The Back Corner Fade
Note: Mike Kane is an Irish fan and IrishSportsDaily.com member writing a colum for ISD from a fan’s perspective.
Well that was fun wasn’t it? Hit the road, take care of business, and head home with a nice win. Nothing to it.
Obviously, we wish every game against an outmanned team went that easy. It was fairly easy to see early in this one that Duke didn’t have the offense that could beat the Irish and as long as they didn’t shoot themselves in the foot, this was going to a blowout. The “holding” call on the Chris Finke 75+ yard reception created a 14-point swing, and if it wasn’t for that, some of the Irish faithful may have cancelled their YouTube.TV subscriptions by halftime instead of after the game. But, what the hell, you got treated to E.J. Manual openly rooting for a Duke comeback in the second half, more 1980’s quality “Duck Hunt-esq” game commercials and the My Pillow guy trying to sell you sheets.
It was far from perfect, and there where more than a couple of times you shook your head, but in the end it was a 31-point bomb dropped on an ACC opponent on the road. Not much to scoff at there.
This past weekend was fun wasn’t it? Here’s what happened:
Yeah, LSU is pretty damn good. Say what you will about Coach O and his inability to put together a coherent sentence, he’s assembled a great coaching staff, he’s always been able to recruit, and now he has a QB that is rocketing to the top of the ESPN Flavor of the Year award also known as the Heisman Trophy. We’re already starting to hear that “Alabama might be falling off” and that St. Nick is starting to fade. I don’t buy it. They might not be 2012 good, but they’re still one of the top 5 programs in football. They just ran into an LSU team that might be that much better than anyone in the country this season. If someone asked a group of logical ND fans for a show of hands if they wanted to play Alabama in a bowl game, I highly doubt you’d see too many shoot up.
One last thought on Coach O, sure he sounds like he gargles with washed gravel, but I can’t help but like the guy. The only thing that would make him more awesome is if he wore a puffed ink hat, a too-tight butterfly collard shirt with “Ed” stitched over the breast, a pair of Bike polyester coaching shorts, tube socks, and Spot-Bilt shoes to practice. I’d also like to believe that he’s at least once in his coaching career challenged the manliness of a player for wanting a water break in 100+ degree weather.
I guess we have the answer to the “is Minnesota really that good” question. Yep, they’re one very solid football team. Seeing what P.J. Fleck has done to that football team with a bunch of two and three-star recruits is beyond respectable. I love the way they fly to the football on defense and how physical their offense line is. Can they beat OSU in the Big 10 Championship game? I highly doubt it, but it also wouldn’t surprise me in the least if they gave them all they wanted for a half to three quarters. I know that Fleck has been mentioned several times as “the man” when Brian Kelly retires, and for good reason. I just think by the time Kelly heads for Bristol as a studio guy, Fleck will be long gone at another big-time program.
Chad Morris is the first big time coach to fall on the sword this year after Arkansas lost a real close one at home to Western Kentucky, 45-19. I was surprised that Morris didn’t do better with the Razorbacks. He did a decent job at SMU and was the architect of Clemson’s offense with Taj Boyd, Sammy Watkins, and Wayne Ellington before that. He’ll make someone a very good offensive coordinator in no time at all. My guess is Mike Norvell will be the first guy on the call list.
I’m guessing that Appalachian State is going to have a more difficult time getting out-of-conference games in the near future. After banging around for years as a homecoming opponent, you don’t want to see them on your schedule. South Caro-how-did-they-beat-Geogia-lina was the latest victim after taking out UNC earlier in the year.
What kind of fun do we get to view this weekend?
Georgia heads to Auburn for the marquee matchup of the weekend. My gut tells me that this will be another low scoring affair with two very good defenses. The biggest edge in this game will be Jake Frohm. While I think that Bo Nix is well on his way to being a great college QB, he’s not to the level that Frohm is just yet. When everything is equal, and I think Georgia is slightly better across the board, you look at the QB play. Frohm will outplay Nix in this one and that’ll be the difference. The SEC better enjoy it now, because I think in the years to come this kid isn’t going to lose many. UGA 23-16.
Speaking of Minnesota, they have themselves a “trap game” heading to Iowa to take on a stingy Hawkeye team that plays great defense to off-set their junior high offense. Fleck has a heck a task ahead of him this week. Keeping a team focused after the largest win they’ve had in years. This is uncharted waters for the Gophers and it’s going to be very interesting to see how they conduct themselves as the hunted for once and not the hunters. I think they get by with just enough boat rowing. UM 27-20.
Way to go Wake Forest. I hype them up in last week’s article and then they go lay a massive egg at Virginia Tech. I was really looking forward to seeing what their offense could do against Clemson and just maybe they might still have something for them. Problem for the Deacons is that Clemson is starting to figure the offense part out and are back to their curb stomping ways. I see points….lots and lots of points in this one and unfortunately for the 153 or so of Wake fans, Clemson’s going to be doing the vast majority of the scoring. CU 45-24.
Oklahoma heads to Waco for a showdown with the Baylor Bears this weekend in what should be a real good one. Baylor almost got caught snoozing last week against a “meh” TCU team, and OU went to sleep after halftime against Iowa St to almost get clipped. Fortunately for football fans, both teams hung in there to set up this showdown. Last time we saw Oklahoma head out on the road they were beat by Kansas St. Baylor is a better team than K-State and it’s going to be just as hostile an environment. Two very good, not great teams, but I think OU has enough to get by Baylor in a tight one. OU 34-31.
The Navy game. Sigh……I realize why we play them, I know they’re going to be on the schedule, but doesn’t mean I have to like it. It’s the same old song and dance every flipping year. They come out, chop knees, have 18 play drives, and want to keep your offense off the field for no more than six or seven series a game. I love watching option football…..when ND isn’t playing against it. This season they have their best defense in years to boot. Let’s analyze that for a second. They’ve played two teams that I consider to have good offenses: Tulane and Memphis. Memphis put up 35, Tulane got 38. So yes, statistically they might be better, but let’s be honest, ND should move the ball with regularity and get over 28 points.
Navy OC, Ivan Jasper, is a true guru of option football, and I’m sure he’ll have a few surprises for the Irish, (they’ve had two weeks to get ready for us seemingly like every team we play) but I’d be more than surprised to see them get over the mid-20’s against this Irish defense. It will be your normal pain in the posterior Navy game, but ND, as they should have every freaking time they step on the field against them, have too much. ND 31-21.
Beat Navy.