The Back Corner Fade
NOTE: Mike Kane is an IrishSportsDaily.com member and Notre Dame fan writing a column from the fan’s perspective for ISD.
Disgusting. Putrid. Shameful. Unacceptable. Whatever nasty word you want to use to describe the train wreck that was Notre Dame’s performance at Michigan this past weekend probably isn’t sufficient enough for how poor a game that was. It’s one thing to lose, it’s something totally different to look incompetent as the coaching staff did, and disinterested as the players appeared to be. The last time I remember an Irish team look this bad was in Ty Willingham’s last season when they went up to Syracuse and were manhandled by the Orange. They seemed they couldn’t care less and couldn’t wait to get out of town. I had the same feeling watching that monstrosity as I did when Ty mentioned that you need to worry about the wind in the Carrier Dome.
I’m not going to point fingers or name names, because there’s plenty of blame to go around, but it all starts and ends with Brian Kelly. He’s ultimately responsible for approving a game plan that consists of running stretch plays at a fast defense with, at present, a stable of fullbacks. He’s responsible for continuing to play a kid in a QB dominant offense that appears to be afraid to pull the trigger at this point and looks mentally destroyed. And finally, he’s the one that continues to be the apologists after yet another ND melt down in prime time when the stakes are high. Rinse and repeat.
Don’t be confused, Michigan didn’t have Jaime Morris, Anthony Carter, Elvis Grbac, or Charles Woodson out there on that field. That’s an average team with an average coach and ND just took a wood shed job of epic proportions. This one is going to sting for a while. Actually, it doesn’t sting, it just pisses me off.
As much fun as we have goofing on other teams for loses, it’s going to be hard to do after what we endured this weekend. We’ll give it the old college try though.
We have to start in the Little Apple where the Kansas State Wildcats flat out punched Oklahoma in the teeth and ran wild to an exciting upset win. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I really liked what I saw out of Chris Klieman’s team when I saw them earlier in the year and they look even better now. They are one hell of a physical football team. I’m surprised it took Klieman this long to get a D1 gig and he certainly is off to one heck of a start.
Les Miles made a living out of winning games by luck or sheer stupidity while he was at LSU. This past weekend, his Jayhawks went for a game winning field goal, had it blocked by Texas Tech, Tech then fumbles after trying to return it for absolutely no reason, KU gets it back, and bangs in winner. Miles must have a rabbit’s foot, a sweetheart of a deal with Beelzebub, or his ultra-high fitting hat really is a wizard’s lid. He’s been doing it for years. It’s good to have him back.
Is there a more boring “pretty good” team in the country than the Iowa Hawkeyes? This weekend they grinded out a 20-0 win that rivaled the excitement of a 9-year-old ballet recital over a pathetic Northwestern team. They simply pound the rock, play good defense, and don’t make mistakes. Hell of a concept, isn’t it.
Remember a few weeks ago when we were excited that we beat a “quality” UVA team? Yeah well, they stink. Louisville 28-21.
Has the hour glass been flipped over for Mark Dantonio at Michigan State? Granted, PSU is a pretty good football team, but getting boat raced 28-7 at home is hard to swallow. They have the offensive imagination of a Pop Warner team, and now the calling card of a great defense isn’t there either. Being an Ohioan and Notre Dame fan, I want MSU to be good. Nothing makes me happier than seeing Michigan and OSU lose, and Sparty has the chance to knock both of those creeps off every year. Right now, their simply a bad football program.
Congrats to the Ruptures Scrubby Knights for their 10 point win over Liberty. I watched a few minutes of that on the Big 10 Network just to have some laughs. I didn’t realize Liberty hired Hugh Freeze. Didn’t he get broke off from Ole Miss for dialing up ladies of the night on the company cell phone? I guess Jerry forgave him. Set the timer, that one won’t end well.
Well what do we have to look forward to this coming weekend? Actually, we have some good stuff going down. Here’s what to look for….
Florida St plays host to Miami in a battle of 4-4 teams. As much as I loathe both renegade programs, it’s kind of sad that this game basically is being played to jockey for position for the Beef O’Brady Bowl. As a kid all the way up to a few years ago this game was fun to watch as both programs had ballers all over the field. Throw in close finishes and personal fouls galore and it made for entertaining football. I’m taking new Fade target Mario Cantone, I mean Manny Diaz, and his group of future captains of industry, 23-22.
Look for Baylor to crank it up to 8-0 after they dispose of a cruddy WVU squad in Waco. Matt Ruhle, who I believe is the long lost love-child of Vinny “The Chin” Gigante, is one hell of a football coach and would look great in blue and, I mean a school in northern Ind., I’m sorry we have a coach, no need to even think such things. We have our coach and we should all be used to it. Baylor 31-13.
The Boys from Troy have Oregon coming to Watts in my “upset special of the week” (which of course means, the Ducks will floss their teeth with them.) I like what I’m seeing from SC over the last few weeks and I think they have a winner with Slovis running the show. They are a different team at home in front of Snoop, Will Farrell, and a bunch of rich, dorky kids, throwing up the “V” for four quarters. SC 31-28.
THE game this week goes down in Jacksonville as Florida and UGA hook up in their annual slugfest. I honestly believe that Georgia is the vastly superior football team with a vastly inferior head coach. I’m sure as hell not a fan of Dan Mullen, but he’s simply better than Kirby Smart. Buddy Hackett, I mean Kirby Smart was a great DC and a very good recruiter but his game day decisions are exceptionally questionable. This really should be very simple for Georgia. Run the ball 40+ times with your stable of backs, hit them with play-action, and play great defense. I don’t know if Buddy has got any smarter in the two weeks since they beat a bad UK team, but I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Dawgs 24-20.
Mola Ram Offering to the Cupcake Gods: Clemson plays host to the mighty Wofford Terriers in Death Valley this weekend. Didn’t you guys already play Charlotte? I get one offering to Mola Ram, but two? Dabo/Jesus, Jesus/Dabo, and the Tigers win big 63-0.
Oh yeah, ND plays this weekend against a bad Virginia Tech team. Honestly, I’m writing this early in the week and am still pissed at the world and like many of you fine folks, feel like we’ll never win a game again. Yes, Virginia (Tech) there is a Santa Clause, the sun did come up Sunday, and I expect Notre Dame to win this game. The gorilla in the room is what Ian Book shows up. Like the vast majority of you, I want the kid to pull out of this tailspin. I just don’t know if it can be done. He’s simple not the same player he was before he walked into Jerry World last December against Clemson.
I’m giving the Irish the benefit of the doubt that they’re going to come out ticked off at the world and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute just happens to be in the way this week. It’s certainly be refreshing to see the boys in the gold helmets play angry and with purpose…….unlike last week. ND 27-14
Beat Virginia Tech.