Irish Rolled by Alabama
by John Vannie
Alabama won its third national title in the last four years on Monday night with a convincing and thorough defeat of Notre Dame by the score of 42-14. The Crimson Tide raced to a 28-0 halftime lead behind a powerful running game and the crisp passes of quarterback A. J. McCarron that shredded the Irish secondary. It was a tough loss for previously undefeated Notre Dame, whose return to prominence this season took a step backward as Alabama physically dominated the contest from start to finish.
The Notre Dame defense, which had been heroic all season, could not hold the edge against the Alabama running game. They also failed to pressure McCarron, who had an easy time picking apart the soft zone employed by the Irish back seven. Sadly, outgoing senior end Kapron Lewis-Moore suffered a significant knee injury in the second quarter.
Offensively, quarrterback Everett Golson and wide receiver DaVaris Daniels played well, but te offensive line could not generate any running room against the Tide’s stout defenders.
Update 1/8/2013: Sorry for the short summary above, but the game ended very late and traffic out of the stadium was horrible. As I sit here in the Miami Airport, here are the answers to the pregame questions:
Will Notre Dame be emotionally prepared to get off to a solid start in the game? No, the Irish were clearly not ready to play a game of this magnitude.
Can the Irish defenders tackle well enough to keep Lacy and Yeldon from breaking long runs? Not at all. The Irish were actually in position to make many tackles for limited yardage, but were not physically up to it.
Will McCarron hurt Notre Dame with screens and deep play action passes? The Irish handled the screens fairly well, but the deep and intermediate passes were wide open all night. McCarron had enough time in the pocket to wave to his hot girlfriend in the stands.
Which special teams will contribute a game-changing play? Almost, but the referees didn’t see it that way. Later in the game, the Irish special teams grew progressively worse.
Will the Irish score touchdowns or be forced to settle for field goals? Notre Dame scored touchdowns, but few people were still awake to see them.
Can Alabama effectively neutralize Manti Te’o? Manti Who?
Will Golson’s mobility be a difference maker for the Irish? Alabama’s puirsuit made even Golson look slow. He did manage to escape long enough to throw the ball away on a few occasions.
Which team will have the most energy in the fourth quarter? Saban was still coaching like a madman in the fourth quarter, but the most energy displayed during the period was the fight between McCarron and center Barrett Jones.
Thanks to the Irish for a great season and many more good memories than bad. Now, go and hit the weight room in the offseason, boys.
Alabama is the better team, but this is truly a disappointing and heartbreaking way to end an otherwise Cinderella season. There were some crap calls in the first quarter, but I’m not sure if it would have altered the outcome to any significant degree. Dee Milliner was all over Tyler Eifert like an 18yr old marine on a stripper, but the refs never called pass interference.
I believe the score could have been more respectable if ND was properly prepared, but it seems the longer Brian Kelly and staff get to prepare the worse they play. The ND coaching staff, especially Diaco, were flummoxed all night which was duly noted by Kirk Herbstreit. I certainly hope they learn some lessons from this humiliating defeat.
On the positive side, my hat is off to a great, over achieving senior class. Thanks for the memories and the 2012 edition of the Fighting Irish were truly a special group of young men. I wish the outgoing seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors and the returning players to build on what they accomplished this year.
Regardless of the outcome, I still love you Manti !!!!
Don’t think Alabama was all that great this year. They barely beat LSU, lost to A&M at home and barely beat Georgia. I know these were good teams but it showed that Alabama was beatable. But when u watched us play them it didn look like we belonged anywhere near that game. That’s what disappoints me the most. I thought in beginning of game we were two touchdown underdogs. When I said that I thought ok we would be right in game within 7points and Alabama was better so they probably would score a late touchdown and final score would be like 38 to 24.. But 42 to 14 made actually doesn’t show how bad we were especially on defense. No excuse for this kind of play. Remember this game u guys and use it as motivation Next year.. It takes complete effort from beginning of game to end.
I grew up in East Tennessee. I got up every Sunday morning and couldn’t wait for the Notre Dame replay. Listening to Lindsey Nelson say, “Michigan was unable to sustain a drive and punted to Notre Dame.” I liked the Vols too, but I still get chills thinking about those Sunday mornings watching Notre Dame.
