Big 10 brothers-in-arms unite! I must admit to being somewhat surprised at the manner in which the Irish undid the 'Nits....AJ I just didn't see that one coming. I expected the 'Nits to have their hands full in SB, but not that...geez. I do look for the Stripeheads to put up a good scrap. I've seen where some on this board are not giving Henne a lot of respect. Indeed I would suggest that he's the best QB the Irish have faced thus far and with a healthy running game in support, the kid can play and their offense can be a productive one. They have weapons on the offensive side of the ball...I'm taking the over and wouldn't be surprised if the team with the ball last, wins....again. Go Blue....damn, ya know that just never gets any easier. Terry
AJ is living the good life in Cape May, no doubt sitting on the porch of a large Victorian mansion, eating cracked crab and sipping adult beverages as he gazes out on the blue Atlantic. And now he is cahoots with Bobda, plotting our demise this weekend. And you guys, eager to cover all aspects of this contest, are taking a collection up to get his wife out of the house? A limo for the day and shopping spree cash? This is Jersey, boys, and the bidding for that little field trip starts at two large and goes up from there. or You can call on the JSCNDSAC. That's right, the Jersey Shore Chapter of the Notre Dame Subway Alumni Club. What are we here for, our good looks? I'm going to send an emissary down to Cape May. I'm a gonna send my consiglieri, JIF. He's a gonna meet with AJ and make him an offer he can't refuse. One day I may call upon each of you to do a service for me..... :wink:
Glimmer of Hope! Lloyd Carr in Road Openers since 1998. 1998: L 36-20 to Notre Dame 1999: W 18-13 over Syracuse 2000: L 23-20 to UCLA 2001: L 23-18 to Washington 2002: L 25-23 to Notre Dame 2003: L 31-27 to Oregon 2004: L 28-20 to Notre Dame 2005: L 23-20 to Wisconsin
From Lloyds ND Press Conf. Note at the end the obligitory quotes from some guy who always wanted to go to ND but wasn't admitted. Geez why is it that we never have guys like Casey Clausen, Carson Palmer and too many others to name who have a chip because they didn't get an offer to play at ND. Michigan's Carr not chatty about struggles at Notre Dame LARRY LAGE Associated Press ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michigan hasn't won at Notre Dame since 1994, the year before Lloyd Carr became the head coach. Why? "I think you would have to review those games," Carr said Monday without saying another word. When you haven't won somewhere in a while, does it wear on you? "I don't know," Carr responded curtly. Both responses were followed by some silence, but when Carr was pressed on a topic he was not interested in talking about, he finally relented a little. After all, when the 11th-ranked Wolverines (2-0) play Saturday at No. 2 Notre Dame (2-0), a lot will be at stake. "What I'm trying to focus on is this week," said Carr, who is 0-3 at Notre Dame and 3-4 overall in the rivalry. "I tell our team, 'In a game like this, one of the fun things about it is all the hype and attention. It will be nonstop. That's part of the fun of it, but it's also a part you have to deal with.' "You want to go in a positive frame of mind, focused on the things you need to do as a player or a coach to help your team win." Carr then loosened up and displayed some levity - a rare thing for the Michigan coach during big-game weeks. "I'm sorry if I was brief. I'm not known for brevity," he joked. Clearly, the third game - and first on the road - is one of the most important matchups on Michigan's schedule. Michigan has lost its first road game the past six years and is coming off a 7-5 season, the worst in two decades for the nation's winningest football program. "We want to make a statement that we're not the team from last year," defensive tackle Alan Branch said. The Wolverines won their first two tuneups - against Vanderbilt and Central Michigan - by 22 points, but they know the Fighting Irish will pose a much different challenge. "When you play a team with the same amount of talent as you, it comes down to heart, drive and will," running back Mike Hart said. "That's why we'll find out what this team has." <b> Ross Ryan wanted to follow in his father's footsteps at Notre Dame, but a grade-point average that approached 4.0 and an ACT score in the mid-20s was not enough to get him in the school. Ryan was accepted at Michigan and is handling punting and kickoff duties this season as a fifth-year senior. "Part of the reason I wanted to walk on here was because I was so frustrated that I didn't get into Notre Dame," said Ryan, whose father, K.C., was a linebacker for the Fighting Irish from 1976-80. "This is what I've been looking forward to my whole career, going down to play at South Bend." </b>
He's a fifth year walkon. He couldn't get out of Michigan in 4 yrs? No wonder he couldn't get by admissions.
I had to laugh at this one. One of the guys over on NDNation posted that he was listening to Dennis Dodd said that ND would beat Michigan handily becuase the Mich offense can't match the speed of the ND Defense. The same guys who everybody said were too slow last year, now are fast?????
That comment shows me that Dodd is no less stupid than when he was calling the ND defense too slow. I watched the Michigan postgame wrapup show last night on a local cable channel. MI has very fast WRs and RBs. Yes, we have more speed on our defense this year, but anyone with a brain knows that MI is fully capable of denting our defense in a big way both on the ground and in the air. Unlike you, Bobda, I'm not kidding. I'm scared.
DOCTOR DOCTOR,...Worry not my man I trust my good friend Charlie...you should also. ND by 15 points :!: :!: :!: JIFFER
Sid, For me, the big question mark is our defense. We have a new DC whose schemes are more aggressive than our old DC who is now a linebackers coach for the Jets. I suspect our style of defense will look to ND fans somewhat similar to Georgia Tech's. But, ND's screen passes are probably the most sophisticated in college football and can wreck havoc upon an overly aggressive defense. I really like our defensive line; it is probably the largest and most physical line Michigan has had. I really do not have a read on the quality of our linebackers and dbs since neither Vandy or CMU had good offenses. Last year, I thought our linebacking corp was not of the same caliber of previous Michigan team and our dbs good but not dominating compared to the great defensive teams we had in the late 90s. On offense, our offensive line is better than last year's and we have great depth at running back with Hart, Grady, and Minor, a speed demon who will see more playing time as the season rolls on. We also have depth and speed but not greatness at the WR position. Henne remains wildly inconsistent. Like Quinn, he has excellent arm strength but misses too frequently on long passes. He is deadly in the intermediate passing game but lacks touch on short passes. Matched up against Quinn, I think Quinn is clearly the more polished QB. I think the consensus of M fans is complete uncertainly and some trepidation about this game. Lloyd has played it beyond close to the vest in our first two games and nobody really has a good gauge about just how good we are. After watching ND's first two games, I think this is the most talented and best coached ND team has seen since the late 80s & early 90s. We have lost 3 out of the last 4 games to ND in situations where we had a clear edge in talent. To put it simply, yeah I think this is another M team with a lot of talent but I do not have a clue how good this team will be. Saturday will provide some answers.
A Notre Dame fan in a bar leans over to the guy next to him and says, "Wanna hear a joke about Michigan Wolverine fans?" The guy next to him replies, "Well, before you tell that joke you should know something. I'm 6' tall and 220 pounds and I'm a Michigan fan. The guy sitting next to me is 6'2" tall, 240 pounds and he's a Michigan fan, and the guy sitting next to him is 6'5", 280 pounds and he's a Michigan fan, too. Now, do you still wanna tell that joke?" The Notre Dame fan says, "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it three times."