NOTE: Mike Kane is a Notre Dame fan, and not an ISD employee, writing a weekly column from a fan’s perspective about the lighter side of college football.
Bye Week Part Deux has come and gone and this one had a different feel didn’t it? The first edition had a feel of satisfaction to it. The boys had just come through a gauntlet of 8 straight games and even with the two loses, there was a feeling of “we’re not done yet! Let’s get this thing to ten wins and get to a New Year’s Day 6 match-up!.” Now, after the game against Clemson that looked like the byproduct of a morning after drinking Schlitz and eating copious amounts of Taco Bell, the feeling is let’s just finish this thing off with two wins against bad teams and win the bowl game sponsored by a type of nut, a tire company, or a dot com, and crank up the optimism for the 2024 campaign. That’s a gut-punch to all Irish fans.
No, the season is not over. Winning out and getting to ten wins is an accomplishment for any program and something that you can build on going forward to sell to recruits and a three-game heater to end the year will certainly set the mood going into the weight room when the guys get back in January. Notre Dame shouldn’t have to get that 10th win in a Mickey Mouse bowl game between Christmas and New Year’s. This team had more potential than that and it stings.
What did we learn this week?
The ‘ole boys at A&M aren’t playing around, are they? They had enough of the clown show that was Jimbo Fisher and rode him off into the sunset with $75 million dollars as a nice parting gift. I’m guessing that Jimbo knew that he was gone before the Aggies beat down of Mississippi State, but what a way to go out. They finally showed some offense and he got canned. Jimbo can sit back and count his millions, go coach again, or maybe join Brady, Tiny Dancer, and the rest of the boys on the Wendy’s Big Kick-Off Show. Jimbo certainly has the coins to buy all the Frosty’s and chili they want before the show.
Who leads the Aggies when the Irish roll into that sauna next September is the real question?
Somewhere in Central PA around 11:45AM last Saturday, a man in khaki pants stood at the counter of a hotel asking for extra waters with his Hilton Gold Club membership so he could watch a football game. That man of course was Agent Double 0 Harbaugh and he is in jail for the next three games because he was a bad, bad boy. As for the game, Penn State’s offense almost makes ND’s look like a Bill Walsh-led machine. Thank God they have a defense, or it would look a lot worse for the Lions. Michigan ran the ball 30 straight times in the second half. Somewhere, in one of the levels of Dante’s Inferno, Bo is smiling.
Georgia looks awesome. Plain and simple. They survived their two biggest tests so far this season with Missouri, and this past weekend, flat put it on a good Ole Miss team. There’s nothing fancy about this Georgia team. They don’t have a bunch of household names (although I’m sure there are plenty of newborn boys named “Brock” around the Peach State), but they just slow burn teams into the ground. The date is set for the SEC Title game with Alabama and that will be must-see TV. Both squads are peaking at the right time to be sure.
The USS Lincoln Riley continues to take on water, this time losing to the Ducks up in Eugene. Alex Grinch was canned earlier in the week and it didn’t seem to make much difference as the defense gave up 556 yards and 36 points. This team is a complete nightmare. Anyone feel bad for them at all? It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if UCLA gets them this weekend.
Speaking of this week, what do we have to look forward to?
Not often do you hear the expression “Big one in Corvalis this Saturday,” but there is indeed just that as Washington invades Reeser Stadium for a #5 vs #12 match-up. If you haven’t watched OSU this year, they are a tough, physical football team led by Damien Martinez in the backfield. Last weekend they had 600 yards and 297 on the ground against that same Stanford team everyone in Irish land is suddenly afraid of. Washington’s flying circus vs the Beavs ground and pound. Styles make fights, and this one should be a lot of fun. UDub sneaks out of town with the win in a good one: Huskies 31-27.
Clemson seems to have found their mojo again and play host to UNC this weekend. Drake Maye is well on his way to being a Day 1 pick in the Draft, but he’ll be battling against one of the best secondaries in the country. These are the kind of games ripe for Mack Brown to blow a tire on and with the recent uptick in the way Clemson is playing, this one is going Clemson’s way. Tigers 28-24.
The game of the week (on paper) takes place in Knoxville as the Vols try to knock off the Georgia Bulldogs. Since the game is at home, I’ll give the Big Orange a puncher’s chance, but that’s really about it. Joe Milton has had some nice moments this season, but Hendon Hooker he is not (Hooker couldn’t beat UGA either), and he doesn’t have group of wideouts that UT had last season to toss it around to. UGA will be in control of this by halftime. Dawgs 35-17.
Finally, the Irish seniors take their final bow in The Stadium as Wake Forest comes to town looking for the upset. What do we know about the Deacons? Well, they are offensively inept. 96th in rushing, 96th in passing, and 112th in scoring. Not good at all. They do, however, play respectable (not great) defense. You have to consider the fact that as bad as they are on offense, the defense is stuck on the field an awful lot. Think of them as Pitt Part II. In short, there’s no way in hell ND should ever lose to this team.
As for the Irish, what team is going to show up? Are they going to have any semblance of an offensive identity after the first 20 scripted plays? Are they going to give the ball to Audric Estime more than three times in a half? Are the WR’s going to be able to get separation from a collection of two- and three-star DB’s? Yeah, as you may be able to tell, I’m a little perturbed at what’s been going on with the offense since Ohio State came to town.
ND is going to win this game, and I don’t think the contest will ever be in doubt, but it’s not going to be pretty at all. It’s going to be a grind it out game against a bad team they should boat race, but the lack of offensive ingenuity and predictability will keep this closer than it has to be.
Thank you to the Seniors who gave ND their all from their time on campus. They experienced some great highs, some tough lows, but in the end, they are Notre Dame men. Bless you all.
Offensive Pick to Click: Holden Staes. 5 for 70 and a TD
Defensive Beast of the Week: X-Watts. Ex Machina
ND 28-13
Beat Wake.
