Notre Dame vs. Southern Cal

Well, I'm a day late but I was way too excited last night to sit down & post. Notre Dame beat Southern Cal 22-13, thus maintaining their perfect 12-0 season & securing their spot in the National Championship game! ND becomes the only eligible team in college football to go undefeated this year. ND hasn't been in the championship game in 24 years. So, you know, no big deal or anything.

Beauty & the Beast gif post!

USC is ND's biggest rival, so the past decade or so has been pretty rough on the Irish side of the rivalry. Under their former HC, Pete Carroll, USC maintained a decade dominance. They attracted all the bandwagon fans in the country. USC was basically thought of as LA's pro team since the city doesn't have an NFL team, therefore the Trojan circus has become ridiculous throughout the years, celebrity endorsements include. It all came crashing down a few years ago when Carroll bolted from the team in order to avoid being punished. You see, USC was cheating all those years. They were paying players to play, via cars & million dollar condos. The NCAA punished them by taking away the half of the National Championship they won during the time & stripping former USC RB Reggie Bush of his Heisman award. The team was hit with sanctions that barred them from playing in post-season game & limited their allotted football scholarships for a few years. This year was the first year that they would be allowed to play in bowl games again. This was supposed to be their comeback year. Preseason USC was the favored team to win the National Championship & their QB Matt Barkley was the favorite to win the Heisman. That didn't happen.

The Beast obviously being the of Trojan variety.

Instead, Notre Dame is now the #1 team in the country with a stamped ticket to the championship game. ND's LB Manti Te'o is now one of the leaders in the Heisman race. It's funny how things work out, aye? I never thought this season would happen. If you read my previous posts, you can definitely see that I had no idea my team would be in the position they are in right now. Preseason, I was convinced ND would go 6-6 or 7-5 in season & Brian Kelly would be fired. I was ready for it. I was gathering my torch & pitchfork ready for it. I was so so so damn wrong & thank the heavens for it.

I've finally learned to love Kelly.

Back to the game. I was so nervous all day long yesterday & it all came to a head once ND marched out onto the Colosseum's field at USC. I breathed a sigh of relief when ND's offense was able to move down the field with relative ease. Golson looked good & Riddick looked good. However, they ran into redzone problems & couldn't punch the ball into the endzone, so they were forced to kick a FG instead. Little did I know, but that first drive basically encapsulated the entire game. Barring a couple of exceptions, ND had little to no trouble marching down the field vs. USC, but they had a hell of a time getting touchdowns. Instead, they only scored one TD all game & had to settle for 6 FG attempts instead, making 5/6. This kept USC in the game. I have to give them credit, USC's defense didn't let up & they played a tough game against ND.

Just pushing you aside, Boys of Troy.

 USC's starting QB Barkley was out with an injury, so freshman backup Wittek made his first start last night. He performed surprisingly well with a few long balls that were right on target. Their RBs also enjoyed a few good runs that frustrated me to no end. Initially ND's defense didn't really look like the D they had been all year. USC's o-line stood very firm & protected their QB well, which stifled ND's vaunted front 7 from getting to & shaking up Wittek. A few passes caught ND's secondary by surprise too. Luckily, the D kept churning away & eventually they were able to wear down USC. A couple INTs later, including one by Te'o, Wittek's coming out party became not so much of a party.

So sad about your party, Wittek.

 The game all came down to USC's second to last drive. Notre Dame was only up by 9 points with a few minutes left in the 4th. USC, helped by a good kick return, was able to easily drive down to the 10 yard line & they were threatening.  ND nation collectively held their breath after 2 back to back passes in the endzone pulled up pass interference calls on ND's defense. USC tried with all their might to run it into the endzone, but failed against ND's extremely strong redzone defense. This drive also included a failed pass play that was stopped because USC's HC Kiffin was able to call a time out before the ball snapped. 4th down & inexplicably, even though they were down by 9 points, Kiffin went for it instead of going for the FG. USC lined up, pass play into the endzone & the receiver dropped the ball, pass incomplete. The Irish's vaunted defense put up yet another game winning goal line stand. 7 plays & no points for USC in the redzone on that drive. ND got the ball back with 2 minutes left in the game on the 1 yard line. A first down a few plays later cemented the game for ND as they took a knee on the next 3 plays since USC only had one timeout left. The Trojans got the ball back with about 30 seconds on the clock, but it wasn't enough time & a few plays later the game was over. ND beat USC.

Bye, USC. You tried it.

 A few ND players really stood out in that game. RB Riddick had the game of his life. He was on fire all night & at times seemed to be our only productive player on offense. Golson also had a good game, as he continues to improve with each passing game. I am so happily surprised with his progression throughout this season & I'm really looking forward to see how much greater he'll become in the coming years. You also have to give the game to the kicker Brindza, who, like I stated prior, made 5/6 FGs. Without those, ND would have lost the game. On defense, I'm going to have to say that CB Farley was our best player. He played lights out & garnered the most tackles on the team. He was also responsible for a few giant tackles at key moments that kept ND in the lead. Nix had the best game out of the d-line, as he once again caused USC's o-line fits all game long. Te'o again had a great game, as always. It's looking like he may not win the Heisman, which is a shame. I really hope that ND can come up with a great media plan to hype him up in the next couple weeks. Hopefully the allure of ND going into the championship game will rub off on his Heisman race too. 

Cheers to the Irish!

I was elated after the game. I really can't believe this season happened. I have watched every second of every ND game since I was 10 (besides a couple games that weren't televised & I had to listen to the game in it's entirety on the radio). Notre Dame football is who I am. There's really no words (or gifs, haha) to describe how happy this makes me. It's everything.

It's a celebration.

 So, now we wait to see who ND will play. Bama or Georgia, we don't really care. ND isn't scared of anyone. They say that ND has an easy schedule, yet Sagarin says otherwise listing ND as having the hardest schedule in the country. ND has played 9 bowl eligible teams this year (10, if PITT wins next week), in comparison, Bama has only beat 5 & Georgia 4. They said we wouldn't beat MSU, then they said Denard from Michigan would run all over us, then they said we couldn't get passed Stanford, then they said we would never beat Oklahoma at Oklahoma, then they said USC would kill our dreams. Go & look at them now. 

ND's defense is coming for you, whoever you are.

Go Irish!

Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame

All I have wanted was this past month for Notre Dame was for them to put a beatdown on an easy team & gain some style points. I finally got that today when ND played Wake Forest. ND won 38-0. They are now 11-0 for the first time since 1989. Considering I've been religiously following ND for 18 years, this is the first time I have ever experienced a season like this. I don't even know how to react, to be honest with you.

Me right now.

Today was ND's last home game of the season, therefore it was also Senior Day. Senior Day is when ND honors it's senior players by giving them individual introductions & the seniors run out of the tunnel solo & meet with their parents/families on the field. It's a really special & bittersweet moment to watch. There were 29 seniors honored today, with Manti Te'o being the biggest fan attraction. I nearly cried when he ran out of the tunnel & into his parents' arms. I know that I wasn't alone in feeling that way. I am so unbelievably proud of him & so honored to have him as a player of my favorite sports team ever. The ND announcer introduced Te'o in Hawaiian as ND's special son. Truer words have never been spoken. Manti is a special kind of person. After his introduction his mother looked at the camera & said, "thank you, thank you for everything", presumably to the ND family for everything they have done for her son & her family. No, thank you, Te'os. We have been so lucky to have Manti Te'o for four years. I'm going to miss him so so much.

This perfectly describes my going to lose Te'o soon sadness.

Ok, enough with the sentimental stuff, back to the game.  ND came out guns blazing & put up a quick 21-0 lead in the 1st quarter. The game was never in doubt as ND marched up & down the field with ease, which included a 68 yard TD run for Cierre Wood. Cierre had a really good game with 150 rushing yards. Golson had a great game & looked really in sync with his offense. He enjoyed fantastic protection & scrambled when needed in order to buy time. Besides a few ill-advised & poor form throws that lead to one INT in the endzone, he had a great game. Eifert broke a 30+ year record by becoming the all-time leading TE in career receptions. He's had low reception numbers this year, but his blocking has vastly improved, as well as his draft stock.

You can't ignore Ralph when posting Simpsons gifs.

The defense shut out Wake Forest & had a fantastic day. Wake Forest never even came close to scoring today. Tuitt played lights out & seemed to always be in the QB's face. Nix also had a great game. The front seven is just so stout. You can't run against them & God help you if you hold on to the ball too long. They are as good as advertised. It's the first time in a long time that ND has had this type of D. This is a defense that causes nightmares for other teams. & it's MY DEFENSE! Haha. The game was pretty much over by halftime & the starters were rested halfway through the 3rd quarter.

Everything's coming up Milhouse!

ND has one more in-season game left & it's against USC. Even though USC's loss today caps off a disappointing season for them, they are still incredibly dangerous for ND. The Trojans have a real chance at spoiling ND's championship run. Man, I'm already nervous about that game. It's going to be a long week. Right now I'm watching both the Stanford vs. Oregon game & the Kansas State vs. Baylor game hoping that one or both of them lose. If Oregon & Kansas State both go undefeated, then it doesn't look like an undefeated ND team could make it into the national championship game. All I can do is hope... for the tears of other teams.

Testify! Testify!

Go Irish!

Edit: I wrote the above entry prior to Kansas State & Oregon losing. Edited to give you my reaction after the Kansas State & Oregon losses, that raises Notre Dame to be the #1 team in the country & a guaranteed spot in the national championships if ND beats USC.

I interrupt my Simpsons gif post bc only Lebron can convey the happiness I'm feeling right now.

Notre Dame vs. Boston College

Here we go, quick immediate post ND game post. Boring is the best word to describe this 21-6 Notre Dame win over Boston College. While I am happy that ND won, I am disappointed that they couldn't get more points & put up impressive numbers to help boost themselves in the polls. Which, as the media likes to remind us, is very important for ND in order to have a chance of making it to the championship game. But let's get back to the game first.

Spartacus gifs!

The history between ND & BC has been an interesting one for sure, it's peppered with BC playing spoiler for perfect ND seasons. Many a ND heart has been broken from BC hangover games, therefore one can never overlook BC. I know that many of my fellow ND fans thought that this would be an easy, almost practice like game for the Irish. Yeah, that didn't work out that way.

I was surprised & impressed by BC's QB Rettig.  He has a really good arm on him, makes good decisions & he's surprisingly good in the pocket. His head's up plays in the first quarter certainly made me nervous. I was also very surprised by BC's o-line, they protected Rettig frustratingly well. Thankfully, ND's D was able to successfully adjust & held BC to only 2 FGs the whole game. ND LB Shembo had a really good game, as well as DE Tuitt.

Bye, Boston College.

ND's offense did well, besides two drive killing fumbles from Atkinson & Riddick respectfully, the O drove down the field with relative ease against BC. It was a decent game for Golson. He had some really good throws & runs, but he also made a few decision mistakes, which is to be expected considering his age. I feel like I say this after every game, but every young QB learns on the job. You have to take the mistakes in order for them to grow. I was really happy to see Eifert get so many touches today, considering he hasn't been as visible this year as he was last.

The crowd roars at the sight of Gannicus Eifert.

I was very nervous towards the end of the game. The undefeated stress is strong, I tell you what. Bama lost to Texas A&M, which starts to open the path for ND's championship run. It's questionable whether an undefeated ND could jump undefeated Oregon or undefeated Kansas State. I'm of the belief that ND could jump Kansas State with a win over USC, but who knows? A lot can happen in the next few weeks & I don't believe that both Oregon & Kansas State will be undefeated by the end of the season. For that matter, there's a chance ND won't be undefeated either. ND just has to win & we'll have to continue to worry about NC dream scenarios.

My fav Spartacus ever, too bad it's blurry.

For now, Notre Dame is 10-0. Keep on keeping on. Go Irish!

PITT vs. ND

So, here's my almost immediate (sorry, I had to eat dinner first) post ND game post. Boy howdy, that game nearly did me in. Remember the level of optimism I had in my last post? Yeah, that's the same level of pessimism I had watching the Pitt game. I could see all the dreams for going to another national championship & having a Heisman winner again slip through ND's collective fingers. It made me feel sick to my stomach. But somehow, some way, ND pulled out a victory in triple over time to continue on to 9-0. Luck of the Irish indeed.

It was clear from the start of the game that ND just wasn't playing at the same level they had played all season. Was it because of an Oklahoma hangover from beating a top team on the road & proving yourself to the country? Perhaps they overlooked Pitt? Or maybe it's because a lot of the players came down with the flu this past week? Who knows, either way they just didn't look like 2012 ND, especially the defense. ND's D has been spectacular this year, so to see a 4-4 Pitt just thrash through them at times was very concerning. A lot of sloppy tackles & bad angles by the D definitely had me screaming at my tv like a crazed loon. The offense was no better, after initially marching down the field with ease, ND just couldn't punch it into the endzone. That's when I started yelling at Brian Kelly's playcalling. I also yelled at my tv when Rees kept coming out. Basically, there was a lot of yelling.

I wasn't down with your shenanigans, ND.

