HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!..Albeit a bit late.  I’ve been busy.  Shut up.

Notre Dame's football season came to a close a week or so ago, so once again it's time for Irish Shu to look back at their season.  In the last edition I recapped the first 6 games, so now I'll review the last 7 including the bowl game…get ready for a bit of stone-casting, because I am NOT pleased…

SOUTHERN CAL:  Christ, Irish, you had just trounced a decent Air Force team, and then had a bye week to prepare for a Trojan team you proved last year you could beat, and what did you do?  You shat the bed!  That’s what you did.  It was the first night game played at Notre Dame stadium in 21 years and the spotlight proved too bright for them as it ended in a 31-17 loss to the Condoms.  They spotted said Prophylactics a 17-0 lead early before George Atkinson III scored for the second time this year on a kickoff return to put a spark into the Irish and start a comeback.  The momentum carried into the second half when QB Tommy Rees got hurt, giving way for Dayne Crist to go in and have his chance to prove to his coach that he should have been the starter all-along…and he almost did.  Crist completed 4 of 5 passes and drove the Irish to the USC 1 yard line and then…lightening struck.  Instead of punching-in for the score that would have tied the game, Crist fumbled and Rubber safety Jawanza Starling scooped-up the loose ball and ran it back for a French Tickler touchdown that stole the game from ND a-la South Florida.  USC dominated with nearly twice the yardage and possession time, as well as 0 turnovers to Notre Dame’s 3.  In his post-game interview, Pecker Tarp quarterback Matt Barkley might have provided the Irish with some good bulletin board material for next year when he said that the Irish quit on them and let them win after that fumble return…the only problem with that statement being used as motivation is this: he was right. 

Now, as a few of you know, I have always claimed to be as loyal an Irish fan as there is…but even I found myself saying “fuck it” after this one.  The rest of the season just wasn’t all that enjoyable for me after this loss…but, the season went on so I will, too.

NAVY: The Irish needed to bounce back after the loss to the Sheep Skins and they certainly did in a 56-14 trouncing of the Midshipmen.  Notre Dame scored on 5 of its first 6 offensive possessions and cruised against a Navy team that has given them problems in recent years with their option attack…and this in spite of the fact that the Irish turned the ball over twice.  Tommy Rees had a pretty good day going 16 of 22 for 227 yards, but it was the running backs that had a career day here as Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray scored 5 rushing TD’s between them.  Receiver Michael Floyd chipped-in with one rushing and one receiving TD of his own.

WAKE FOREST:  Notre Dame continued to roll in a hard-fought 24-17 win over a pretty good Demon Deacon team that had just beaten a ranked Florida State team a couple weeks prior.  The Irish were somewhat depleted with injuries, but the defense nutted-up as Wake Forest had the ball at or inside the Notre Dame 10 twice in the second half while down by a touchdown -- and came away with no points.  The Irish O was pretty balanced with 341 total years almost 50/50 between the run and pass…but they still turned the ball over twice in the win.

MARYLAND:  The GOOD Irish team showed-up for this one in a “home” game that took place only 20 miles from Maryland’s campus and trounced the lowly Terrapins 45-21…but, then, it’s easy for a team to show it’s best when they’re facing an opponent that finished with only 2 wins on the year.  Regardless, the workout was good as the Irish O hung over 500 yards and 6 touchdowns on Maryland.  This included a pick 6 from sophomore cornerback Lo Wood.   This also was a rare turnover-free game for the Irish.

BOSTON COLLEGE:  Continuing their pattern of great play one week and poor play the next, the Irish struggled with poor field position all afternoon, but came up with the big plays when they needed to…and ONLY when they needed to…and survived the Eagles 16-14…over a team that would finish with only 4 wins.  To his credit, all-ACC linebacker Luke Kuechly did make things difficult for the Irish and finished with 14 tackles and I, for one, was glad to hear he won’t be back next season as he chose to enter the NFL Draft.  The bummer, though, was that the win came at a price.  The solid Irish power halfback, Jonas Gray, injured his right knee in the game and was lost for the season.

STANFORD:  Well, I really didn’t expect the Irish to win this one, anyway.  They spotted the Cardinal an early 21-0 lead as golden boy Andrew Luck had a statement game and tore though the Irish Defense for 233 yards and 4 touchdowns on his way to a 28-14 win.  The Irish QB tandem of Rees and Andrew Hendrix actually combined to outdo Luck with 252 passing yards of their own (Hendrix came-on after Rees was injured) but they also threw 1 interception each and Hendrix had only 1 TD pass.  Luck could very-well be the best quarterback to come out of Stanford – a program which produced some good ones such as John Elway – and he is another player whom I won’t miss next year.  He is, in fact, expected to go to the Indy Colts with the first pick of the upcoming NFL draft.

FLORIDA STATE:  This game was a pisser.  Notre Dame went to the Champs Sports Bowl and ended what I thought would be a better season the same way they started the season out – by shooting themselves in the foot, repeatedly, and losing 18-14 to a team they had no business losing to.  With all due respect to the Seminoles, you were starting 4 freshmen on your injury-depleted O-line and your offense did not even start playing until the 3^rd quarter was almost over.  Be sure to thank Brian Kelly for allowing himself to be outcoached, and shuffling 2 quarterbacks in and out instead of having the balls to stick with one of them like he should have.  While you’re at it, Seminoles, be sure to also thank Andrew Hendrix for throwing an interception straight at Nigel Bradham (no Irish receivers were even close on that play) and giving you a short field to take the lead with…and finally, don’t forget to thank Michael Floyd for dropping what would have been a touchdown pass in the first half that bounced right off his hands at the 20 yard line like so many other passes have throughout his career…considering that, it was impressive he caught the one score he did catch in the 3^rd quarter after he juggled it.  I really can’t stand losing to Florida teams, either.  As awesome as it felt for the Irish to kick the Hurricane’s asses in last years’ Sun Bowl, that’s how shitty it felt to lose to the Semen-Holes this time.

So to wrap it up the Irish football season was, overall, disappointing.  This Irish team came into 2011 loaded from top to bottom with one of the best receivers in the country,  a solid and experienced O-line, a good stable of high-potential quarterbacks and running backs and a good defense with just enough star players to make at least 10 wins and a BCS appearance happen…AT LEAST!  The problem is, they didn’t.  They were not consistent on offense at quarterback, in-particular, and special teams were not solid save for 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns by George Atkinson III.  What’s worse, they will lose a good group of senior players which include some good O-linemen, a good running back in Jonas Gray, a handful of good defensive players including most of their secondary and of course, one of their best receivers ever in Michael Floyd.  I will credit Floyd for this much; he did redeem himself after making some poor choices and getting arrested 3 times for alcohol-related offenses throughout his career, but he held it together for his last season and finished without such incident.  He also finished his impressive career in the ND record books with: 271 receptions, 3,686 receiving yards, 17 games with at least 100 yards receiving and 37 touchdown receptions – all #1 in those categories and a few others, as well…but I’m sorry to say I will remember him for being less than sure-handed despite all that.  He had many instances of the dropsies throughout his career – he’d better fix that problem if he wants to succeed in the NFL.  I wish him well with that.  I also wish Dayne Crist well.  After Coach Kelly pushed him down the bench after one poor half of play in one game, Crist has transferred to the Kansas Jayhawks to play one more year…and he will be reunited with their new head coach in Charlie Weis, who recruited Crist to Notre Dame…I wish you well, Dayne, and you certainly deserved better.  It is encouraging, though, that both linebacker Manti Te’o and Tight End Tyler Eifert have both announced that they will come back for their senior year...you will both be needed.

