The Hangovers are getting harder and harder to concentrate one. With so much uncertainty surrounding the entire future of the program, never mind the season, providing a recap of the last loss is as gratifying as a colonoscopy without anesthetics. However, there is a lot to discuss about the team and the program after this loss- but there are still two games remaining.
I’ll get to some of the speculation in just a bit, but here is a very abbreviated Hangover…
The game in a nutshell. I wasn’t kidding when I said this was going to be short. I’ll bulletpoint it to clean it up:
- First off, I was trashed by halftime. I couldn’t stop. Beer after beer, and shot after shot. It felt good. Really good. It kept me from my usual on edge self, during the course of the game.
- I didn’t think ND should have abandoned running the ball with Allen so quickly. He looked fresh and determined. The switch to the Wildcat was unnecessary and proved to be unfruitful. Actually, the wildcat was a drive killer.
- The offensive line proved, once again, that it is incapable of blocking a four man rush against a good defensive line. The pressure on Clausen was intense, and draws and screens work best against a good rush when there is at least 5 players coming after it.
- The defense played well for the most part, but it was one step too slow in getting to the QB, and they tackled very poorly- if at all.
- Golden Tate is the absolute shit. His punt return for TD is the reason why so many people groan when he calls for a fair catch.
- Referees in general hate Notre Dame. I realize that it would have been 4th and 16- but that is still better than not having the ball with 2 minutes left and down by less than a TD.
- Notre Dame failed, once again, to beat a quality opponent.
Obviously, there was more to it than that- but that is why it’s called a nutshell.
The game of waiting. I haven’t posted much of anything for the past two weeks. I have lots of reasons, some are personal and some are because I am playing the waiting game. At any rate, the heat is on in South Bend, and change is a definite possibility.
As Irish fans, we need to step back from the entire situation and ask ourselves, “Is it worth it?” Really. Is it? Is throwing as much shit as we can possibly find and throwing it against a wall to see if it sticks worth the trouble? Maybe your answer is yes, and if it is, I realize that my pleas of remaining calm are falling on deaf ears. However, there are still two games left. Think back to August and try to remember how much joy you had with the anticipation of the season. Are we ready to squander what we have left?
Maybe we are. Maybe, we already have. I don’t blame you if you have, I just can’t allow myself to go down that same path. We will know soon enough what the fate of Charlie Weis and the Fighting Irish Football program will be. Until then, I will continue to hope for the best for this season while also knowing that a change is more than possible.
I’m waiting, but I am analyzing. After that last bit of begging with you, the masses, you probably didn’t think I would come back with this… I have 5 candidates for the Head Coaching job at Notre Dame. They are, in no particular order:
- Charlie Weis
- Bob Stoops
- Brian Kelly
- Kirk Ferentz
- Gary Patterson
Pick a guy. The poll on the right hand side is your tool. If you feel the need to make your opinion more well known, please sound off in the comment section below.
That’s all folks. I will have a Anti-Preview this week, after taking a two week break. But quite honestly, I am ready for gameday right now. I’ll be up in South Bend with my father, and will be attending the game. If you would like to share a beer with the Subway Domer and his Creator- let me know where you are at, and I’ll bask in your presence.
That’s all I really have right now, but hey- it’s only Tuesday. Speaking of Tuesday, it comes after Monday, and I failed to provide the pipes this week.
You’re welcome:
