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!

BYU vs. ND

Yay, second immediate ND reaction post in a row! Whew, big sigh of relief over here. ND pulled out a close win in a battle game against BYU. They are now 7-0 & still in the conversation. ND's fate is in their own hands & if they manage to win all of their games then they WILL be in the National Championship game. But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

Game of Thrones gif post? Yeah!

I didn't expect ND to come out this flat & sloppy for the game. The stupid & rather unnecessary personal fouls were really driving me crazy. But I'll give it to BYU, they really played a good game against ND. Their QB is really good & made me miss the mobility of Golson. BYU's little cupcake passes were really torching ND for a bit there. I was definitely getting nervous & yelling at my tv a bit too much.

Sometimes ND frustrates me, ok?

Thankfully ND really came through in the second half. The o-line, especially, did a very good job at imposing their will on BYU & eventually wearing them down in the 4th. Riddick had a fantastic game, so did Cierre, with both RBs reaching over 100 yards today. I was, as always, nervous about Rees playing. I think anyone that has watched ND during 2010-2011 gets nervous when Rees plays. But it was a good idea to protect Golson after his concussion last week.  We definitely need Golson in full form next week.

The D really stepped up. It's so strange to have a great defensive after years of having D problems. KLM, Nix & Te'o had really good games again. I was really happy for Spond as well. He has really stepped up this season. I'm glad for that Te'o's that ND beat BYU. Manti has received a lot of heat from that school ever since he picked ND over them. It's as if they believe that because of his religion he was bond to them. It's not like the guy has the freedom to choose whatever school/team that best fit him or anything.

We'd be rollin'.

ND heads to Norman next week to play Oklahoma in primetime. Boy howdy, I have been scared of this game since last year. OU is OU & playing them at home is nearly impossible. This will be ND's biggest test of the season. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect. I don't know how ND will fair against OU, but that game will for sure tell everyone if ND is truly back. Win that game & silence everyone.

It's just a gold helmet, that's all.

Go Irish!

Stanford vs. Notre Dame

What was that? I'm still in a state of shock over how ND won that game. I'm also still coming down from the adrenaline rush, holy moly. Once I calmed down a little from my excitement, I thought to myself, "I really need to listen to Eye of the Tiger. Haha, I don't know why. It just feels like an Eye of the Tiger moment. Now, you do the same.

Perfect for this moment, right?

Let's get to this immediate game reaction post. Stanford vs. Notre Dame was a hard fought battle kind of game. A lot of turnovers, a lot of dropped passes & a lot of poor passes were plentiful for both teams. It was also full of hard fought runs & great defensive stands. Basically, it's the game that I expected to happen today, especially considering it was raining for the entire game. Like I said a few weeks ago, I love football in the rain. I love the grit of it. Football is rain & mud, when you can tell how good a player is by how filthy his jersey is. But I digress, back to the game.

I would be lying if I said I didn't worry about ND. It was definitely a stressful game to watch. I was really doubting Kelly at the end of the 4th when it was clear ND was going for the tie with a FG instead of trying to punch it in for a TD at the end to win it. I also got really scared when Golson was knocked out of the game & Rees came in. I was really nervous about playing Stanford in OT. Basically I was a bundle of nerves, that's what I'm trying to tell you. But ND fought with all they had the entire game.

ND had the first possession in OT & scored a TD. Then Stanford came back & eventually marches to the 1 yard line. 3rd down & they ran it up the gut, ND stopped them, 4th down. Do or die, game on the line. Stanford runs again, ND stops again. Game over! ND WINS! The ND players are euphoric against a rain soaked background & the ND students start to rush the field. Hold on, the refs are going to review it. Both teams go back to the sidelines & the fans are pushed back into the stands. NBC replays the final play over & over again. Apparently the Stanford player was initially stopped short of the goal line, but he kept churning his legs & twisting. At some point he reached over & it looked like he was able to get his hand & the ball in the endzone, but by doing this he also fumbled into the endzone. The question is if he maintained control of the ball before he broke the line, at least that's what Mayock kept asking. Meanwhile, I kept shouting at my tv about when the ref blew the whistle to stop said play. If the play was already blown dead then it wouldn't matter how much the guy churned & twisted.