One other comment for Coach Kelly – you don’t do yourself or your team any favors by making rude comments about the players you recruited vs. the players you didn’t.  Try using your head before you use your mouth next time.  Good teams need unity.  Good luck with your recruiting – sounds like the incoming class could be another good one if you can hold them to their commitments.

As for my other teams and how they did:

MONTANA GRIZZLIES: After an uncharacteristically off-year, the Griz bounced back and are among the FCS elite once again.  They finished 11-3 and made it to the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs before they lost to then-undefeated and top-ranked Sam Houston State by a field goal…Sam Houston went on to lose to the new FCS champion in North Dakota State just yesterday…by the way, does anyone remember Nate Montana?  He was a Notre Dame backup who transferred to my Griz for a chance to play more…too bad he didn’t get that chance.  He didn’t get above 3^rd string there, either.  Oh, well.

NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS: Their first year in the Big Ten wasn’t entirely disappointing, but I’d have liked to see them at least compete with both Michigan and Wisconsin and not get beaten by Northwestern.  They missed their chance at a 10-win season when they lost the Capital One Bowl to South Carolina, but there’s no shame in losing to a good SEC school when 2 teams from that conference are playing for the national championship…I have mixed feelings about that, too, though.   The Huskers STILL need a better passing game.

COLORADO STATE RAMS:  POOH!  Yet another 3 win season for my once-good-but-now-lowly Rams and Coach Steve Fairchild was fired for it.  The reins have now been turned over to Jim McElwain who was the Offensive Coordinator for Alabama.  We’ll see if he can do any better.  Good luck, coach…and good luck to my brother who recently moved to Fort Collins to start a new life with his lady friend in Irish Shu’s former stomping grounds.  Go get ‘em baby bro!

CUSTER COUNTY COWBOYS: my hometown high school team came into the season as the defending state champions in their class.  I thought it might be a rebuilding year as they turned to a sophomore quarterback with no experience, but he did pretty well, considering, and so did the team as they made it all the way to the state semifinals before losing to Billings Central – a team they run into about every year in the playoffs, it seems.  Good year for the Cowboys, nonetheless.

WHEW!  Long blog and overdue, as well.  Fellow You Gabbers: You all have an awesome 2012!  I’ll keep reading your works…Take care, all.

Comments?(4)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!..Albeit a bit late.  I’ve been busy.  Shut up.

Notre Dame's football season came to a close a week or so ago, so once again it's time for Irish Shu to look back at their season.  In the last edition I recapped the first 6 games, so now I'll review the last 7 including the bowl game…get ready for a bit of stone-casting, because I am NOT pleased…

SOUTHERN CAL:  Christ, Irish, you had just trounced a decent Air Force team, and then had a bye week to prepare for a Trojan team you proved last year you could beat, and what did you do?  You shat the bed!  That’s what you did.  It was the first night game played at Notre Dame stadium in 21 years and the spotlight proved too bright for them as it ended in a 31-17 loss to the Condoms.  They spotted said Prophylactics a 17-0 lead early before George Atkinson III scored for the second time this year on a kickoff return to put a spark into the Irish and start a comeback.  The momentum carried into the second half when QB Tommy Rees got hurt, giving way for Dayne Crist to go in and have his chance to prove to his coach that he should have been the starter all-along…and he almost did.  Crist completed 4 of 5 passes and drove the Irish to the USC 1 yard line and then…lightening struck.  Instead of punching-in for the score that would have tied the game, Crist fumbled and Rubber safety Jawanza Starling scooped-up the loose ball and ran it back for a French Tickler touchdown that stole the game from ND a-la South Florida.  USC dominated with nearly twice the yardage and possession time, as well as 0 turnovers to Notre Dame’s 3.  In his post-game interview, Pecker Tarp quarterback Matt Barkley might have provided the Irish with some good bulletin board material for next year when he said that the Irish quit on them and let them win after that fumble return…the only problem with that statement being used as motivation is this: he was right. 

Now, as a few of you know, I have always claimed to be as loyal an Irish fan as there is…but even I found myself saying “fuck it” after this one.  The rest of the season just wasn’t all that enjoyable for me after this loss…but, the season went on so I will, too.

NAVY: The Irish needed to bounce back after the loss to the Sheep Skins and they certainly did in a 56-14 trouncing of the Midshipmen.  Notre Dame scored on 5 of its first 6 offensive possessions and cruised against a Navy team that has given them problems in recent years with their option attack…and this in spite of the fact that the Irish turned the ball over twice.  Tommy Rees had a pretty good day going 16 of 22 for 227 yards, but it was the running backs that had a career day here as Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray scored 5 rushing TD’s between them.  Receiver Michael Floyd chipped-in with one rushing and one receiving TD of his own.

WAKE FOREST:  Notre Dame continued to roll in a hard-fought 24-17 win over a pretty good Demon Deacon team that had just beaten a ranked Florida State team a couple weeks prior.  The Irish were somewhat depleted with injuries, but the defense nutted-up as Wake Forest had the ball at or inside the Notre Dame 10 twice in the second half while down by a touchdown -- and came away with no points.  The Irish O was pretty balanced with 341 total years almost 50/50 between the run and pass…but they still turned the ball over twice in the win.

MARYLAND:  The GOOD Irish team showed-up for this one in a “home” game that took place only 20 miles from Maryland’s campus and trounced the lowly Terrapins 45-21…but, then, it’s easy for a team to show it’s best when they’re facing an opponent that finished with only 2 wins on the year.  Regardless, the workout was good as the Irish O hung over 500 yards and 6 touchdowns on Maryland.  This included a pick 6 from sophomore cornerback Lo Wood.   This also was a rare turnover-free game for the Irish.

BOSTON COLLEGE:  Continuing their pattern of great play one week and poor play the next, the Irish struggled with poor field position all afternoon, but came up with the big plays when they needed to…and ONLY when they needed to…and survived the Eagles 16-14…over a team that would finish with only 4 wins.  To his credit, all-ACC linebacker Luke Kuechly did make things difficult for the Irish and finished with 14 tackles and I, for one, was glad to hear he won’t be back next season as he chose to enter the NFL Draft.  The bummer, though, was that the win came at a price.  The solid Irish power halfback, Jonas Gray, injured his right knee in the game and was lost for the season.