I moved to Nashville in 1969 as a 10 year old and over the years became a Vanderbilt fan. Those gold helmets made me think about those Sunday mornings and Notre Dame. I’ve watched SEC football for close to 50 years now and have seen some great teams. UT, Bama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Arkansas and many teams outside the SEC. I played football in highschool and wished over the years that I had gone on to play in college. Looking back, I know it was a good thing that I didn’t. I can still walk and enjoy myself.
That being said, I have an opinion for all the Notre Dame fans. The Irish didn’t have an “off night” last night. The only thing they did wrong, was play Alabama. Notre Dame would have a tuff time beating six teams in the SEC. I’m not trash talking either. I’m just stating a fact. I would love to see the Irish do good. Notre Dame needs to know that until they recruit better and work harder, this is the way it’s going to be.
If Brian Kelly tells the truth, he will say the same thing, he knows it. You could see it in his deer in the headlight eyes when he was going in for halftime. If there was ever a belief that his team could compete in the upper echelon of college football, Alabama rolled it out of him. They didn’t do anything wrong, they just have to get better. I hope they do. I’m pulling for Notre Dame and I feel for all their fans.
Stop believing all the goofballs that tell you how good you are. Get to work and make yourselves great.
I just can’t sit here and listen to your non-trash-talking trash talking. ND would lose to six SEC teams? You mean the two that lost to an ACC and Big East team? Or the ones who played rather mediocre Big Ten teams and won? Notre Dame was not prepared to play that game against Alabama and it showed after the first two plays of the game. They were diving at Lacy’s feet instead of hitting him and arm tackling. To put it simply, they were allowed to spend the break watching ESPN and listening to clowns who sound like you do tell them that they shouldn’t even show up. Notre Dame stuffed the kid from Stanford is every bit as good as Lacy, so it’s not that Lacy or the rest of Alabama or the entire SEC walks on water. They just weren’t prepared, period.
This game smacked of the 2001 Fiesta Bowl exposure. Granted, we’re not “there” yet and nobody expected us to be, but man, in hindsight the best thing for this team was to lose to Pitt on that missed FG and play in a regular BCS game. Baby steps would’ve been better than biting off way more than we can chew.
Oh well, hindsight is what it is. Ugly game, great season.
Most intelligent comment I have read through this whole ordeal.
As you people sadly again and again tell yourselves this was a great season, it makes me want to puke, It was all for nothing and this game was disgusting, humiliating and embarrassing ro any Irish fan. They were not ready due to the ignorance of one Brian Kelly and his pathetic coaching. Golson should be a super star but just like many other Q-Backs that have gone through Notre Dame in recent years with less than anywhere near good coaching – he will wind up like all the rest. Kelly is not the answer and they win inspite of the jerk. Please look at the preperation after this game and last year with Florida State. Now I hope for all our sakes Notre Dame does NOT go out and extend this loser for another 10 years so we can fire him and pay him forever. Get some gumption people. This was sickening to me and will be for a long time. And for the guy that said he believes we will improve next year. Hard to improve on an undefeated season and hard to be disgusting in your next game, but they did it. This is not the time to get over it – it is time to hold some somebody accountable for this nauseating performance after having 6 weeks to get ready.
Get a clue, dude.
Hey, you know what, crap happens. That’s life. At least these guys graduate, go on and do things that don’t involve professional football, and actually make a difference in someone’s life. Outside of the one or two stellar scholar-athletes such as Barrett Jones with his Bachelor’s and Masters in Accountancy, most of the rest of that team will fit right in with Trent “Goodest” Richardson. Too bad the NCAA doesn’t actually punish schools with abysmal GSR ratings, but I guess that would leave Notre Dame playing Northwestern or Duke for the National Championship every year, and ESPN couldn’t tolerate that.
It was a fun season to watch. Despite what happened last night, there will never be a time that I won’t call myself or identify as a “Notre Dame” fan and “Notre Dame” alumni. I will take 12-1 and a trip to a BCS game over a 6-6 season any day of the year, and it certainly was fun to watch Notre Dame play this late in January. 2013 is the year in which the Fighting Irish reclaim their title as the “Winningest Program” in college football.
Go Irish!
chrisnd93, your comments above are pathetic.
The underclassmen got a close up look at a great team.
Can they do it too?
Time will tell.
For all of the detractors who say we didn’t belong in this game, we were the only eligible team to finish undefeated. Of course, we belonged. We lost to a better team. Hopefully, the Irish will respond with a great off season and a strong finish to recruiting. I, for one, will treasure the memories of the season including the experience of being at the NC game, something that seemed a pipe dream only five months ago. I’m already looking forward to the fall. Go Irish!
