Here comes your Anti-Preview… After the USC loss, Notre Dame could have done what Notre Dame has been doing for years and go belly up sort of speak. The whole Twittergate thing, and the dissension between staff and players was capable of tearing this team down, but then Notre Dame took a play from last year year when there were much more serious problems going on. They faced adversity, and they played well.
Plain and simple.
The Irish are 5-3 and have only the smallest of hopes to make it to a BCS game. However, there is still a chance, and the only way to see that chance turn into a real possibility is to play well, win, and win big during the remainder of the season. There are more positives for the program than negatives, and rolling into November, I think the team is confident that they can repeat the success that they had in November last year.
The first obstacle is…
Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons play host to the Irish this week in a venue that only holds a shade under 32,000 people. That in itself makes this game fairly interesting. Why would Notre Dame play a game like this in a stadium like that? I think if you look at recruiting from a broad point of view, Notre Dame really likes to play road games in arras that they do a lot of recruiting.
Wake Forest made some splashes this year, with their biggest win being against a Florida State team that was highly ranked and still thought of as a premier team in 2011. They have a young, but talented quarterback in Tanner Price, and an outstanding receiver in Chris Givens. They don’t run the ball very well (106th nationally), and their redzone offense is awful. Wake is only scoring touchdowns around 51% of the time in the redzone.
The Demon Deacons get off to a lot of quick starts in games, but they fade almost as quickly. If you need more, here is a snippet from our preseason preview about Wake. It still makes me laugh:
I’ve never been quite clear as to what a Demon Deacon is actually supposed to be. While the name would indicate some type of satanic cleric, the mascot rolled out by Wake Forest seems to suggest some sort of southern Larry David filled with rage, gin and, very possibly, a history of predatory pedantry. In the pantheon of ‘mascots who scare the bejeesus out of me,’ Rev. Badtouch has attained a very special (read: creepy) place.
As for the game itself, much like the aspiring actor with a face made for radio, the Deacons are an athletic program best made for basketball. While Jim Grobe has somehow uncovered the ACC’s version of the philosopher’s stone, and turned tar-covered guano into gold for a season or two, Wake is better served keeping its focus on the vicissitudes of fortune occurring on the hardwood, rather than the gridiron. Notre Dame, in its first-ever meeting with Wake Forest comes away with an easy 41-13 victory.
What should you be drinking? With all of the “Irish Wake” stuff going on, perhaps it is appropriate that we follow the same type of theme. There goes any type of “Southern” drink right out of the fucking window. A shame really, because now you must all face this:
Wake the Dead
- 1 part Bourbon Whiskey
- 1 part Green Chartreuse
- 1 part Sambuca
Mix with ice. Serve. Drink. Fall the fuck over. Sorry about the punishment y’all. It could leave you like this…
What should you be eating? I could have gone a different route. I could have done the whole Southern barbecue thing, and especially with a prime time kickoff- we would have had plenty of time to cook it the right way; REAL FUCKING SLOW. However, I am becoming a bigger and bigger advocate for Notre Dame to join the ACC fully full on. That means seafood. Let’s “dip” this one:
Rachel’s Crockpot Seafood Cheese Dip
- 1 (8 ounce) package processed cheese food (such as Velveeta)
- 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1/2 cup cooked small shrimp
- 1/2 cup cooked crabmeat, flaked
- 1/2 cup cooked lobster, flaked
- 2 teaspoons seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay))
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 loaf (1/2-inch-thick) slices French bread, lightly toasted
Directions: Combine processed cheese food, cream cheese, sour cream, shrimp, crab, and lobster in a crockpot. Cover and cook on Low heat until cheese is melted, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to break up lumps. Once the cheese is melted, stir in seafood seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Serve with French bread.
Irish Stew: Just don’t make it obvious. With Alabama and LSU playing this years version of the Game of the Century, I know a lot of us want to watch that game. ESPN may be a collection of assholes, but their business sense is outstanding. Making sure ND played in the same slot as this epic battle ensured them as many eyeballs as possible. Only a few schools in the country could play at the same time as LSU/Bama and get decent ratings. However… you nknow you want to watch it. Just don’t make it too obvious how into the #1 vs. #2 game while at the stadium in Carolina- or even at home in front of your kids. We have to keep up appearances you know.
What scares the shit out of me? Wake Forest used a -5 turnover advantage to beat Florida State 35-30. South Florida used a -5 turnover advantage to beat the irish 23-20. DO YOU NOTICE A SIMILARITY HERE????!!! I thought so. So what scares the shit out of me? This:
.
Offensive MVP: Tyler Eifert. Did you know that Tyler Eifert only caught one pass last week against Navy? It was as much of a mystery to me then as it is now. Why only target a guy who is wide open down the seam 70% of the time? At any rate, I think we can expect the same type of coverage schemes from Wake as we have seen from pretty much every other school we have played this year. Michael Floyd WILL be double-covered. This is one of those games that Eifert shines in for the Irish. 8 catches for 98 yards and a TD. Those aren’t huge numbers for a MVP mention, but it will be the way he gets those numbers that seals the deal.
Defensive MVP: Robert Blanton. Anytime a player gets to go home to play a game, you know they are getting amped. Prince Shembo could be another guy I could mention here, but something about Robert Blanton is just beating me in the head. Maybe it’d because of the great talent at WR for Wake Forest in Chris Givens? Probably. I like Blanton, and I think he rises to the occasion in his home state. I’m not sure if he gets a pick in this game, but his coverage and support against the run will be outstanding.
Something else to watch for on Saturday night… No, not the Alabama vs. LSU game- although that wouldn’t be entirely wrong. No, it’s Notre Dame’s defensive line. No Kapron Lewis-Moore and possibly no Ethan Johnson (or a recovering one at least) will mean that the freshman will have to continue to step up. Now that Notre Dame is not playing another option team, we can expect Tuitt and Lynch to be back on the edge a lot more than what we saw against Air Force and Navy. Chase Hounshell will probably see a lot of reps too, and the rotation of Nix and Cwynar should also be heavy. If this group is able to help get pressure on the Wake quarterback, than I don’t see the Demon Deacons moving the ball all that well- let alone scoring. If they play like freshman- oh boy…
At the end of the night: Notre Dame continues right where it left off last November. Solid defense coupled with the ability to run the ball will seal the deal. The biggest key will be for Notre Dame to not turn the ball over. This is a common theme for them, and a theme that they can accomplish (meaning: no turnovers). Irish ROLL 41-13.