STANFORD:  Well, I really didn’t expect the Irish to win this one, anyway.  They spotted the Cardinal an early 21-0 lead as golden boy Andrew Luck had a statement game and tore though the Irish Defense for 233 yards and 4 touchdowns on his way to a 28-14 win.  The Irish QB tandem of Rees and Andrew Hendrix actually combined to outdo Luck with 252 passing yards of their own (Hendrix came-on after Rees was injured) but they also threw 1 interception each and Hendrix had only 1 TD pass.  Luck could very-well be the best quarterback to come out of Stanford – a program which produced some good ones such as John Elway – and he is another player whom I won’t miss next year.  He is, in fact, expected to go to the Indy Colts with the first pick of the upcoming NFL draft.

FLORIDA STATE:  This game was a pisser.  Notre Dame went to the Champs Sports Bowl and ended what I thought would be a better season the same way they started the season out – by shooting themselves in the foot, repeatedly, and losing 18-14 to a team they had no business losing to.  With all due respect to the Seminoles, you were starting 4 freshmen on your injury-depleted O-line and your offense did not even start playing until the 3^rd quarter was almost over.  Be sure to thank Brian Kelly for allowing himself to be outcoached, and shuffling 2 quarterbacks in and out instead of having the balls to stick with one of them like he should have.  While you’re at it, Seminoles, be sure to also thank Andrew Hendrix for throwing an interception straight at Nigel Bradham (no Irish receivers were even close on that play) and giving you a short field to take the lead with…and finally, don’t forget to thank Michael Floyd for dropping what would have been a touchdown pass in the first half that bounced right off his hands at the 20 yard line like so many other passes have throughout his career…considering that, it was impressive he caught the one score he did catch in the 3^rd quarter after he juggled it.  I really can’t stand losing to Florida teams, either.  As awesome as it felt for the Irish to kick the Hurricane’s asses in last years’ Sun Bowl, that’s how shitty it felt to lose to the Semen-Holes this time.

So to wrap it up the Irish football season was, overall, disappointing.  This Irish team came into 2011 loaded from top to bottom with one of the best receivers in the country,  a solid and experienced O-line, a good stable of high-potential quarterbacks and running backs and a good defense with just enough star players to make at least 10 wins and a BCS appearance happen…AT LEAST!  The problem is, they didn’t.  They were not consistent on offense at quarterback, in-particular, and special teams were not solid save for 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns by George Atkinson III.  What’s worse, they will lose a good group of senior players which include some good O-linemen, a good running back in Jonas Gray, a handful of good defensive players including most of their secondary and of course, one of their best receivers ever in Michael Floyd.  I will credit Floyd for this much; he did redeem himself after making some poor choices and getting arrested 3 times for alcohol-related offenses throughout his career, but he held it together for his last season and finished without such incident.  He also finished his impressive career in the ND record books with: 271 receptions, 3,686 receiving yards, 17 games with at least 100 yards receiving and 37 touchdown receptions – all #1 in those categories and a few others, as well…but I’m sorry to say I will remember him for being less than sure-handed despite all that.  He had many instances of the dropsies throughout his career – he’d better fix that problem if he wants to succeed in the NFL.  I wish him well with that.  I also wish Dayne Crist well.  After Coach Kelly pushed him down the bench after one poor half of play in one game, Crist has transferred to the Kansas Jayhawks to play one more year…and he will be reunited with their new head coach in Charlie Weis, who recruited Crist to Notre Dame…I wish you well, Dayne, and you certainly deserved better.  It is encouraging, though, that both linebacker Manti Te’o and Tight End Tyler Eifert have both announced that they will come back for their senior year...you will both be needed.

One other comment for Coach Kelly – you don’t do yourself or your team any favors by making rude comments about the players you recruited vs. the players you didn’t.  Try using your head before you use your mouth next time.  Good teams need unity.  Good luck with your recruiting – sounds like the incoming class could be another good one if you can hold them to their commitments.

As for my other teams and how they did:

MONTANA GRIZZLIES: After an uncharacteristically off-year, the Griz bounced back and are among the FCS elite once again.  They finished 11-3 and made it to the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs before they lost to then-undefeated and top-ranked Sam Houston State by a field goal…Sam Houston went on to lose to the new FCS champion in North Dakota State just yesterday…by the way, does anyone remember Nate Montana?  He was a Notre Dame backup who transferred to my Griz for a chance to play more…too bad he didn’t get that chance.  He didn’t get above 3^rd string there, either.  Oh, well.

NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS: Their first year in the Big Ten wasn’t entirely disappointing, but I’d have liked to see them at least compete with both Michigan and Wisconsin and not get beaten by Northwestern.  They missed their chance at a 10-win season when they lost the Capital One Bowl to South Carolina, but there’s no shame in losing to a good SEC school when 2 teams from that conference are playing for the national championship…I have mixed feelings about that, too, though.   The Huskers STILL need a better passing game.

COLORADO STATE RAMS:  POOH!  Yet another 3 win season for my once-good-but-now-lowly Rams and Coach Steve Fairchild was fired for it.  The reins have now been turned over to Jim McElwain who was the Offensive Coordinator for Alabama.  We’ll see if he can do any better.  Good luck, coach…and good luck to my brother who recently moved to Fort Collins to start a new life with his lady friend in Irish Shu’s former stomping grounds.  Go get ‘em baby bro!

CUSTER COUNTY COWBOYS: my hometown high school team came into the season as the defending state champions in their class.  I thought it might be a rebuilding year as they turned to a sophomore quarterback with no experience, but he did pretty well, considering, and so did the team as they made it all the way to the state semifinals before losing to Billings Central – a team they run into about every year in the playoffs, it seems.  Good year for the Cowboys, nonetheless.

WHEW!  Long blog and overdue, as well.  Fellow You Gabbers: You all have an awesome 2012!  I’ll keep reading your works…Take care, all.

Comments?(4)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!..Albeit a bit late.  I’ve been busy.  Shut up.

Notre Dame's football season came to a close a week or so ago, so once again it's time for Irish Shu to look back at their season.  In the last edition I recapped the first 6 games, so now I'll review the last 7 including the bowl game…get ready for a bit of stone-casting, because I am NOT pleased…

SOUTHERN CAL:  Christ, Irish, you had just trounced a decent Air Force team, and then had a bye week to prepare for a Trojan team you proved last year you could beat, and what did you do?  You shat the bed!  That’s what you did.  It was the first night game played at Notre Dame stadium in 21 years and the spotlight proved too bright for them as it ended in a 31-17 loss to the Condoms.  They spotted said Prophylactics a 17-0 lead early before George Atkinson III scored for the second time this year on a kickoff return to put a spark into the Irish and start a comeback.  The momentum carried into the second half when QB Tommy Rees got hurt, giving way for Dayne Crist to go in and have his chance to prove to his coach that he should have been the starter all-along…and he almost did.  Crist completed 4 of 5 passes and drove the Irish to the USC 1 yard line and then…lightening struck.  Instead of punching-in for the score that would have tied the game, Crist fumbled and Rubber safety Jawanza Starling scooped-up the loose ball and ran it back for a French Tickler touchdown that stole the game from ND a-la South Florida.  USC dominated with nearly twice the yardage and possession time, as well as 0 turnovers to Notre Dame’s 3.  In his post-game interview, Pecker Tarp quarterback Matt Barkley might have provided the Irish with some good bulletin board material for next year when he said that the Irish quit on them and let them win after that fumble return…the only problem with that statement being used as motivation is this: he was right. 

