Survivor: South Bend - Usual Suspects, Notre Dame Hold Off Boston College 20-16

by CW on Oct 25, 2009 9:48 AM EDT in Football Comment 29 comments

If you find yourself playing the lottery, it seems like the luck of the Irish will be on your side if you toss out 5, 7, 23 and 28. The Irish defense alternated between getting completely gashed by another true freshman quarterback and picking him off, while Jimmy Clausen-to-Golden Tate resulted in two touchdowns. (With Tim Tebow tossing two pick sixes and Mark Ingram almost fumbling Rocky Top into an upset yesterday, why not Golden Tate for Heisman?) Kyle McCarthy had two picks as he again was perhaps the only redeeming part of the secondary, while Manti T'eo continued to add to his legend, leading the team in tackles and piling up two and a half tackles for loss. Armando Allen and Duval Kamara also had nice games for the offense, while Brian Smith's late interception sealed the game for the Irish after they allowed an unimaginable fourth and 17 conversion.

A lot of teams found themselves in struggles yesterday, and the Irish were no exception, but at least the streak against Boston College is over and the teams is now 5-2 on the season heading into the extremely unnecessary and weird Washington State game in San Antonio. The defense did a fantastic job bottling up Montel Harris, but the secondary couldn't have looked worse most of the time, with the same usual suspects looking completely lost, or being in position and not making a play on the ball. On offense, Kyle Rudolph was a non-factor again (1 for 11), while Roby Toma and John Goodman served as the third receiver behind a nice little game from Kamara (7 for 60).

Parts of the team are progressing nicely (defensive line, in particular) but there are still a lot of issues to be worked out. Overall, though, I'll take 5-2 over 4-3, and while none of the November games are going to be easy, all of them are very much winnable. Let's see this team take care of business against Washington State, plug Michael Floyd back in against Navy or Pitt and close the season out strongly.

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Why Golden Tate won't win the Heisman

And quite frankly, I couldn’t be more excited about it… St. Michael Floyd. When he comes back (hopefully) with several weeks left in the season, he’ll steal a number of looks/touches from Tate, and hurt his numbers. However, Floyd’s presence will make the team infinitely better, and far more difficult to cover, and we’ll be an unstoppable juggernaut of a passing game once again. I think it would be pretty tough to argue that Tate should get a Heisman when he’s not even the primary receiving target of his own offense. Before Floyd went down, I think he was pretty clearly Clausen’s go to guy.

by danmastaflex on Oct 25, 2009 10:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Who is suggesting Tate will win the Heisman?

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Oct 25, 2009 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It was mentioned somewhat seriously in the above article.

While he certainly isn’t a leading candidate by any means, he’s been recently mentioned in SI’s top 5 Heisman watch, along with Clausen.

by danmastaflex on Oct 25, 2009 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I did not take that as any sort of prediction.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Oct 26, 2009 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Tate going down made a man out of Golden.

Best thing that could have happened to us, assuming Floyd comes back, and assuming neither get draft happy next year. Having a healthy Golden/Floyd combo, we’ll rip every team we play in 2010.

Fanaticism is not logical

by SunDolphin on Oct 26, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

BC game

So much for the nonsense about blowing out BC.

Another good character win for ND. Gutted it out in the end again. Not the best day for the offense, but made plays when they had to. By the way, isn’t it time for APB on Rudolph? Good to see the re-emergence of Kamara. With Floyd out, another WR needed to step up and Kamara did. Tate? Fantastic again. I thought the OL had all right. ND ran the ball effectively.

On defense, the DL played a pretty good game. They stuffed the BC run game. The pass rush was sketchy, but they were able to get some pressure when they had to have it. The LBs played well, Te’o is a monster. The DBs still struggle to make plays. It is not as if they are not in position to make the plays, they actually covered fairly well, but with the ball in the air, they seem unable to adjust and make a play. Harrison Smith needs to be benched. He cannot cover so he cannot play safety, and he is too small and not a good enough tackler to play LB, besides they have real LBs they can use. Move McCarthy to SS, and put either Slaughter or Brown at FS, as both have the necessary speed to play FS, unlike McCarthy.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Oct 25, 2009 10:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Defense

The pass rush was more than sketchy. They got zero pressure without the blitz. Even when we rushed 5 and sometimes 6, their QB had all day back there. It was really bad. They did do great against the run though.

Good call on the DBs. They are in the right position, but just not making plays.

I don’t know how many character wins this team needs, but it is nice to just beat BC.

by djta on Oct 25, 2009 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'll take the win

considering it was almost a decade since ND last beat BC, i’ll take the win, regardless of the lack of style points.

this team is an above-average-to-good team with two great players in Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate. that duo is the difference between 5-2 and 2-5.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Oct 25, 2009 4:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

And Floyd would've been the difference betwwen 5-2 and 7-0.

I really believe that.

by SethGrandpa on Oct 25, 2009 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with that too...

Weis’s aggressive playcalling to close out the Michigan game would have been more successful with Floyd, and having Floyd as a playmaker vs USC would have been very helpful

Desperately hoping for Desperate Measures

by averagegatsby on Oct 25, 2009 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Uh...

Floyd played in the Michigan game guys…not sure what game you were watching.

by djta on Oct 25, 2009 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

he got hurt in the Michigan game

Desperately hoping for Desperate Measures

by averagegatsby on Oct 25, 2009 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He left the Michigan St. game with a broken collar bone.

