The College Football Belt

The College Football Belt

(AP Photo/Tony Ding)

Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!    Notre Dame did everything they could to hand Michigan a win today, and the Wolverines gladly accepted the gift.   I don’t know what hurts more … the gut-wrenching defeat for the Irish or the fact that Charlie Weis & Co breathed life back into Michigan’s program … one that was in complete disarray 2 weeks ago.   Either way, this game exemplified the EXACT reason I could not buy into any prognostications having the Irish go undefeated or 11-1.    Make no mistake, this was a total team loss as there were several huge errors made by several different Irish players, but the real disappointing thing was this:   with ND nursing a 34-31 lead with the ball and only about 2:20 left in the game, we needed a “real coaching staff” at that point to cement what should have been a nice victory.  Instead, amateur hour ensued on the Irish sidelines enabling Michigan to walk away with the gifted 38-34 win.

The first half was very frustrating for ND as they tallied over 300 yards of offense, but led by only 3 at halftime 20-17.   Several penalties on the offense nullified numerous big plays for the Irish and probably cost them at least 7-10 points.    The costly penalties would continue to hurt the Irish in the second half.  The kick-off that UM returned for a TD was symptomatic of another problem that hurt ND several times in this game and has been a problem for many years now:   a kicker with a wimpy leg who can only kick it to the 10 yard line (or worse).    And given the final score, the nullification of what we thought was ND’s first TD on a screen pass was yet another bad break in the first half.    Apparently, the replay official was the only one who thought that Armando Allen CONCLUSIVELY was out of bounds on his way to the endzone and he inexplicably overturned the call on the field.   ND settled for a FG and lost 4 valuable points.   Lastly, with some momentum after taking the lead 20-14 with about 90 seconds left in the half, another crappy kick-off helped Michigan to a gift FG to close within three before the whistle.  The Irish could have easily been ahead by maybe a 30-14 margin while demoralizing the Wolverines, but their inability to capitalize would come back to haunt them.   On a positive note, ND came back from an 11 point deficit in hostile territory … something they would do again in the 4^th quarter.

For much of the second half, the Irish defense was unable to stop a rejuvenated UM offense.   One of ND’s Achilles heels, shaky run defense, contributed to another deficit as Michigan gashed the Irish D for several big runs … between the tackles.   None was bigger than Tate Forcier’s 33 yard TD scamper on a 4^th and 3 play to give the Wolverines a 31-20 lead early in the 4^th quarter.   The Michigan freshman proved to be the best player on the field today as he made several big plays … many of them nice improvisations after escaping the rush.     What was real disturbing for Irish fans is that you got the feeling that the freshman Forcier was the ONLY player on the field that could beat us.   Yet, Jon Tenuta’s defense failed to stop him and it was one of the main things that cost ND the ball game.

There were more disturbing tendancies and errors in the second half.  1) The normally sure-handed Golden Tate dropped two passes … one in the end zone and one long bomb that woulda been a TD.  2)  At times, the Irish offense looked confused and squandered two timeouts while also suffering a delay of game penalty.  3) When ND really needed a good punt from the veteran Eric Maust at the end of the 4^th quarter, he obliged with a measly 27 yarder and wasn’t even rushed.     Despite all of this, the Irish showed some poise and came back from a second 11 point deficit to take a 34-31 lead with 5:10 remaining.

After a rare good defensive set, the Irish forced a Michigan punt and got the ball back at about their own 18 yard line with about 3 mins left.    The Wolverines had all 3 timeouts left.   On first down, ND ran the ball with Armando Allen gaining a first down to about the 31.   Good call … and, at this point, I’m sure ND fans were getting more confident that we might actually pull this one out … assuming of course that we wouldn’t do anything stupid.   Hold that thought.    On 1^st and ten from the 31 … Robert Hughes runs off tackle for a 1 yard gain.    There’s about 2:35 left and Michigan is forced to use a TO.    And this is when ND needed “a real coaching staff” instead of the in-game circus act under the CW bigtop.   I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking RUN THE BALL on 2^nd down … make ‘em use their 2^nd time out and maybe ya get 3-5 yards.   Or … if you dare think about passing … do something quick and real high percentage … afterall, what we really need is just one more FIRST DOWN.   A FIRST DOWN!!!   Hit super TE Kyle Rudolph 10 yrds downfield!!!   But NO …. Charlie calls for a pass … yet another deep ball to Not-so-Golden Tate and it falls incomplete.  Clock stops with only 6 seconds expiring.   UM still has 2 TO’s left.   3^rd and nine now.     You could still run at this point … maybe a draw … or even run a screen pass … again, at least make ‘em use a TO if you don’t  get the first down.    Clausen threw a quick 11 yard sideline pass that was wide open, but he probably rushed the throw and it was another incompletion.   I have no problem with the call for a pass in this situation, but this is the pass and the pattern they should’ve gone for on 2^nd down!!!!   Charlie …. If you really have to pass on 2^nd down (very debatable), go for the high % 12 yarder and a first down.   A first down wins the game!!!

So what ensued after this abysmal play-calling was the pathetic punt by Maust (hey Eric … ya might be able to kick it 45 yards if you’re not clutching your esophagus with both hands … you almost missed the ball entirely).   Then, predictably, the Irish could not stop THE FRESHMAN Forcier as he escaped several times to scramble and complete clutch passes … eventually leading to the dagger score with 11 seconds left.   More poor in-game coaching as the Irish coaches failed to tell their players to get the first down, fall down and use the final timeout instead of wasting time running around.

Again, what we saw today was a pretty talented and determined Irish squad that showed some guts in coming back from two 11 point deficits in a very hostile environment.   ND players definitely made a lot of mistakes … any one of which could’ve been the difference in the ballgame.   But ND needed their coaching staff to maintain their poise and close the deal when they had the lead with two and a half minutes left.    Instead, we all saw another data point that extends the disturbing trend of a team underachieving largely because its coaching staff is apparently not skilled enough to meet the challenge.  An experienced and talented Irish team under Parseghian, Devine or Holtz would’ve certainly won this game today.

Unfortunately, ND’s national title hopes are again dashed very early on in the season.   To be honest, I never thought the Irish were title caliber this year … did you?   The defense is still too raw up front and of course, there’s this issue about the capability of the coaching staff.    But they can still have a very good season … and they will …. BUT ONLY IF THEY BEAT MICHIGAN STATE NEXT WEEK.   Given MSU lost to Central Michigan at home today, the Irish should beat them in South Bend.   Keeping team morale up after today’s heart-breaking loss is the immediate challenge for this challenged ND coaching staff and it’s something they have not excelled in during past seasons.   Hopefully, they can get this one thing right … otherwise , a loss to MSU will indicate that another tragic season is underway and the predictable coaching search will undoubtedly ensue.    Next week’s game is unquestionably a must win game for Charlie Weis.