I do not know why the Irish played so poor , we have the talent and we have hid our secondary all year. We all know how hard it is to get here , we were 12-0 and lucky but so was Alabama , it could have been Ohio State , Ga , Oregon or Stanford just as easy , somehow we have to get bigger and faster and we will , I have confidence that Kelly knows what to do but can we get back here ?
We can’t count on Pitt to miss a 30 yard field goal or for KSU and Oregon to both go down so we get in.
We have to take control and get depth , our class comming in looks great.
Go Irish and thanks for giving me and my family great memories this year !
Good coaches don’t get blown off the field with a month and half to prepare. That’s totally inexcusable in a game of this magnitude, even to a superior team. Also, it’s a disgrace that in year 3 Kelly hasn’t managed to develop a punt return unit capable of making a fair catch without it being an adventure or finding someone to put back there who knows to let the ball go if its inside the ten yard line. Finally, what is the offensive identity of this team? Is it a spread offense or a smash mouth power running team. Pick one, recruit to it, and become proficient. It was a great year, but there are still a lot of questions moving forward. Go irish!!!
My feelings exactly ND Chicago, Kelly is suppose to be an offensive guru, but we could hardly move the ball on these guys. There seems to be more questions than answers on our offense, and after three years of building there shouldn’t be. Also agree with the special teams like where is the blocking on kick and punt returns? After watching the game it looks like we’re still light years away. I am 59 yrs old and I would really like to see one more title before I check out . I’m tired of hearing ” We’re a year away “
We’re a year away.
Nonsense. Tom Osborne got blown away several times in bowl games before he won 3 National Champioships at Nebraska. Brian Kelly has won everywhere he has gone. He is an undefeated, championship coach. The detractors on this site amaze me! The Irish got spanked by a better team, but they will be back next year and compete for another BCS bid. Can’t wait ’til next season!
Hey, I’m eighty years old and never expected to see this. I think Kelly needs to learn to diversigy the offense, but he will be a better coach for it and we will be back and I hope to get one more chance to see Irish greatness.
While it was a disappointing outcome, championship-caliber programs are not built overnight, even at Alabama, where Saban was 6-6 and 12-2 in his first two seasons. ND has come from the squalor of mediocrity to a legitimate Top 10 program in three short years. Kelly has had to mature and learn to be a more sophisticated leader and manager (he’s 10 years younger than Saban), and from that success will come greater depth in personnel and higher levels of performance, discipline and strength among the team.
Sure, Alabama kicked our butt on Monday night, and nitpicking at the game plan wasn’t going to change that outcome. Kelly led with his best weapon (defense) to see how the game would play out, and he saw the answer very quickly. The ND defense hasn’t seen the strength, speed and stamina of that kind of program in years…. maybe USC at its peak. ND has no reason to be ashamed — it lost to Alabama (what’s Florida’s excuse?). 12-1 and a Top 5 or so finish — a great year.
Note to Bamaforever – Do you trash all the teams you beat convincingly? You had a great game at the right time. Why not leave it at that and cut the SEC chest pounding? By the way, the SEC really did the job against Northwestern, Clemson, and Louisville, didn’t they? Remember, you lost during the regular season and Notre Dame did not. Guess what, if Ohio State hadn’t been suspended this year, Alabama would not have had the opportunity to play for the championship. It would have been ND and OSU.
It’s obvious, in hindsight, to see that this team was not ready. That’s the coaches’ direct failure. However, any one who saw LSU and Alabama would have known that Notre Dame needed a golden night, and it did not glow in the heavens last night at all. The opening bad calls by officials were very dubious in such a venue. Whatever the Irish game plan was, I couldn’t discern it.
In the end, Alabama did what Alabama does; blisters the opponent and makes them earn any sort of victory. It’s called “toughness” and Notre Dame showed that all year long and last night as well; they took it and did not cry. So, no excuses and no forgetting either; they beat ND fair and square.
No doubt about it, the officials gave Alabama an officiating advantage, omitting penalties to Alabama on specific dirty plays. But this merely added to Alabama’s superiority. They would have won regardless of eliminating certain bad calls and dirty Alabama plays.
How many teams played 13 games and only lost 1? Three: ‘Bama, Oregon, ND. There were no undefeated teams among those that played 13 games. It’s tough to play 13 games and not lose any. ND just happened to lose its last game (and in grand fashion!).
ND coaches will have to do a better job preparing for future big games. The players will have to play better (actually make tackles!) in future big games. The bright side? There will be future big games.
Recruits follow teams that make it to big games. Could ND lose a recruit or two? Sure, but they’ll gain as many as they lose.
Good things are ahead. Be prepared!
Kelly was exposed as a “very average game coach”. Punt return team is pathetic. Never tried to run the ball. 4th down call was stupid , throw lob to eifert not a small receiver. When u give an honest assessment of the season you should admit nd had alot of close games against average teams that went their way . Purdue,mich,byu,Pitt . Btw Irish basketball is alive & well 14-1
Alabama is on a different level than any program in the nation. They are the best at getting ready to play in a big game and I don’t think LSU or Florida looked very good and they are from the super SEC. ND doesn’t deserve to be lumped into the lower group of teams just because they had a bad game against a Dynasty. They are on the rise and the Coach is learning. If he sticks to the “PROCESS” they will get stronger, faster and more experienced. Arrow pointing up and they now know how much farther they have to go. They should have played better to at least to the tune of 28 – 14 and wouldn’t be taking a beating in the press. Bring on basketball season!
At this point we don’t have Bama’s talent. Their two running backs were far and away the best that I have seen this year. We just could not bring them down.I think we are only going to better in the years to come as our recruiying improves.
Agree with Dan Legan’s comment…this year’s team could have been 7-5 and were 12-0 only because of the coaches on the other side and the “double deuce defense” against Pitt. Not criticizng Kelly, beacuse I am sure he knows it as well. He is on the right track, I think. The question is how does a 9-3 or 8-4 season in 2013 trend for him and the team after this year?
To Dan Legan, I think Kelly is a very good coach. He maximized the talent he had on hand and covered deficiencies all year! He taught the guys how to win close games, drastically improved toughness and conditioning, and instilled a winning attitude. It was clear to me that whatever game plan Kelly had drawn up had to be thrown out the window as soon as Alabama exploded in the first quarter. Why the heck would we run the ball when down 21-0 in the first quarter? At that point it wasn’t panic time, but definitely “urgent” time, and we needed a touchdown FAST. Running the ball to a “three and out” wasn’t going to get us anywhere.
I, for one am not disappointed in the 2012/2013 season. I am disappointed that the Irish lost Monday night but you cannot hang the success or failures of this team on one game. Five months ago no one outside of the Notre Dame locker room thought they had chance to accompish what they went out and did accomplish throughout the season. For many seasons fans have set the bar high for our Irish teams only to see them fall well short of those expectations. Now this season the bar wasn’ as high and the Irish exeeded everyone’s expectations only to be criticized for their shortcomings in the game that only mattered most to some. They played 13, lost 1. To me that’s a hell of a season. Nothing to be ashamed of.
Alabama was the better team Monday night, kudos to them. Congratulations!!!!!
I’m not one to bitch about officiating orabout calls or non calls because lets face it Notre Dame was the beneficiary of some during the season however, I’d have to question two in the first quarter. Not that they would have changed the outcome but why wasn’t Eiferts catch down the sideline reviewed? And, the punt catching interference call was awful. Any momentum Notre Dame would have gained was sucked right out of them on a bad call. Anyway it is what it is.
Looking forward to next year.
“GO IRISH”
What a great year for the Irish with so many exciting wins. All teams that finished better than 12 and 1 can boast of being better. ND will get better–soon! Thanks—-a great year and GO IRISH !!!
I think as the sting of this loss wears off people will realize it was a pretty good year. Looking back over the records of the last 50 years there were very few with no losses or one loss. Even Parseghian, Devine and Holtz only had a handful. So keep things in perspective. I think we are all thinking of a BCS title run again next year. Were we thinking that last year at this time? The program is clearly on the upswing. Let’s enjoy the ride. Go Irish!
TWO THINGS, IN THE SECOND HALF THERE WAS ONE ALABAMA PLAY THAT SAID IT ALL. ONE OF THEIR RB CAME OUT OF THE BACKFIELD AND A ND PLAYER BOUNCED OFF HIM LIKE A RUBBER BALL RIGHT ONTO HIS BUTT. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS IN ALL MY YEARS.
SECOND I WONDER ABOUT THE SIZE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMS. COULD THERE BE SOME DRUG DIFFERENCE INVOLVED???
