2013 was a giant waste of talent,
by WilfordBrimley (2019-12-05 12:15:35)

In reply to: I count 10.  posted by potatohouse

Post Reply Return to Rock's House

perhaps the worst combination of talent available/talent wasted in this century of ND football outside of 2009.

What I remember from that season:
- We played like crap at night in Ann Arbor (sounds familiar)
- MSU was an ugly, physical game that wherein Kelly forced the issue on their CBs
- Stoops schooled us ten ways to Sunday at home
- ASU was a match up of two talented, under-achieving teams in which we got more bounces than they did
- The defense just suffocated SC that year
- The Pitt game was one of the biggest screwjobs I can remember - one of the worst-refereed games I can recall
- We came out flat in Palo Alto and Stanford bullied us for most of the game

Rees threw 9 INTs in our 4 losses.
by NDCuse  (2019-12-05 14:22:47)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

At least 2 in each loss. We had 8 players drafted that year, 5 in the first 89 picks. Result: 9-4 w/ a Pinstripe Bowl win.

W/ decent QB play, we could have won 10+ and maybe washed some of the stink off from the end of 2012.
Another case of BK putting too much on the QB's shoulders.
by NDde  (2019-12-06 04:22:12)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The Oklahoma game was particularly bad. After Rees threw a pick 6 on the third play of the game, BK had him throwing again in the second series. It was super windy but, as we know, the weather should never influence one's play-calling strategy. Rees threw a second pick on the very first play of the second possession, and it was 14-0 Oklahoma just a few minutes into the game.

It turned out that OU didn't have much of a run defense, and we ended up rushing for 229 yards on 29 carries (including a big day by the late George Atkinson III). Of course Kelly didn't have the patience to test that out at the beginning of the game.

I think 2011 and 2015 were far worse *
by Irishaddict  (2019-12-05 12:43:07)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

2011 is in the running, for sure.
by WilfordBrimley  (2019-12-05 13:56:51)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I don't view 2015 the same - even as bad as BVG was, that defense was obliterated with injuries in the last quarter of the year.
Are you sure you're not thinking of 2014
by KeoughCharles05  (2019-12-07 04:36:35)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

With the defensive injuries?

They were.
by revressbo  (2019-12-05 13:25:30)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Look at each of those rosters. 2015 may have actually been able to be a national championship year for BK if he didn’t have BVG. That team was loaded offensively and had at worst the 2nd-best defensive player in the nation. The most talented team in the nation (OSU) didn’t make the playoff. Unfortunately, BK is unlikely to catch lightning in a bottle like that again:

Going 8-5 with 2011’s roster is a borderline fireable offense on its own merit.
I agree.
by potatohouse  (2019-12-05 14:04:45)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

2011 should've been a hands down BCS team. That was the strangest, and most frustrating 0-2 start ever.

2015 was the year I'm sure we were all circling after 2012. In an alternate reality where Everette Golson does his work, Kelly doesn't ruin quarterbacks, and Brian Van Gorder doesn't exist, 2012-15 should've been the run we'd been waiting for. Every one of those teams should've made major bowls with at least one after 2012 playing for the chip and, for all we know, winning it.

Then Kelly could've gone to the NFL. 2016 never happens. Everyone is so happy that we are just now starting to grumble that Coach Mike Sanford might be in just a weee bit over his head.