Now, as a few of you know, I have always claimed to be as loyal an Irish fan as there is…but even I found myself saying “fuck it” after this one.  The rest of the season just wasn’t all that enjoyable for me after this loss…but, the season went on so I will, too.

NAVY: The Irish needed to bounce back after the loss to the Sheep Skins and they certainly did in a 56-14 trouncing of the Midshipmen.  Notre Dame scored on 5 of its first 6 offensive possessions and cruised against a Navy team that has given them problems in recent years with their option attack…and this in spite of the fact that the Irish turned the ball over twice.  Tommy Rees had a pretty good day going 16 of 22 for 227 yards, but it was the running backs that had a career day here as Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray scored 5 rushing TD’s between them.  Receiver Michael Floyd chipped-in with one rushing and one receiving TD of his own.

WAKE FOREST:  Notre Dame continued to roll in a hard-fought 24-17 win over a pretty good Demon Deacon team that had just beaten a ranked Florida State team a couple weeks prior.  The Irish were somewhat depleted with injuries, but the defense nutted-up as Wake Forest had the ball at or inside the Notre Dame 10 twice in the second half while down by a touchdown -- and came away with no points.  The Irish O was pretty balanced with 341 total years almost 50/50 between the run and pass…but they still turned the ball over twice in the win.

MARYLAND:  The GOOD Irish team showed-up for this one in a “home” game that took place only 20 miles from Maryland’s campus and trounced the lowly Terrapins 45-21…but, then, it’s easy for a team to show it’s best when they’re facing an opponent that finished with only 2 wins on the year.  Regardless, the workout was good as the Irish O hung over 500 yards and 6 touchdowns on Maryland.  This included a pick 6 from sophomore cornerback Lo Wood.   This also was a rare turnover-free game for the Irish.

BOSTON COLLEGE:  Continuing their pattern of great play one week and poor play the next, the Irish struggled with poor field position all afternoon, but came up with the big plays when they needed to…and ONLY when they needed to…and survived the Eagles 16-14…over a team that would finish with only 4 wins.  To his credit, all-ACC linebacker Luke Kuechly did make things difficult for the Irish and finished with 14 tackles and I, for one, was glad to hear he won’t be back next season as he chose to enter the NFL Draft.  The bummer, though, was that the win came at a price.  The solid Irish power halfback, Jonas Gray, injured his right knee in the game and was lost for the season.

STANFORD:  Well, I really didn’t expect the Irish to win this one, anyway.  They spotted the Cardinal an early 21-0 lead as golden boy Andrew Luck had a statement game and tore though the Irish Defense for 233 yards and 4 touchdowns on his way to a 28-14 win.  The Irish QB tandem of Rees and Andrew Hendrix actually combined to outdo Luck with 252 passing yards of their own (Hendrix came-on after Rees was injured) but they also threw 1 interception each and Hendrix had only 1 TD pass.  Luck could very-well be the best quarterback to come out of Stanford – a program which produced some good ones such as John Elway – and he is another player whom I won’t miss next year.  He is, in fact, expected to go to the Indy Colts with the first pick of the upcoming NFL draft.

FLORIDA STATE:  This game was a pisser.  Notre Dame went to the Champs Sports Bowl and ended what I thought would be a better season the same way they started the season out – by shooting themselves in the foot, repeatedly, and losing 18-14 to a team they had no business losing to.  With all due respect to the Seminoles, you were starting 4 freshmen on your injury-depleted O-line and your offense did not even start playing until the 3^rd quarter was almost over.  Be sure to thank Brian Kelly for allowing himself to be outcoached, and shuffling 2 quarterbacks in and out instead of having the balls to stick with one of them like he should have.  While you’re at it, Seminoles, be sure to also thank Andrew Hendrix for throwing an interception straight at Nigel Bradham (no Irish receivers were even close on that play) and giving you a short field to take the lead with…and finally, don’t forget to thank Michael Floyd for dropping what would have been a touchdown pass in the first half that bounced right off his hands at the 20 yard line like so many other passes have throughout his career…considering that, it was impressive he caught the one score he did catch in the 3^rd quarter after he juggled it.  I really can’t stand losing to Florida teams, either.  As awesome as it felt for the Irish to kick the Hurricane’s asses in last years’ Sun Bowl, that’s how shitty it felt to lose to the Semen-Holes this time.

So to wrap it up the Irish football season was, overall, disappointing.  This Irish team came into 2011 loaded from top to bottom with one of the best receivers in the country,  a solid and experienced O-line, a good stable of high-potential quarterbacks and running backs and a good defense with just enough star players to make at least 10 wins and a BCS appearance happen…AT LEAST!  The problem is, they didn’t.  They were not consistent on offense at quarterback, in-particular, and special teams were not solid save for 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns by George Atkinson III.  What’s worse, they will lose a good group of senior players which include some good O-linemen, a good running back in Jonas Gray, a handful of good defensive players including most of their secondary and of course, one of their best receivers ever in Michael Floyd.  I will credit Floyd for this much; he did redeem himself after making some poor choices and getting arrested 3 times for alcohol-related offenses throughout his career, but he held it together for his last season and finished without such incident.  He also finished his impressive career in the ND record books with: 271 receptions, 3,686 receiving yards, 17 games with at least 100 yards receiving and 37 touchdown receptions – all #1 in those categories and a few others, as well…but I’m sorry to say I will remember him for being less than sure-handed despite all that.  He had many instances of the dropsies throughout his career – he’d better fix that problem if he wants to succeed in the NFL.  I wish him well with that.  I also wish Dayne Crist well.  After Coach Kelly pushed him down the bench after one poor half of play in one game, Crist has transferred to the Kansas Jayhawks to play one more year…and he will be reunited with their new head coach in Charlie Weis, who recruited Crist to Notre Dame…I wish you well, Dayne, and you certainly deserved better.  It is encouraging, though, that both linebacker Manti Te’o and Tight End Tyler Eifert have both announced that they will come back for their senior year...you will both be needed.

One other comment for Coach Kelly – you don’t do yourself or your team any favors by making rude comments about the players you recruited vs. the players you didn’t.  Try using your head before you use your mouth next time.  Good teams need unity.  Good luck with your recruiting – sounds like the incoming class could be another good one if you can hold them to their commitments.