 Honestly, I just wanted to take a nap after the first half of the game. I was just frustrated & tired & worried over ND's play. But I was hopeful that they would come through with their second half adjustments & finally get the ball moving. But you know, that didn't really happen until the 4th quarter, which made me go from feeling sleepy to feeling like I was going to throw up. Thankfully, ND woke up & Golson was on fire, minus a few very bad plays. The defense stiffened & ND fought back from a 14 point deficit (including a 2 pt conversion) to tie the game & send the teams into overtime.

I calmed down a bit at that point, but that didn't last long. First overtime included a FG by each team, not much drama there. Then came the second overtime, where ND marched down the redzone & Cierre Wood fumbled outside of & into the endzone, where Pitt recovered. Enter panic meltdown mode for me. All Pitt needed was a FG to win & they had a sure footed kicker. Pretty much guaranteed, right? I watched the Pitt players start to congratulate & hug one another as my heart sank. They set up the kick & he missed it. HE MISSED IT. Triple overtime. Pitt gets the ball again & ND's D holds to force another FG, which they make this time. ND gets the ball. Golson picks his way through the redzone via a few plays, then runs to the 1 yard line. Here we go, just punch the ball into the endzone & you win the game. Golson takes the ball under center & does just that, TD Notre Dame. Notre Dame wins in triple overtime! 9-0! All dreams of another national championship & another Heisman winner continue.

Agreed, Arthur. Agreed.

I let out the biggest sigh of relief. Did ND get embarrassed? They sure did. Did Pitt outplay ND? They sure did, in the first 3 quarters of the game. Should ND not overlook BC & Wake Forest? You bet your bippy. Hopefully this game lit a fire under ND. They can't take anything for granted. They have to fight to stay where they are & they have to fight to climb higher.

Fight, Fighting Irish. But hey, my team's 9-0!

ND vs OU.

Here's my late review of the Notre Dame vs Oklahoma game. I was doing so well there with two immediate ND post-game reaction posts, but the night game on Halloween Saturday really delayed me.

So, what happened in the game? Oh, I don't know... #3 ND just beat #8 Oklahoma at Oklahoma, no big deal or anything. It's not like no one picked ND to win. It's not like everyone expected OU to put a beatdown on ND & prove to everyone that ND didn't deserve their lofty ranking. Oh wait.

East of Eden gifs, yes!

I fully admit, like I said prior, that I was very nervous for this game. OU just doesn't lose at home. In fact, Stoops had never lost twice at home in a season since he was the HC of OU. Oklahoma is the real deal of college football royalty. I've always like Oklahoma & Texas because just like ND, they are traditional powerhouse programs that helped build present day college football. This demands respect from every college football fan worth their salt. Stoops is an excellent coach. While I know that some of my fellow ND fans are still salty over Stoops' supposed ND job offer rejection 3 years ago, I never held it against him. I also highly doubt that he has ever regretted the decision to stay put in Norman & I also doubt he ever will.

That being said, ND kicked OU's ass. I was a little nervous during OU's first few plays of the game as ND's D tried to settle down & I thanked the heavens for that poor snap by OU's center that slowed the game down & allowed ND's D to adjust. It was a slugfest for most of the game, but ND held their own in a game that no one thought they could win. This is a team that doesn't care if you believe in them, they'll force you to believe in them instead. I let out a huge sigh of relief when Cierre broke out that huge run, that was the moment that I knew ND's O would be able to chug along.

This is basically how I watch people who hate ND watch ND.

What about Golson though? He played one hell of a game. It looks like ND is finally finding their offense. This is why it was so important stick with Golson through his tough moments. He's a young QB & young QBs need to take their lumps & learn from them in order to become great QBs. It's a process that requires a lot of patience. Luckily for ND, they have Rees as a back up QB that can be inserted right into the offense without missing a beat. Yes, internet, I finally stopped being nervous every time Rees has trotted out on the field. Progress.

How did ND's defense get so good? I find myself wondering that often. Also, give Manti Te'o the Heisman already. He has had such a fantastic season. I am so proud to have him represent my favorite team. He'll completely humiliate you & then he'll pray for you. HeisManti.

Because who doesn't love James Dean?

 It's really looking like ND will roll into the USC game 11-0. Their next three games are versus some real bottom feeders, but they definitely can't overlook them. Especially Boston College, in a classic "if we don't learn from our past we're doomed to repeat our mistakes" scenario. Beat SC, go to the championships. Let's get this.

(Yeah, the ND optimistic side is really trying to bust out over here. Meanwhile my realistic side is battling to keep me cautious.)

Go Irish!