Congrats Domers!!!

Who's less effeminate?

UND and it's super-smart head coach have used their decided schematic advantage and nastiness to earn their way to the best bowl played on an island. Here are some fun facts about the upcoming game:

-The matchup forces me to break a promise I made to myself never to root for Hawaii
-The matchup with the Warriors will give Notre Dame its best chance to win a bowl game since Bill Clinton was in office
-Notre Dame's problem of playing in bowls that were out of their league, versus opponents whom they didn't deserve to be playing against, seems to have been solved...Well played, Manatee. You are playing precisely the quality of opponent you should be this post-season. Enjoy your trip, Domers!

Usually, I'm excited about Christmas Eve because I can't wait to open the present that J has bought for me...but this year, my anticipation for the next morning will be diverted as I get to watch two true college football powerhouses square off in Aloha Stadium!

Go Rainbows...errr...Rainbow Warriors...errr...Warriors!

ND Can Still Epically Fail Some More This Year

So it appears that Fat Charlie has gotten a reprieve (depending on how you look at it) and will be back to coach the Irish next season. It's, of course, funny to talk like that since the guy has another seven years on his existing contract. And I do still think there's the chance that he gets canned next week as UND has proven themsleves unscrupulous before and could very well be currently sniffing around discreetly for other candidates who won't a) turn them down (ahem, Urban!) or b) lie about their resume (ahem, George!).

Okay, though, assuming the Big Manatee is safe for another year, you might think it's time to put away the UND Haterade for the season because, really, what more can happen to them? Well, I have an answer for you.

Notre Dame currently -- eagerly -- awaits their bowl invite. And while we all wish nobody invites the mediocre 6-6 squad, you know somebody will. And Notre Dame will go and collect their paycheck.

One thing that's not often pointed out, though we try to do it as often as we can, is the fact that Notre Dame's last bowl victory came on January 1, 1994, when they eeked out a win over Texas A&M, 24-21. That was almost fifteen years ago, folks. I was in high school. Boilerdowd had hair. Tim was thin. I mean, it was a long time ago!

But that's not where they can set yet another mark in futility. No, we've heard loads about how this is the worst two-season stretch in UND history. But if UND loses their bowl game, they will drop to 6-7 on the season (after a 4-1 start, no less), which would be their second straight sub-.500 season. And do you know the last time that happened? 22 years ago, in '85 and '86, during the Gerry Faust to Lou Holtz transition.

Being able to compare any UND team to one from the Gerry Faust Era is fun, because Domers who remember Faust's teams almost vomit when you bring him up. Try it, it's fun! And a team run by such a schematic genius as Chuck Weis being compared to a Faust team, often considered the darkest period in UND history?

Well, that would just be a shravesty.

Notre Dame "Not That Far Away"

After UND got predictably hammered by USC on Saturday night, that was perhaps my favorite theme from a couple of the Domers. They're "not that far away." From what, we're not sure. From detonating the football program?

"Guys," said quarterback Jimmy Clausen, "we're not that far away."

"I really don't think we're that far away," echoed defensive end Pat Kuntz.

When a team is spouting meaningless comments like this and doing it in the glassy-eyed way that they must be doing it... well, your ship is sunk. The Notre Dame football program is a joke... and it's just wonderful to see. Sure, they've won more games this year than last, but you could argue the program has gone backwards.

This was supposed to be the year they made a HUGE step forward -- not a step to .500. Clausen is a sophomore, Golden Tate is supposed to be Superman, and the Domers had the 107th toughest schedule in the nation. Oh, and there's always that "decided schematic advantage."

If you haven't heard this already, that advantage led the Domers to not have a first down until the last play of the third quarter last night. They didn't cross the 50 until the fourth quarter. They had less than 100 yards of total offense. Pickles was 11 of 22 for 41 yards and two INTs. Read that one again. Yikes. But they're "not that far away." The fact that Clausen could say that to reporters after a stat line like that is just more evidence that Notre Dame football is a big, smelly mess. Does Jimmy actually believe that?

And what says The Big Manatee about this performance?

"I think one of the biggest aspects of today was whether we're going to play with passion and emotion," Weis said. "From the beginning of the game to the end of the game, we played with passion and emotion.

"Today, unlike last year (a 38-0 loss), when our guys got a little intimidated, I thought that wasn't the case at all here today."

No, your guys looked courageous.