As for my other teams and how they did:

MONTANA GRIZZLIES: After an uncharacteristically off-year, the Griz bounced back and are among the FCS elite once again.  They finished 11-3 and made it to the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs before they lost to then-undefeated and top-ranked Sam Houston State by a field goal…Sam Houston went on to lose to the new FCS champion in North Dakota State just yesterday…by the way, does anyone remember Nate Montana?  He was a Notre Dame backup who transferred to my Griz for a chance to play more…too bad he didn’t get that chance.  He didn’t get above 3^rd string there, either.  Oh, well.

NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS: Their first year in the Big Ten wasn’t entirely disappointing, but I’d have liked to see them at least compete with both Michigan and Wisconsin and not get beaten by Northwestern.  They missed their chance at a 10-win season when they lost the Capital One Bowl to South Carolina, but there’s no shame in losing to a good SEC school when 2 teams from that conference are playing for the national championship…I have mixed feelings about that, too, though.   The Huskers STILL need a better passing game.

COLORADO STATE RAMS:  POOH!  Yet another 3 win season for my once-good-but-now-lowly Rams and Coach Steve Fairchild was fired for it.  The reins have now been turned over to Jim McElwain who was the Offensive Coordinator for Alabama.  We’ll see if he can do any better.  Good luck, coach…and good luck to my brother who recently moved to Fort Collins to start a new life with his lady friend in Irish Shu’s former stomping grounds.  Go get ‘em baby bro!

CUSTER COUNTY COWBOYS: my hometown high school team came into the season as the defending state champions in their class.  I thought it might be a rebuilding year as they turned to a sophomore quarterback with no experience, but he did pretty well, considering, and so did the team as they made it all the way to the state semifinals before losing to Billings Central – a team they run into about every year in the playoffs, it seems.  Good year for the Cowboys, nonetheless.

WHEW!  Long blog and overdue, as well.  Fellow You Gabbers: You all have an awesome 2012!  I’ll keep reading your works…Take care, all.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!..Albeit a bit late.  I’ve been busy.  Shut up.

Notre Dame's football season came to a close a week or so ago, so once again it's time for Irish Shu to look back at their season.  In the last edition I recapped the first 6 games, so now I'll review the last 7 including the bowl game…get ready for a bit of stone-casting, because I am NOT pleased…

SOUTHERN CAL:  Christ, Irish, you had just trounced a decent Air Force team, and then had a bye week to prepare for a Trojan team you proved last year you could beat, and what did you do?  You shat the bed!  That’s what you did.  It was the first night game played at Notre Dame stadium in 21 years and the spotlight proved too bright for them as it ended in a 31-17 loss to the Condoms.  They spotted said Prophylactics a 17-0 lead early before George Atkinson III scored for the second time this year on a kickoff return to put a spark into the Irish and start a comeback.  The momentum carried into the second half when QB Tommy Rees got hurt, giving way for Dayne Crist to go in and have his chance to prove to his coach that he should have been the starter all-along…and he almost did.  Crist completed 4 of 5 passes and drove the Irish to the USC 1 yard line and then…lightening struck.  Instead of punching-in for the score that would have tied the game, Crist fumbled and Rubber safety Jawanza Starling scooped-up the loose ball and ran it back for a French Tickler touchdown that stole the game from ND a-la South Florida.  USC dominated with nearly twice the yardage and possession time, as well as 0 turnovers to Notre Dame’s 3.  In his post-game interview, Pecker Tarp quarterback Matt Barkley might have provided the Irish with some good bulletin board material for next year when he said that the Irish quit on them and let them win after that fumble return…the only problem with that statement being used as motivation is this: he was right. 

Now, as a few of you know, I have always claimed to be as loyal an Irish fan as there is…but even I found myself saying “fuck it” after this one.  The rest of the season just wasn’t all that enjoyable for me after this loss…but, the season went on so I will, too.

NAVY: The Irish needed to bounce back after the loss to the Sheep Skins and they certainly did in a 56-14 trouncing of the Midshipmen.  Notre Dame scored on 5 of its first 6 offensive possessions and cruised against a Navy team that has given them problems in recent years with their option attack…and this in spite of the fact that the Irish turned the ball over twice.  Tommy Rees had a pretty good day going 16 of 22 for 227 yards, but it was the running backs that had a career day here as Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray scored 5 rushing TD’s between them.  Receiver Michael Floyd chipped-in with one rushing and one receiving TD of his own.

WAKE FOREST:  Notre Dame continued to roll in a hard-fought 24-17 win over a pretty good Demon Deacon team that had just beaten a ranked Florida State team a couple weeks prior.  The Irish were somewhat depleted with injuries, but the defense nutted-up as Wake Forest had the ball at or inside the Notre Dame 10 twice in the second half while down by a touchdown -- and came away with no points.  The Irish O was pretty balanced with 341 total years almost 50/50 between the run and pass…but they still turned the ball over twice in the win.

MARYLAND:  The GOOD Irish team showed-up for this one in a “home” game that took place only 20 miles from Maryland’s campus and trounced the lowly Terrapins 45-21…but, then, it’s easy for a team to show it’s best when they’re facing an opponent that finished with only 2 wins on the year.  Regardless, the workout was good as the Irish O hung over 500 yards and 6 touchdowns on Maryland.  This included a pick 6 from sophomore cornerback Lo Wood.   This also was a rare turnover-free game for the Irish.

BOSTON COLLEGE:  Continuing their pattern of great play one week and poor play the next, the Irish struggled with poor field position all afternoon, but came up with the big plays when they needed to…and ONLY when they needed to…and survived the Eagles 16-14…over a team that would finish with only 4 wins.  To his credit, all-ACC linebacker Luke Kuechly did make things difficult for the Irish and finished with 14 tackles and I, for one, was glad to hear he won’t be back next season as he chose to enter the NFL Draft.  The bummer, though, was that the win came at a price.  The solid Irish power halfback, Jonas Gray, injured his right knee in the game and was lost for the season.

STANFORD:  Well, I really didn’t expect the Irish to win this one, anyway.  They spotted the Cardinal an early 21-0 lead as golden boy Andrew Luck had a statement game and tore though the Irish Defense for 233 yards and 4 touchdowns on his way to a 28-14 win.  The Irish QB tandem of Rees and Andrew Hendrix actually combined to outdo Luck with 252 passing yards of their own (Hendrix came-on after Rees was injured) but they also threw 1 interception each and Hendrix had only 1 TD pass.  Luck could very-well be the best quarterback to come out of Stanford – a program which produced some good ones such as John Elway – and he is another player whom I won’t miss next year.  He is, in fact, expected to go to the Indy Colts with the first pick of the upcoming NFL draft.

