SUGAR BOWL
This is the day that most of us out there have been waiting for. I’m sure some of you have been wondering about the absence of material about the Fighting Irish heading into the Sugar Bowl tonight. It’s simple, I have not been discussing it at all. Since the BCS selections were made I have known all the talk for this game would be about the speed of LSU and the lack there of for ND. The bowl losing streak? Yep I knew that was coming. Blown out by our best competition? You bet. The list can go on and on and on. And quite frankly, I didn’t want to talk about it. Was it out of fear? Hell no! It is just a different approach for the Subway Domer than in any other game this year. Just like Weis and ND are taking a different route in this years bowl game as compared to last years game against the Buckeyes, I have as well.
With all that said, F*#K LSU!!! It is real hard not to make comparisons to the ’92 Sugar Bowl. This game has all the makings of that classic battle. The keys to the game and the victory…
OFFENSE
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Keep defenders off of Quinn, and if no one is open Quinn has to tuck it and run or throw it away right away. Quinn has had a tendency to hold on to the ball a little too long when nothing has developed.
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Absolutely no turnovers. To win ND will need every possession and get points out of them whether it be 3 or 7.
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RUN the ball. This will mean not only the draws we see with Walker, but Aldridge and T2 must get involved with the power attack to enable a true play action capability.
DEFENSE
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Pressure, pressure, pressure. The D-line must get to the QB and force throws that are errant. This will allow the LBs to concentrate on coverage and takes some of the “pressure” off of the secondary.
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Stopping the run. Not just stopping it, but doing it with the front 7 ( or 6 in the Nickel) so Our safeties don’t feel like they have to be in on every play as to allow better coverage on play action passes and the whole passing game in general.
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TURNOVERS!!! We have got to get at least 2 TOs and it would be nice if one of those was returned.
INTANGIBLES
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Weis has to pull out the trick plays.(and not just that Samardzija reverse pass that ha s never worked) We have seen a lot of success this bowl season with teams using them, most notably Boise State, and these plays create momentum and loosens up the defense.
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Special Teams needs to be productive. The return game has to be solid. I’m not sure if Zibby will be doing KR but these are the hidden yards, as well as PR, that help drives and sets up field position. The question mark is with FG, Gioa has to nail the 35 and under.
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Penalties. Too many times this year we have seen drives killed over penalties. Keep these down and you dictate the play calling.
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Keep the Heads up!!! If ND gets down early they must not pack it in. Keep plugging away and keep the comebacks against MSU and UCLA in the back of their minds. Just look at the bowl season in general and the comebacks that were made. It can happen if you just execute the plays.
Those are a lot of keys but LSU is that good. However, I have that feeling that things just might go that way. This could be the game we have been waiting for.
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Subway Domer————— ND 31 LSU 23 The streak is over and respect comes our way at last. GO IRISH!!!
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PS2—————————ND 45 LSU 31 The black box surprised me. Quinn got hurt in the 1st quarter but came back in the second half and threw for 4 TD in that half alone.
Editors Note: This post was delayed because of the incompetence of Mediacom which had my Internet down for over 13 hours. Thanks a lot bitches!
