in June), but the Irish were aggressive on defense from the outset. Even before Olson left, the Irish brought pressure like we hadn't seen this season. In fact, the snakebitten Olson suffered his knee injury when he was sandwiched by Laws and a blitzing Zbikowski. Brian Smith and Kerry Neal continued to show impressive pass rush ability for two guys that were in high school a few months ago. Smith shows how Corwin Brown's hire has had instant impact on the defense.

You Talk Way Too Much. A frequent complaint of Irish fans over the past few years is that, aside from notable exceptions like the 2005 USC game, the team has not seemed to play with a lot of emotion. Several times we have seen opposing players have give the Irish bulletin board material, only to see the other team come out fired up, as if they were the ones who had been called out. Against UCLA, it looks like the Irish finally responded to trash talk. The Irish played with the abandon fans have been dying to see. The defense, in particular, seemed to be looking to make plays in any way possible. When they didn't actually sack the quarterback, they made a final lunge to hit the QB's arm as he released the ball or to deflect the ball at the line of scrimmage. Maurice Crum ripped the ball out of Kahlil Bell's hands. These are the effort plays that can make up for youth and inexperience throughout the depth chart. Davis may have had the best game by a Bruin, including key sacks on Notre Dame's first plays following turnovers, but if his words and actions (taking Tate to the ground by the facemask) are what fired up the Irish, then Davis was a net gain for Notre Dame. From Brian Dohn's UCLA blog:

"Number 44 (Davis) helped them out," Weis said. "You don’t think they noticed when someone says you’re a pile of crap?"

Run Run Run. When the score was 6-3, I remember thinking to myself that the first team to commit to the running game would win the game. The Irish did eventually end up focusing on the run, though this appeared to be largely a reaction to the big plays the defense produced. Whatever the reason, it proved to be an effective strategy, as Notre Dame almost doubled UCLA in second half time of possession (19:15 to 10:45) and the Irish were content to eat clock in the fourth quarter.

Suddenly Everything Has Changed. The turning point in the game (aside from Olson's injury) was the fourth-down stop on the first possession of the second half. On their last drive of the first half, Bethel-Thompson drove the UCLA offense forty yards for a go-ahead field goal. On their next possession, Bethel-Thompson had taken the UCLA offense over thirty yards, down to the Notre Dame 32. The UCLA players were on the verge of gaining confidence in their ability to move the ball with Bethel-Thompson at quarterback. Then on 4th-and-1, UCLA attempted to pass and the Irish defense was all over the play. Maurice Crum sacked Bethel-Thompson for an eight-yard loss and the Irish offense had the ball in excellent field position. The Irish offense then responded with a field goal and the floodgates opened shortly thereafter. All the momentum would remain on Notre Dame's side until the Irish were themselves stopped on fourth down in the fourth quarter.

Today's Special. Against Purdue, the Irish misfired on five points in the kicking game. Against MSU, they allowed a huge return to start the second half. I didn't see how ND could win a game until special teams were fixed. Against UCLA, the Irish finally played well on special teams, even considering the two penalties on punt returns. The gains produced by the defense easily could have been surrendered by poor special teams play, but the Irish special teams came through. In the decisive third quarter, there were two key special teams plays. First, Walker's 48-yard field goal salvaged a drive that looked as if it may have been killed by a personal foul penalty. Walker's career long kept momentum on Notre Dame's side. Tying the game also let UCLA know that if they were going to win, their offense would have to put points on the board. They were not going to be able to win this game with a baseball score, and the pressure on their walk-on QB mounted. A couple minutes later, beleaguered punter Geoff Price dropped a punt at the 1-yardline, setting up the David Bruton interception that led to the go-ahead score.

I Fought The Law. And the Laws won. Maurice Crum had an incredible stat line against UCLA - seven tackles, including a sack on fourth down, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. Crum became the first Irish player ever to record four turnovers. As impressive as Crum's line was, the player that stood out the most to me, once again, was Trevor Laws. Laws contributed five tackles from his defensive end position, a sack, and two deflections. He also hit Bethel-Thompson's arm on one of Crum's interceptions. Despite the trying season, the fifth-year senior never takes plays off.

A win is a win is a win | by Pat

Whew! We're still recovering from a fantastic gameday in sunny Pasadena. The Rose Bowl is a must visit venue for tailgating and watching college football. Of course, it was made all the more sweet by watching ND finally came out of a game with a notch in the win column. It wasn't pretty, but we'll take it. The thing I'm going to take away from the game was the ebullient faces of the players, especially the younger ones, when they came over to the ND fan section(s) following their first win of the 2007 season.

For those who weren't able to see any of the game, here are some highlights.

And I have to say, walking out of the game, I was reminded of this passage from the post I put up a few days ago about ND's last trip to the Rose Bowl.

Notre Dame defeated Stanford 27 to 10, but the issue was in doubt until the closing minutes of the final period. Even though the Notre Dame defense could not contain the running and passing of Stanford's huge fullback and All-American candidate, Ernie Nevers, it was a few timely spectacular defensive plays that won the game for Notre Dame.

It just goes to show you. The more things change, the more they stay the same.