(Notre Dame Football News) – Michigan State’s head coach Mark Dantonio shocked Notre Dame by calling a successful fake field goal in overtime to give the Spartans a 34-31 victory on Saturday night. Trailing 31-28 after a David Ruffer kick put the Irish ahead, the Spartans failed to gain ground and lined up for the tying 46-yarder. Instead, holder Aaron Bates dropped back and hit a wide open Charlie Gantt for the winning touchdown.
The teams ended regulation at 28-28 in a seesaw battle dominated by the offenses. Notre Dame’s Dayne Crist was 32 of 55 for 369 yards and four touchdowns, but the Irish failed to record 100 yards on the ground. Michigan State was balanced in its attack, gaining over 200 yards on the ground while Kirk Cousins completed 22 of 33 for 245 yards. Both teams sufferen an interception, and Irish receiver Michael Floyd lost another fumble in the red zone.
Notre Dame opened the scoring late in the first quarter on a pass from Crist to Floyd, and picked off Cousins moments later when he threw into teh end zone in an attempt to tie the score. The Irish moved smartly downfield, but stopped themselves in the red zone when Floyd was stripped of the ball the the Spartan 11. A defensive stand followed by a poor MSU punt gave Crist another chance at the Spartan 27, but the junior’s errant pass was picked off by Johnny Adams at the Michigan State 6.
This time, the Spartans drove 94 yards for the tying score. The half ended at 7-7, but the fireworks erupted in the third period. The teams each scored twice as Crist riddled the Spartan secondary and Michigan State’s ground game pounded Notre Dame into submission. After taking over the ball in good field position early in the final period, Crist hit Floyd on a deep pass for a 28-21 lead.
Cousins then developed a hot passing hand for MSU. He started a string of 12 straight completions in a game-tying drive with 7:43 left, hitting B.J. Cunningham for the final 24 yards after scrambling away from a strong rush. BVoth teams had chances in the final moments, but the Irish failed on a fourth down run near midfield and the Spartans went backward in their final two possessions.
Notre Dame was given the first opportunity in overtime, but fell a yard short of a first down as Crist threw to a well-covered Kyle Rudolph on third down instead of the wide open Floyd. Coach Brian Kelly elected to bring on Ruffer, who converted from 33 yards for the 31-28 advantage. The Irish defense rose up and stuffed the Spartans on the ensuing series, and the visitors were feeling good about themselves after sacking Cousins on third down. The 46-yard field goal attempt by Dan Conroy was no gimme, but Dantonio was ready to roll the dice. The Spartans apparently saw the alignment they were looking for because the fake and the pass were executed perfectly.
The loss drops Notre Dame to 1-2 and diminishes any realistic expectation that this season will mark a return to prominence. This team has struggled against three mediocre opponents, and the defense in particular is catching ball carriers rather than hitting them. Manti Te’o, and Gray Gray have played well behind a decent set of down linemen, but the rest of the unit has been a disappointment.
Offensively, the team appears solid on many occasions but is inconsistent. Crist is streaky and the running game has atrophied after a promising start in the opener. The offense has also put the ball on the ground without hard contact on too many occasions.
Let’s review the questions regarding the keys to the game:
Which defensive front will be able to put pressure on the passer? Notre Dame did a good job in this area while the Spartans did not bother Crist most of the evening.
Will the Irish score touchdowns once inside the 20? Yes, but only through the air.
Can Notre Dame’s defense hold up in the fourth quarter? They gave up the tying touchdown after a terrible pass interference penalty, but they held up late in regulation and in overtime.
Will the Spartan linebackers get enough help up front to stuff the run? Yes, although they did such a good job early that the Irish all but abandoned the ground game. The run/pass ratio was a frightful 30/70, and the Spartans enjoyed a nine minute edge in time of possession during regulation.
Which special teams will win the battle of field position? Notre Dame had a great chance to take a 14 point lead in the first half after a poor MSU punt, but Crist threw it away and the Spartans responded with a long touchdown drive. Michigan State’s special teams really did not do much……….until the last play when they won the ballgame.
Will Crist run the ball on the read option or will Kelly limit his forays outside the pocket? Crist ran the ball a few token times, but he was tentative and ultimately stuffed when it mattered.
Are the Irish ready to cope with a hostile environment as Kelly promised? Crist had a rough period in the second quarter, but he rebounded with a strong second half. The environment did not adversely impact the Irish.
The Irish will regroup and prepare to face a balanced and strong Stanford team that is 3-0 after absolutely thrashing the likes of UCLA and Wake Forest. The team’s character and leadership will be tested as it cannot afford to let the season spiral uncontrollably downward. Meanwhile, Notre Dame fans are reeling after another heartbreaking loss was thrust upon them in the worst possible manner by an opponent that was entirely beatable.
Tony Dambra says:
I thought ND fired Weis. Looked like his ghost was on the sideline tonight! What a wasted effort. The players are probably losing faith in the staff.
Jeff Riley says:
Mich. St. did not snap the ball within the allotted play clock time. The play clock clearly expired prior to the snap of the ball on the fake field goal/touchdown for Mich. St. My 13 year old daughter noticed this immediately, I reviewed multiple times on DVR and completely agree with her. I am not a Notre Dame fan nor am I even Catholic, I just enjoy watching college football.
mike desmond says:
Did anyone happen to notice the 25 sec clock had expired before the ball was snapped?
Chris says:
Did anyone else see the play clock expire before the kick or is it just ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joseph Casper says:
What galls me is that we seemed to have no clue about the possibility of a fake. I now fear that there could be myriad fundamentals that BK just hasn’t felt like addressing (e.g., need for some modicum of a power running capability).
Jason says:
ugh, oh the growing pains.
AR says:
The fake field goal never should have occurred. The play clock had hit :00 therefore a delay of game should have been called.
kevin says:
What were those 2 defenders doing waving at the kicker when they should have been preventing something like this? Who was coaching this sh#t show, Charlie Weis?
Exhausted says:
The game should have NEVER been that close. However, am I the only one that saw that time expired long before MSU snapped the ball on that fake?! I am so sick of this.
Rockne says:
Ladies and Gents don’t burn the dome down yet ok. These kids are in the game the whole way and MSU couldn’t outplay ND with fundamentals so they have to resort to trick plays. Yes little consolation in that but remember the boys will get better over the year it takes time please don’t dilute yourselves with 10-2 11-1 grandeur As long as you finish better than last year its a victory for the short term. Look at RR at Michigan he’s on year 3 now and look at that machine over in Ann Arbor. We will get there Irish believe me I would love crushing everyone every year but it takes time to turn aircraft carriers around believe me I know I was in the military until last month keep your heads up guys you will win and once you start to win I know you won’t stop wanting more Hang in there ND just keep improving what you and only do on the field you control your own performance work to be perfect and you will get there. God Bless you guys and stay tough and get even tougher and fight on Irish……
Rob says:
Where were you Rockne? The game ended in a 28-28 tie in regulation. Apparently ND couldnt outplay MSU with fundamentals either. At least be fair.
Chris says:
WAS IT JUST ME OR DID THE PLAY CLOCK RUN OUT WHEN TIME EXPIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kevin says:
The question is where do we go from here? Stanford is looking really good right now, up 41-7 on Wake Forest at halftime, Utah and Pitt could give us real problems and USC looks like a certain loss. If BC shows up to play, we might be looking at 5-7.
Rick says:
Wow…..if MSU would have punched it in to win that would have been one thing but to lose that way hurts to no end. BTW!! Delay of game anyone?! The clock expired for 2 seconds before they hiked the ball on that fake! Oh and forced out of bounds on that TD pass? Did not see it.
MichaelB says:
It sure looked like the play clock ran out before the winning scoring play was started. Anyone else see that?
Drasail2 says:
So much for the five minute plan. Completely frustrating. However a work in progress is a step up from learning on the job…if there is progress. I’m worried about our fast paced offense leaving our strong but slow defense on the field too much. Hurt us today. 1-2 in the BIg 10. Let’s see how we do in the Big East. Kelly was outcoached. Kelly Leak.
Robert says:
Due to Crist’s learning curve, our defense is simply not yet good enough to win with our current defense. Kelly could probably fix much of the defense’s problems by simply benching #90, #22 and #56. But unless/until he does that, this team will likely continue to mediocre teams like Michigan and Michigan State — at least until Crist improves and the offense (finally) starts averaging 40+ points a game. Re: special teams, Cierre Wood is an outstanding talent at RB, but not a good kick returner — he should be replaced with an explosive WR (perhaps #86).
Rob says:
Look who’s calling people mediocre! LOL
CHRIS says:
The Irish defense is soft plain and simple. This group gave up nearly 5 yards a rush knowing full well the Spartans were going to run the ball hard. Gary Gray and Manti T’eo are the only two players on that squad that tackle well and attack the ball. Sure Dayne Crist gave the ball away three times at crucial points in the game but still the first year starter threw 4 td passes. For the last two years this defense has simply failed.
MarkH says:
This team is a 6-6 team at best. Sad state of affairs, fellow Irish fans.
CHRIS says:
People need to stop complaining about the game clock. YES it did expire! Yes..but that does not change the fact that the IRISH DEFENSE once again gave up just about 500 yards of offense. That Michigan State team jammed the ball down our throats. If you score over 30 points a game and still lose you have defensive problems. Remember Ty Willinhams first year? That team won nine gamer soley on great defense. Shne Walton, Vontez Duff etc. The irish need to play spme nastier defense. bottom line!!!!!
Neil says:
The fact the officials did not notice time expired nor did they notice the receiver on the tying TD was NOT forced out of bounds doesn’t matter. The fact replays show time did expire a full two seconds before the ball was snapped and the receiver on the tying TD went out of bounds on his own doesn’t matter. All that matters is ND is now 1-2 on the season with a tough Stanford team comming to town next Saturday. It is not a time to whine and complain. BK will get this program turned around, it takes time. Go Irish!
Pat says:
Agree, tough loss. But you can’t coach speed, you have to recruit it and ND Defense lack’s team speed.
UncleTimmy says:
This Irish team is much improved over last year and they will continue to get better. They are more focused, disciplined, and in better physical shape … just look at the O-line and the time that Crist is getting. Yes, they need to continue to get better on D and need some running balance on O. But let’s not abandon them or the coaching staff. We will beat Stanford – Go Irish!
Teo says:
Amen. Thank you.
Mike says:
I don’t care if the time clock had expired or not; we weren’t ready for the fake. I have faith in this staff, but it kind of feels like the movie Groundhog day.
Dave says:
ND simply is not a good football team. They squander opportunites to extend leads and continue to beat themselves. So much for the 5 minute plan of Brian Kelly. There are a few positives such as improved special teams and O-line play but the offense, while potentially explosive, is still inconsistent as we saw last night.
Should a team with ND’s talent be 1-2 at this juncture when they’ve played average teams? I’m not ready to throw Kelly under the bus just yet but it looks like this season will be a little longer than I had hoped.
Terry says:
Kellys teams sucked on defense at Cinncinati and NDs defense doesnt play well under him now. Fix the defense and ND has a pretty good team
Paul says:
ND should have been ready for the “trick play”. Of course, this is hindsight and I wasn’t expecting the fake FG but coaches must have foresight and should have warned the team. It was a 46 yr. FG; they weren’t trying to block it so someone should have been playing defense. Also the holder was a QB in high school. Anyhow, we’ve lost two close games and we will improve; a win against Standford would give the players the lift they need. GO IRISH!!!!!!!
TimmyIrish says:
I need therapy…this is truly just getting beyond frustrating. There is no magic left for us, instead we keep providing those special moments for everyone else. I never thought I would see such a string of futility for ND football. I’ll keep cheering, but we need something to believe in again!
jjbodean says:
even if the ending play didnt happen due to penalty, the winning td would have just been 5 yards longer as they would have run it from 5 yds further back after the markoff. that was one of the best fakes i have ever seen. the irish were standing around looking at each other while the msu guy dropped back for what seemed like forever to throw the ball to a wide open receiver. btw, the game was lost by the irish “D” giving up almost 500 yds of offense.
Chris says:
I dont see the fire in Kelly on the sidelines that he had when he was at Cinncinati. No team speed on defense at all. Yet this sesaon is strangely similar to Holtz’s first year. Holtz beat Purdue and lost to Michigan and MSU by 6 points total in his first year – Kelly beat Purdue and lost to MI and MSU by 7 total points. Holtz also realized he needed speed on defense which we see lacking again here.
Dave B says:
It’s becoming clear to me that ND is losing because of Kelly’s style of play. The team seems to be coached well and the players do play hard. Yes, there are mistakes, but if anyone expects a college team not to make mistakes, they are kidding themselves. Kelly’s style of play puts more stress on a defense than any other coach’s style of play. The defense is going to be on the field twice as long as the opposing team’s defense. Given this, until Kelly can confidently go through a 3-deep in his defensive personnel per game, don’t expect one of his teams to be elite. Why do you think we are recruting a S*%#load of defensive talent this year? Unfortunately, ND fans, this ND is a number of years off from being elite, but I am hopeful Kelly’s strategy will ultimately work.
IRISH STING says:
The gray skies are darkening with the blue sky long gone. The Irish face a strong undefeated Stanford team that could skin them alive. The “Kelly magic” is now at Notre Dame where all teams that face ND overachieve and play beyond their capablity just to beat the Irish. To beat the golden dome boys is like winning the super bowl, or the lottery. Take heart however, sunshine is down the road after Stanford, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Utah, Southern Cal and maybe Navy.
Defense and a running game would be a nice breath of air. Toss in good officiating that is in the opposition’s backyard.
What a play at the end of the game. A perfect call and execution against a surprise Irish team. Let’s face it this was not the Luck of the Irish.
Coach Kelly now knows the Irish cannot be just good but far better than the opposition to win. Dontonio doesn’t smile much but that last play tweak a small smile to his Catholic face.
Dave says:
What was up with the bonehead 4th and 2 call inside your own 45? Tackling was terrible again, bad running game. These guys cant handle having a lead. Soon as they get one they take a vacation. Finish the damn game then celebrate. Huge disapointment. Losing faith in this team and coaching staff and the officials.
B. Wooster says:
Amen, Dave. I can’t believe how sloppy our tackling was last night–and this has been a problem for years! I also agree that the team can’t put an opponent away–they had the chance to put the Purdue game out of reach early and couldn’t do it. Cierre Wood looked sharp in the Purdue game but hasn’t gotten many carries since.
Dutch says:
Check the replay on the fake field goal. The special teams unit had the play covered but a couple of the guys got tangled up and fell down. Holtz said as much in the post game. I file that play under “bad luck” or something … but it’s very different from not being prepared for it.
JoshB says:
Everything else aside…………..Theo Riddick looks amazing! Tough loss but until the Irish get a D this is what is going to happen. Weis left the D thin and weak.
Derek says:
The play clock had expired, but you still need to think fake in that situation. The odds of blocking the kick are slim, so you need to protect yourself so you can at least end the game or play another down. The Irish were doomed primarily from the lack of a ground attack. They can score with the best of them, but you can’t just win shoot outs. The defense is much improved, but they are getting tired by the 4th quarter. If they want to beat Stanford, they are going to have to run the ball. I am seeing a 7-5 season, but I am hopeful. Go Irish!!
jspudND says:
I couldn’t agree more Chris until this defense starts playing with an attitude we will continue to see frustrating games . I live in Buckeye country and the one thing they have almost every year is a defense that plays with a passion to get it done. Go Irish
kk009 says:
Play clock was expired, where are BK’s assistants watching this kind of thing? Another defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. Oh and how can ESPN article say the play got off before time expired?
RS says:
Was there anyone at the game who can comment on the play clock situation?? Was the tv clock the only one that was off??
Joe says:
At least this is reality. There will be some close losses as well as close wins. The team will grow and get better with each game. I’d rather have this than an 8-0 smoke and mirrors start like under Ty, or going crazy about CW upon almost beating USC. Let’s take a deep breath, we have our coach, and the team will only improve.
Patrick says:
I think people are overreacting to the loss. First of all, the Irish played a pretty good ballgame offensively and moved the ball pretty much at will in the second half. The defense is struggling but we all knew this would happen. Is Brian Kelly supposed to turn 4.7 40 defenders into 4.3 40 defenders overnight? He is working with the personnel he inherited and I have seen improvement in many areas in comparison with the Weiss years. We were really good when Michigan State ran between the tackles and we were weak when they spread us out and exploited our lack of speed. The fake field goal was well covered. When the fake starts, you can see the linebacker follow the back into the flat and the defensive backs are falling back into coverage when they get tangled up and fall down. Heck one of them got bowled over and knocked to the ground downfield. Would we all love them to be 3-0? Of course we would but instead we have two tough losses against decent(not lowly college football teams). If we find a way to beat Stanford next week, we will all be feeling good about a 2-2 start. You know nothing about football if you expected the Irish to be 10-2 and playing in the BCS this year.
Derek says:
Patrick really nailed it. Seeing the replay this morning on Sportcenter, you can see that they had initial coverage on the fake, but MSU executed the play well. We all would love to be back in the discussion for a BCS game, but to expect it year one is unrealistic. Lou Holtz had a tough first year at ND and went on to win a National Championship. I think Coach Kelly has improved the Irish. I see a much better team this season. The defense is better than last year. They still are giving up yards, but they are getting to Quaterbacks and stopping a lot more in the backfield. I am impressed with Darren Walls. He has played very well this season. I think that if they can get more stops and help from the Irish run game, things will improve. Last years Irish team would have given up the touchdown well before the fake FG was attempted. They are improving every week. Excited to see how they play against a great team like Stanford.
KellyK says:
The next time Michael Floyd drops the ball in the red zone, he’s out. Demoted to 2nd string. If he had just held on to the ball in the Michigan and Michigan State games, those games would have been COMPLETELY different. ND would have gone on to large leads. But nope. Ball on the ground, other team ends up scoring, new game. The catches he made in those circumstances weren’t catches that other guys couldn’t have made. Any receiver on the team would have made them. He may be a “special” player, but he sure hasn’t shown it this year.
Linda says:
Unbelievable that more is not being said about the play clock running out. All of the official stories make no mention. Also, ND was not faked out by the fake, the cover man fell down. Unfortunate, but don’t count Coach Kelly out yet. He was handed a bunch of players who still have a lot to learn. This is just another example of the Big 10 refs deciding the outcome of the game. It’s been a pattern for years. Don’t know why we still schedule Michigan and MSU.
Brian says:
N.D. has about 12 coaches working on the sideline. Someone should have noticed the play clock expiring before the snap, and they should have immediately challenged the play. It is Kelly and his coaches fault for not paying attention at all.
Rob says:
Thats because it didnt run out. The tv screen clock did match the official clock in the stadium.
ODog says:
Actually, I’ve watched the replay on my dvr, and the stadium play clock in the background is clearly at :00 before the snap (on both play clocks on either side of the scoreboard). Even if the TV clock and the stadium clock are a fraction off, they were both at :00 before the snap. Is there a 3rd clock somewhere that I haven’t seen? If so, please link it for me. Thanks.
William A. Pauwels, Sr. says:
I couldn’t believe ND’s 4th down, 4th quarter decision not to punt with over 6 minutes left and the ball in our own territory. By not kicking, Coach Kelly gave up critical field position and the opportunity to pin MSU down at their end of the field. ND forfeited the opportunity to kick a game winning field goal in regulation time.
To compound the above mistake, Kelly’s decision to let the clock run out at the end of regulation time was unbelievable – the sign of a loser! ND had one timeout left and our passing game was working. We should have played for a game winning field goal. This was another flagrantly illogical decision.
Frankly, these two brainless coaching decisions tell me a whole lot about Coach Kelly’s inability to think on his feet – to lead a big lead team in a big league game. He’s obviously not a clutch play-caller and clearly shouldn’t be performing this function. He better hire a proven offensive play-caller — who understands the game and can think under pressure.
Until that happens, it looks like another long season for the Irish and their frustrated Fans.
“Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people don’t like to do.”
mpsND'72 says:
Your game summary and comments were right on the mark. I’ll offer this: where has the defense been, for the past x-years? (You math majors and ND football savants can fill-in the “x.”) I would think that “D” and “D” coaching would be a priority. It’s been said before – right here by regulars at ND Nation – that defense has never been one of Kelly’s strengths. It certainly wasn’t at Cincinnati. Makes me wonder a bit.
I remember all the excitement when Davie took over for Lou. When Willingham took over for Davie. When Weis took over for Willingham. Then, all that became Davieham. And then, the worst coach in ND history.
Going back some, I remember Faust, who used to be the worst coach in ND history, and all the initial excitement about him. (Now the guy returns to campus like the conquering hero, and signs books at Hammes, and people actually buy his book! Such a nice guy, that he is.)
I’m not saying – yet – that Kelly will prove to have the fine, genetic coaching make-up of any/all of these wonderful examples of Notre Dame football sucksess. I am saying that there were, again, in week 3, some questionable coaching decisions, and what sure looked to me as lack thereof. Makes me wonder a bit.
Unfortunately, there was more “interesting bad” than “interesting good” yesterday. The final score is the final measure. Jim Harbaugh really loves to beat Notre Dame. Get your team ready, Coach Kelly.
Norm says:
I can only imagine how bad our second team defensive front is. Our DL is just about the worst in D1 Football. They look slow and out of shape and have NO athletic savvy in getting to the QB. The comment that we kept pressure on MSU must be referring to a game in ’77. Kelly HAS to realize what deficiencies we have throughout the team. They looked high schoolish at times. Too many times. The buttwipe ND haters are having a ball. I don’t see us winning the next 3 games either.
Patrick says:
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one to notice that the ply clock had expired. However, it was an incredibly gusy call which I can respect. We just can’t allow a play like that to happen because it just makes us look like fools!
Rich in Indy says:
Irish Faithful. . .I was weened on Notre Dame football and seen many ups and downs. Under Charlie Weiss I prayed more on Saturdays than I did in church on Sunday. Yes ND is 1-2 under Brian Kelly, but step back and look at all aspects of the game. When was the last time we had a kicker consistenly kicking off in the end zone or punters backing up the opponents deep in their own territory? Or having a quarterback and offence able to rack up points the way we have been able to do? . . .or have confidence that we have a coach that is capable of making adjustments at half time and fire up the offence and defence and seeing a difference on the field the second half? Brian Kelly has only been in town for 9 months and these are impressive changes with the personnel he has inherited. We are getting better each game, so put aside the gadget plays that others have been successful in executing in the final seconds against us to snatch our victories. I am sure we have some of our own. We are gradually building towards being an elite team once again and must be patient and I think under this coach we will continue to see his strengths, and not expose his ineptness like we discovered under Charlie.
Jimbo says:
Just curious as to why anyone would be surprised at the current play and coaching decisions after the first 3 games. Just because ND has a new coach does not mean all the problems go away. As posted before, coaching Cincy and coaching ND are light years apart as BK is finding out. I predicted 7-5 pre-season and am sticking with that.
Mike says:
Kelly going for it on fourth and one deep in his own territory is what frustrates me the most. The defense had just held the Spartans to a three and out and was starting to feel it. I feel that Kelly missed an opportunity to pin them down and win in regulation.
D75 says:
Saddest thing for me is I don’t expect them to play well anymore. Losing in the 4th quarter is now the trademark. At least with lowered expectations and accepting things for what they are it doesn’t hurt quite as much
Dennis says:
The reason no one is mentioning the clock ran out because the TV time appears to be off.
http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/546929/x22bcde6a.jpg
Look at the clocks on each end of the scoreboard. If you have the game TIVO’d you should be able to see it as well.
ODog says:
Can someone tell me what the rule is with illegal participation? I’m almost more peeved about the BS “forced out of bounds” ruling on the TD pass than the play clock miss. That’s 2 weeks in a row we’ve gotten that BS call. I’m watching the Skins/Texans game and the Texan’s receiver was practically assaulted and was flagged for illegal touching when he went out of bounds as a result of the assault and came back and caught the pass. Just because a guy is standing there doesn’t mean that he’s “forcing” you to go out of bounds because you want to go down field – that’s pretty much the point of the rule. You have to stop and run inside to get around a stationary object. If the defensive guy is “forcing” him out of bounds, isn’t that illegal contact, interference, or some other penalty on the defense? It’s clearly happening beyond the line of scrimmage. Terrible calls, and it feels like we’ve been on the short end of those “judgment” calls this year.
Also – Hey Floyd, if you’re reading this, stop fumbling the freaking ball!!
squeeze77 says:
Our RKGs need some RPMs. Looking at what’s being recruited at DL and DE it won’t be long.
Teo says:
I think it’s pathetic for people to think that the players are losing faith in the coaching staff after three freaking games. I understand that the ND fans do this. It’s not at all surprising. I mean, there is a reason that you watch excited fans at the games at Georgia and Auburn and Texas and Texas Tech and North Carolina and Tennessee and Ohio State and, well, I could go on and on. And, in South Bend, which is so quiet you can hear a pin drop even when the Irish score, everyone looks half-dead once the Irish have lost one game in a given season.
But, for the players to lose faith in the coaching staff after three games? That’s ridiculous. They’re college students. They’re smart. They’re not 60-something year old men who think that Lou and Ara won all of their games. . . .
As for this game, Michigan State made the better decision in overtime. Crist had Floyd but went with Rudolph, his favorite receiver after three games (in fairness, how many times has Floyd fumbled in three games?). Rudolph came up one yard short because MSU made a great tackle.
And, then the fake. Defensively, the Irish did exactly what we needed to do. But it amazes me that no one on special teams seriously thought a fake was in the works. It was a 46-yarder. They should have covered the tight end and the receivers like it was a pass play. 46 yards outside on grass in college is a long way.
It’s a long season. If we see improvement, that’s what we want. Kelly will get this team to be where they need to be. We’re still much better than we were under Weis. We tackle now. We have what appears, at times, to be a running game. We get to the quarterback on occasion. We’re not there yet, but we’re clearly moving in the right direction. Of course, BK better continue to mix it up. I mean, let’s not forget that the guy who lost to Navy and UConn won a bunch right off the bat in South Bend before going 3-9 and then pretty much .500 the rest of the way.
Rick says:
I know out of left field but I’m arguing with my brother in law. Anyone remember that pregame little clip of them talking about Rudolph’s huge hands and how he needed special gloves? Anyone remember how big they said his hands were? Or could post a link to this information. Sorry I posted here but can not find anything on this.
Mr. Springer says:
All you haters need to chill a little, and those of you bailing on BK need to back off as well. The last two weeks have been tough losses to swallow, but don’t lose faith just yet.
I’m an Irish fan through and through … that means staying with the team through the ups, as well as through the downs.
We’ll get there folks, but don’t expect perfection in BK’s first year. Lets take this one week at a time, shall we?
Jonathan
a68domer says:
PATIENCE, my friends. This reminds us of the start Lou had his first season – lots of guts, lots of good plays, and come up just a little short. Hardly any of us thought we would go to the BCS this season. We’ve just got to give BK some time. GO IRISH!
Jim Kress says:
What’s the deal with Floyd?
He seems absolutely uninterested in contributing to the team. His repeated fumbles, refusal to go after the ball, dropped passes, and general phlegmatic performance has really hurt the team in the first 3 games of this season. He can’t expect a perfect pass from Crist on every play but Floyd seems to be always complaining about this. He needs to go after the ball, not expected it to drop into his hands, unopposed.
If he doesn’t want to fully committ himself to the success of the team, why doesn’t he quit and give up his scholarship to someone who will bust their butt to help the team win? He is going a long way to prove Kelly was right when he said, at the time of his arrival, “I wasn’t impressed with Floyd”.
Also, when are the Irish receivers going to learn to run PAST the 1st down marker BEFORE they get the ball? We blew a number of 3rd downs because the receivers positioned themselves short of the 1st down marker and were then tackled before they could get the first down.
When is the defense going to be adjusted to fix our problem with people running at the edges? We seem unuable to contain anyone at the edge of the formation, running or passing. Also, the tackling in the MSU game was AWFUL!
WTF says:
A lot of you are talking about the play clock expiring or the defender “falling down”…
While we may have the worst safeties in the country, Harrison Smith was actually backpedaling to defend the play until he got tackled by the MSU player. TACKLED!?!
Michael says:
Not one peson on the sideline should have been “faked” out. Everyone should have known it was a possbility and been prepared to prevent it.
JF DOUGHERTY says:
JIMMY HARBAUGH IS COMING TO TOWN WITH ALL THAT OUR BELOVED NOTRE DAME IS LACKING
BRAINS EXECUTION EXPERIENCE AND A KILLER QB WITH A GREAT OFFENSIVE LINE
LOOK FOR A HUMILATION 48 -10
AT LEAST KELLY CAN PLAY ALL FRESHMAN
DOES THE DEFENSIVE CO ORDINATOR SUFFER FROM THE FLU OR LACK OF GUTS HE KNOWS HE CANT COACH DEFENSE AT THIS LEVEL- HOW MANY DEFENSIVE COACHES HAVE COME AND GONE AT NOTRE DAME SINCE LOU”S TIME – COUNT EM 15
Sparty Hater says:
I have kind of been wondering why Robert Hughes is just left standing on the sidelines? According to the roster he is still with the team, but has yet to see a down. Does he not fit into Kelly’s offense? Is he injured? Surely there were times we could have used him in all three of these games.
J W says:
Actually Hughes did get a down or two against Michigan. But I agree with the overall thesis of your statement.
Domer 25 says:
I for one feel that we are moving in the right direction as a program. BK is definately the right guy for ND. I was at the first 2 home games and it is obvious that this team is much improved fundamentally and physically. Overall, the tackling is greatly improved, our runners do not go down on first contact and the blocking is improved from the line to the receivers.
Yes, we can ask “what if”
What if the refs actually penalize MSU for delay. What if they flag MSU for illegal participation on their TD when the receiver ran out of bounds (he was NOT forced out).
What if Dayne does not go down against UM? We outscored them 24-7 when he was in and were down 21-0 with him out.
3-0? Probably.
We have played 3 tough teams to date with a combined 8-1 record. We have 3-0 Stanford (ranked 16th) this week and it does not get much easier after that with a trip to Chestnut Hill, Pitt, Utah and USC (Cant spell SUCKS w/o USC). ND is going to be a team that nobody wants to face as this season progresses. BK will continue to add to the playbook and the depth will continue to improve. No program can have a new head coach, off. coord., def. coord, go from pro style to spread, from 4-3 to 3-4 in 8 months and come out of the gate winning all the games. But, I think this team can in 1 year and 8 months.
GO IRISH!!! BEAT CARDINAL!!!
Fitz says:
I think the schedule this year is weighted with more difficult games early in the year (with the exception of USC the last game). To come out in a full swing Big 10 schedule and be just a couple of plays off from being 3-0 is pretty damn good! Even Big 10 teams start out playing cupcakes before they play each other. We don’t get to take on our Western Michigans, Tulsas, Army, Navy etc until well into the season. And now Stanford’s up next, the once cupcake of the Pac 10 but now a solid, top 15 program. It’s gonna be another close, great game i’m afraid. But chin up irish fans, sooner or later, the law of averages tells us we’ll win one of these nailbiters!
Go IRISH!
irishhawk50 says:
I agree with the posters that we need to be patient, ND is a young team with a new coach and they are making progress. If you think about it we are only two plays away from being 3 and 0! However, I still think there is some room for improvement on the coaching side. I think towards the end of regulation of the MSU game we still had one time out and 19 seconds left on the clock and BK just let the clock run down. Plenty of time to run at least one long pass down field, if caught, the clock stops until the chains are set. Then spike it and try a field goal. What was there to lose? Also on the fake field goal, not sure of the rules. Can you throw the red flag in OT? A lot better chance of having a sucessful booth review at the time of the crime, then later when Big East officials are not wishing to be called out. Remember the 1 second added in the Texas-Nebraska game? I agree with all that the “push” out of bounds was bogus as well as the block in the back on the last punt, but I am not sure if judgement calls are reviewable. Anyway, hope someone has some answers to my questions, my wife is tired of listening to me!
JP says:
In the second half MSU scored on two running plays. On each play, a ND safety moved from the safety position toward the defensive line just before the snap of the ball. In both cases the running back traversed the exact position the safety vacated. This is not to say the safety would have made a tackle to prevent a TD, but the move toward the line clearly made it easier for the running back. The safeties were out of position and MSU made ND pay.
I did not play college football, but in highschool our safeties would never have made such a pre-snap move without it being called for by the coaching staff. So I am wondering why I am not hearing the ND coaching staff explain the calls rather than letting our defense hang out there and take the weight of the loss.
And here is the most critical thing: if I am correct, the players know who made the calls, and like good team players, they are saying nothing. It gets to the heart of the question BK asked after the game: what do you believe?
If this were the first instance of such calls it would be one thing, but it is not. Against Michigan there were 2 calls, one on offense when we were on our own 3 yard line where we suffered a safety. This too is on the coaching staff. The other MI case was a touchdown pass thrown by Robinson where MI had 3 receivers to the left of the center and ND had 2 defensive backs, leaving the middle receiver uncovered. Where were the coaches? Why did no one call a time-out and correct the alignment? And again, no explanation from coaching staff. Why?
We hear continual talk about how we need to win now, no excuses. The fact is our players are learning new systems. I am not looking for excuses; how about some straightforward explanations? I do not need to hear how ND players need to work harder. BK and staff should step up and explain their role in these plays that are so critical to our losing these games.
DT80 says:
Response to Irishhawk50, there are no red flags in college. All reviews are initiated by the officials in the booth, not the coaches as in the NFL.
Also, it is unfair to the new regime to do so much second guessing after 3 games. We changed coaches during the offseason because we were not a good team. We are an OK team with some good skill players, but we are not (yet) fast or strong enough up front to control the game against anyone other than a weak opponent. When OK teams play other OK teams (like MSU and UM) you generally get entertaining, higher scoring games that can go either way. These last 2 were tough but not unexpected given where we are. If we had gotten the breaks in both these and were now 3-0 and ranked we would still be only an OK team. We need to wait at least until the end of year one before evaluating Kelly and his staff.
Jim Kress says:
Then how was MSU able to challenge the spot of the ball earlier in the game?
John says:
That is not correct. Each team is allowed one challenge per game. If the challenge is rejected, the team loses a time out. If upheld, it does not. I do not know if a team is unable to challenge in overtime.
Bishop J says:
Look everybody is hating on BK and ND. True if not for some BS calls, ND will be 3-0 and ranked. No body said that ND was favored to win the National title yet. But Kelly has this team going in the right direction. As for the Fire on the Sideline, Kelly has plenty of fire. C. Weis teams would have gotten blown out by Mich and MSU when we got down. But Kelly’s team’s are at least competing. The Offense looks great considering it year 1 of the spread. Let’s go beat Standford win ten streight at got to a BCS Bowl.
Also Mark May can’t stand ND!!! He’s the biggest ND hater ever smh!!!!!!!!!
DT80 says:
Oops! It was late when I responded so I apologize for the confusion on the replay challenge rules. No red flags, but coaches do get 1 challenge per game by calling a timeout (if they have one left). I don’t know about overtime and how the rule applies.
“Once per game, each head coach may also call a timeout and challenge the ruling on the previous play before the next play starts. A coach must have at least one timeout remaining in order to challenge (teams receive three timeouts per half). If the challenge is successful and the on-field ruling is overturned, the team keeps its timeout and is allowed only one more challenge. If unsuccessful, the team loses its timeout and is allowed no more challenges.”
Steve says:
All the critics are out after just three games. Our Irish are working with a new coaching staff and are learning the intricacies of a new offense and defense. The offensive line in doing well considering they not only are learning a new offense but are learning to play together. There is progress and we are doing it with a fine group of student athletes. This is not Florida where you can reach for some talented thugs and keep winning. Note that they have 30 athletes with 27 criminal offenses against them. The NCAA and the University of Florida should be embarassed by this and now we know why Irban choose to coach there. The Irish will be fine and will get better and better as the year moves on. Keep the faith and Go Irish!
Mary says:
As a twenty-three year season ticket holder, and die hard Irish fan; it saddens me to see people giving up on BK already!! This team is playing better football than ND has seen in years! This team does not quit mentally or physically when challenged. It is a wonderful thing to once again see a coach getting in those players faces and showing such passion and emotion. ND has not seen the likes of this since Lou Holtz. Give this man a chance..I truly think he has what it takes to turn the ND program around. The demise of this football program did not occur overnight, and as such; is not going to turn around in that manner either. PATIENCE!!!
Greg says:
Mary said it right….PATIENCE!
Teo says:
Just a few general comments:
1.) On the last play of the MSU game, I believe that the television displayed the wrong play clock. The stadium play clock, I believe, read three seconds. So, there would not have been a delay (another poster showed the pic).
2.) Kelly is not over his head but, like all coaches, he is learning from each game. He’s not learning what plays to pursue so much as he is learning his team’s speed as compared to his opponent’s team’s speed. This is what we want from a coach.
3.) We did not get into the mess we’re in overnight. Weis was an excellent recruiter for “skill positions.” He was not as strong at finding the “unskilled” position players (as if there’s such a thing in football) who play along the both the offensive and defensive lines. Consequently, we have a decent quarterback and good receivers but we have substandard offensive line. This is especially true on the defensive side of the ball. If you can run outside against Notre Dame, you can score points. This will have to change.
Patience.
Noel says:
well, just acouple of things
1) 0 time left on the play clock, do we really need to play the broke record of poor officating again.
2) Personally, BK made the wrong decision to let the clock tick out. Throw one up to flyod or rudolph and see what happens, maybe a pass interferance call and kick the game winning TD.
3) The gamble payed off for MSU as much as it hurts. BK will add this one to his list of odd things that happen in games. They should have covered all recievers during the play.
4) The safeties were exhuasted, givem a break, 2 guys played all game. We are very thin at safety to begin with. Thank CW for the awesome (or lack thereof) debth in the Secondary.
5) The defense does look better, our corners are tackling and the d-line is holding the POA. The line backers need to start covering the flats a lot better. Teo is great, but he’s just one guy of 4 linebackers.
6) Remember Jimmy’s first year, yes that hurt us all. This is Daynes 1st year of actually playing on saturday, not just going in and kneeling the ball with 1:30 left.
Let Kelly have some time, he is a proven winner in COLLEGE FOOTBALL. FYI Kelly has true freshman playing over Wesis recruits on offence. (TJ Jones)
TheFenian says:
The fellas are blocking on offense, tackling on defense, it’s looking like they’ve met each other before, have seen a football before, and they do seem to be letting the guys on the other side of the field know they’re in a football game. All are vast improvements when taken in context and consideration of the previous four coaches. I am 63, pretty sure that Ara and Lou did win ALL their games, and, yes, the losses hurt as much as ever, however, I have seen nothing yet to make me drop my head in shame or lose confidence in the coach. Ah, we can fall 8 times but as long as we get up the ninth time, we’ll be alright.
Hoss says:
I’m wondering why BK didn’t realize a fake would be a serious option for MSU. It was a 46-yard field goal – not exactly something college kids knock down all the time. I’m seriously embarrassed they got burnt by it. Not bowled over by the coaching, but not ready to give up either – that’s just retarded.
Will Michael Floyd ever look anything other than “average-at-best” again.
It is nice to see a coach interested in recruiting defensive lineman….
Brian says:
Ah the laddies look good in their Irish uniforms! They play well and hard. What are you all expecting? Wins? Shame on you all! Why, it’s all about how you play the game, right? We Irish are Number 1!