Stanford is not good at football, are they?
I think we all knew that this one was going to be a laugher and that’s exactly what we got.
If anything, what impressed me was the focus and fight against a truly inferior opponent. This team knows what’s coming this week, and frankly, even as fans, the thoughts turned to BYU the second the clock hit triple zeros in Chapel Hill the week before. It’s human nature to look ahead, right or wrong.
ND wasn’t looking ahead, that was obvious.
I’m not going to get into the game much. What can you say? They beat up on a pathetic team and program that is light years from the Harbaugh/Shaw run they had and never gave them even a hint of hope. CJ was his normal self, the line continues to improve, and the running game issues of the first 4 games seem to be a distant memory with the emergence of Jonaz Walton.
The defense? Other than the bust on the long throw in the 3rd quarter, they were back to being their old selves.
One last thought on this one: how far has ND come in recruiting and development? Our 5th running back was carving Stanford apart (atta boy, Ozzy!) Most schools 5th back is a walk-on biology major that dreamed of one day playing for their state school and is a favorite of the Tappa Kegga Day Bros that are just their hoping to see their guy get in.
ND is hitting you with a kid that probably could get some run at countless schools in the country when it matters, not garbage time.
6-0 and off to Provo. We’ll get to that one here in a few.
What did we learn this week?
I think my favorite tweet of the week was, and I paraphrase: “Brian Kelly could have lost to UK and Ole Miss and it would have saved you $150 million.” Big Michael Jackson “he-he” to the LSU fans as they, for all purposes, are going to be spending another year at home when the Playoffs are going on after their lose at Kentucky
Kenny Friggin’ Minchey. I know I’ve mentioned him in previous articles, but how can you not be happy for him. Leading the comeback win the week before and now knocking off LSU at home. First time since overtime was implemented in 1996, a team has won back-to-back
one-point wins in overtime on consecutive weeks. Oh yeah, they also went for two both times to do it. Will Stein has done an amazing job in his first season.
Speaking of coaches that are getting after it, enter Bob Chesney at UCLA. I wonder if the folks in Central PA are a little miffed that they probably could have had this guy instead of the “safe hire?”
I think the UCLA-Oregon game was more about Oregon than about UCLA. 3 turnovers at home, benching the QB, and if it wasn’t for the Bruins being equally as generous with their turnovers, were beaten soundly in all phases of the game. Dan Lanning is now getting heated up (not Mike Elko bad, but bad) for the first time since he got there. Like LSU, their season is now playing spoiler. Didn’t see that coming did we?
Who are you going to blame this week, Sark? Let’s put this in perspective shall we? You lost to a team so inept offensively, the 2007 Fighting Irish looked like the 2019 LSU wagon in comparison. That same Oklahoma team lost to putrid Michigan…..who lost to Minnesota last week……who just got run out of Purdue….who ND flossed their teeth with.
Ok, ok, the 6-Degrees of Separation thing is always fun, if pointless, but tell that one to some of your Texas buddies to get a rise out of them. As for Texas, can WE PLEASE stop with the Arch Manning love-fest. One of the posters on ISD mentioned that ESPN did a break down of the top NFL QB prospects and this guy was on the list but CJ Carr wasn’t? Hilarious. He’s an average QB with a football royalty name. That’s it. Look for Texas to lose at least another one with Ole Miss, and trips to Missouri and LSU on the horizon before this is all over.
Quick Slants….
I’m not going to get into UGA-Alabama. Two very good teams that played in bad conditions in a rock fight. Obviously, a win in Tuscaloosa is always a big deal, and Georgia deserves to be the #1 team in the country at present, but in the end, this one isn’t hurting Bama much.
I’m sure when Bill Belichik looks back on his Hall of Fame career, the win that’ll mean the most to him was out coaching Pat Narduzzi. Like the SEC, it just means more.
Stat of the week: Matt Rhule, maybe the most overrated coach in the last 30 years, is 0-22 vs ranked teams. Soon as IU hit the long pass to Nick Marsh to get it to four points you could just see the puckering in Memorial Stadium commence.
Mike Elko vs Aggie Message Boards. Things are full on nasty in College Station.