& this seals it. His elbow was down before the goal line. This gif was sure made fast.

After it seemed like 30 mins, the ref finally came out & I held my breath the whole way through. He stated that there was no foul on the field for excessive celebration because ND had thought the game was over at that point. I was sitting there like, "there was an excessive celebration flag?". Then he said the call on the field stands & the game is over. ND WINS! For real this time.

Does any of this make any sense? Sorry, I'm still so excited & I'm writing this rather rushed. But hey hey, ND 6-0! BCS tomorrow. & I'm outta here. Have a good weekend, internet!

Miami vs. Notre Dame

Time for my late in the week ND recap. I say this with a lot of caution, but I'm a little excited about this team. I'm a little scared about this team too, so scared that I'm scared that admitting that I'm a little excited is going to unleash some kind of evil purple smoke, Once Upon a Time curse on ND. ...or reinvigorate that curse back on to ND, whatever way you look at it.

Let's make this an Evil Queen gif post, ok? Ok.

That Miami vs. ND game did not go the way I thought it would. I admit that I haven't really paid much attention to Miami this season. I don't really pay that much attention to them at all. In fact, whenever the ESPN talking heads drivel on about how ND is irrelevant, I always use Miami as an example of a truly irrelevant team. Let me explain. I understand the force that Miami became years ago & I understand their importance to college football. I also understand their NFL factory. All of that demands respect, but no one talks about Miami when they're not good. No one goes to Miami games when they're not good. Their football seasons usually start off pretty strong which generates some media excitement, but once it's clear that they are not fielding a national contending team that season it goes silent. Silent. No one talks about them. That's true irrelevancy. Compare that with ND's recent past, where regardless of how poorly the Irish have played, the media has never shut up about them. Even ND's woeful 3-9 2007 season caused a media frenzy. ND was the most talked about 3-9 football team in history. That is not irrelevancy. You're not irrelevant when people spend hours talking about how irrelevant you are, year after year. You are irrelevant when no one even mentions you. My biggest fear as a ND fan is becoming Miami's brand of irrelevant. When no on talks about you, then you are truly over.

Serving you up some vintage Disney realness.

 
Now, I'm not saying Miami is over. I'm sure that they will be fine, given the talent-rich land of Florida football recruits. Rumors are definitely circling about the sanctions that the NCAA will hit them (via they're own bounty system paid for by a large booster) with once the season is over. If you haven't, definitely check out the investigative reporting article done by Yahoo Sports on the Miami scandal, it's a really good read. I'm really loving the fact Yahoo Sports actually investigates & brings to light sport scandals. It's refreshing compared to other sport "journalism" outlets. But I digress.

Because this one is cool, that's why.

Back to the game. What was that? I feel like Miami just quit. They hit a bunch of bad luck, early dropped TD passes, questionable/bad calls, etc. & then they just seemed to lie down. I'm certainly not complaining, but it was pretty strange. Believe you me, I know ND isn't perfect. There's still a lot of problems. Unlike many of my fellow ND fans, I do not believe ND is a championship contending team this year. I do believe that they will still lose a few games this year. I do not think we are Bama & I shudder to think of what would happen if ND ended up playing Bama in a bowl game. However, I have no complaints about the ND team that showed up to play Miami. I lied, I'm still wondering when we're going to return a punt, but besides that I was a pretty happy & relaxed fan during that game. The Irish are 5-0 & are ranked #7 in the country, so how much can I really complain? But I'm still trying to keep my hopeful excitement down. It's more of a fearful excitement right now.

I see you not having a care to give, Evil Queen.

Please don't lose.

ND vs. Michigan

Hey there! So, this is where I apologize yet again for taking nearly 2 weeks to blog. It's pretty much my theme here.

