They could run Kelly out of town on a rail for that last call. The single most idiotic coaching decision I have ever seen. That loss is completely on Kelly. He literally took a victory and turned it into a loss.
George, With my sleep disruptions over this entire week, I slept through the ND and the Fla/Ga game. What happened?
Another crummy Saturday wasted. In the final minute, we ran a running play to center the ball in the middle of the field; within easy field goal range; with a field goal kicker who has never missed; and I said to meself, "Thank God coach isn't going to ask a freshman quarterback to try anything." "Let's just kick the bastard and get the hell out of here, we can argue about the details later." Then he had the kid take a shot at the endzone with 42 seconds left and we lost the game. Un-friggen-believable. This loss is on the coach. On what evidence did Kelly base this incredible decision that the kid could handle it? Tommy Rees was the lowest regarded of our three incoming frosh QBs. He has a weak arm; doesn't really understand the offense; (neither do I) and he makes bad decisions. He was also intercepted three times today and it should have been six against the WORST rated pass defense in the nation. So we don't even try the field goal with a kicker who's 18-0 on field goal attempts? Wow. I'm sure this sh_t worked at Jerkwater State, but the stage sure looked bigger than the actor today. Kelly needs to get his act together. This was his fault. ........JO'Co
Tough loss and I sure understand how it hurts. But I would hope that Kelly gets a few years to build his program. When he gets his players there I hardly think he will have to rally late to beat Tulsa. It also had to be a depressing day with the young mans death earlier in the week and the QB injury early. Tom, Gators won 34-31 in one OT and Notre Dame lost 28-27 with a pass intercepted in the end zone. The kind of play Les Miles seems to pull off but not others.
I'm sure he will Bill, it's pretty unprecedented to fire a coach after the 1st year, but the signs are not good that Kelly has what it takes. He might have just bit off more than he can chew with the Irish.
Well I forgot one positive thing. ND was #1 in Academics in the latest NCAA graduation report. Jif was right!
OK class... Here's today's scoreboard. Tell me: what's wrong with this picture? Final score: Duke 34 Navy 31
This loss is on Kelly, yes, but some of the blame for that play lies with Rees. That was a horrible, horrible throw. He not only didn't give Floyd a chance to catch the ball, he put it where Floyd couldn't even knock it down. Just terrible. How about the defense letting Tulsa convert a 3rd and 27 on their game winning drive? This team is in deep doo-doo.
Well it's a day later and it still doesn't feel any better. The list of our best players not playing any more is pretty long. Rudolph - Gone Allen - Gone Crist - Gone Riddick - Gone Ian Williams - Gone Only Floyd is still playing and I'll bet with that hammy he's not 100% 2 weeks to get ready for Utah now, Kelly needs the game of his life to get the program headed north. I'm not sure we can do it with our defense and a freshman QB. I fear instead that Utah will hang 50 on us.
Vic, hang in there and let us hear from you. Tom, glad things turned out ok for you. Like JIF said, we need all us old timers we can muster.
I'm not ready to make that concession either. ND's two worst losses came against Navy and Stanford which counters the theory that brains and football don't mix.
Very dark times for ND football. I don't see how Kelly can get this turned given the hand he now has to play, Utah and USC will kill us and Army now has a shot to beat us. Not going to a bowl, getting beat badly by Utah and USC will just bury Kelly deeper, even a big win over Army will not change things. Lose to Army and he might as well start talking to real estate agents. As George pointed out there are likely to be defections from this recruiting class and he needed this class badly to be an excellent class. Remember no matter how good these guys are they won't really help much till 2012 which by then he may be dead coach walking. Only way he can rebound is for him to upset Utah at home a very unlikely event, and beat Army soundly again the beat Army part is prettly decent chance but the soundly part is not likely. USC will again beat us by 30+ points in L.A. But at least he'd get to bowl game and maybe play some team equally as lousy as ND is and have a 50-50 shot at winning. It's at least get something positive going. I'm not hopeful though. Mojo is really really bad, never seen it this bad after less than 1 year with a new coach. Not with Faust, close with Davie who had a bad 1st year, not with Willingham and certainly not with Weis. He better be tough, because if he isn't he won't survive.
I am just looking at the evidence with Terrys statement, you realize that Miami was tied with ND for #1 in academics and I can't say that either team is tearing up the football world.... :?:
Ralph, I do know that if a school aims to have a high grad rate then a couple of things come into play that might hurt the football team. 1. You are just going to have to pass on some kids who might want to play for you but just aren't likely to have the stuff to finish a degree program. 2. Some kids who do have what it takes, aren't really all that interested in going some place where they will be monitored and where there is a culture that kids graduate. They will rather go to a school where they can get an easy major, not really be pressured to graduate, where only the min is expected. 3. Inorder to have these high grad rates also coaches will not be allowed to pressure kids to quit or transfer, some might call it being run off by coaches. I remember asking VolJeff one time when he was a regular poster here and Tenn was a regular member of the top 10 and SEC East contender, but a little light in the grad rate ( as is Texas), how he would feel if Tenn had a top 10 grad rate but was only average in football. He said he wouldn't like it. So fans, alumni, etc are a factor as well. Hell at Texas Mack barely cracks 50 most times these things are released. Texas fans don't really care, oh sure they wish it might be higher, but like Jeff they want football players first and if they can graduate good for them. But they don't want to be Northwestern (or Notre Dame). I suspect that Randy Shannon is recruiting a slightly different kid for Miami than the old days.