I can't wait to go back to the archives and find all the arrogant posts by ND blogs about how Charlie was going to make us all pay for laughing... and how Charlie has a master plan, etc. Ha! Fat Charlie is a middling offensive coordinator when he has the right personnel. When he has to evaluate or develop talent, he's terrible. He's 9-15 since 2006. And he's probably out of a job.

Nasty!

Much like a certain president-elect, UND's Weis made some big statements before he even taken office...And much like Barry, he's been given another set of standards because of how handsome he looks in a suit; OK, nevermind, the simile isn't completely accurate. No matter, I'll continue.

Weis promised to make UND a Nasty team...He has succeeded. Here's how nasty they were on Saturday- They not only lost to a 2-win team...but they gave up a 10-point, fourth quarter lead...AND, they rushed for a total of 41 yards in 28 carries against the 109th-ranked rush defense in the NCAA. Heck, even the media now sees that Weis' team might not be Returning to Glory just yet.

So now, just as his book is titled, "No Excuses", it's time for Weis to simply do the right thing and stop making excuses. He needs to honor his contract, and stay there for the next seven years.

What? Were you expecting me to say that he needs to honor his alma mater, save them bags of cash, bail them out and step down? Come on! I'm not a proponent of the massive net the ever-growing federal government is laying out for everyone from credit card companies to auto companies under the guise of "helping out the market"...nor am I for the Manatee not holding UND's athletic department accountable for their nonsensical practice of signing big contracts and spending too much money for mediocre coaches. Hey, they'll never learn if you don't hold their feet to the fire.

Give 'em hell, you big beautiful genius!!

In the case that the Domers find the money to cut a check for Chuck's buyout, I definitely am an opponent of them hiring Lou Holtz! He's the perfect candidate- Like UND's football team, he's fair and objective, he's in his prime, completely lucid and understanding of the state of college football and stands for all that's right in college sports. Looooooooooouuuuuuuuuu!!!!!

Thanks for nothing, Mildcats.

I was kind of excited that a ranked Northwestern team would be hosting Purdue next week in Evanston. I thought, perhaps the 17-game streak versus ranked teams could end versus the over-rated Cats...Sadly, Northwestern predictably lost as soon as they faced a team with any nads...and proved what J said a few weeks ago- NU was the worst 5-0 Big Ten team ever...That's saying a lot; Purdue has been 5-0 quite a few times with teams that were simply hapless.

The good news is that Minnesota might be ranked since they have a bye week...they'll come into Ross-Ade 6-1 and will be favored as Purdue hosts them for homecoming. If (*read as "when") the losing streak continues v. Minnesota, Purdue's last chance to play a ranked opponent will come against MSU in East Lansing.

Let's all be real honest- All of Purdue's final six games are very winnable...Too bad only three will be victories for our Boilers...UNLESS SOMETHING CHANGES! Currently, our offense is a blend of horribly sad and hilarious. For those of you who love stats, dig this one- Purdue's offense scores an average of 4.5 points/game! Frickin' Great!

Here's how bad our Boilers currently are (the good news is it's a team effort):

-11th in scoring offense
-8th in pass offense
-11th in pass efficiency
-11th in rushing offense
-11th in red zone offense
-9th in time of possession
-11th in total offense
-11th in kickoff returns
-11th in punt returns
-11th in punting
-10th in field goals made
-11th in PAT kicking
-9th in turnover margin

Kudos to Wiggs...He hit a 53-yarder and nearly hit a 52-yarder...Sadly, this is what our offense has become. At least he looks angry at the ball when he kicks it.

Well-played, Tar Heels
UNC did as they were supposed to and beat a mediocre UND team on Saturday...Much like the other small, private school near Lake Michigan above, this Irish program is nothing more than a squad that can only beat lousy teams...Good news for the Manatee and co- They play a whole bunch of them this season! The question now is, will UND be ranked before they play at Chestnut Hill? Let's hope so.

Circling the Drain
I love to say, "I told you so, IU fan."

The Hoosiers join Maine and Fla. Int'l as the third team to allow 40-plus points by the vaunted Hawkeye offense. Way to go, Lynch! Clearly, the plan he followed at BSU of tearing down a program is well underway in Bloomington.

3-0 (not on the season, but against CMU)

Sheets runs himself (all-time Purdue TD leader) and Tiller (all-time Purdue winningest coach) into the record books with a beauty

It's hard to beat any team twice in a year, harder still to beat that same squad a third time...But Purdue beat CMU 32-25 this afternoon; a win is a win, is a win...but it was difficult.

I haven't watched highlights, so my review is based solely on the view from 119, but here goes:

The Bad
-Painter tends to lock in on receivers waaaaaay too often. It's long past getting old, it's sad. CMU's corners watched Painter's eyes and picked off a pass to the left that should have never been thrown...Keep in mind that Tiller himself said the Chips defensive backfield was one of the weaker parts of their team- a good team will punish Painter. His completion percentage was good, would have been even better had Kory Sheets not dropped two passes in the flat in the first half...but Painter's game was far from good. A costly fumble nearly gave CMU the game (not sure if it was legit or not), and his checks just weren't smart. It seems to me that he doesn't have the grasp of the system that I was hopeful he'd have at this time.

-Tackling...Awful. Purdue's defense kept LeFevour and co. in the game by missing the first or second tackles regularly. Fundamentally, the front four and linebackers tackled poorly...Duong, McClean and McKinley have been forced to make way to many tackles.

-This larger, stronger receiving corps doesn't seem to hold their blocks well. Specifically, Orton missed a few that would have freed Sheets and Tardy (on separate plays) for noteworthy gains.

-Playcalling. Tiller complained that Painter should have passed fifteen to twenty more times during the contest...yet no offensive adjustments seemed to have been made during the half. The formations show Purdue's hand time and time again and the playcalling is uninventive and continues to be bland OR even worse moronic. The sweep to the short side of the field has NEVER worked...yet it has stayed in the playbook. And, when Sheets was getting a rest in the second quarter, the coaching staff seemed to call plays for Frank Halliburton that would only work with Sheets in the game. Almost like Z didn't know Sheets wasn't playing.

The Good
-Painter's percentage went up greatly in large part because Whittington, Whitest and Valentin caught what was thrown their way. The whole receiving corps looked solid today, but the loss of Adams is still felt as there's simply no tight end involved in pass-catching.

Greg Orton made a difficult catch look easy on the two point conversion as Painter sailed the ball, even to the wide-open 6'4" Ohioan.

-Sheets is a special running back and has answered the bell over and over during this young season. He ran well between the tackles, he bounced runs outside well and made some very nifty moves to win the game on his last run of the contest. Kind of an interesting thought- If Jaycen Taylor had been healthy, we would have never seen Sheets last run because his early injury probably would have led to Taylor playing the rest of the game.

-Frank Duong is a good football player...he makes nearly every tackle that he has the opportunity to make and he was given a gift that nearly won the game. He along with McClean have been very solid so far. I'm actually very pleased with Pender and King as well.

-Gooden, Kerrigan, Brown, Baker, Guynn, Magee and even Mondek all played well at times today. Despite their problems tackling, they we put a lot of pressure on LeFevour for much of the day. That improvement's noteworthy as it seems Purdue's front four simply allowed opposing QBs to get way too comfortable last season.

-Tardy had two good kick returns and the second was very good, especially since he broke a tackle being attempted by his facemask. From far away, it seemed that he was simply "willing" the play upfield.

-Keith Smith didn't really get involved in the game that early because Painter didn't find him...but he made the best catch of the day on a pass that Painter simply rifled very high and Smith skillfully snagged it. Orton also continues to play well and seems to use his body well to create space when in traffic.

Synopsis
I'll be honest- I didn't enjoy today's game all that much...I thought coming in, and still do this evening that Purdue should be a couple touchdowns better than ANY MAC team, especially at home with a Senior quarterback. But, this Purdue team, if something doesn't change, will struggle to become bowl eligible. Hey, it wasn't pretty or inspired...in fact, it looked like the players and coaches alike were suffering long-term effects from last weeks heartbreaker, but the players' effort looked good for most of the day and the black "W" is flying tonight above the South end zone. Onto God's least favorite program...

Upon Further Review
Looks like Oregon doesn't belong in the top-15...or maybe even the top-25 after all. I can't say that their performance today makes me think Purdue is anything more than a lower-middle-BT team...again.

I Love Weekends Like These
UND gets handled by MSU while Pickles throws a pair of interceptions and makes a bevy of bad decisions...IU gets railroaded by BSU (I told you this was coming, Hoosier fan)...and Purdue wins. Delicious. By the way, IU deserves to lose every game as long as they continue the super-gay "March" after every first down. I thought it looked bad in person...it looks worse on TV.

Coaches Poll Shravesty.

Alright, we know UND "proved they're a good team"...and Weis thought "they did some very good things" on Saturday, but seriously, what two other coaches voted for them in the coaches poll? Perhaps Skip Holtz (as a favor to his pops) and...uh...Rich Rodriguez to inflate the Irish before they play them? I don't get it...But I only watched about 20 games last weekend. Clearly, I need to put aside more time for collegiate football so I can see why UND is Returning to Glory.

On a serious note, the Manatee had a chance to rub the Aztecs face in their crushing defeat, Saturday...but he sat on the ball during the last Irish drive. Is it possible that Chuck has learned humility during the '07 campaign? Naaaah. Regardless if he has or hasn't, that was the right thing to do- Hats off to the fat man.

Colts
I watched my hometown's professional football team last night...Yikes! To me, they actually looked worse than the score indicated. Things the Colts faithful have become accustomed to were not there...and too me, it seems like all is not lost. The simple fact that Manning hasn't practiced but two full weeks has everything to do with I witnessed last night. While his footwork looked surprisingly good, his audibles were off and the offense's timing was lousy. Marvin Harrison's fumble didn't help anything either...That guy's been the second or third-best receiver on the Colts for two or three years now.

Key injuries to Saturday, then Clark and Addai's temporary injury aren't good either...but the Colts have won with a skeleton crew before. Manning needs to get his reps and get back up to speed in a hurry. God knows that defense needs to play with a lead.

IRL
I watched yesterday's season-ending race in its entirety- very fun to watch. Much like Texas, Chicagoland is a fast track that allows cars to run side-by-side for laps at a time and the packs of 9 were both fun and very tense to watch. The last two laps were as good as the rest of the race and the ending was as good as I've ever seen.

I'm looking forward to next season and hope to see other ex-open wheelers join Franchitti back on the circuit in '09.

Northern Colorado Wrap-Up

Good...Not Great...Lots of Room for Improvement...and a bit uninspired, at times. But a victory, no less, and an easy one at that.

Our Boilers played what seems to be a not-too-horrible CSD team and beat them by a final score of 42-10. Seven of those points were all but handed to them as a punt careened off of the leg of Fabian Martin in the fourth quarter and the Bears recovered the ball deep in Purdue territory. Tiller said the film of the Bears was less-than-impressive and thought his team might have a difficult time getting up for the game- they looked like it.

The defense seemed to struggle mightily with NC's slippery little running back and dump passes and safety valve passes underneath the linebackers. The guy I was looking forward to watching defend these plays, Jason Werner, was a late scratch from the lineup due to more back problems...That's bad, if not sad news since his career has been hampered by surgeries and injuries to his back. I actually got to talk to one of his pals after the game...She told me that his back wasn't too bad and he'd be back next week...Tiller didn't seem as positive that he'd be playing next week v. the Ducks.

On the other side of the ball, the play calling was pretty vanilla and Painter had quite a few problems...I'll dig into both sides of the ball below:

Defense
I was impressed with the defensive backfield. They didn't have any interceptions, but seemed to be in good position most of the day. Torri Williams made some thurnderous hits, McClean didn't seem to be out of position or make any glaring mistakes and both corners were hawkish.
The front four looked very solid. Magee, Baker, Neal and newcomer to the starting lineup, Gerald Gooding all played good games. Baker was as disruptive as I've seen him in the last four years and Neal and Magee both seemed like they were running at a high speed all day.

The linebackers were as questionable as many thought they'd be coming into the season. Joe Holland played well- especially when you take into account the fact that he was a Safety two weeks ago, and a second-string LB two days ago. That said, he's not the player that a healthy Werner is (yet)...and it showed. Heygood played well and was very active in space...in fact he probably over-pursued a couple of times simply because he was flying around so aggressively. Kevin Green looked lost quite a few times and was taken advantage of quite a few times.

Offense
I think it's safe to say that Painter is not a legitimate Heisman candidate. His tendency to lock in on a receiver from the second he catches the snap hasn't gone away...and he still tends to sail passes, especially early in the game. And while he nearly threw for 300 yards and zero TDs, he simply didn't look comfortable with the corps of newbies. That said, he threw a simply beautiful touch pass to Orton for a 43-yard TD...and was hitting Smith in the center of the "8" all day.

Keith Smith was exactly the player I thought he'd be. He's a big target, caught almost every ball thrown his way...and even had a TD on his very first reception of his career. He reminded me quite a bit of Keller...He finished with 67 yards receiving.