Will Brett McMurphy, ND hater, hack with computer, and Temu Paul Finebaum still have Florida ranked this week after their stellar 3 score loss at home to a bad South Carolina team.
Is James Madison the new “Cradle of Coaches” like Miami (OH) was once called? Cig and now Chesney.
We head on to Week 7 and there’s some real juicy ones for our viewing pleasure before the Irish take the turf. Let’s check it out….
High noon brings probably the biggest home game in the history of Indiana Football as Ohio State comes to town for a battle against #5 vs #7.
Is this a great Indiana team? (like they’ve had so many before 2024) No. Frankly, I think they’re probably on par with that ’24 team. Unlike that squad, they’re not sneaking up on anybody. As for OSU, yes, they have the best player in college football with Jeremiah Smith. After him, who keeps DC’s up at night with their offense? This has really been a one man show for the Buckeyes. This isn’t a vintage OSU offense where you take one WR out of the equation, they beat you elsewhere with another 5-star stud.
Hard to ever imagine saying this, but Indiana has more threats on offense (Becker and Marsh) than Ohio State does. Is that enough for IU to win? I don’t know. Their lines are solid but not great and in a game like this, that’s where the rubber meets the road.
I picked the Bucks twice last year to beat Indiana and was wrong both times. I’m picking them again and I feel real queasy about it. Ohio St 24-21.
Missouri heads to The Grove to take on Mississippi after two really good weeks of football beating up 8-4 at home this past weekend and a very impressive win against Florida the week before that. Jamal Roberts has been outstanding for the Tigers in the backfield, and they bring a very good defense to the table as well. Can Trinidad Chambliss right the ship after the Florida beating? This really should be a good one with plenty of points. Essentially, another “knock out game” in terms of playoff aspirations. Ole Miss has had two weeks to get ready and is at home. That’s gonna be the difference. Rebels 31-27.
Can Alabama get off the mat after the UGA loss and find a way to get out of Knoxville with a win? George MacIntyre has taken over under for the Vols and the results, at least last week were mixed as they escaped Arkansas with a 7-point road win. The one thing that Tennessee does very well is play defense leading the country in sacks. Getting Keelon Russell on the ground is going to be a tougher task to say the least.
Alabama has enough offense to get by in this one and I think Tennessee is going to have trouble getting any consistency going when they have the ball. Bama slow cooks them and gets out of town with grind-it-out win. Tide 31-21.
Finally, ND heads west to go on a Bear Hunt.
For the first time this season, ND will get a major test as they take on the BYU Cougars in prime time. Yes, ESPN will be bringing their Saturday morning variety/clown show to town and then we get treated to four quarters of Herby and Chris openly rooting for BYU. Such is the life of an ND fan.
LaVell Edwards Stadium can be a loud, raucous environment and we should fully except this to be the toughest road test in some time. The last time ND went out to Provo was the first game of the year in 2004 in another stellar coaching performance by Ty Willingham and got beat.
Bear Bachmeier is the offense for BYU at this point now that 2025 Offensive Player of the Year, L.J Martin is shelved for the foreseeable future (don’t worry, Fowler will mention that 37 times Saturday night.) Brachmeier is a load at 230 lbs and while not known as an effective passer, he’s improved since last season. Where BYU is going to have a problem is finding another answer besides the Bear to score points. It just doesn’t look like they have that coming out of the locker room.
Defensively, they’re a solid unit. Nothing flashy, but a well-coached physical group. ND is going to be in for a physical war. I do believe that ND should be able to wear them down as the game goes on.
Last December, after ND elected to not play BYU in the Pop Tart Bowl or whatever it was, the governor of the state of Utah, said “Notre Dame doesn’t want the smoke.” Well, William J LePetomane, the Irish are coming. Let’s hear you run your mouth afterwards.
ND has their best performance of the season in all phases and leaves Provo with a win and the Miami game talk begins in earnest next Sunday morning.
Irish 28-13.
Offensive Pick to Click: C.J. Carr. 275 yards 2 passing TD’s and 2 huge runs late to seal it.
Defensive Beast of the Week: Boubacar Traore. 2 TFL’s and another sack. Putting a freshman over him, BYU? Good luck.
Beat BYU.
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