I think your “Manti who?” comment is a disgraceful insult to a young man who has done more for the University of Notre Dame and its football program than anyone since quite possibly Knute Rockne! Did Manti and his fellow defenders have a bad game and get manhandled by Alabama, they certainly did, but that hardly calls for such a snide comment.
That said, I couldn’t be prouder of our footbal team in what they accomplished this year and the direction the program is going under Brian Kelly. After what we’ve seen under the Davie, O’Liar, Willingham and Weis regimes, can’t we all take a deep breath and realize that ND just posted an undefeated season, played in the national championship game, has a ton of great talent coming back and a top-5 recruiting class coming in?!!! I say stop all the whining and let’s look forward to a great future for Notre Dame Football. GO IRISH!!!
Alabama was clearly the better team but I do not think Kelly had them properly prepared.
When I heard Kelly say the team that makes ‘the most mistakes’ will win I assumed he misspoke. But he repeated it. The Game plan reflected that thought and it was bad in all aspects.
Neal, an elite recruit, did nothing with the return game this year except avoid big mistakes. He saved his worst for this game making bad decisions and then turning the ball over.
But, in August no one predicted that we’d win 12 and get to this game. Hats off to a very good team that had a great season due to a great senior class. I hope Kapron heals well and fast. He deserves a shot at the NFL.
When did Neal turn the ball over? Were you watching the same game as everyone else? He fumbled and at least had the presence of mind to knock the ball out of bounds before Bama’s defender was able to pick it up.
When is someone going to ask “How is it REALY that SEC teams consistenly out perform all other conferences?” I’m guessing size and strength of playesr…steroids use. And roster, or the ability of schools like AL to “gray shirt” players and inflat the #s. Come on, does anyone really think they’re smarter in the South?
Congratulations to Notre Dame on a tremendously successful season. I know the game on Monday night hurt but you can enjoy the good times and learn from the defeat.
Alabama really is that good. They can be beat but Notre Dame is not at the level of speed or strength that most of the SEC is at this time. The weekly challenge by good teams with the SEC conference championship goal increase incentive and ability. It is an almost impossible gauntlet. Notre Dame does not experience the same level of competition that SEC teams do because they are not involved in conference play.
Many of the media wanted to see Notre Dame play Bama close so they hyped the results of a weaker schedule and the probability of an exciting game. That makes for better TV ratings but it also gave many a false sense of confidence. Did the team buy into that? I don’t know but many fans did.
The Irish football team played and accepted defeat with class and never quit. You have much to be proud of and belittling people in Alabama or our players as ignorant is not going to lessen the sting of losing. It doesn’t serve you well. People are the same wherever you go, some are better in ways others are not.
Thank you for a memorable game that adds to the history of college football. You didn’t come out on top of this one but it can be the catalyst of better outcomes for Notre Dame football. Good luck except when we meet. Roll Tide!
A memorable game? Really? You want to remember this game? I sure as hell don’t. However, I agree with you that I am still proud of all that this team has accomplished in three seasons. It shows that the program is truly headed in the right direction. And, for those of you who still lump Weis in with the other two, get yout head on straight. If it weren’t for Weis, recruiting wouldn’t be going anywhere nesr the direction it is going now. Granted, Weis was not a player developer or gameday coach, but he knew talent and restored pipelines that had stopped flowing after Holtz left the program.
I am a bit disappointed by some of the comments (which I’m sure that those of you that made the comments probably won’t care). We are from the South — we were born here, live here, love here and die here. We kiss our kids on the forehead as they say their prayers. We put our arm around our wives while watching our favorite teams play.
Our accents might be a little different. But we work hard – and are usually the most polite people you’ll ever meet. When we say “Yes Ma’am” we mean it. When we tell our Daddy “Yes Sir” we mean it.
This team does things the right way — they follow Coach Saban’s process perfectly. They eat right, they train hard, and yes, they graduate. But because their accent is a little “thick” – they aren’t stupid. Far from it….
Notre Dame has a reputation built on their History of winning. Most of your fans have class. Bama has a reputation built on their History of winning. Most of our fan have class too. They laced it up — and one team was far out-manned, this time. Shake hands, and move on……
We aren’t stupid — we know that we are in the middle of a special time…. we’ve had our ups and downs as well. Right now we are up — and we are enjoying it. But, one thing we learned on our way back up…… excuses, name calling, and complaining about every little call — will NEVER make you feel better….all it does it make you look like a sore loser.