Greg Orton had 89 yards receiving including that long TD mentioned above. It was a great example of two guys who are on the same page because they have played together a while.
Desmond Tardy, who would have received one of my game balls as he had 180 all-purpose yards including 113 yards receiving, largely from some very shifty yards-after-catch. He didn't have a touchdown, but he was extremely effective in multiple facets of the game.

Kory Sheets ran the ball quite efficiently and often in the first half- 10 rushes, 64 yards and a TD. He ended the game in the third quarter with 81 total yards and two TDs. Dierking, Halliburton, Siller and Elliot all ran the ball effectively, but sparingly. I was surprised at how well Siller seemed to get his shoulder pads down low for a guy of his height.

Special Teams
How many games during the Tiller era has the Special Teams lost? A lot. Well, that definitely wasn't a concern today. The punters kicked the ball OK, but Summers absolutely crushed a 49 yarder that seemed to explode off of his foot and Wiggs handled kicking the ball off of the short tee well.

The punt coverage wasn't needed as the one-man wrecking crew, Frank Halliburton tied a Purdue SEASON record for blocked punts with two...and he effected a third. One of his two blocked punts was recovered for a TD...That's why Frank the Tank would get my second game ball.

Desmond Tardy returned the ball very well and reminded me of a tougher, stronger and larger version of Dorien Bryant. I am positive he'll take one to the house again this season. That said, the Bears kickoff coverage was pretty horrible.

Up Next...
If I was allowed to adjust my season prediction based on what I saw today, I probably wouldn't...It looks to me like this Purdue team is about a 7-win team.

The next game will teach us a lot as Painter has a chance to beat his first ranked opponent as a starting QB...and Tiller has the chance to beat his first ranked team since 2003. Tiller will also surpass Fat Jack as the all-time winningest Purdue head coach with just one more win...Some might think it'd be more fitting for him to do so versus a MAC opponent, I would be as happy as a little girl if he did it v. the Ducks.

God's Team
Sadly, I didn't get the chance to write up a BSRWG entry...but almost did. In fact, I think SDSU's last fumble of the game was a TD. But it doesn't matter. We learned that:
A) UND is still not very good
B) Clausen is gayer-looking than ever
C) Clausen thinks his Irish are a good team (ref. Jimmy's postgame comments). He can think whatever he wants, but good teams don't make that many mistakes or those types of mistakes (over and over again) nor do they allow an undersized and under-talented opponent slap them around in the trenches like the Manatee's club did this evening.

Crazy Old Guy Predicts 11 Wins for Lousy Program

Sure, UND has softened their schedule quite a bit, even for them, in an effort to regain some of the limelight that they so desperately crave, but it's not going to be an easy season for the Irish...It surely won't be an 11-win season...or will it?

Looking like a dumbass week after week makes Lou angry!

After taking a closer look, I think that Notre Dame lapdog and all-around senile, unintelligible old guy, Lou Holtz might not be far from right.

Let's break it down:
-SDSU is a W
-UM, that early in the season should be a W
-MSU will be tough, but these two seem to beat the other at their houses...and god's team probably has revenge on their minds
-Purdue has beaten UND once in the last 20 years in the shadows of First Down Jesus
-Stanford kids have to travel across the country...and they have tests that week that they actually have to take themselves
-I actually think UNC will upset the Irish with Davis at the helm...I'm sure he has no love for the Manatee
-Washington should be motivated to beat UND, but outside of their QB, they don't have a whole bunch going on
-Pitt has a lot to prove, but might not be too great as they've simply not lived up to anybody's expectations the last five seasons
-BC loses Ryan and a bunch of other guys...but they kinda own the Irish
-Navy, closer to home...but they'll be playing for a new coach
-Cuse hasn't been good in 10 years
-USC could beat UND with all 2nd-stringers, especially at home

I see 8 wins here for the Irish (not 11)...That should put them in the BCS Championship Game and Wake up the echoes, or return them to glory or help Pickles keep his big gay beer pong buzz.

The real question is, do 5 lousy wins versus respectable opponents afford the Manatee another season in his tight khaki pants and tighter navy blue shirt? I think if Notre Dame loses two of their games v. MSU, UM, Purdue and USC, he's on the hot seat, regardless of record at the end of the season.

Notre Dame loses two players from their depth chart

Hord and Walls will not be wearing Irish uniforms in 2008

According to Notre Dame's Rivals site, the Irish are losing a projected starter and a wide receiver from their depth chart. Both leaving for different reasons, but none-the-less, it couldn't happen to a better team.

Weis was heard saying, "Everything's going according to my plan!!!" as he heard the news.