FLORIDA STATE:  This game was a pisser.  Notre Dame went to the Champs Sports Bowl and ended what I thought would be a better season the same way they started the season out – by shooting themselves in the foot, repeatedly, and losing 18-14 to a team they had no business losing to.  With all due respect to the Seminoles, you were starting 4 freshmen on your injury-depleted O-line and your offense did not even start playing until the 3^rd quarter was almost over.  Be sure to thank Brian Kelly for allowing himself to be outcoached, and shuffling 2 quarterbacks in and out instead of having the balls to stick with one of them like he should have.  While you’re at it, Seminoles, be sure to also thank Andrew Hendrix for throwing an interception straight at Nigel Bradham (no Irish receivers were even close on that play) and giving you a short field to take the lead with…and finally, don’t forget to thank Michael Floyd for dropping what would have been a touchdown pass in the first half that bounced right off his hands at the 20 yard line like so many other passes have throughout his career…considering that, it was impressive he caught the one score he did catch in the 3^rd quarter after he juggled it.  I really can’t stand losing to Florida teams, either.  As awesome as it felt for the Irish to kick the Hurricane’s asses in last years’ Sun Bowl, that’s how shitty it felt to lose to the Semen-Holes this time.

So to wrap it up the Irish football season was, overall, disappointing.  This Irish team came into 2011 loaded from top to bottom with one of the best receivers in the country,  a solid and experienced O-line, a good stable of high-potential quarterbacks and running backs and a good defense with just enough star players to make at least 10 wins and a BCS appearance happen…AT LEAST!  The problem is, they didn’t.  They were not consistent on offense at quarterback, in-particular, and special teams were not solid save for 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns by George Atkinson III.  What’s worse, they will lose a good group of senior players which include some good O-linemen, a good running back in Jonas Gray, a handful of good defensive players including most of their secondary and of course, one of their best receivers ever in Michael Floyd.  I will credit Floyd for this much; he did redeem himself after making some poor choices and getting arrested 3 times for alcohol-related offenses throughout his career, but he held it together for his last season and finished without such incident.  He also finished his impressive career in the ND record books with: 271 receptions, 3,686 receiving yards, 17 games with at least 100 yards receiving and 37 touchdown receptions – all #1 in those categories and a few others, as well…but I’m sorry to say I will remember him for being less than sure-handed despite all that.  He had many instances of the dropsies throughout his career – he’d better fix that problem if he wants to succeed in the NFL.  I wish him well with that.  I also wish Dayne Crist well.  After Coach Kelly pushed him down the bench after one poor half of play in one game, Crist has transferred to the Kansas Jayhawks to play one more year…and he will be reunited with their new head coach in Charlie Weis, who recruited Crist to Notre Dame…I wish you well, Dayne, and you certainly deserved better.  It is encouraging, though, that both linebacker Manti Te’o and Tight End Tyler Eifert have both announced that they will come back for their senior year...you will both be needed.

One other comment for Coach Kelly – you don’t do yourself or your team any favors by making rude comments about the players you recruited vs. the players you didn’t.  Try using your head before you use your mouth next time.  Good teams need unity.  Good luck with your recruiting – sounds like the incoming class could be another good one if you can hold them to their commitments.

As for my other teams and how they did:

MONTANA GRIZZLIES: After an uncharacteristically off-year, the Griz bounced back and are among the FCS elite once again.  They finished 11-3 and made it to the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs before they lost to then-undefeated and top-ranked Sam Houston State by a field goal…Sam Houston went on to lose to the new FCS champion in North Dakota State just yesterday…by the way, does anyone remember Nate Montana?  He was a Notre Dame backup who transferred to my Griz for a chance to play more…too bad he didn’t get that chance.  He didn’t get above 3^rd string there, either.  Oh, well.

NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS: Their first year in the Big Ten wasn’t entirely disappointing, but I’d have liked to see them at least compete with both Michigan and Wisconsin and not get beaten by Northwestern.  They missed their chance at a 10-win season when they lost the Capital One Bowl to South Carolina, but there’s no shame in losing to a good SEC school when 2 teams from that conference are playing for the national championship…I have mixed feelings about that, too, though.   The Huskers STILL need a better passing game.

COLORADO STATE RAMS:  POOH!  Yet another 3 win season for my once-good-but-now-lowly Rams and Coach Steve Fairchild was fired for it.  The reins have now been turned over to Jim McElwain who was the Offensive Coordinator for Alabama.  We’ll see if he can do any better.  Good luck, coach…and good luck to my brother who recently moved to Fort Collins to start a new life with his lady friend in Irish Shu’s former stomping grounds.  Go get ‘em baby bro!

CUSTER COUNTY COWBOYS: my hometown high school team came into the season as the defending state champions in their class.  I thought it might be a rebuilding year as they turned to a sophomore quarterback with no experience, but he did pretty well, considering, and so did the team as they made it all the way to the state semifinals before losing to Billings Central – a team they run into about every year in the playoffs, it seems.  Good year for the Cowboys, nonetheless.

WHEW!  Long blog and overdue, as well.  Fellow You Gabbers: You all have an awesome 2012!  I’ll keep reading your works…Take care, all.

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Once again, Greetings fellow You Gabbers!...and just like that, the 2011 college football season is now half-over. 

It is now time for Irish Shu to look back and assess how things have gone thus far for my beloved Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

The short version?...they’re a step down from where I predicted they would be at this point as far as results are concerned, but they’re right about where I expected them to be as far as progress, execution and gelling-together.  I had predicted they’d be at 1 loss right now and they’re at 2.  They could just as easily be an undefeated team right now if only they’d had their shit together when they came-out of the gate….I know, I know, “and if the queen had balls she could just as easily be the king.”  Whatever.  The breaks happen as they do and it is what it is…okay, that’s enough clichés for now.

Looking at it game by game:

SOUTH FLORIDA:  I was, indeed,  nervous about this game…and for good reason, as it turned out.  The Irish had a tough first test against Coach Skip Holtz (aka Lou Jr.) and a Bulls team that was a favorite to win the Big East crown.  The game was twice interrupted by the stadium being evacuated due to lightening storms which was a bad omen in itself.  On top of that the Irish struck their own thunder by committing 5 turnovers to South Florida’s 0 – the most costly of which came on ND’s opening drive when running back Jonas Gray fumbled while driving to the end zone and USF’s Kayvon Webster scooped up the loose ball and ran 96 yards for a score that would set the tone for the rest of the game which ended in a stunning 23-20 Irish loss.  Ironically, Notre Dame finished the game with double the total yardage of South Florida…an advantage nullified by those costly turnovers as well as an inability to finish drives on offense.  A quarterback switch from starter Dayne Crist to Tommy Rees did not help the outcome and it is still baffling, to me, that Crist lost the starting role after playing only one half and never got it back.

MICHIGAN:  ACK!!!  Notre Dame beat Michigan’s asses up and down the field nearly all game long and dominated in both time of possession and total yardage only to lose 35-31 to the honey badgers...er, I mean Wolverines because they just didn’t give a shit! (kidding – that reference is for the Beeze – he’ll get it!).  No, it was because of the damn turnovers, again.  The Irish had 5 in this game to Michigan’s 3…and they almost won, anyway, but the defense forgot to finish the damn game and let quarterback Denard Robinson drive for 80 yards in just 3 plays and 28 seconds to score the winning TD with just 2 seconds left in the game.  Dipshits!  FINISH THE DAMN GAME NEXT TIME!  ASSHOLES!!!  I hate losing to Meat Chicken, can you tell?

