2007 Notre Dame Edition - 10/21/07
I draft this week's musings a bit earlier than normal, this time purposely wanting to get them out before I leave Chicago, as all of the commentary, thoughts, digested analysis, and raw emotion are still fresh in my mind. Plus, after Monday Morning Quarterback tomorrow, Coach Carroll may inspire a "bonus" addition, so you may get another note from me as well. Either way, I have a lot of time to kill here in the Admirals Club at O'Hare, so be ready for a long one ...
- I am continually stunned by the fact that there is such a thing as "SEC fans". I get Bama fans, I get Florida fans, and I get LSU fans (sort of), but I do not get this thing of pretending you like the whole conference. This year is a classic case of numerous under-achieving teams screaming "parity", as one team after another loses a game they have no business losing. Of course, such losses take place in all of the conferences - the difference is, I don't care when it happens in the Pac-10, because I do not pretend to have an affinity for teams that hate the ground USC walks on. I hope they all lose every week, and fans of a particular school in the SEC would be a lot less annoying if they would just admit the same thing.
- Tommy Tubberville's decision to let LSU win the game by pooch kicking the ball on the final kickoff is further indication of how bad some of the coaching is in the SEC. Frankly, and I understand it is "gutsy" since it worked out and won the game for them, but reasonable people know that Les Miles' decision to throw with seven seconds left down there from the 30-yard was also a ridiculously stupid idea. He has had enough luck to win most of these (Kentucky being the exception), but courage has to be tempered with wisdom, and that was stupid. But, as much as I can not stand Les Miles, the Tubberville decision to give LSU a 35-yard discount off what was expected of them to win the game counts as one of the dumbest things I have ever seen.
- My least favorite game of the year, Cal/UCLA, seems to have been one of the more interesting games of the week. I would no sooner pick a team to root for in this game than I would pick sides in the annual Al-Qaida/Hamas ping pong tournament. I only saw the ESPN highlights, as it overlapped with my game in South Bend, but it is a little mystifying to me how UCLA could lose to perhaps the worst D-1 team in the country (no exaggeration), and how Cal beats Oregon in Oregon, and yet UCLA is able to beat Cal ... My take? Dorrell will represent UCLA perfectly - always enough to keep his job, and never enough to be excellent.
- It looks like Cal turned the ball over too much to win. And UCLA did have their best QB playing. But still, this is as big an upset as we had this last week. UCLA is undefeated in conference, and that December match-up gets more interesting by the week.
- Sitting here in the Admirals Club lounge, a guy in Nebraska shirt is talking to a guy in a Kansas State shirt about how the Big-12 is "by far" the toughest conference in the country. They mean it. I love college football. When passion transcends reality, life is good.
- Though Tennessee has clearly been exposed as a complete fraud, Alabama should be congratulated for wiping the floor with them. Report cards of Saban's first year will simply come down to the Auburn game. Should be fun.
- Okay, time for the one I care about the most. USC 38, Notre Dame 0. Lots to get into, so here goes ...
- Trojan fans have a moral obligation to come out for this game at least once in their lives. This is my fourth time out here. I will never miss one the rest of my life. It is just too much fun. Chicago is one of the great American cities, and seeing Michigan Avenue overtaken by Cardinal and Gold is a blast. The locals love having us, and we seem to do a pretty darn good job patronizing the hotels, bars, and restaurants. I am sure it will be fun every other year too, but I will say that the weather we enjoyed yesterday can best be described as DIVINE. There was not a single cloud in the sky as my wife walked up and down Lake Michigan early Saturday morning. The cold, crisp weather got the bones moving, and the wind coming off the lake was surreal. As the bus proceeded to South Bend, the visualization of midwest America, the leaves changing, the green grass, the autumn weather, this is all what Reagan meant by "morning in America". There are no atheists driving from Chicago to South Bend.
- And what can I say about Notre Dame's campus? It is just about as lovely as a college university campus could possibly be. The people are as friendly as any I have seen. The grounds are impeccably manicured. The buildings are classic. And as I said, the fall weather was indescribable. The only imperfect thing about the day and the setting was the fact that Notre Dame was fielding the worst team they have had in my lifetime, if not ever.
