Rats! Trojans Sink Irish Again

To quote the not-so-legendary former NFL and college coach Dennis Green, “THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY ARE.”    “They” are the Notre Dame football team.   We THOUGHT they are a team struggling to stay in the nation’s Top 25.   And Saturday, THEY showed the nation yet  AGAIN that THEY are certainly well short of being a Top 10 team as they came back to make it interesting before succumbing to the 6^th ranked USC Trojans by a score of 34-27.   This was a game the Irish were pointing to for several months only to expose themselves as sorely lacking: 1) good line play in the trenches on both sides of the ball and 2) a key ingredient that all really good football teams have:   PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS.   The lack of toughness shows up in ND’s inability to block in crucial running situations and to generally tackle most of the time on defense.  Oh and there’s a third thing ND lacks:  smart coaching during the game.  On the positive side, the Irish players never gave up and were within 4 yards of the end zone with 3 tries to tie it up at the end, but they just weren’t able to close the deal.   It just wasn’t meant to be an Irish win.  As in the recent past, that magical special something … confidence … clutchness … whatever it is … was missing.   Meanwhile, I’m sure USC’s #1 fan Crash Mergen has already ordered a shipment of humble pie for me from the Norske Nook.  I’m sure it will be here by Monday.

Let’s take it from the beginning.  Now, I’ve got to wonder why ND would elect to start the game on defense, when their offense is the team’s obvious strength.   Wouldn’t you want to be the one to grab the first lead in a game like this??   Hard to do that by starting on D.   Although ND’s defense started the game with intensity and passion, which led to a USC punt, the Trojan’s second possession was a quick one as they marched almost 90 yards in about 6 plays to score the game’s first TD.   USC FRESHMAN QB Matt Barkley had nothing but ample time to throw.   On ND’s second possession and for most of the first half, Clausen was under significant pressure from USC’s D-line, who only had to rush 4 guys to apply this pressure.    This allowed the Trojans to drop 7 people back into coverage, so there was not much open space for ND receivers to get free.   Wasn’t ND’s “veteran offensive line” supposed to be able to effectively block 4 guys starting this year????

Anyway, a perfectly executed fake field goal led to a short TD run by Robert HUUUUUUUUUGHES to tie the score at 7 late in the first quarter.   At this point, the question again becomes “CAN ND’S DEFENSE SUSTAIN POSITIVE MOMENTUM???”   Well, the answer was “no” early in the 2^nd quarter.  ND’s Robert Blanton dropped an easy INT opportunity (geeez, ya gotta make that catch) and then USC easily moved downfield again … this time via the run.   A 30 yard run by Joe McKnight was followed by an off-tackle rumble for 20 yards which featured 3 distinct missed tackles by Irish defenders.   This was both embarassing and a microcosm of ND’s defensive season.   The Irish were able to stiffen and yielded a FG to give USC a 10 – 7 lead.

Clausen at one point was only 3 of 10 for not many yards and Charlie seemed bumfuzzled as to what to do offensively.   At this point, I’m wondering why they gave up on the Wildcat offense which seemed to do quite well early on but ND stopped using it.   The other obvious flaw in the first half was that ND’s defensive backs have absolutely no idea how to shed blocks.   USC was able to sustain another drive late in the second quarter and again had to settle for a FG and a 13-7 halftime lead.

ND opened up the second half on offense with a decent drive featuring a balanced offense.     HOWEVER, a key 4^th and 1 yard play for the Irish at the USC 27 was a huge failure as ND’s “veteran offensive line” was unable to get enough push to gain the 1^st down.   Another microcosm of ND’s season and a huge reason why their 4 wins were a lot closer than they probably should have been.   You’d think a team coached by an offensive genius with a “veteran offensive line” and an outstanding QB would be able to get a key 1^st down in this situation at home … but noooooooo, not our offensive genius or our “veteran offensive line”!!!.  And why not kick the FG since it was within your kicker’s range and he’s made 10 straight???   Sure it’s second-guessing, but that’s cuz Charlie always seems to guess wrong.

Key 3^rd down for USC immediately afterwards and … you guessed it …no pressure on freshman QB Barkley and they get an easy 1^st down.   Then another missed tackle near the sideline gives USC another 10 yards.    After a TV timeout, ND finally gets a sack on Barkley which helps put USC in a 2^nd and 15 situation.   So the Irish blitz and give up a quick wide screen that easily travels 42 yards for a quick TD … again featuring lame block-shedding by ND’s D-backs.  Now that stretch is exactly what puts the “L” in Notre Lame.   Instead of getting that 1^st down deep in USC territory and/or kicking the FG and maybe being within 13-10 … or better … within a few minutes, the Trojans were winning 20-7 with 7:20 remaining in the 3^rd quarter.

Certainly felt like the Irish would have to score points on their next possession … and we wouldn’t be disappointed.    Clausen was starting to get fired up.  He scrambled for a first down and then threw for another.   Then on 2^nd and one, he found Golden Tate deep down the sideline for a beautiful 45 yard TD pass.   Irish were back in the game trailing 20-14 with 5 mins left in the third.

It’s USC’s next possession … again, can ND’s defense actually sustain some momentum retrieved by the offense????    Nope!!!    The Irish again blitzed on 3^rd down and Barkley found his huge TE for a 60 yard pass play down to ND’s 5 yard line.   Question:  Who DOESN’T want to play poker against the Irish coaching staff??????    I mean, after all, how many times in a row can you guess poorly and pick exactly the wrong coverage????   Trojans 27   No Defense 14.