MICHIGAN STATE:  The only thing that would have pissed me off more than losing to Meat Chicken would be losing to Sparty in the same season…fortunately, that didn’t happen.  Notre Dame FINALLY got it together and beat the Spartans 31-13.  NOT an easy team to have to bounce-back against but despite 3 turnovers and a pretty good day by State senior QB Kirk Cousins, they got it done.  This time, it was Sparty who got snake bit as they had a better game than the Irish, statistically (except in the running game – they only had 29 yards which is well-short of what is typical for them), but were also done-in by penalties and 2 turnovers; the more costly of which was an interception by cornerback Robert Blanton who returned it 82 yards to the Michigan State 12 with under 4 minutes left to seal the win.  Another helpful big play was an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from freshman running back George Atkinson III.  Again, this was a much-needed win against a team which, at this writing, is ranked #15, is fresh-off a win over the same honey badgers that beat the Irish in Ann Arbor (and just didn't give a shit), and has not lost a game yet to anyone other than the Irish.

PITTSBURGH:  This was another game I was nervous about because it was on the road against a pretty good Pitt team that I thought would go in very motivated to make a good showing for Tony Dorsett and John Majors – 2 Pitt icons who walked out of the tunnel with the team at the start of the game.  Pitt did put-up a pretty solid fight, but lost 15-12 to an Irish team that really didn’t put it together until they needed to.  A 4^th quarter drive by Tommy Rees that saw him go 8 for 8 and finish with TD and 2-point throws, both to tight end Tyler Eifert was nearly the only successful drive he could put together against a Pitt defense that came-in with the nation’s 119^th-ranked pass defense.  Other than that, a second-quarter, 79-yard scoring run by Jonas Gray were the only big plays the Irish offense could muster…but as it turned-out, it was all they needed.  The Irish defense did the rest as they kept Pitt running back Ray Graham in-check and held Pitt to just 12 points.  Credit Rees for this much though; Pitt’s D keyed on the great Irish receiver Michael Floyd and double-teamed him throughout thus limiting him to 4 catches for the game, but Rees grew-up and managed to find his other receivers when he couldn’t find Floyd.  The Irish win also came in spite of 2 turnovers to Pitt’s 0…it also peaked my interest that, 5 nights after this game, this same Pittsburgh team bounced-back and THROTTLED by a 44-17 score the same South Florida team that beat the Irish in their opener.  College football is, indeed, strange sometimes.

PURDUE:  Despite this game being at Ross-Aide, I didn’t think the Irish would have much trouble with Purdue and, indeed, they did not.  Simply put, Notre Dame’s offense really started to peak in this game, the defense played as-usual, and they simply had too much talent for the Boilermakers as they dominated in a 38-10 rout that easily could have been even more lopsided than it turned out.  The biggest improvement was that they FINALLY managed to finish a game without turning the ball over.  Rees finished one of his better games 24 of 39 for 254 yards and 3 touchdowns as he picked-apart a Purdue D unit that couldn’t contain the Irish receivers.

AIR FORCE:  The backs of the odd-numbered Air Force players’ jerseys say “service” above the numbers instead of the player’s last name.  The backs of the even-numbered players say “freedom”.  We certainly thank ALL of our military personnel for both their service and our freedom…but after this game, the backs of the Falcon’s asses had a huge footprint on them.  59 to 33 – the most combined points ever scored in a game at Notre Dame Stadium in a game that showed just what the Irish offense can do at full potential.  7 Irish players scored touchdowns in this game and, for the second game in a row, the Irish did not turn the ball over.  There was some bad news despite the rout – the Irish defense let the Air Force option attack torch them for 363 rushing yards, most of those coming around the ends…something that future opponents will take note of.  The Irish did throw-in a new wrinkle; that of sophomore quarterback Andrew Hendrix and his ability to run…and he did that for 111 yards and almost a touchdown in change-of-pace duty.  The reason I originally predicted this game as a loss is because I thought the Irish D would not be up to the task of shutting down the option…well, they weren’t, but luckily the Irish O was clicking on all cylinders to more than pick up the slack.

So, now that the first 6 games are in the books we look ahead to the remaining games that come after the bye week.  The 2 upcoming games against the Pac 12 opponents in USC and Stanford appear to be the toughest…not that there aren’t some other teams there that couldn’t bite them, too. 

My big concern is with special teams.  George Atkinson III has been a pleasant surprise on some kickoffs, but there has been little to celebrate other than him.  Punt returns have been poorly handled if handled at all.  Michael Floyd has stepped into the job, but hasn’t taken off with it yet.  And what’s up with David Ruffer???  The guy came into the season as a Lou Groza Award semifinalist after going 18 for 19 on field goals last year and now he’s only made half of his attempts this year.  We’ll see if he can right the ship.

Team health, however, has been a bright spot as injuries have been minimal – a sprain here, a bruise there and not much else.  Let’s hope that keeps up.

We’ll see how the rest of the season plays-out.  GO IRISH!!!

PS I gotta hand it to B.O.B. – on my last blog when I predicted how my Montana Grizzlies would do, he said “look out for Sacramento State!” He was right.  The Hornets have handed the Griz their only Big Sky Conference loss so far and they may make more noise in that league yet.  We shall see.

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Yep, it's that time!  Irish Shu is ready to rock on fall Saturdays with the arrival of college football and I now offer my annual preview of my beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish...but first, a brief digression:

Those who know me best know that I couldn't care less about baseball...but if it involves a team of 12- and 13-year-old boys from my home state of Montana kicking ass in the Little League World Series, you bet I'm gonna give a shit!  With that in mind, I offer a belated CONGRATULATIONS to the boys from Billings for giving us the greatest-ever showing for any team from the Big Sky state!  They not only qualified for the LLWS, they beat the teams from South Dakota, Louisiana and then the eventual series champ from California before the Cali team came back in the losers bracket to win a revenge game against them in the National Championship.  Way to go, boys!!!  You may not have won it all, but you sure done us proud!  Thank you.

…Onto the business at hand now.

Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly now enters his 2^nd year at the helm of the Irish.  Last year certainly had it’s trials for him:  new team, new schedule, and a new system.  Season-ending Injuries to key personnel such as quarterback Dayne Crist, running back Armando Allen Jr. and tight end Kyle Rudolph didn’t help, nor did the death of student videographer Declan Sullivan in a scissor lift accident during practice…but Kelly managed to right the ship after the tragedy and guide the team to a 4-win finish to the season, including a Sun Bowl win against Miami – a team which, as we know, is having some pretty severe problems of it’s own these days.  I think Kelly has the team going the right way for a great year.  They’ve had a year to get acclimated to his system and his staff and there was an upswing of momentum after the Tulsa loss which followed the Sullivan tragedy.  The biggest factor in that upswing was the defense – the unit really came into it’s own and held the last 4 opponents to just 39 points (just under 10 points per game), including only 3 to a Utah team that averaged 33 points per game and finished its season with 10 wins and that was no fluke...speaking of which:

Defense:  Loaded.  8 starters return on the unit that, as I said, really improved as last season evolved.  The one you hear about most is linebacker Manti Te’o who had 133 tackles last year….but you cannot overlook 5^th year senior safety Harrison Smith who was a particularly solid player, as well.  Smith is a hard hitter, a sure tackler, and he saved the Irish at USC last year with a game winning interception and then picked off 3 more passes against Miami in the Sun Bowl.  The Irish are lucky he came back and was granted one more year, because they’ll need him back there.  His fellow secondary starters are good and have experience, but there is not much depth behind them which is what the critics are picking-on.  The remaining linebackers and the D-line are a plus, as well…it would take some space for me to list all the good players in those areas (and my pal, the Beeze already named a bunch of them in his preview) but suffice it to say there are a bunch of them.  They are good, big, strong, fast, and they have depth.

Offense:  Pretty loaded, as well.  They return 9 starters including the quarterback and pretty-much all of the receivers.  It’s very encouraging to me that the Irish have 2 quarterbacks with a good amount of starting experience returning…and as I’ve said in a previous blog, I don’t remember the last time the Irish had THAT going for them.  Dayne Crist won-out as the starter ahead of Tommy Rees despite cries from the public that Rees was 4-0 as the starter and Crist was 4-5 before he got injured…but those numbers are deceiving.  Not that Rees wasn’t good, but it was the improving Irish D that was the difference in his wins.  Statistically, Rees did have the slightly-higher completion percentage of 61% to Crist’s 59% but Crist threw fewer interceptions in 9 games (7) than Rees threw in 4 (8).  Also, Crist is overall more athletic and, as the more experienced senior, is a better leader.  The receivers are one of the best groups in the nation.  Michael Floyd is the leader and will finish his senior year as the BEST receiver Notre Dame has ever had…provided he stays healthy and avoids the booze.  Despite a somewhat injury-plagued career, Floyd has 171 catches for 2,539 yards and 28 touchdowns.  He needs only 9 more catches to break Jeff Samardzija’s record for most career catches and only 169 more yards to break Golden Tate’s record for career yards.  Playing along with him will be speedy T.J. Jones and Tight End Tyler Eifert, who was a pleasant surprise after Rudolph went down with his hamstring injury.  The Irish did lose a couple O-Linemen to graduation, but the ones they have coming back got a good amount of playing time last year and are seasoned.  The weak spot?  Running back.  Gone from last year are Allen and power back Robert Hughes.  Back this year are Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray.  Both Wood and Gray got in a few snaps last year but don’t have a ton of experience.  There are only a couple underclassmen behind them, though return specialist Theo Riddick, a converted receiver, is an option to go back to the backfield if injuries warrant it.  My feeling is that IF Wood can stay healthy; the moment is his to seize.  Behind that O-line he could break out and do surprisingly well.

Special teams:  The Irish were very good last year and could do even better this year.  Lou Groza Award semifinalist David Ruffer is back after going 18 for 19 in field goals last year.  Frosh Kyle Brindza will lend another strong leg for punting and kickoff duties, and the return specialist, Riddick, is the fastest man on the team and is poised for a breakout year.

With that, let us now get to my game-by-game predictions in the traditional poetic form.

Ahem:

9/3 vs. South Florida:

Lou’s son Skip is back in town.  In the Big East, Bulls contend.  BJ Daniels is a good QB, but won’t win in South Bend.

Irish win…but it may be close.  This is a tough team to have to open against.

9/10 at Michigan:

The first night game in the Big House.  Retro unis, too.  Denard Robinson is prepped to run, but coach Brady Hoke’s too new.

Irish win.

9/17 vs. Michigan State:

Kirk Cousins is back once more.  He’s made it tough, indeed!  The problem is, he’s all Sparty now has….and he’s NOT all they need.

Irish win.

9/24 at Pitt:

Wannstedt, Baldwin, and Lewis are gone, but they still have Tino Sunseri.  Todd Graham takes over a rebuilding program…of the Irish, I’d be leery (or “Larry”, depending on how you pronounce the kid’s name.  I can’t tell).

Anyway, Irish win.

10/1 at Purdue:

Purdue just ain’t been the same since Joe Tiller left the place.  Danny Hope sure ain’t no Joe….but he’s got to save some face.

He won’t – Irish win.

10/8 vs. Air Force:

The reigning Commander-in-chief winner is awesome with the run.  ND is due for a snakebite, hate to say it, but this is the one.

Falcons win…hope I’m wrong, though.

10/22 vs. USC:

The Irish will have had a bye, and time to heal from the Air Force loss.  SC is not what they once were, and ND will be the boss.

Irish win.

10/29 vs. Navy:

Like Air Force, Navy loves to run.  The Middies have owned us of late.  But Irish will learn from the AF loss, and thus clean the Navy plate.

Irish win.

11/5 at Wake Forest:

The Deacons are table-scrap-feeders in the not-powerful ACC.  They’ve already lost game 1 to Syracuse…do you REALLY think they’ll beat ND?

Me neither.  Irish Win.  This one won’t even be close.

11/12 vs. Maryland @ FedEx Field in Landover, MD

The Terps are good and are near home, but the ACC won’t have prepared ‘em.  ND will have jelled and want the win more than Randy Edsall will have repaired ‘em.

Irish win.

11/19 vs. Boston College:

Montel Harris, the ‘Eags bright spot, is already on injured reserve.  ND was once BC’s lil bitch, but now the Irish do have the nerve.

Irish win.

11/26 at Stanford:

The Season finale’ at Palo Alto will see the Irish vie for a BCS bid.  They’ll face Heisman Finalist Andrew Luck, and he’s one helluva kid.

Cardinal win…again, would LOVE it if I’m wrong.

And then…

The Irish snag a BCS Bowl – and board a flight to battle.  They’ll save their best for their last game, and the opponent, they will rattle.

Irish win.

So, overall I have them winning about 10 (11 if they win the bowl game) and will get a BCS bowl ONLY if they win the 10…they could get bit by one other team such as Michigan State or USC, but I don’t think they’ll lose to both.  I say 9 wins at worst despite this year’s schedule being a bit tougher than last years’.

Other predictions:

Montana Grizzlies:  Nate Montana’s with the Griz…alas, he’s the 3^rd string..  The starting QB’s looking pretty good.  Big Sky?  They might win the thing.

Nebraska:  New year, new league for the Huskers - who are now in the Big 10.  They won 10 games last year in the Big 12; they may win 10 again.

Colorado State: the now's not good, beloved Rams, 2 players arrested to start.  Boise State is now a Mountain West foe – for much wins, you’ll need more than heart.

WELCOME BACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!  It’s about damn time!  WOO-HOO!!!

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