:lol: the way Eric and Jim were yelling at the TV i thought for sure I would be answeing the door and the police would be there for making to much noise... So glad I put my 20 points on them 8)
:twisted: Happy Halloween: - The Okies got the full Manti today. By the end of the game, they had quit on the field...punched so many times that they didn't want to get back up anymore. One player, Kenny Stills of Encinitas, California (#4) disgraced himself after the refs wouldn't allow him a meaningless TD in the final seconds of the game. So on the next play he just knocked KeV Russell down to catch another meaningless TD that the refs also brought back, this time 15 yards, for his pass interference. Watch the faces of the Okie cheerleaders on the replay when he knocks Russell down. They're shocked and embarrassed that one of their own players had done such a thing. That's why you substitute at the end of the game when you're beat. The starting Okie players were angry and suffering as Big Game Bob left them out there to twist slowly...slowly...in the wind... This one will leave yet another scar on the fragile psyches of Okie Nation...another hobgoblin to haunt their dreams when they think of the Irish. Notre Dame has still never lost at Oklahoma...9-1 all-time anywhere... and the only time that Big Game Bob has ever lost two home games in the same season since they hired him... If you recall my first post in this thread, I keep thinking about all those Oklahoma folks that I spent hours with sitting on the floor of an airport 13 years ago. They really did think that Notre Dame was magic. If I had pulled a wabbit out of a hat and blown fire out of me arse, they wouldn't have been surprised. They expected it. Now today's game will reinforce their fears. FEARS! Yes I said it...., because that's what I saw. We in the Irish Nation are living in their heads rent free and it will take some powerful voodoo, and more than one Sooner victory, to cure them. Manti Teo: - If Manti Teo isn't the Heisman Trophy winner, then Barrett Jones of Alabama should be. Those are the two best college football players in the nation this year. QBs: - Golson was wonderful and I loved his courage in wanting to get right back into the game after he got dinged. He's growing up before our eyes. - Thank God for Tommy Rees. Offense: - Zero turnovers. Defense: - Oklahoma had a total of 15 yards rushing...15 friggen yards...say hello to Manti and his little friends... Special teams: - I feel very comfortable with Cam McDaniel returning kicks instead of GAIII. This team has depth...next man in... - I still don't understand why the punt return team is so ineffective... - Brindza isn't exactly "Mr. Automatic" but most of his kicks make it... Coach: Kelly looks comfortable...although we did get close to a couple of meltdowns today... Halloween: - My younger son, Eric, headed out tonight to celebrate our great Irish holiday dressed as a priest. Armed with an unblessed rosary, and a case of Guinness, his intention is to bless all of the doubters and forgive all of the primitive unbelievers who surround us here in LALAland... God this feels good.
Why yes...... yes you most certainly are. Probably the most impressive ND win I have seen in many years.
I did get to see the second half of this game and there was no doubt who was the best team. And S. Cal sure doesn't look unbeatable down the road. Congratulations to the Notre Dame fans.
Re Stills disgrace. Something that took place during all that whining. I believe it's Motta who comes over to have a word with him. There's one thing I've noticed about Mr Zeke. Every team we play, the WRs of our opponents really seem to not like him. I'm fairly sure he is full of questions about their mothers, loose moral compasses and a big Santa Claus Christmas bag full of decapitating hits. Still was running his mouth and Motta was over there laughing at him, and talking right back. Zeke may well be an asshole, but he's our asshole and every team needs one to test the composure of the opposition. Zeke isn't handing out a lot of passing grades to these guys. When Carlo hits you squared up, it hurts. Teo does everything. Our DL outclassed either line in the trenches. For as much as I've bitched about Golic these past 2 weeks, I'm pretty sure he's still driving that defensive lineman for Oklahoma back across the state line. Someone should tell him that the whistle has blown. Tip-o-the-cap performance by our OL. I really love this year's version of Kelly. He still blows his stack (we had an assistant screw up today), but he's fair and measured. He's grown and I am beyond impressed. Well done, sir. JOCO is dead on right about Teo and Barrett. Thank you Tommy Rees. You do what you do and you do it better than anyone else. You've ice in your veins, sir. Golson... holy **** did you see him turn on the jets? He's been gliding to holes all year and he's taken some hits because of it. Tonight, he kicked on the boosters and blew through what the defense gave him. I just love love love our RBs. Theo will literally fist fight you if you try to tackle him and Wood is a good old fashioned high stepping burner. They make a nice 1-2 punch. Pity GA3 was sick today. I think it would have been more fuel to the fire.. but those things happen. We went to Norman to face everything that we are supposedly not. We found that we are every bit as big. We're faster and we're more physical. Let's take care of business. We now know who we are and we're continuing to grow as a team. It's right there for us. It's up to the lads to take care of business.
I am scheduled ( weather permitting ) to travel to SB next week for the Pitt game and the I watched the game last evening with the crew I am going with. Oklahoma came out fast and the team looked a little disorganized.. . for two series. Of course Musberger had them dead and buried at the 10 min. mark of Q1. When we took the lead at 7-3 he changed tunes and never jumped off the bandwagon again. I remember saying at that time that I wondered how long OK could play at that pace with the Irish kicking them in the teeth every play. Not long..... Teo is the premier defensive player in football at this point. But the whole defense is just quicker than they have ever been. I called Carlo Sr. before the game and said " I've got a feeling that C4 is going to play big tonight" and boy did he. He and Fox have made each other better but, as Corey pointed out, when you want to make a big impression on somebody you send Carlo. At one stretch in Q3 he had four of five tackles in sequence. And you cannot discount the will of the D-Line who week after week just decimates their opponents. And they use 8-9 players in rotation so they are good to the end. This defense is as good or better than any this year. Tommy Rees is the Ice Man coming off the bench. That first down pass was huge at that moment. In Q4 they put Golson under center and he handed off on quick hitters and the O-Line opened huge holes at that point. Don't forget that as this season continues.... Regarding Motta; I have it on good authority that he is a talker back there and that Mathias Farley has fed off that . Those two guys really bring the wood. Not the greatest cover backs you'll ever see but they close fast and they are very good tacklers. Tackling is often overlooked in our discussions but it wasn't long ago that we were very poor tacklers and now these guys are deadly accurate. Kelly? What can I say? He found his players and his poise and now he controls the game. He schooled Stoops last night as Diaco did his brother. I am eating crow... and loving it!
Watching the highlights I just love the way the O line blew OK back on Golson's go ahead TD. Whatever the problem has been with false starts, it's been fixed. The O line has made big strides since Purdue. If LSU knocks off Ala. and SC can figure a way to beat the Ducks....lookout!
Sounds like my thoughts last week about my team and then they decided to get extremely sloppy on offense.....better luck down the road with that type of nonsense than the Gators had yesterday and ND just might make Miami.
I got to see the second half. Wow... that was some slobber-knocking! The only guy on OU who seemed to equal ND's intensity was that saftey #1. The rest of them just weren't used to playing real ball. Not a surprise playing in the soft Big XII-2. (Yep, I get to say that now! ) USC is tough, but I think you'll get by them too... so it looks to me like the season could easily end up ND, Oregon, KSU, and BAMA all undefeated. Which is exactly what I'd want. Then this crummy system would be yet again exposed when they have to leave out a couple of deserving teams. Nicely done Irish!
(Visualize Sid in his best imitation of Redd Foxx clutching his heart)..... O my gosh! I'm coming Mabel! It's the big one! :lol: :lol: Seriously, One thing about JO'Co and Corey, they have strong opinions with which I may sometimes disagree, but they know football, and they call a spade a spade. Their solid analyses of ND football at this point in the season are dead on. The fact that they and George have turned the corner on Kelly and Rees, primarily Kelly, is to me a globally positive omen of things to come for our program. I couldn't be more excited. Thanks, guys.
Kudos to all of you Notre Dame supporters! I was amazed with the ease your defense shut down the Sooners. Golson continues to improve with each game.
Just a super effort by the Irish. Coach Kelly and his staff is making a believer out of me. GO IRISH PJ in Jersey
Key factor in the win......Virtually no YAC for OK. Reminiscent of Lou Holtz' style of pass coverage. Let 'em throw but keep the receivers in front of you and don't let them run after the catch. Great job by the DBs.
Not surprising that with the Florida loss, ND moves up to #4 in the two major polls. In the AP poll, we are 38 points behind #3 Kansas State and 128 points ahead of #5 LSU. IMO we are in the right place at this point in the season. I have no quarrel at all with KSU and Oregon being ahead of us. There are some crucial games remaining for all the top teams to prove they belong where they are ranked, including ND.
This will all work itself out in the end. If we're there, we'll be there. I don't think anyone is as fast as Oregon, and their defense is better than you think. Alabama is the clear # 1, but as I've said... they can be had. KState is tough, but Snyder almost always has one mystery loss in him. USC is now a very dangerous team with diminished BCS impact, but all sorts of talent.
Arizona hung 39 on SC yesterday. They scored 7 TDs vs Stanford. The Ducks shut them out. Is their D that good? That's scary.
:idea: :shock: Everything about Oregon is scary. They're promoting De'Anthony Thomas for the Heisman Trophy and he isn't even the 1st string running back. Sometimes he only touches the football 10 times in a game, but scores four TDs. Their starters haven't been on the field in the 4th qtr yet and yesterday, they outdid themselves. The final score of their win over Colorado was 70-14, but the game was over in the FIRST quarter! Most of the starters were on the bench by halftime when the score was 56-0 and they probably could have scored 200. IMHO...Alabama is the clear #1. They look great and if they don't blow one they deserve to be there in the final, but nobody really knows just how good the Ducks are. This Saturday will tell the tale when they visit USC at the Coliseum. They out-recruited the Trojans during the NCAA penalties and I suspect that the Duckies are very, very good indeed...
To echo George's sentiment about our 4th quarter strategy. Lou Holtz had to be watching that from the studio with an erection the size of the Washington Monument. That wasn't Kelly's offense that we've seen to date. That was double tight or sometimes unbalanced line with Eifert and Niklas given one job.. to violently collide with, and eliminate the OLB/DE of Oklahoma forcing the action to be isolated right up the gut. From there, we made the game an Oklahoma drill on Oklahoma. Lineman on lineman, back on backer..who wants to win a football game right between the A and B gaps. Kelly made that a late-round heavy weight fight in which he was tired of dancing around the ring. He wanted to spend the last round trading haymakers and Oklahoma could only put up the gloves. That was easily one of my favorite Notre Dame football games in the past 20 years. As for Oregon.. Good God are they fast. The thing to remember about their defense is that they recruit big and physical in the trenches. They'll give up size at LB usually for speed and sure tackling. They have one LB whose name escapes me but he's a bad mofo. Their DBs are almost always recruited as RBs and WRs who simply didn't make the cut... but they have the speed to play on that offense. They are ungodly fast. To beat Oregon, you have to play the game vertically. You aren't going to beat them in space and spreading the field works right to their advantage unless you spread the field with the idea of attacking them vertically. These are kids and **** happens, but realistically, there's just no other way to beat them that I've seen. I'm starting to think they are going to maul USC.
I have seen all the top teams play except for KSU. Alabama looks like the best to me but Oregon is right there also and after the OU game I have to put ND in there at third, Maybe KSU is that good...... but how good is the Big 12?