Texas doesn't play A&M any more and who knows if we ever will again in the regular season. Nebraska doesn't play Oklahoma any more and that was clearly their historically most important rival, and I doubt if the Huskers will ever play them again outside of a bowl. Now Notre Dame and Mich are off the books. Both teams are not the others most important rival. Ohio State is Michigan's most important rival and USC is the Notre Dame #1 rival. I'm not sure who is the Huskers rival these days? Is McNeese State their new rival?
Kelly on Redfields hit...I agree with him. Q. I know on one specific penalty Saturday night, it wasn't something that affected the outcome. But Max Redfield felt like he did what he was coached to do and felt like he had a clean hit. How did you see that? Is that what you want Max to do on an interception? COACH KELLY: You know, we didn't think he took a shot at a kid who is 6'4", 220 pounds. Max did not size up somebody or target a player. We felt like in that situation he was doing his job.
I strongly disagree with the coach, but I'm sure he doesn't care. It was football's version of a sucker punch. #98 was a sitting duck. Redfield deserved to get flagged, regardless of how the coach defends him.
Earlier in the game, one of our kids on the DL (Trumbetti?) got absolutely blasted in the jaw by a Michigan WR coming back to block a player in pursuit. I thought it could have been targeting, which is a penalty I generally don't like, but it wasn't called. Redfield earholed Gardner and it's one of those things that I think was a penalty, at the same time, I don't ever want our safeties to stop ear holing people. They're safeties, not girl scouts. It's just football. It's weird, I agree with both Sid and Kelly. In the context of the game, it was totally unnecessary. Within the larger context of football, the QB isn't in a bubble after a pick. He becomes a defender and he needs to keep his head on a swivel, just like Trumbetti was supposed to earlier. I was picking up Carson from a birthday party last night and didn't get to see the hit until just now. (parenting never ends) Hopefully, no one was hurt in the game and we all move onto the next week.
I call it football. You put on the pads? Then put your head on a swivel. I thought the hit on Trumbetti was fine and I thought the one on Gardner was equally good. Can we sanitize this game any more?
ND <r>This Irish Connection Video sums it all up:<br/> <br/> WARNING: IF YOU ARE NOT A NOTRE DAME FAN YOU MAY WANT TO AVOID THIS VIDEO.<br/> <br/> <URL url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Taf9uTt1g18">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Taf9uTt1g18</URL></r>
To watch it on that site you have to be a member Tim. This is the same and it's on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Taf9uTt1g18
re: Redfield's hit I loved it and it was legal as far as I know. I've never heard of anyone being specially protected after a turnover. Kelly is right. Every defense has two enforcers: the middle linebacker and the strong safety. On Notre Dame's team they are Joe Schmidt from Mater Dei and Max Redfield from Mission Viejo. I saw them both play many times on television and I wanted them both at Notre Dame very badly. What you saw Saturday is what they do. They hit on every play and every hit is a snot-bubble, de-cleater from Mars. Every Irish opponent will see the videos of this and their heads will be on a swivel knowing that the big hit is coming. This causes major problems for receivers coming over the middle, like TEs and slot backs who're in danger of being snot-bubbled twice when they drag across. As George said, "It's football." Mater Dei tried to stash Schmidt for USC, but the Trojans didn't have room. Max Redfield was on his way to USC when he changed his mind for "business reasons." These are the exact players that USC always gets, so enjoy the Troglodyte's scholarship limitations while they last. I'm enjoying them...
Huge difference between tough and stupid. I'm betting that Kelly said one thing in public to maintain the kid's confidence and let recruits know that he supports his players, and behind closed doors explained to the kid why it's a penalty and that he should not get caught doing that again. That's how a good coach operates. My memory isn't what it used to be. Was that the only defensive penalty in the game?
:idea: I don't remember, but I'm sure that Kelly congratulated Redfield for the play. It was exactly what you want from a strong safety and as far as I know, it was legal. I want to see the rule that says it wasn't. How is a 19 year-old kid supposed to know this rule if nobody else does? re: rivalry BTW- One area where I agree with Sid is on this "rivalry" business. I never regarded Michigan as a Notre Dame rival and I'm not aware of anyone out here on the coast who thinks that either. What's the difference between Michigan and Iowa or Wisconsin? We don't know. I've never heard anyone mention any of them in a football conversation, unless they were playing in the Rose Bowl. The only exception is Ohio State. I have heard fans out here say it's too bad that Ohio State and Notre Dame don't play each other; but Michigan? Never.
" Is McNeese State their new rival? " Damn I was shocked at the way McNeese State looked vs. Nebraska. Their QB was hitting timely passes and when they took the lead late on a bullish 4 yard run up the middle I thought NU was toast..... until the refs took that away for too many men in the backfield.....
Whether Michigan is our top Rival is not in question, it's USC. Just as if you gave any Michigan fan the option...win vs Ohio State or win vs Notre Dame...they'd choose Ohio State 100% of the time. But that said, the Michigan game is always our top game in the early season, and there is a feeling among Irish fans for Michigan that is different than the feeling for USC. Just as many Texas fans said goodbye to Texas A&M, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out, a lot of us like me wish we were still playing Texas A&M on Thanksgiving weekend. I wish we were still playing Michigan, I like that we've replaced them with Texas, Georgia and Ohio State among others. But still there is something about the Michigan game that I think both sides will miss. Also that graphic that shows we've played Purdue, Navy, etc more than Mich means nothing. I'll bet at the time Neb left the B12 you could use that same logic to declare that KU and Iowa State were bigger rivals than Texas...but I'll bet every year that Neb was in the B12 Husker fans circled Texas games when we played.
FREEP post game report from the Stadium. http://www.freep.com/videonetwork/3771326601001/Free-Press-sports-writers-on-U-M-s-loss-to-Notre-Dame-Disaster-
You know, as I watched and listened to the Freep reporters, all I could do was think back to our 15-year "dark" period and the seemingly endless run of post-game reports similar in tone to those two guys. It's humbling, and it tempers my attitude. I was happy to post a video of the ND student body singing the Na-Na.....Good-bye song as our counter to last year's chicken dance song, but beyond that I refuse to gloat. I don't feel sorry for Michigan, but I can relate.