I don’t remember him missing any of the Michigan game.

by danmastaflex on Oct 25, 2009 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

St. Michael was getting stitches in his knee during ND's last possession.

by JTres on Oct 26, 2009 12:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He took stitches for a cut on his leg, nothing serious

His injury did not cost them the game against UM, that is the point.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Oct 26, 2009 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Uh

on that 3rd down play in which the Irish did not convert that subsequently led to the Wolverines winning drive, the ball was thrown to none other than Shaq Evans who dropped a pass for a first down. The man Shaq Evans was in for just so happened to be Floyd.

Now, I realize that there is a lot of assumption in my post, but one must certainly think that Floyd would have caught that ball to keep the drive and more importantly, the time, going.

"Blister please, with those wings in your spine.
Love to be with a brother of mine.
How he'd love to find your tongue in his teeth,
In a struggle to find secret songs that you keep,
Wrapped in boxes so tight, sounding only at night as you sleep." ~Jeff Magnum; Neutral Milk Hotel

by jdh90 on Oct 29, 2009 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well...

If you, Seth, and Gatsby want to blame St. Mike’s cut knee for the Michigan loss, that’s fine with me. I just thought that seemed a little lame. A games does not one series make. But you are right, it does feel good to say that ND would be 7-0 if Floyd was never hurt.

by djta on Oct 29, 2009 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

blaming the loss on Floyd's leg injury is lame

I am impressed with your punsmanship

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Oct 29, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not entirely

I think it was just a series of small to medium mistakes that cost the Irish the loss in that game. Along with a few misfortunes.

by jdh90 on Oct 29, 2009 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well perhaps I was wrong...

and misremembered things. To be completely honest I think the Michigan loss was the result of Weis’s uber aggressive playcalling, for some reason I was thinking Floyd wend down earlier than that. I liked the idea of throwing the ball to gain yards, I just hated throwing moderately deep.

Desperately hoping for Desperate Measures

by averagegatsby on Oct 30, 2009 3:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's the beauty of asuming

one can assume almost anything

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Oct 29, 2009 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can't stand how I've had ZERO confidence in ND DBs as a unit since I can remember.

Why is it that no one every seems to make a play?

by SethGrandpa on Oct 25, 2009 5:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

it's a shame because

on paper, they should be great. i really don’t get it either.

Walls was one of the only players worth a crap on the 2007 team (outside of Carlson), Blanton was terrific his freshman year, McNeil/Gray/Brown were all highly thought of out of high school and had been solid at times. yet those players, specifically Blanton, seem lost at times.

i understand everyone being upset about losing Floyd, but can you imagine where this team would be at without Kyle McCarthy?

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Oct 26, 2009 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's coaching

Great coaches, or, hell, even good coaches, take players that, on paper, are average and turn them into good, and they take players who are good, on paper, and make them great. Weis seems to have an adverse effect on his players.

We’re like the Detroit Lions of college football. On paper, Joey Harrington was going to be a great NFL quarterback. No hall of famer, but a franchise player who’d get some pro bowls. Where’s he now?

I want to know how our coaches can recruit the best players in the country year after year and not be as dominant as the other teams that find equal talent. How is that possible? Either the players were overrated to begin with, Weis and co. don’t know jack about recruiting, or they don’t know jack about coaching beyond the X’s and O’s of play calling.

Golden Tate, Kyle McCarthy, and Jimmy Clausen are great players IN SPITE of the coaching staff, not because of it.

Fanaticism is not logical

by SunDolphin on Oct 26, 2009 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

A few thoughts from a new member...

What is the word on Floyd’s return? I see him wearing pads on the sidelines, but as usual Pat Haden and Tom Hammond were completely useless reporting anything close to rational thoughts.
McCarthy has been great, but he is much more of a SS than a FS. Doesn’t it seem that Harrison Smith should be replaced with a ball-hawking FS and let McCarthy play SS? Just a thought. Our CBs have been bad. They’ve been bad for a long time. I mean who was the last good coverage man we had? Shane Walton? Allen Rossum? Seems an eternity ago…

"Potential just means you haven’t done sh## yet"

by willgarr15 on Oct 26, 2009 12:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Some answers

Floyd has been running during practice for two weeks. He started catching balls and running routes last week. He should be back for Pitt and might get some time during Navy. He is in pads so that he can run through pregame warmups and just be more a part of the team.

They tried switching things up in the secondary this week. Didn’t help. I’d like to see some Zeke Motta out there.

by djta on Oct 26, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

I did notice they were trying some new things with Sergio Brown back at safety. Nothing seems to be helping. Teams throw at will against this defense.

"Potential just means you haven’t done sh## yet"

by willgarr15 on Oct 26, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

First: Teo is for real, and Golden is a pure winner

Second. I saw nothing in this football game that made me feel greatly confident going forward. The defense played great, but the offense left way too much on that football field. Gotta start playing better otherwise it’s gonna end up being another bad bowl game blowout when we get to face a team we have no business facing. If we’re play like that against a BC team having a down year, then what’s gonna happen if we play in a bowl game against Iowa or Miami or Texas, assuming we don’t play a Florida or Alabama in a BCS game?

I love this team. I’ve lost all faith in Weis, but I trust Clausen’s leadership enough to keep my fingers crossed. I’m being overly and unfairly pessimistic, but I think the reason we’re not 7-0 has nothing to do with not having Floyd, but because we’re not playing to our potential.

Winning football teams worthy of BCS births play with heart and killer instincts for 60 minutes. We don’t. And if it wasn’t for Clausen and Golden Tate’s talent and intangibles, we’d be at .500 or worse.

I’ll take the win, but I’m in no way satisfied with it. I want much, much more.

Fanaticism is not logical

by SunDolphin on Oct 26, 2009 7:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs