As the late great Mike Royko once said, some things you wonder, some things you think, and some things you just know. And I know I haven’t been this happy about ND football since I was swimming in the pool at the Tempe Embassy Suites in 1989.
When the defense carries the team the entire season, you can’t complain when it happens in a game like this. So I won’t.
Quiet confidence on offense, and confidence on defense. On this, national championships are made.
Lane Kiffin is now 0-8 at SC when trailing at the half. Idiot.
As I’ve said previously, I’m not Brian Kelly’s biggest fan. But nowhere is it written I have to be for ND to succeed. So God bless you, you purple-faced bastard, you.
When you’re going to be jobbed by the deficiencies of a system, the time to complain about it is not when you’ve suffered that jobbing, but rather when you’ve survived it and need to point it out. I’m in too good a mood to do that tonight, but expect a story in the coming week how a one-loss ND team would have been screwed by the BCS system and how it’s great it’s going away.
Another win with a strong ground game. Funny, seems like I read that somewhere before….
I watched a great deal of college football today, and the number of porn staches I saw on various quarterbacks makes my stomach queasy.
While I watched that football, the only team I saw that concerns me in a game against ND is Alabama. Georgia, Florida, South Carolina … weak. Bring it, elephants, we can take it.
Johnny Football is still a douche. Yes, I used that word. When the leader of the best defense in the land will not win the Heisman and an X-box quarterback whose team won’t win dick and who threw three picks in a loss when his team actually was playing for something will win it, well, it’s time to just call the award the farce it is.
Prior to today, I didn’t think Ohio State was being punished for anything. They lucked into a national-championship-winning coach when they were supposed to be on probation. But now they’re undefeated and they won’t be playing for anything. If karma exists, this will be Urban Meyer’s only undefeated season at Ohio State, and we’ll watch them suffer.
In early August, a buddy of mine was traveling to a convention in Las Vegas. I gave him $50 to bet on the Fighting Irish to win it all. The betting slip from Harrah’s at 22/1 is looking pretty damn good now.
Mark P. - ND' 79 says:
Rememebr the Nestea Plunge commercial? Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh! Great job Irish!
ND '47 says:
.
Alan Grant, this one’s for you, you ND-hating punk. .-|-.
I’m looking forward to Mark May in his leprechaun outfit!
KALM says:
Here it is–hope it shows up!
http://twitter.com/ESPNDrLou/status/272797920225550337
Tom H says:
The smile on my face is so broad I’m going to have to open a branch face. No words to say except for THANK YOU!!!!!! 12 down….. 1 to go. GO IRISH!!!!!
GraceHallChapel86 says:
To hear the commentators fawn all over Johnny Football is ridiculous. Yes, he’s talented. But he’s green and his team has two losses, to which he contributed.
Mantei is experienced, has overcome mindbending adversity, has led his team spiritually, motivationally, and statistically, and leads the best defense in the nation. The interception, the goal line stand…all of it. He has made more singular and significant contribution to his team–the only perfect team in the country, in large measure because of him–than any other player in the land.
I agree: If anyone else gets it they might as well call it an award for the best quarterback.
Scott says:
I agree with you. I am sick to death of hearing “Johnny Football”. That is what the talking heads fail to recognize as they drool all over themselves when talking anything Johnny Manzeil. He has also LOST two games – allbeit to LSU and Florida. But, what is lost in all of the “Johnny Mania” is that in these games, he threw for a combined 549 yards, 0 TDs, 0 (rushing) TDs, and 3 INTs. Not exactly Heisman moments for Mr. Manzeil. Not only that, but what exactly is the Heisman award? I have always understood that the Heisman was awarded based on what a player has done over their collegiate *career*. That said, Manti Te’o has played in 50 games spanning four seasons. During that time he has had three 100+ tackle seasons, 7 INTs (in one season), numerous sacks and tackles-for-loss and has never cost his team a single victory. He is an academic all-american and has been the best at his position for at least the past two seasons. What has Manzeil done in one season that compares? If they award this to Manzeil, then the award will be a bigger joke to me than it already is.
Tim V says:
Let’s give credit where credit is due. Lane Kiffin gets a defensive game ball for his time out wiping out a Trojan TD. What a moron!
Scott says:
I would agree with you, but if you watch the replay, most of ND’s defense had stopped on the play as soon as they heard the whistle. So, there is no guarantee that it would have been a touchdown had the whistle not blown.
a68domer says:
Don’t give up on the Heisman voters, just yet. All it takes is a simple plurality, and Manti goes down in history! GO IRISH!! Beat Tide/Dogs!
Rabidfan says:
Rally sons of Notre Dame. Sing her glory and sound her name. Raise her gold and blue and cheer with voices true. Rah! Rah! for Notre Dame.
We will fight in every game. Strong of heart and true to her name. We will nev!r for get her and we’ll cheer her ever, loyal to Notre Dame.
Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame, wake up the echoes cheering her name. Send a volley cheer on high, shake own the thunder from the skies. What though the odds be great or small, old Notre Dame will win over all, while her loyal sons go marching to victory.
Enough said!
Scott says:
Sums it up for me! Well said! GO IRISH!!! ONWARD TO VICTORY!!!
zeke1883 says:
That was pretty funny. I couldnt believe they took a time out. The pass interference penalties were a timely move I thought. Better 1st and goal, instead of giving up the TD. 6 tries from the 2, and they couldn’t get it done. AWESOME. It is actually too bad on that long 53 yd pass, that the defender didn’t just push the receiver down and take a 15 yard penalty there too. Way better than a long gain.
Awesome game though. You just gotta ask yourself though why when we get inside the 10 after running all the way down the field with Riddick, do we simply stop running and try throwing that damn jump ball. Kelly must really like that play for some reason, except it didn’t work at all last nite.
Also was it just me, or did it seem like there was suddenly a LOT of confusion on how to end that game last night. It is like Kelly wasn’t sure what to do all of a sudden, it looked pretty sloppy, and I was totally sure SC was gonna get the ball back with more time than they ended up with. But it all worked out.
Oh well, a win is a win is a win. I am going to enjoy Mark May as a leprechaun too.
Go Irish …. Win national championship
Scott says:
I think everyone was just elated and got a little sloppy there at the end.
SH says:
“I watched a great deal of college football today, and the number of porn staches I saw on various quarterbacks makes my stomach queasy.”
That’s awesome…
Brian in Cleve says:
Observation and question: Mustardburger did a terrible job veiling his hatred of ND last night. Blurbstreet is a bit better, but not much. Do we get these clowns on Jan 7th?
Stay classy, everyone. If they are going to hate us, let’s have it because we win, not because we act like Big Ten fans when we win…
PF Steve says:
Mike, I think it’s time to acknowledge that you, many of us, we’re wrong about BK. Given the current landscape in college football, his accomplishment this year is singular in the glorious history of Irish football.
Mike Coffey says:
Wrote that article weeks ago.
Beancounter says:
Let’s stop with the time out wiping out a touchdown. 1) the whistle blew and half the players stopped. 2) they didn’t get the play off and 3) he dropped the ball. Even Musberger picked up on this.
Rob6 says:
Tim V, the timeout TD pass was dropped and incomplete. Check out the replay that Espn is not showing for some wierd reason. They want to make it seem like the timeout was a game changer; but it was all ND defense. Go Irish!!
Tim V says:
Rob6, thanks for pointing that out. They cut away so quickly, and I never saw any replay…
Scott says:
Not only that, but most of ND’s defense stopped after they heard the whistle. So, the timeout was not a game changer.
Kevin says:
Love it, love it. Bring on Alabama and no one but Alabama. Let’s shut up the SEC for good. Now, with that said, ND has to do a lot better than one out of six trips inside the 30 obtaining pay dirt. That just won’t cut it against a team like ‘Bama. Agree with earlier posts – I was livid they got away from using Riddick on the last drive. They pounded SC up the middle to get to that spot and then go completely away from it. I understand the field is shorter now but still. At minimum, put him in the backfield as a decoy. In no way do I claim to be anything but a diehard fan when it comes to play calling but I sure did not understand those calls.
Scott says:
Agreed. I grew sick of watching Wood run east-west and never finding the corner or a seem because he was back to trying out for a spot on ‘Dancing with the Stars’. Riddick just runs and does so with authority. I cannot understand the play calling in the red zone. If this was scripted, then move away from the script because it was not working. Riddick scored on a 9-yard run in the first quarter. Why stop feeding him the ball? If not Riddick, why not Atkinson?
El Capitano says:
Rob6, banks for pointing that out. I thought I was the only one who saw that and wondered why on earth that play didn’t replay several times both in the game and the post-game highlights.
Regarding Johnny Fooseball, I will admit that his numbers this year compare with and in some categories best those of Cam Newton and Tim Tebow in their heyday. But not in one very crucial category that is germane to the best player in the nation: wins. I think Manti has the inside edge on the trophy.
Sacirishfan says:
I made an overnight trip to la from Sacramento Friday night and bought tickets on the street for the game. On e inside the coliseum, I noticed two large empty sections of seats that were empty on the open ended side of the field on the USC side of the stadium. Curious if anyone knows who those tix were allocated to? Sc students that were on break, nd? Just seemed strange tht for such a big game that there would be so many unused tickets/seats.
DutchIrish says:
Fine that you want to express your sentiments, but all your crass language (“porn stache,” “douche”) is un-classy and drags Notre Dame fan culture into the dregs of SEC culture. Show class like our players do.
Mike Coffey says:
“Class” is an overrated concept. The only class I’m concerned about with ND’s players are the ones they attend to get their meaningful degrees, which by any barometer, is what separates ND from the “dregs of SEC culture”.
If you’re going to get the vapors from reading words like “porn stache”, fine, but I write how I write.
Tim V says:
I think we haven’t shown Kyle Brindza enough love and respect for his performance this season. He steps in for the Purdue game after Nick Tausch goes down for the season and put up some really good numbers, 23-31 FG’s, 26-27 XP’s which lead the team in scoring with 95 points. Came up big in the Pitt game, 4-5 on FGs and 5-6 against USC including his career long 52 yarder to end the first half. Also importantly, of his 68 kickoffs, 25 of them were touchbacks, a 36.7% clip. Have to think back a number of years for that kind of production from a ND placekicker, possibly back to Craig Hentrich. The good news is, like other facets of the ND football team, there’s always room for improvement…