Anyway, did you see that ND vs. Michigan game? It was an ugly one for sure, but man did it feel good to finally be on the other side of a game like that. For so many years ND has been the team that suffered incredibly bad luck (or play, depending on who you ask), especially when we played Michigan in recent years. I have become so accustomed to it that I was waiting for some monumental football type catastrophe to happen in the final minutes of the fourth, but thankfully that didn't happen. Michigan, however, won't be able to run that Denard for Heisman campaign this year.

Notre Dame has it's own Heisman candidate this year though, Manti Te'o. Even though it's near impossible for a defensive player to win the Heisman & no linebacker has ever won it, I think Te'o may have a good chance. His play has just been so out of this world the past two games. He plays inspired & he inspires as he plays. He's ND's Tebow, except you know, he has NFL talent at his given position. Like I had stated in my previous blog, tons of ND faithful wore leis in honor of Manti's grandmother & his girlfriend's recent passing. It was such a nice sight to see & I can't imagine how special it was for Manti, his family & his girlfriend's family to see so much support.

I did my part & wore a lei with my ND jersey even though I watched at home.

ND had a bye week this past weekend & they play Miami in Chicago at Soldier Field on Saturday. Even though I am from Chicago, I am not pleased with the decision to play there. Soldier Field is the smallest NFL stadium in the league & they seat 20,000 less than ND stadium. I don't see the point of playing at a smaller stadium when your own home stadium is 1 1/2 hours away. Now, I understand the concept of barnstorming & unlike many traditional ND fans, I actually like when they play in different stadiums. But I only like it when ND plays in unique venues. ND played Army in the first football game in New Yankee Stadium. ND played in Ireland vs. Navy this year. They are also playing ASU in the Cowboys stadium next year. One of these things is not like the other. Sure, a game at Soldier Field is exciting if you're Northwestern or Iowa, but Notre Dame is Notre Dame. If they wanted a nearby NFL stadium they should have went for the Colts stadium. But hey, I don't make the decisions (even if sometimes I think I should).

Moving on with football. How about them Patriots? Whew, thankfully they beat the Bills. I was getting nervous & I never get nervous about the Pats. The Pats organization is the only sports organization that I completely trust to do the right the ship & fix their problems. Hopefully this will ignite their fire & they can get back to complete domination. Hopefully it also makes Tom Brady angry. Angry Tom Brady is my favorite kind of Brady. He makes me scared & attracted to him at the same time, haha. Oh yeah, he also plays like he's possessed.

It's been awhile since I posted an OOTD, so I'm posting my warm weather Pats outfit now, considering this may be the last time I'll be able to post this & have it be believable. Winter is coming.

Blurry pic of my Pats outfit, oh yeah.

This is the full outfit. I got the shirt from Victoria's Secret about a year ago. I just checked out their new line & I'm pretty disappointed in it. But I do like this shirt. That would be cute layered over a tank. I'd also like these shorts, I'm really feeling mesh mini workout shorts. This long sleeve top is really comfy cute too. I'll have to wait until they go on sale, & you know, I actually have the money to buy them.

Oops, I got sidetracked with online browsing, haha. The shorts in the pic are from Forever21 & I got them a few months ago. I LOVE these shorts, they were only about $10 & they came in a ton of bright colors. I ended up getting another pair in coral. Seriously these are my favorite shorts, comfy & cheap. Sadly, they don't seem to have them on the website anymore, but these seem to be very similar Essential Woven Shorts (Google Affiliate Ad). These are less bright, more neutral.

My Patriots purse is very sophisticated.

Yep, you saw that right. I have a Patriots purse! I love this little thing. I really don't like carrying my expensive leather purses to places where I'd watch football. There's so many gooey kind of hazards to avoid when you're in a stadium or a sports bar. It's so nice to carry something you don't have to worry about, but with added team spirit, haha. I got it at NFLShop but they don't seem to have it in stock anymore. I did a little searching & found it here but it's out of stock. Amazon has a few similar ones, but they are in blue & have different detailing. Sorry about that. Hopefully you can find it somewhere if you're interested in it.

If you don't like boat shoes then I don't like you.

