Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory! Notre Dame did everything they could to hand Michigan a win today, and the Wolverines gladly accepted the gift. I don’t know what hurts more … the gut-wrenching defeat for the Irish or the fact that Charlie Weis & Co breathed life back into Michigan’s program … one that was in complete disarray 2 weeks ago. Either way, this game exemplified the EXACT reason I could not buy into any prognostications having the Irish go undefeated or 11-1. Make no mistake, this was a total team loss as there were several huge errors made by several different Irish players, but the real disappointing thing was this: with ND nursing a 34-31 lead with the ball and only about 2:20 left in the game, we needed a “real coaching staff” at that point to cement what should have been a nice victory. Instead, amateur hour ensued on the Irish sidelines enabling Michigan to walk away with the gifted 38-34 win.
The first half was very frustrating for ND as they tallied over 300 yards of offense, but led by only 3 at halftime 20-17. Several penalties on the offense nullified numerous big plays for the Irish and probably cost them at least 7-10 points. The costly penalties would continue to hurt the Irish in the second half. The kick-off that UM returned for a TD was symptomatic of another problem that hurt ND several times in this game and has been a problem for many years now: a kicker with a wimpy leg who can only kick it to the 10 yard line (or worse). And given the final score, the nullification of what we thought was ND’s first TD on a screen pass was yet another bad break in the first half. Apparently, the replay official was the only one who thought that Armando Allen CONCLUSIVELY was out of bounds on his way to the endzone and he inexplicably overturned the call on the field. ND settled for a FG and lost 4 valuable points. Lastly, with some momentum after taking the lead 20-14 with about 90 seconds left in the half, another crappy kick-off helped Michigan to a gift FG to close within three before the whistle. The Irish could have easily been ahead by maybe a 30-14 margin while demoralizing the Wolverines, but their inability to capitalize would come back to haunt them. On a positive note, ND came back from an 11 point deficit in hostile territory … something they would do again in the 4th quarter.
For much of the second half, the Irish defense was unable to stop a rejuvenated UM offense. One of ND’s Achilles heels, shaky run defense, contributed to another deficit as Michigan gashed the Irish D for several big runs … between the tackles. None was bigger than Tate Forcier’s 33 yard TD scamper on a 4th and 3 play to give the Wolverines a 31-20 lead early in the 4th quarter. The Michigan freshman proved to be the best player on the field today as he made several big plays … many of them nice improvisations after escaping the rush. What was real disturbing for Irish fans is that you got the feeling that the freshman Forcier was the ONLY player on the field that could beat us. Yet, Jon Tenuta’s defense failed to stop him and it was one of the main things that cost ND the ball game.
There were more disturbing tendancies and errors in the second half. 1) The normally sure-handed Golden Tate dropped two passes … one in the end zone and one long bomb that woulda been a TD. 2) At times, the Irish offense looked confused and squandered two timeouts while also suffering a delay of game penalty. 3) When ND really needed a good punt from the veteran Eric Maust at the end of the 4th quarter, he obliged with a measly 27 yarder and wasn’t even rushed. Despite all of this, the Irish showed some poise and came back from a second 11 point deficit to take a 34-31 lead with 5:10 remaining.
After a rare good defensive set, the Irish forced a Michigan punt and got the ball back at about their own 18 yard line with about 3 mins left. The Wolverines had all 3 timeouts left. On first down, ND ran the ball with Armando Allen gaining a first down to about the 31. Good call … and, at this point, I’m sure ND fans were getting more confident that we might actually pull this one out … assuming of course that we wouldn’t do anything stupid. Hold that thought. On 1st and ten from the 31 … Robert Hughes runs off tackle for a 1 yard gain. There’s about 2:35 left and Michigan is forced to use a TO. And this is when ND needed “a real coaching staff” instead of the in-game circus act under the CW bigtop. I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking RUN THE BALL on 2nd down … make ‘em use their 2nd time out and maybe ya get 3-5 yards. Or … if you dare think about passing … do something quick and real high percentage … afterall, what we really need is just one more FIRST DOWN. A FIRST DOWN!!! Hit super TE Kyle Rudolph 10 yrds downfield!!! But NO …. Charlie calls for a pass … yet another deep ball to Not-so-Golden Tate and it falls incomplete. Clock stops with only 6 seconds expiring. UM still has 2 TO’s left. 3rd and nine now. You could still run at this point … maybe a draw … or even run a screen pass … again, at least make ‘em use a TO if you don’t get the first down. Clausen threw a quick 11 yard sideline pass that was wide open, but he probably rushed the throw and it was another incompletion. I have no problem with the call for a pass in this situation, but this is the pass and the pattern they should’ve gone for on 2nd down!!!! Charlie …. If you really have to pass on 2nd down (very debatable), go for the high % 12 yarder and a first down. A first down wins the game!!!
