Oh my God, it’s time for the Anti-Preview… already? After the bye week vacation that I took, and really celebrating a nice senior day win (hard), gameday has crept up on me like a bad case of the crabs.
Friends, winning in November is what separates good teams from the mediocre teams. Now I’m not trying to say that we are a really good team, but after the collapses in 2008 & 2009, getting a victory in November has me believing that Brian Kelly has this program on the right track. A track that will only continue to look right after the Irish get a victory over Army to become bowl eligible.
Back in September, I firmly stated that the only way we can judge Brian Kelly in his first year, is by seeing true progress in November from what we were in September. The only problem is, is that this is an entiely different team than the one we had in September. That’s good right? Well, yes… if it wasn’t because of crushingly high number of injuries the Irish have incurred on both sides of the ball. This is were true depth is very much needed. If you take any top 25 team and start pulling their starters out of the lineup in the same number as the Irish, that team would probably have a different record for the worse.
So, here we are. In New York. In Yankee Stadium. Playing Army. A bowl berth on the line. This game has gone from “cupcake, easy victory” to “WE REALLY NEED TO WIN THIS FUCKING GAME,” game.
We better get this Anti-Preview rolling… I SAID MARCH BITCHES!!!!!
Army. I have to be completely honest with you. My research on the Black Knight of Army has not been up to the same standard that I normally produce for these Anti-Previews. I have only seen about 3 quarters of Army play football, despite having a large number of their games on TV.
What I do know, is that Army can run the ball well. The switch back to the triple option has proved to be a great move for Army and they are currently ranked 8th in the country in rushing with a 272.8 yard average per game.
As far as their passing game is concerned, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is the worst in the country. They rank 120 out of 120 schools as they throw for a little over 81 yards per game. The Black Knights throw the ball a little more than Navy- but they have far less success when they do.
They are similar to Navy on the defensive side of the ball, but they lack the number of athletes that can run. To make up for this, they have adopted a “Desert Swarm” type of defense that allows multiple defenders to arrive to the ball carrier and take them down.
Army is bowl eligible, but they have not beat a team with a winning record. They did, however, beat Duke 35-21. Remember, Duke beat Navy 34-31, but was up big on the Blue Devils. Why is this relevant? I don’t know, it just is.
What should you be drinking?Well, in the city that never sleeps, you could just about choose any large number of fine drinks, and not only feel the warm coziness of the alcohol soothing your body like a warm Fighting Irish Snuggie (not that I own one), but also one that defines the city itself.
I chose neither- other than the name… and of course the coziness of the alcohol.
The New Yorker
- 3 oz. of Makers Mark Bourbon
- 2 lime wedges
- 5 dashes of Grenadine
Pour the Bourbon into good solid cocktail glass filled with ice (crystal if you want to feel like a badass). Squeeze the juice of both lime wedges into the glass. Throw one of the wedges into the glass, and the other into the trash. Dash the Grenadine into the glass and stir lightly. Drink up.
***Sidenote: There is also a drink called “Autumn in New York.” It sounds fitting, but in reality it is 1 bottle of Zima and 1 oz. of Remy Martin. I’m still uncertain if they even sell Zima anymore, but I’m sure Smirnoff’s would be an appropriate substitute. Not recommending any of this, but I did find it interesting after last weeks Zima lovefest on Subway Domer.
What should you be eating? Again, it’s New York City, we could go any number of routes on this one, just as we could have for the drinks. However, I need to give this a little bit of a Subway Alumni flair. Something hearty. Something blue-collar. Something good. Here’s my own recipe for:
Subway Domer’s Beef Manhattan
- 2-3 pounds of Rump Roast.
- 1 package of pot roast beef seasoning.
- Boxed mashed potatoes (makes life a little easier)
- Texas Toast
- Beef broth
- Canned green beans
- Chopped celery & carrots (optional)
Pour your beef seasoning into a crock pot and add 2 cups of water. Add the beef and about 3/4 mixed cup of the chopped carrots and celery. Set the crock pot on low and cook for about 8-9 hours.