These are my Rock & Candy boat shoes. I got them from DSW last summer & look they're still in stock! Haha, finally I can give you guys a good exact link. These are really cute, like a little slice of Americana in a shoe. However, they can be so-so on the comfy scale. The sides & the back of the shoes really gave me a problem until I was able to break them in.

No, you're not too good for Forever21.

Finally, my jewelry. I've posted the necklace before, it's Forever21 & this one comes pretty close. The bracelets are also Forever21. These were the closest that I could find for you, which sucks because the ones I have were only about $1 for the set of three bracelets & they came in a ton of fun colors. I'm actually wearing a yellow set right now & I also have a purple set. I'm a big match my outfit with a bracelet kind of gal, so I have a ton bracelets in different colors. I'm always on the hunt for cheap bracelets in new colors/materials & these were a great find. I noticed that Forever21 often brings these back every now & then, so keep a lookout if you're interested.

Yikes, this got really long. I get really talky when football & fashion collide, I guess. I feel like all I talk about is football & I swear to you guys that I have more interests, but tis the season. I want to do a few beauty/fitness posts & a Halloween costume series, so be on the lookout for those. That is, if I can actually churn out the amount of blogs I want to, haha. See ya later.

Wear a Lei for Te'o

I just realized that I forgot to write about the ND vs. MSU game. Oop at me. So, here is the latest recap ever.

Like I said before, I have become a highly critical ND fan under this current coaching regime, so any praise from me means a lot. That being said, I was really happy with the MSU game. Sure there are still a lot of things that need to be worked on & ND isn't back. Sidenote, I cringe whenever someone states that ND is back. It's just begging for criticism. Anyway, ND still has a very long way to go & that becomes abundantly obvious anytime I watch a top level team play, like the Bamas of the NCAA.

But I'll take a solid win against a #10 MSU. Let's be real though, MSU isn't a Top 10 team. I never understood why they were ranked so highly preseason considering their 3 year starter, Cousins, had graduated. No team is a Top 10 team with a brand new starting QB at the helm, in my opinion. Especially not a team like MSU. They have a solid D though, so it was nice to see ND be able to fare well against decent competition for the first time this season, at a nighttime away game, nonetheless.

The biggest story of the game was Manti Te'o's play. He had one of the best, if not the best, game of his ND career. The Tuesday night before the game his grandma died & then a few hours later his girlfriend died on Wednesday morning. Reports say she had lost a long & hard fought battle with Leukemia. My heart broke for Te'o when I heard the news, what a horrific thing to happen to him. I was sure that he would go back to his home in Hawaii & he wouldn't be able to play the MSU game. But yet, he stayed at ND. He wanted to stay with his friends & he wanted to play in the game. Game planning & practice gave him an outlet, like it does for so many players going through troubles.

He played a great game & he somehow held is composure, even after ESPN pulled him aside for a post game live interview. Te'o showed such strength & grace, in what one can only presume, is the hardest time of his life. I have to give credit to MSU's players and coaches, a ton of them went up to Te'o after the game to give him their condolences/tell him they were praying for him. Good on them, that was a really stand up thing to do. Then Te'o made his way to a small corner at MSU's stadium that was full of ND fans. They were chanting his name as he stood in front of them waving at them. The scene nearly brought me to tears, just seeing all the love & support he was getting from the crowd. The camera cut out right as the fans were beckoning him in for a hug.

Manti Te'o is the perfect representative of ND. ND nation is so proud of him & everything he has done for this team. In order to show support for him, Notre Dame is trying to get everyone to wear leis at the game tomorrow. How awesome would it be for Manti, his family & his girlfriend's family to be able to see a sea of leis at the game in support of them? So far about 30,000 leis have been donated. I was hoping the ND athletic department would pass out 80,000+ leis to everyone in the stadium, but I guess there's some NCAA compliance issues. Something about not being allowed to advertise a player. Hopefully they can find a way around that.

Regardless, wear a lei tomorrow to show Manti Te'o your support. I'll be watching the game at home & the only lei I have is a cheapo plastic freebie I got at some event years ago. But you best believe I'll be wearing it tomorrow.

The forecast for tomorrow's game is cold & rainy. I love going to cold & rainy football games because all the literal fair-weather fans get up & hide. The only people that are left in the stadium are the crazies that cheer louder when it rains harder. That's the weather football is meant to be played in, only tough survive. Go Irish!

Yay for a dimly lit garage picture of my official ND poncho. I only give you the best here.

Purdue vs. Notre Dame, we won right?

Hey there, lovelies. How's this first full weekend of football treating all you football fans?

This is an all Ryan Lochte gif reaction post because he makes me happy, that's why.

I'm just going to jump straight into Notre Dame here. What was that game? That was a win that felt like a loss, that's what that was. ND shouldn't have to pull out late drives to win versus Purdue. Now, even though the QB switch out worked in the end, I don't agree with it. Golson played a good game, he deserved to finish it. You pick your guy & you stay with him. You don't pluck him out & plug in another guy when the game is on the line. Talk about killing your young QB1's confidence.

Add in the shameful boos that showered down on Rees when he walked out on the field. I know that (some/hopefully most) of the boos were directed at the decision to pull Golson for Rees & ultimately at Brian Kelly himself, but damn, way to make the kid feel like crap. Thankfully, for Rees & the team, it ended up working. I know that Kelly stated that Golson had a hand injury in justification for putting in Rees, but I don't buy it. Reports are coming out that Golson wasn't injured & apparently Kelly has called Rees, "the closer". But if he's your closer, then how come he isn't your starter? On the flip, if you don't believe your starter can close a tight game then why is he your starter? Does this not jive with anyone else?

No jeah for you, Brian Kelly.

I'm starting to think that there is a good chance Rees will be the starter again by the time ND plays Michigan. Maybe the only reason why Golson started vs. Navy was because of Rees' first game suspension. I could certainly see Kelly using this game as a reason to start Rees again, especially if he inserts him into the MSU game. Something along the lines of, "Golson is a really great kid, but he still needs time to learn. Meanwhile, Rees is in his third year in my system". We all know how in love Brian Kelly is with Tommy. Or maybe Tommy has blackmail pictures in a safe deposit box somewhere, haha.

I just really like this one.

Also, are we ever going to run the ball? Return punts? It's funny, I use to be the most positive ND fan in existence. I always looked for the positives in terrible games & I was (& still am) the biggest Weis apologist, but ND has really beaten me down. I have become so used to being disappointed by ND that I now expect to be disappointed by them.

Wait, we won the game again, right? Sure doesn't feel like it. Feels like more of the same.

At least the Pats & the Texans won big. Too bad I slept through it. Yup, it was a rough Sat night. I literally put the lime in the coconut & drank it all up.

Jeah for me.

 See ya later, internet!

ND vs. Navy

Hey guys! Sorry it's been a bit. I kept meaning to post, but it was a busy holiday weekend for me. I hope everyone had a great LDW. I can't believe that it's already September. I love summer and I hate winter, so I'm definitely not happy about the upcoming cooler weather.

How about them Irish though, aye? Notre Dame played Navy in Dublin, Ireland this past Saturday, for those that are unaware. I admit that I was pretty nervous about the game, considering our recent history with Navy. I knew that this Navy team wasn't supposed to be a strong one, but you can never sleep on them. I was also a bit concerned that the long travel would affect the team. Thankfully, it didn't seem like it did & ND pulled out a 50-10 victory.

Is it weird that I planned out my outfit for the game the day before & took pics of it? Especially since I was only planning on watching the game at home, by myself? Yes, yes that is weird. I was planning to, you know, wear the outfit in the pics, but I'm still a little shy about this whole blogging thing. As weird as it sounds, I just don't want anyone I know from real life to find my blog. I know that the odds of that happening are pretty small, but I still don't want it to happen. I feel like I can't be completely open if I know that people I know in irl are reading this. Anyone else feel this way? I had a secret twitter for about a year until my cousin found it & then just recently another cousin found it. I hate it. I find myself second guessing if I should post certain things or not. Blah. I wish I could shake it.