So what ensued after this abysmal play-calling was the pathetic punt by Maust (hey Eric … ya might be able to kick it 45 yards if you’re not clutching your esophagus with both hands … you almost missed the ball entirely). Then, predictably, the Irish could not stop THE FRESHMAN Forcier as he escaped several times to scramble and complete clutch passes … eventually leading to the dagger score with 11 seconds left. More poor in-game coaching as the Irish coaches failed to tell their players to get the first down, fall down and use the final timeout instead of wasting time running around.
Again, what we saw today was a pretty talented and determined Irish squad that showed some guts in coming back from two 11 point deficits in a very hostile environment. ND players definitely made a lot of mistakes … any one of which could’ve been the difference in the ballgame. But ND needed their coaching staff to maintain their poise and close the deal when they had the lead with two and a half minutes left. Instead, we all saw another data point that extends the disturbing trend of a team underachieving largely because its coaching staff is apparently not skilled enough to meet the challenge. An experienced and talented Irish team under Parseghian, Devine or Holtz would’ve certainly won this game today.
Unfortunately, ND’s national title hopes are again dashed very early on in the season. To be honest, I never thought the Irish were title caliber this year … did you? The defense is still too raw up front and of course, there’s this issue about the capability of the coaching staff. But they can still have a very good season … and they will …. BUT ONLY IF THEY BEAT MICHIGAN STATE NEXT WEEK. Given MSU lost to Central Michigan at home today, the Irish should beat them in South Bend. Keeping team morale up after today’s heart-breaking loss is the immediate challenge for this challenged ND coaching staff and it’s something they have not excelled in during past seasons. Hopefully, they can get this one thing right … otherwise , a loss to MSU will indicate that another tragic season is underway and the predictable coaching search will undoubtedly ensue. Next week’s game is unquestionably a must win game for Charlie Weis.
Did the TE’s have any passes thrown to them in the second half? CW would overthink an orgy at the Playboy mansion. He could have gone in there with 5 running plays and 5 passing plays and had his way with Michigan.
How many more delay of game penalties or hurryups do we have to endure with Fatty Arbuckle running the show? In the beginning the excuse was he didn’t have the talent. Now he has the talent and can’t get them to play up to expectations. Not only that, I think they are a fragile and out of shape team. Another reflection on the coach.
And what is with the kickers? High school punters are kicking the ball farther than Maust. Is there not a single guy or gal on campus that can kick the ball?
He will go 9-3 and keep his job. And it will be groundhog day all over again next year…
We have a coach that has a worse winning percentage than Tyrone and whose signature win is a loss to USC.
Coaching candidate to replace Weis: Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly.
Boog – I was thinking the same in regard to Rudolph. Clausen threw to the TE three times the opening drive. In the second (I think) he had one catch and long run brought back by a penalty. Then Rudolph didn’t catch another pass until late in the fourth. I realize when something is going well, you stick with it until the opponent stops it. But while Clausen was picking apart the ends, a couple of passes to Rudolph would have kept the defense honest. The result was that anemic third quarter. At that point ND was reacting to Michigan’s pursuit instead of dictating the play. They left Rudolph at the line to try and fend the rush instead of getting him down field.
Forcier had a great performance, but I looked at him as that AAA pitcher who makes a spot start and tosses a shutout. Next time, the opponent will be prepared. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending upon who is looking at it, Michigan’s schedule is soft for the next couple of weeks. Don’t forget Forcier fumbled a snap at the goal line, and he threw what SHOULD HAVE BEEN a pivotal interception.
Wally – I am with you on the low percentage pass play on second down. Allen went down with an injury, and Floyd was in the locker room. Hughes follows with a one yard run. By the way – what has happened to that kid. Wasn’t it two years ago that he finished with four games around 100 yards each? At that point, I’m thinking things are looking bleak. Go with something easy. Instead a fade?
The comebacks were great.