You can make your homemade mashed potatoes, but I use the boxed because it is a time saver, and if you adjust it a little bit, they can be outstanding. For example, instead of water, use the beef broth as a substitute.
Place your bread in the oven and toast it up. Cook your green beans.
As far as setting your plate, I normally put 3 pieces of toast down, top them with mashed potatoes that I creamed up with a little sour cream, then cover that with the beef and gravy from the crock pot. Green beans on the side. Pants size increase by 2.
Irish Stew: This game has special meaning to Notre Dame because of its history with Army and the games played in New York City, but this game also has an even greater meaning for all of us Subway Alumni around the world.
These are our roots. This game, this city, and the subway rails that run under it provide the genesis of the greatest fanbase in college football. It’s hard to comprehend the magnitude that the games in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s had on our lives, but it is easy to say, that if Notre Dame hadn’t played in these games, or won a majority of them- the Subway Alumni probably wouldn’t exist in such a strong fashion as it does today.
In a way, the spawning of the Subway Alumni from these Army games has been as much of a burden on the University, as it has been a blessing. The weight of history, tradition, and the spotlight that Notre Dame put on itself provided the school with unmatched glory on the football field, but a decade into the 2000’s, it has weighed the school down.
Change and evolution has been a big part of college football in the past 20 years, and Notre Dame has kept along at a snails pace. The biggest problem may be that Notre Dame is still as relevant today as it has ever been (in terms of draw and media attention) but has conducted itself in a manner more conducive with how things were 20, 30, 40+ years ago. That weighs the program down, and brings an unwanted amount of attention on “how bad things have got.”
Brian Kelly is trying to change that. Brian Kelly, a Subway Alum. This game is a tribute to all of us that have supported the University and shown it the love we knew that they deserved for being that school that for decades represented the immigrants, the blue-collars, the catholics, and the dreamers. That “fight” is coming back.
This is our history. This is our future.
What’s in a name? Joshua Jackson, defensive back. You got to be kidding me, right. Motherfucking Pacey Witter is playing for the Black Knights?! Dear god. Never trust anyone who has a girls name, and hangs out with a girl who has a boys name (Joey).
It’s too bad that Dayne Crist isn’t going to play. The James Van Der Beek look alike, would look fitting as we would see Dawson kicking Pacey’s ass all over the place. Not to mention… HE’S A FUCKING CANUCK!!!!
(That’s the best I got this week)
KGG Slant: What a season the Irish have had. ND comes into this game ridding emotion and a one game win streak. Sitting in the stands last weekend at ND stadium the atmosphere and emotion the players were exuding was palpable. It looked like a different, methodical team. Every win with this Irish team, i feel they have turned the corner. The Purdue win was it, I knew it. Then the losses to MSU and Michigan and Stanford. When we beat BC, i knew we turned the corner. The offense was clicking and the defense was awesome. Then the Navy and the Tulsa debacle happened. With last weeks win over ranked Utah and the way we won, was this it? Was this the turning point? I’m not asking for perfection from the Irish this weekend just an upward pointing trend. Limit the mistakes and play with the same passion they played with last week.
This weeks game features the 6-4 Black Knights from Army. Army features the triple option that Irish fans are all to familiar with after playing Navy a month ago. For Army is all about running. Thy are 8th in the country in rushing averaging 272 yards per game. They are lead by 6-0, 200 pound Sophomore QB Trent Steelman. Steelman has thrown for 5 TD’s but has rushed for almost 600 yards and 11 more TD’s. He is second on the team in rushing only to Jared Hassin, the dreaded FB of the triple option offense. Hassin has carried the ball 150 times for 858 yards for an average of 5.7 yards per attempt. He also has 9 scores on the year.