- So, I do not mind saying, that regardless of all that I will say below, SC' fans are wise to contextualize this win (and I suppose UCLA fans are wise to contextualize their loss to Dame at home) - this Notre Dame team has absolutely ZERO players that could start at USC - zero. I figured this was a young team with no size or skill yet at the line of scrimmage, but frankly, I had no idea how poor their skill position players were as well. They have no corners, no receivers, and no tailbacks. The O-line is porous, and the D-line has one player of any repute. I truly believe they are bottoming this year, because I do not think it is even possible to be worse than this. I am NOT saying this in a spirit or tone of taunting or trash-talking; it is just a fact.
- With that said, 38-0 is a feat that ought to be celebrated, and defeating the Irish for the sixth consecutive time also must be celebrated. With five of those six games being blowout wins, and one of them being the most excited games ever played, I am going to enjoy every moment of this streak, just as I did when USC beat UCLA by 27,000 points over our seven year streak.
- The Dame fans are far more faithful than what we are used to from road team fans (I have been in the Rose Bowl when UCLA's seats were half-empty in the 2nd quarter, and fully empty in the 3rd quarter, whereas yesterday Dame locals stayed put throughout). You can see the exasperation in their eyes, and I do not know when their light at the end of the tunnel will surface. This program deserved better than this. As for Charlie Weis, I can honestly say that I do not wish him any ill will, and my dislike of the man does not come from anything other than what I see as his downgrading the quality and dignity of the USC/Notre Dame rivalry. The stunt with the grass two years ago was despicable. His Rosie O' Donnell outfit in the Coliseum last year was unacceptable. His ass-clown antics in press conferences do not represent the class of Notre Dame's coaching history. Brighter days will come, but I continue to feel that their acceptance of a culture of "coaching carousel" (culminating in the firing of Ty Willingham after three years) will take years and years to be resolved.
- USC did not have a perfect day. I am very frustrated with the coaches patience with David Ausberry, who has simply gotten worse with each game. Is this a player that needs to sit indefinitely, or is it coaches who are not improving the player? I do not know. But dropped passes remain a problem.
- I also remain amused at those who believe Booty was the sole reason for SC struggles, while Sanchez is the clear and unbeatable Messiah. He struggles with batted passes at the line of scrimmage as much as Booty, and is two inches taller. He certainly seems to need a little bit of time to warm up into a game (which is perfectly understandable after two whole starts). But, both quarterbacks are good players, who are not great players (meaning, Carson or Matt great). I am not taking sides in the QB decision Carroll has, other than to say that both kids are capable of delivering winning results, and I fully trust Pete to do what he feels is best in terms of giving us a chance to win the game.
- We are a different team with Stefan Johnson in the backfield. He finds the hole better than any back we have. And what a day for our offensive line, who even though they played a terrible Notre Dame d-line, used second and third string players to not give up a single sack, and to open holes at will. They face a huge test in the volume of Autzen Stadium next week. I am praying a couple guys can return (Baker, O'Dowd, Chilo), but equally praying that this banged up line can produce a story of inspiration and performance.
- This is not saying much, but Hazelton is the pride of the receiving corps, and the most legitimate second threat (behind Tight End, Fred Davis). He has good hands, and a great ability to make plays once he has the ball. His 50-yard touchdown play yesterday was one for the ages.
- I am worried about Oregon, but I am also feeling better about the overall string of tough games we have ahead. Right now, I certainly see this week's road game at Oregon as the toughest of the three pending road challenges. If we can somehow stop their high-powered offense and get out of there with a win, I will feel much better about the Cal and ASU games. I am not at all looking past Oregon State or UCLA, but I do feel better about those home games than the other road games. Dixon has not faced linebacker speed like we have, and our D-line has not faced a running game like Oregon's. This will be a battle. My prayer? That our D dominates them. My honest prediction? That it is a tough game all the way until the end, but Sedrick Ellis proves to be too much for the Ducks .... I expect the city of Eugene to take a break from tree-hugging and troop-hating, and to be louder than they have ever been for my beloved Trojans. Let's get it on.