Wally, I have to disagree with a part of your analysis. It was NOT a team loss. Every component of the team contributed, but all contributions were the direct result of poor coaching. And if that wasn’t enough, poor coaching led to poor play calling. What galls me the most, but I predicted it would happen, is that Weis takes NO blame or responsibility. He too is calling it a team loss. Charlie’s arrogance can no longer be tolerated by this fan. He can’t leave soon enough for me. Gruden, Meyer, Skip Holtz, Pat Fitzgerald, Cincy coach; give me ANYBODY but Weis.
Well, Pete, I take your feedback and agree with you … somewhat. Heck, it was a team loss … EVERYONE in the ND program made some mistakes yesterday. Even the waterboy spilled some Gatorade. What about all the holding calls and other penalties that nullified big gains? Players did that. What if Clausen has 1/2 a second more patience on that last out pass to a wide open receiver? What if Maust boots a 50 yarder instead of a 27 yarder? Change any one of these things and we’re likely having a different type of discussion today. And of course there’s the well-documented poor tactics/strategy/in-game coaching that’s been discussed. In a tight game on the road against a bitter rival, you need your coaches to make the right decisions at crunch time if you’re going to be a Top 10 winning program.
Ultimately, the head coach … Weis … is accountable for wins and losses … and he had a whole lot to do with this loss to Michigan. If he won’t come out and say it, that’s a shame.
Your right Wally, but as my son has pointed out to me, I am angrier about ND football than he ever remembers seeing me about ANYTHING! I can no longer stomach Weis not taking credit/blame for the team’s ineptitude and losses. Muffed punts, holding calls, lack of patience, poor play calling, poor time management; it all comes back to the coach. We’ll never know how talented these players might have been at the college level because they have been “coached” to be inept. Don’t mean to be directing my anger at you by disagreeing, just am so fed up with Weis arrogance and avoidance of the facts. Thanks for letting me vent!
On the Sports Reporters this morning, Bill Rhoden put it well: Michigan has improved more in two years under Rodriguez than ND has improved in 5 under Weis.
ND has “deproved” under Weis – or Unweis ( as in unwise) as I shall now and forevermore refer to him! In my professional career I was always wary of change, saying often to my colleagues that the change often was for the worse, not the better. But even I, cautious skeptic that I am, did not think things could get worse at ND than Boob Davies and Ty Losingham. Unweis showed me the error of my ways!
This loss really, really hurt. I always thought 9-3 was where we would land, but hate to give up one of my L’s to Michigan. USC and BC are pretty much a given. We have so much talen! Please RUN the ball and burn the clock on that last drive. Clausen was great until that last 3rd down pass. I cried for a pass interference call on the 2nd down (bonehead) coaching call. Has CW ever beat MSU? I think CW better regroup and develop a gameplan.
Pete —
Feel free to vent … nobody’s trying to hold you back. Personally, I’m TRYING not to be too emotional about this one game (and it’s not easy). It was a real tough loss to take and there’s a lot of blame to go around … and a whole lot of it goes straight at Weis.
On the other hand, there were some good things that happened Saturday. Things that we didn’t see the last two years. In my mind, the biggest improvement was that the team kept it’s composure and continued to battle when things were not going ND’s way. On the road against a bitter rival, the team bounced back TWICE to take the lead after trailing by 11 points. This was on both sides of the ball, too, as the defense contributed to the 4th qtr comeback with an INT plus a 3 and out. Unfortunately, they couldn’t come up with one more to tend the game.
After watching this one, I definitely hold the opinion that ND has better players up and down the roster than Michigan does right now. However, we’re not optimizing ours whereas UM is getting everything out of there’s, and especially from one player: Forcier. And that’s the frustrating part.
Before I write off Weis completely, I want to see how the team plays over the next three weeks. ND SHOULD BE 4-1 going into an off-week to prepare for USC’s visit in mid-October. If they’re not 4-1, then it’s undoubtedly another failure, and I assume the coach search will be in full gear. If we cannot beat an “average” Michigan State team at home THIS YEAR (they just lost to Central Michigan), we might as well fold up the tent. Purdue couldn’t stop a Pop Warner team from scoring 30 points. Washington is improving, but getting them at home should spell a comfortable double-digit win. There are no excuses for anything less than 4-1 after 5.
IRISH$@ – a warm welcome to the Pine. Since Charlie seems so reluctant to shoulder the blame for a loss, it is a hard to give him credit for a win. But I think ND won at East Lansing Quinn’s senior year.
Casey – Right you are. Thanks for jogging my memory.
IRISH$@
You are welcome. Think nothing of it – anything I can do for the good of the cause. 🙂
Meanwhile, today the Irish fell 13 spots in the AP poll to #31, and they fell about 10 spots in the coach’s poll to #30. Wow … that’ll teach ya to lose a road game to Michigan by 4 whole points on a last second pass when you were favored by 3 whole points!!! Seems a little severe to me, but maybe the voters are already assuming that ND will not recover from the emotional distress and will continue to underachieve. I guess I can’t blame them for that.
Meanwhile, a 1-1 OK State team who just lost at home to Houston after beating a medicore Georgia team is still #17. And that 1-1 Georgia squad that was embarrassed by OK State and barely squeaked by an awful So Carolina team this week is still #20. And of course there’s the great North Carolina Tarheels at #19 who beat the snot out of UConn 12-10. Go figure.
Wally, you do bleed blue and gold. I wouldn’t have voted ND in the top 50, but that’s my anger showing through! After Nevada I kept saying ND is a mirage. What surprises me is that Mich moved into rankings. They haven’t beat anybody yet.
Pete, I just think it’s ironic that if the Irish somehow hold on to win, they’re still 18th (or better), but they”re a worse football team by 13 spots cuz they lost a barnburner in a very tough place to play. I truly feel ND is a Top 20 team, despite the doubts about this coaching staff. And it’s the talent that puts ’em there. Of course, they’ll prove me right or wrong over the next several weeks.
Adding to the absurdity of the polls – Houston is #21. Ok St. is #16
Both f you are right! ND’s talent is top 20 (coaching is not in top 50) and polls are absurd. I am now reading a new release called “Resurrection”. It is about how Ara Parseghian “saves” ND. It’s scary to read how the Kuharich/Devore years played out in certain respects. Pep rally attendance declined (first rally this year was held in front of Dillon Hall; I’m guessing less than 5000 people), there was in-fighting among students and alumni as to whether the problem was players or coaches (see previous discussions), and some ND fans began to root for the opponents so that the coach would get fired (I suspect this is why the USC game is the only tough ticket at ND this year). Those were dark times before Ara came on the scene, but apparently no darker than the current ones. So who, if anyone, is the next savior?
Next savior? Who could argue with Urban Meyer, but could we get him … why would he want to leave Florida? Bored with being a Nat’l title contender every year? For the challenge? Reportedly, ND was his dream job at one time … not sure that’s still true.
I really like what Brian Kelly has been doing at Cinci. In a pretty short time, he has the Bearcats playing a very high caliber of ball and he commands respect. Should have a good recruiting pipeline in Ohio and midwest.
On the surface, Pat Fitzgerald might be a good fit, but I’m not yet completely sold on him. He obviously coaches at a school with high academic standards, but we need to see NW finish consistently in the upper 5 of the Big 10 to be convinced that he gets the most out of his players. Let’s see after this season. Problem is, he’s a NW grad and probably very loyal to that school. Plus ND regrettably ignored him as a recruit when he was coming out of high school. On the positive side, he’s a graduate of Carl Sandburg HS, my alma mater 🙂
Coaches at these schools really intrigue me: Chris Peterson at Boise State, Gary Patterson at TCU, Kyle Whittingham at Utah and Paul Johnson now at Ga Tech after Navy. Year in and year out, they really get max effort out of their 2 and 3 star players that the bigger conferences thumb their noses at. They beat the teams they’re supposed to beat and occasionally beat teams thought to be out of their league. What could they do with the 3-4-5 star players that ND gets? Conversely, do they have the charisma to recruit at ND’s level?
From the pro ranks, I’d love to see the fire of Bill Cowher on the ND sidelines. Just love his passion and I think it rubs off on the whole team. Steelers exemplified this. Problem with pro coaches is that you really wonder if they can recruit … but at least this is something Charlie does well, so that’s one data point. I’ve gotta think Cowher would be a big hit in recruit’s living rooms … parents got to think “I want my son playing for this guy!” If Charlie lacks one thing, it’s passion that rubs off on the players … he’s too matter of fact and business-like. Cowher makes players want to run through a wall for him, and he commands respect and focus. To a lesser a degree, I also feel the same about Jon Gruden, but I’d rather have Cowher.
Tarkista luottotiedot ennen kuin haet lainaa – ei ainoastaan tarkistaa luotto-raportti juoruta, miten voit katsoa tulevaisuuteen lainanantajia, se kavaltaa myös mahdollisuuden koota tietoja, jotka ovat väärässä ja saada aikaiseksi itsellesi parhaat mahdollisuudet on hyväksynyt .
Couldn’t agree more with what you just said.
hahahahahaha