Blurry phone pic, ftw.

Anyway, back to the gamewatch outfit. The jersey is a Demetrius Jones jersey in youth large. Pro tip ladies, buy sports apparel in youth sizes. There's way more variety than the ladies section & it's way cheaper. I bought the jersey at a local Campus Colors store, here's a link to a similar jersey.

Yup, I'm one of those fools that thought Jones should've started over Clausen in 2007. So foolish, that I bought his jersey to proclaim this fact a few weeks before the start of the season. That lasted all of one game, for which I was in attendance. Uh huh, I was at the Georgia Tech game *hangs head in shame*. I now tell everyone that it's a Michael Floyd jersey. Ha.

I'll take clearer pics at some point.

 Plaid shorts are from T.J. Maxx. My gold boat shoes are Sperry Top-Siders, that I got for a steal from Amazon. For real, they're the most comfortable shoes I own. As far as accessories go, I like to keep things simple when I wear sporty things. The ND bracelet is from the ND bookstore years ago, sorry I can't find anything similar on their website. An evil eye bracelet that my aunt bought me on her travels to Turkey. A Celtic cross that I bought at Medieval Times 10 years ago, haha! Finally, a heart necklace from Forever21, here's something similar Heart Pendant Necklace (Google Affiliate Ad).

You need to buy these right now! So comfortable.

 But, back to the game. I was pleasantly surprised by how well ND played. It's been a rough few years for sure & I've changed from an eternally optimistic fan, to well... a pretty negative fan. But it's always nice to pull out a big win & essentially have little to complain about. It was great to see Brian Kelly stick to the run, finally. I still think this team will probably end up 7-5 in season, but who knows. I don't think we can take too much from this game, considering a down Navy team isn't a good barometer for the rest of the season. Overall, it was a good feel game at great setting. Aviva stadium is beautiful. I'm really happy that the team went back to play in Ireland & I hope that they return again within the next few seasons.

Yikes, this is getting really long & I need to wrap it up, sorry! I meant to do an outfit post the day before the game, but never got around to it. This is basically two posts in one, so thanks for reading all of this, internet people!

Hiya, Everyone!

Hey guys! My name is Megan & I'm from the Chicago area. I'm just a typical 20 something girl that's trying to find her way in life. This is my first blog, so please bear with me as I try to figure this scene out. I've been meaning to start a blog for years now, but didn't have the nerve to actually do it. I had an online diary years ago, but it was nothing like this. Also, my only experience with html was when I tinkered around with Myspace back in the day. Ha, Myspace.

Anyway, I'm thinking that this will just be a lifestyle blog of sorts. Some place where I can just talk about my varied interests & what's going on with my life. I'm not sure how interesting this will end up being, but I'd like a place where I can just be myself.

I'm a huge sports fan. Fanatical football fan. I'm the biggest Notre Dame fan you will ever meet & I've watched every play of every game of theirs since I was 10 years old. Yes, I do have to put up with a lot of flack because of that. The Patriots & Texans are my NFL teams. As far as the Bears go, I left them with Thomas Jones.

I took this pic at the 2010 ND Blue & Gold game. Look at me, trying to be artistic.

I also love the typical girly stuff like fashion, makeup & hair. I love getting dressed up & putting together outfits. I'm hoping to do daily outfit posts... well, maybe not daily. I dabble in some crafting from time to time too & I'm excited to start posting some tutorials. I've turned into a big bargain shopper these past few years & I love finding deals. I'm one of those girls that can happily spend hours in T.J. Maxx digging through all the goods to find a hidden treasure.

I got these Hunter Wellies on deep discount at 6pm.com. LOVE 6pm for shoes.

Fitness is a major part of life. I workout 5-7 times a week. It is my best stress reliever. I am not one of those girls that is afraid of weights. I love weights! I also really like being outdoors & just exploring. Whether that means nature walks, hikes through forest preserves or canoeing.

This was on one of my canoeing trips. Look at all that nature.

I hate writing first posts because I never know what to say, but I hope you'll find this place interesting. Someone, anyone, haha.