Well … there’s still 2:35 left in the 3^rd quarter.  ND’s next possession and AGAIN the Irish are in a must score situation.   Clausen sacked on first down for the 4^th time … again only a 4 man rush is collapsing ND’s pocket.   Then a holding call against ND’s “veteran offensive line” on a 1^st down play.    Clearly, ND’s inability to develop a WR to try to aptly fill in for the injured Michael Floyd is a BIG problem.   I thought Shaq Evans was the real deal.  Whatever happened to Duval Kumara???   Maybe it will be Robby Parris?   ND punts.

On USC’s next offensive play, Barkley has about 15 seconds to throw the ball … to a WIDE OPEN receiver for a 20 yard gain.  Then he hits McCoy again for a 30 yard play down to the Irish 10 yard line.    Another relatively easy score … USC 34  ND 14.  Three second half possessions, three touchdowns for USC.   Boy … our halftime coaching adjustments really paid off, huh?   I’m thinking “game over”, and at this point, I become very intrigued by the Arkansas 20-13 lead over Florida.

BUT WAIT … Another Irish score is followed quickly by an Irish interception with 9 minutes left to give them the ball on USC’s 13 yard line.    Sack of Clausen, 5 yard gain, TD pass to Golden Tate as Jimmy rifled it in there despite the blitz.   Irish close to within 7 points, trailing 34-27 with lots of time left.   So AGAIN I will ask “Can the Irish defense sustain the newly found hope and momentum?????”   Will they stop USC on the very next possession and give their offense a chance to win the game???   Or will they again let USC easily march down the field and squash all hope???    Gain of 8.   1^st down at the USC 41.   6:30 left.  Barkley sacked on 1^st down.   2^nd and 18.   McKnight gain 8 … 3^rd and 10.   A must stop needed now!!!    Whew … stopped out of bounds 2 yards short.   USC forced to punt.   Irish ball at their 22.   Is there magic in the air??    Can JC do it again??

False start against the Irish.   How does THAT happen to a “veteran offensive line” at home”???     Pass to A Allen for a 10 yard gain.  3:50 left.   Clausen run for a 1^st down.  Irish at their own 37.   Pass to Parris for 7.   Third and 3.  1^st down catch by Parris.   Irish past midfield to the USC 42.  Run for a 1^st down by Allen.   1:40 left.   ND at the USC 40.    Incomplete pass.   GREAT catch by Tate inside the 30 yd line!!!   1:00 left.    Irish have two timeouts remaining.   Incomplete pass.   Another incomplete pass.   Third down and 10.  Lame fade pass to Tate out of bounds.   Here’s the ballgame.   Timeout with 42 seconds left with the Irish facing 4^th and 10 from the USC 29 yard line.  More prayers!!!     First down to Parris and a personal foul!!!!    He’s hurt on the play.   Irish at the 8 yard line!!!  :17 left.   :09 left from the 4.   Time for 2 plays!!!   Incomplete … rats!!!   Last play ….   What was THAT?!?!?   How do you throw a pass short of the end zone in that situation???   Wait … there’s one second left … time for one more play!!    Please call a better play this time, Mr. Weis!!!     Clausen misfires again!!!    Crap!!!   Actually, his receiver (Kumara) slipped.   Game over.   Crap, crap crap ….

Okay … let’s elevate the discussion back to the big picture.   Yes, ND fans are all ticked that the Irish failed yet again to get a “signature win”.  Now 8 losses in a row to USC.  Clearly, 9 out of 10 of us expected an outcome like this … actually a bit worse … so let’s not act shocked.   It’s no surprise that what’s keeping us from really competing with the USCs of the world is line play on both sides of the ball … on offense, we fail in clutch short yardage situations and pass blocking is inconsistent against top teams.  On defense, we get essentially no pash rush from our front 4, our blitzes are largely ineffective, and we cannot tackle the nuns from St. Mary’s.   For whatever reason, our coaches’ thoughts are somehow anticipated by opposing coaching staffs as we’re repeatedly caught with our pants down on defense in critical situations.   We were outscored 21-0 to start the second half … how does that happen to a ND team at home???  Other than that, everything’s great.

Seriously, the Irish are 4-2 and need to act like a winning team.  Despite the disappointment at just falling short this week, they need to forget about it and focus on beating Boston College next week.  Recovering after a loss is another area where this team has recently disappointed since Lou was shown the door.   There’s no reason to pout and cave in.   Weis and his staff MUST get this team ready to compete!   BC is a team that the Irish should handle since “good teams” are killing them, especially on the road and the Irish have them at home.     ND is where I thought they’d be at this point … one loss before the USC game and a loss to USC.   I also figured they’d lose a third game somewhere between now and Stanford in November.   They can continue on and have a very good season, but it must start with a win next week.

When the polls come out Sunday afternoon, the Irish should still be hunting near #25 … no reason to bury them for losing by 7 to #6 USC with a chance to tie it up at the end.   There’s 6 games to go … the season starts now.   Why not finish 10-2???   9-3 at the worst.    They could climb up to #15 by season’s end and go to a good NYD bowl.   But if they don’t start tackling and playing with physical abandon, somebody else is going to beat them soon.   Longer term, we should all be questioning if this coaching staff will ever fix the line play deficiencies and other issues highlighted above.

With regard to Mr. Clausen and the Heisman race, I think he’s still in it.   After a slow start vs the Trojans, he brought the Irish to the brink of another great last second comeback … only to fall short.   But he was 24 of 43 for 260 yards, 2 TDs and no INT’s.   Meanwhile, his competitors are not exactly sizzling.   Colt McCoy struggled again Saturday vs Oklahoma.    Maybe Matt Barkley just threw his name into the hat.  Point two … I’m very happy to acknowledge that Ohio State lost to Purdue … maybe the Irish should feel a bit better about their close wins.   Question of the week … how can Michigan schedule a team like Delaware State????  Are you serious????   The Skunkbears ought to be ashamed of themselves.