Stopping the triple option is easier said then done. Just ask this Irish defense and while your at it, ask Bob Diaco. It starts up front with the nose guard and with out Ian Williams, its all up to 280 pound Sean Cwynar. Cwynar will be tasked with stopping the fullback and the first option for Army. It will be interesting to see how much Carlo Calabrese can go in the middle for the Irish and how much Brian Smith will be called upon to play in his relief. After the guys in the middle its all about the outside backers and DE. KLM and Ethan Johnson need to stick the QB on every play and guys like Flemming, Neal and Shembo need to corral the pitchmen. I would love to see Diaco stack the box with a guy like Motta or Slaughter and force Army to play against 8 in the box. Make the running team beat you with the pass and you have a great chance at winning
Playing a triple option offense, its all about maximizing possessions for the Irish offense. Every trip into the red-zone needs to end in 7 points. The Irish and freshman Tommy Rees can’t affairs to settle for three points on the limited number of possessions they will have. Kelly has said he wants to open the playbook a little more for Tommy Rees. The majority of plays should be runs, to use the weight advantage the Irish have over the Black Knights. The 1-2 punch of Wood and Gray should provide a spark for the Irish and I would love to see the Hughes and his size get some carries. Hughes in the Leprechaun with Wood going on the sweep motion would be awesome. Expect to see a lot of Floyd, Kamara and Goodman this weekend because of their size advantage over the Black Knight corners. Kamara and Floyd out wide spreading the field with Eifert and Toma stretching the middle of the field should be effective. If the Irish want to win, they have to play with the same intensity they played with last week in all feces of the game. Special teams and offensive line play is critical to this game. If the Irish win the line of scrimmage, and they failed miserably against Navy, they should win this game.
Irish beat the Black Knights 34-24.
Offensive MVP:Cierre Wood. It has become very clear that Cierre Wood is a special pet project of Brian Kelly’s. Because of that, you can expect wood to get a large number of carries on Saturday night- especially with Tommy Rees a virtual non-factor in the running game.
Last week, Jonas Gray blew up on everyone and showed the kind of depth Notre Dame truly has at running back. Gray should get an increase in the workload this week, but Wood will still have a majority of the carries by a wide margin.
As fast as the Army defense is supposed to be, they should still be no match in terms of speed for Wood. Navy could run, but Army is not as quick or as talented as the Middies. This could be the game where we finally see not just one, but multiple long touchdown runs by our running back, Cierre Wood.
Defensive MVP: Manti Te’o. I know I have said before that Te’o wouldn’t be picked anymore, due to the “duh” factor, but this week he is even more important than ever. The Fighting Irish have got to find redemption against Army for the sins they committed against Navy.
The triple option. Te’o is the center piece in all of this as he will have to lock down the middle of the field with Calabrese and Brian Smith. But really, it all depends on if Notre Dame switches to some 4 man fronts. If they do that with Carlo on the field, Te’o will widen out, and if Brian Smith is out there, Te’o will center up. Can Te’o be used this fluidly? Yeah, probably.
Against Utah, Te’o literally scared the living shit out of Jordan Wynn, the Utes quarterback. Manti was all over the field, and when he hit someone- they went down. Hard. Army’s quarterback won’t scare as easy, and neither will most of his teammates. However, continual punishment from the Polynesian Prince on the interior, could force Army’s hand throughout the game. I like his chances.
Something else to watch for on Saturday night?If you haven’t heard already, Notre Dame will be wearing the green jersey’s (although, I wonder if it is the new skintight style or the style that the QB has no sleeves. Hmmmm).
Be happy and proud. Notre Dame is past the point of using the green jersey’s to pump the team up. Basically, we fucked that up for years. I would like to see Notre Dame do this once or twice a year. Announce that you are going to wear them for certain games way back in the summer. I love the green, but it was representing failure. Now, it at least is just something fun- with no pressure.
Full disclosure: I would like to see Notre Dame wear the green jersey’s all year in 2012. Just something to think about.
At the end of the night… Notre Dame wins this one easier than we would have thought just a few weeks ago, but not that easy. The Irish control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and impose their will on the Black Knights. Irish win 38-17.
