The Back Corner Fade

NOTE:  Mike Kane is a Notre Dame fan writing his column from a fan's perspective and is not a member of the IrishSportsDaily.com staff.  Our readers love the fan perspective, and Mike tries to find the humor in our obsession every week.  Enjoy! 

After consecutive weeks of trying to convince yourself, “a win is a win” and meaning that about as much telling your wife that it’s perfectly fine if her 88 year old great-aunt stays at your house for a week, the Irish looked the part of the #8 team in the country with their resounding win over Wake Forest.

Ian Book ran the offense at a very high level, the defense kept a very pesky offense in check, and the Irish did what you’re supposed to do against a team that they have more talent than: bury them. Even though this was only a 15 point game at halftime, unlike the previous week at the break against Vandy, you felt that this game was in complete control. I think a great deal of that was due to the play of Book. The offense was running at a very high level for the first time since…….well, Wake Forest last season.

Put simply: this was the best this team had looked since the first half against Michigan. 

I’m not going to get into the quarterback situation other than saying that I feel much more confident than I did at 11:59 AM EST on Saturday afternoon with who was taking the snaps. Brandon Wimbush by all accounts seems to be a wonderful young man with all the qualities you would want in an ND football player. It just wasn’t working. There couldn’t have been a better time to make the move than last weekend against a bad Wake team and I think Kelly made the right call. He also would have been making the right call if he would have done this in August.

This past weekend was fun, wasn’t it? What did we learn?:

Why again didn’t any coach want the Tennessee gig? Not only did they lose to an average at best Florida team, they had 47 put on them at home. Add to the beating they had a player refuse to go in the game. Call me crazy, but if Kelly would have turned to BW on Saturday to get in there, he would have run in like a bat out of hell. That program is a complete train wreck.

I’m just going to go out on a limb and say that at least one inebriated patron at one of the many fine Vegas casinos dropped a few bucks on the money-line for Old Dominion in their game against Virginia Tech thinking they were betting the Hokies. Somewhere, some janitor picked up the shreds of a very expensive winning ticket. Old Dominion. Maybe beating them in hoops is tough (ask Mike Brey) but having a 3rd string QB toss for 500 yards against the great Bud Foster and his band of man-beasts?!?! That’s the type of lose that may take some time to get over. I just hope it takes at least 2 more weeks.

Do you think the fine folks in the Big 10 Executive Offices just might be trying to find a loop hole to get Rutgers out of the league? Have they contributed anything in any sport? This time the footballing Knights lose by 29 at home to Buffalo. They simply are not Leaders or Legends material.

I wonder if Scott Frost looks at his “14-0 National Title” ring from last year at UCF and wonder: “what in the hell did I do?” Little different coaching in a football crazy state where every move you make is looked upon. He’s a far cry from being at a school that gets carry over effect from Disney tourists that think taking the kids to a major college football game would be a neat treat and a break from the Space Mountain and Tea Cup rides. I knew that the cupboard was a little bare in Lincoln but wow, is it bad.

I’m sure we all have one ND hating friend that hits you with “hey is ND playing Coast Guard this year?” before the start of every season.  If you have any Oklahoma Sooner fans as friends, I’m guessing you won’t be hearing that from them anytime soon. I’m also betting it’s gonna be a long time before we see another service academy in Norman. Hell of an effort by the Black Knights this past weekend.

One last thought on the Wake Forest game: I have a lot of respect for Deacon QB, Sam Hartman. That kid took a savage beating Saturday and kept coming back until it was obvious to shelf him for another day. He’s one tough young man.

So what do we have to look forward to in a very pivotal week in college football?

Ohio State heads to Happy Valley to play their annual “Meteor Bowl” in front of a packed “White Out” crowd (incidentally, the Seven Nations Army chant is tired, PSU fans. It really has taken on a “Crazy Train” type annoyance at this point.) For whatever reason, Penn St turns into a different animal when they play OSU at home. They’re not nearly as talented or even close to being as well coached, but when the lights come on in State College for this one, the Nitts always seem to show up. I have a hard time seeing as this one will be any different. OSU by 3.

Speaking of Tennessee, they’re getting 32 points in Athens this weekend. 32. That being said, I’d take the Bulldogs.

Since I mentioned point spreads, LSU is #5 in the country and are playing at home against Ole Miss. This is not a good Ole Miss team at all. Frankly, they stink. LSU is, in my opinion pretty damn good and is playing in Death Valley which is always a bear to play, especially at night. 12 points is the line. How good is Alabama? They had 50 on Ole Miss at halftime, on the road. 

Duke is 4-0 and have a physically and mentally beat up VA Tech squad coming to town. I think they get to 5-0. David Cutcliffe can flat out coach.

Florida St heads to Louisville with both teams at 2-2 and neither have won a game against even a decent program. Join with me in a collective, hardy laugh. I’m sure Bobby Petrino has every JUCO on speed dial, ready to right this thing the only way he knows how.

Finally, boys with the 14-K gold bonnets return home to take on Sgt Smug and his Stanford Cardinal in our annual grudge match. Let me preface my thoughts by saying this: I hate these guys. Why did you have to suck so bad Buddy Teevans, get fired and free SU to give birth to the two-headed mega tool known as Shawbaugh? These guys have been a royal pain in the backside for far too long, and for far too long ND has had the chance to do something about it and haven’t done so. 

Gerry Faust had Ken Hatfield, Charlie Weis had Pete Carroll, Ty Willingham had every coach with a pulse and a high handicap, and Brain Kelly has David Shaw. Coaches that just have our guy’s number. It has to drive BK crazy that he can’t beat this punk on the field and for far too many times of late, on the recruiting trail. Time to flip the script.

If ND can run the ball, we’ll win this game. While the prospect of hitting throws is a lot better than it was a week ago, I’d sure as hell feel better with 2nd and 4’s and not 2nd and 9’s with the help of the running game.  While I don’t think we’re going to score 56 like last week, I can sure see us in the 24-28 point range. That should be enough.

Obviously, Bryce Love is a great talent and stopping him is job number one for the defense. Even as good as their receivers and TE’s are, led by J.J. Arcenga-Whiteside, I’d sure as hell take our chances with dealing with them then letting Bryce Love run all over us. We stop Love and keep their passing game in front of us, I just have a hard time seeing them having enough to ND.

This all being said, I’ve pretty much followed the same narrative the last 5 seasons. Iron will and toughness will win this game, it always does. I think for first time, in way too long, the Irish get it done and get it done in convincing fashion. Irish 28-17.

Beat Stanford.