N D <r>Terry,<br/> <br/> Couldn't agree with you more. After the Navy/Tulsa losses I honestly gave up on this team. I couldn't imagine they would win out! They did it though without their starting QB and several other offensive stars. Who would have thought that the <B><s></s>Defense<e></e></B> would come up so big for them! Thank God for Robert Hughes too!!<br/> <br/> I really think we we have the right coach now. <E>8)</E></r>
How about Brian Smith, a guy who seemingly was lost with the new staff coming in, a guy who a lot of fans thought was more flash than dash...he got the message and played the last 3 games like I always expected him to play! Robt Hughes and Brian Smith....hero's! Trojan beaters!!
Does it seem to you guys that ND is on its way back and SC is already starting to struggle. The recruiting sanctions have not yet started but SC already seems to be lacking talent, depth, and effort. What's Lane's future? Hayden probably has him on a short leach. Recruiting will be tough. It's not "winning with fun" at SC any more. Stanford has their number. They can't play with the teams in Ore. Now the "sure thing" a win over the Irish is gone. I'm sure JO'Co will weigh in on this.
Did you get the interview that Hayden gave at the game. He was prasing Lane Kiffin up and down, said the perception of him is all wrong. That he wants to win and win the right way...etc.
JO'Co will have to watch the tape late tonight or tomorrow if you remember he went to his grandaughters championship volleyball game.
:shock: OK! What a night! I just saw the tape of the game and I may have further comments when my grandson the QB reports in. He was AT the Coliseum tonight, instead of being at his sister's volleyball game. Since I once skipped out on his parents wedding party to attend a Damien football game I guess I can't complain... How about those seniors?! Did they come up BIG or what? Its been a few years since we've seen that. Senior leadership is the most important factor in November, because the experienced players don't care about injuries or excuses; they just get it done. 1. Brian Smith- Looked like the best LB in America tonight! Busting up passes, busting up running backs, busting up heads and arses. Wow. 2. Robert Hughes- Put the house on his back and carried it over the goal line and he did it all night long. He was playing lights-out with a smile on his face and running AT the USC LBs; not around them. 3. Duval Kamara- Returned from the witness protection program to block and catch and lead his team. Only a senior would have remembered to hold the ball BACK over the goal line as he stumbled out in the final seconds of the half. The whiny little pukes on the USC radio broadcast were still talking about Kamara's coolness under pressure after the game with awe in their voices... Diaco (defense) is now off the hook. His defense gave up a total of 22 points in the entire month of November; against Utah (who's still ranked), Army and USC. Not too shabby. Kelly (offense) is still on the hook until the QB situation improves. It's just swell that Tommy Rees is 3-0, but his inexperience really showed tonight. Kinda makes you wonder how some of those other games might have gone if Dayne Crist had been allowed to run a similar small package based on running the football to set up the pass? Its called adjusting to the available talent and I didn't see Kelly do it until he was forced to... There's a lot of outstanding young talent on this team that's beginning to show itself. Watch the kickoff and return team guys like Bennet Jackson and Austin Collinsworth. Watch Prince Shembo in passing situations; he's hell-on-wheels! The future looks bright. As for the Trojans... The suffering here is just beginning. Pete Carroll and Little Kiffin have been exchanging cheap shots in the media and I'm sure that will get worse. Speaking of worse...do you think that Little Kiffin will fire his daddy as defensive coordinator? I hope so. Now its on to UCLA week, where the level of verbal abuse will surely go higher for the Kiffins and everyone else in South Central. Their longest year is just getting started... .........Mr. Sympathy......JO'Co
May it last for years and years. :mrgreen: All I can say is it was a great win. It's about time that ND got a little of that "Luck of the Irish" that for the most part has been missing the last few years. PJ in Jersey
I completely mis-judged this group of players but not Kelly. Kelly is coaching differently the last three weeks. A lot less razzle dazzle and a lot more basic football. Holtz was in South Bend a few weeks ago speaking at an event and spent time with Kelly. I ahve read several accounts where his message was to simplify and be more aggressive up front. That message apparently got through. And he has been noticeably calmer and more thoughtful on the sidelines. I think he did what all good coaches do throughout their careers.... came to grips with the fact that his style and planning had flaws and corrected things. This team has turned the corner.
Wow, what a win. I don't know what the winning percentage is of road teams that turn the ball over four times but I'll bet it isn't good. Couple that with the two huge drops by Trojan receivers and, ah screw it, I hate SC and any win is a good win. I don't know what's gotten into Diaco and Kelly but I love the way this team is playing. The front seven has completely dominated their opponents the last three games. USC, Army, and Utah have averaged 183, 260, and 156 yards rushing per game this season. Against the Irish they only managed 80, 135, and 71 yards respectively. Shades of the Barry Alvarez years. The simplified offense (that George pointed out) is really working out well too. Kudos to Kelly. I've criticized him but he's turning things around in a big way.
More on what BobW said on the defense. This is from a pay article on ISD (get a subscription if you don't have one already) Coach D's observations.
BTW I wonder if Tenn Vol fans noticed that the kid (Harrison Smith) who put the final nail in Lane Kiffins coffin last night was from Knoxville!!
I noticed nothing. I was not able to sleep Friday night. I got up at 01:00 and couldn't get to sleep until 04:30. I crashed hard at 19:00. That was a good thing since a drunk decided to end his misery by taking out a power pole about a mile from our house at 2 a.m. The five UPS units in the house were alarming. Due to my concern for freezer contents, Cindy called TXU electric to report the outage while I went out to see if I could add information to tell them what areas were affected. That car had to be flying. It wrapped around the pole with the impact point being the driver's door. As for the Knoxville Irish Lad putting the screws to Kiffin... PRICELESS! :wink:
FWIW...nobody in College Football played more bowl eligible teams than Notre Dame. The only team on our schedule who isn't bowl eligible is Purdue. Of course USC is bowl eligible by record but on probation ...still.
Great win for the Irish. Kelly's and your team's resiliency is impressive. After the Navy and Tulsa games combined Sullivan's death, I really questioned whether you would win another game this season and thought Kelly might get fired. An incredible turnaround