Maybe the refs missed a call — every “bad” call you discussed could have easily been argued either way. On NDs first TD drive — I counted three bad calls in a row — one sideline reception, two – the mystery “helmet to helmet” call, and the “foot out of bounds at the 5″ reception…. not hearing anyone complain about those…..
I also saw a mystery holding call on Norwood — where he wasn’t even touching the DB at all….
That’s football —
That’s life –
None of us played in that game — but we all feel like we did.
RTR – and good luck next season — may this be the first of many BCS games for you and the Irish!
Very classy post. I had a friend at the game who said the Bama fans were extremely classy.
Congrats ND on a great run. 12-0 and making it to the NC really IS something.
The game itself? I just don’t know WHAT to say. It is what it is, I guess. Nothing else can (or probably SHOULD) be said about it.
Still though, I came to congratulate you for the season and to extend a little class from the Bama Nation.
RTR
I cannot understand why Coach Kelly did not exploite the center of the field with screen, delays, draws and crossing routes over the middle with Bama doing all that blitzing.
This game hurt and will for a while. But we are on the right track. Now we know what we have to do to compete for a National Championship! I for one, see that ND has to do two things to get to that level of ALABAMA! They are:
1.) If ND can get rid of some of these games we got coming up like Texas or Syracuse and replace them with some SEC teams like Florida, Georgia, LSU or even Alabama? Do it! Because….TO BE THE BEST…..YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST!!!!!!
2.) Go get those types of linemen on both sides OF THE BALL that ALABAMA has!!!! I would never trade who WE have but the strength, power, and agility that Alabama has was AWESOME!
I WANT TO PERSONALLY THANK BK AND THE BOYS FOR A GOOD SEASON!!!! YOU GUYS ARE RESTORING PRIDE AND PURPOSE BACK TO ND!!!!
AS ALMOST AND FOREVER……GO IRISH…WE ARE ND!!!!!
I cant figure out why on earth the Eagles would interview a coach who has no offensive imagination and cant prepare for a big game. I also cant figure out the arrogance of Kelly to even think about interviewing for a job far out of his league
Let him go
BK is not the man….for the Irish.
We are fans, many life-long. The reality is its a business and coaches are business men. I had hoped Kelly would stay around long enough to rebuild the program and then pass the torch. Hopefully, the recruits are more committed to Notre Dame than the coaching staff. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out.
Hate to say it but maybe Kelly should have been more concerned about preparing for Alabama on Monday night and less about meeting the Eagles the next day. Wonder how many days in advance of the BCS game he knew of his upcoming meeting with the Eagles?
“They ran the ball effectively. For us, we’ve been able to manage the run game. They were able to run the ball effectively, and then obviously when you do that, it opens up so much of the play‑action game,” Kelly said afterwards.
Congrats from a Bama alum on a great regular season. You have classy players, coaches and (from the ones I met at the game) fans. I am looking forward to watching the ND program once again reach prominence and compete year in and year out and be restored to it’s past glory. We have an amazing strength and conditioning/nutrition program that the football program implements along with academic standards that Coach Saban expects. One poster mentioned Barrett Jones (an awesome young man athletically and academically) but please do not forget Greg McElroy (QB 2009) that was a Rhodes Scholar finalist. The old stereotype of the stupid southerner is narrow-minded, antiquated and short-sighted and a blight on the majority of classy fans of ND. Good luck next season.
PS – Alabama is deadly serious about academics. Our GSR is up to 85%, just behind Vanderbilt, in the SEC. That’s risen substantially under Saban, and will continue to rise, but a large public university, some four times or so the size of Notre Dame, will never reach ND’s 97%. Our GSR is not padded with basket-weaving. In fact, some Notre Dame fans might do well to do a bit more research on Alabama academics before some of the crap I’ve seen spewed on some ND sites. For example, our law school is ranked in the 20s range, the same as Notre Dame’s.
Well said Dixie Girl. As a lifelong Bama fan, born in Birmingham, and a University of Chicago grad (not a slouch school, either), one of whose daughters has chosen Alabama to pursue her forensic debate passion, I am proud of her and her chosen school. We visited the campus and were very impressed. Notre Dame fans, you don’t need me to tell you that you have a great institution with a lofty legacy. You had an unexpectedly great season. Don’t smear it by attempting to belittle others based on stereotypes or unfounded speculation. Roll Tide! And I hope our teams meet again.