We have an excellent defensive coordinator. No question. Terry is right, no one has ever taken the Navy option game apart like that before.
They said the game wasn’t a sellout but that looked like a full stadium to me. More importantly, we had a ton of prospects attending that game. Can’t give them a better show than that!
We need to finish strong now. Beat the hell out of BC and then take care of what is left at Stanford. We should be able to hang onto all the layers we have commits from now in a great 2020 class and keep the good news coming on the 2021 class including that QB phenom from CA Tyler Buchner.
This is a quote from an un-named source but found it very much spot on: “If you give Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry room to maneuver, he’ll slice and dice a defense apart. But if you win at the point of attack and dominate the line of scrimmage, you turn the 5-foot-9, 190-pound dynamo into just a little guy trying to run away from a posse of defenders.”
Injury report? I think we came out ok, Kareem left one time but was back in, Hamilton looked like he fell on his wrist/arm I don't remember if he returned. I was surprised we weren't more successful running the ball yesterday, esp after the passing game was going so well, thought it would have forced Navy to back off and open up some lanes. Again I wish Kelly had run the conventional offense when Jurkovec came in at least for a couple of series, even if they backed off in the redzone. I'd like to see him get more opportunities to throw the football.
FYI, we are -18 favorites over BC. I haven't even been paying much attention to their season. I'm guessing it's not good. Than again, it's BC, Fredo hates us.
I've watched them a few times, multiple TE sets and a power running game. They have some passing limitations and their defense doesn't always show up. I assume the Irish will get their A game though. Even if they do, I think the Irish by 10 to 14 isn't out of the realm of possibility.
In the 4th quarter a huge swath of lower level 40-50 yard line seats was empty. The TV cameras stopped showing that angle. I hate feeling this way, but the empty seats all around the stadium late in the game confirms what I've been seeing for a long time, that adult, non-student ND fans are so-so compared to other high level programs. It's sad, and again I hate saying it, but years of observation confirm, at least to me, that it's an unfortunate fact.
Irish Hockey split a road series with the Badgers, and sit in 2nd place in Big 10 Hockey behind Penn State. Women's Soccer won their opening round NCAA tournament game vs St. Louis and will go to So Carolina next week to face the Gamecocks a team they lost to 2-1 early in the season.
Sid, it could be worse, have you checked out FSU and Miami Home games this year. It’s not that they are leaving thise two stadiums early, they weren’t there to begin with! Navy is a hard sale for a cold November day. Anyone who says they enjoy watching Navy play anybody is well.. not being truthful. The Irish managed to turn Saturday’s game into a delightfully enjoyable game. To put icing on the cake, that slick Little QB running the Navy triple option so efficiently this Herat is a SR. It will be a while before our friend Ken N. Finds another one who plays the position that we’ll. Well against everyone else except ND and Clark Lea.
I think you guys made really solid points earlier when discussing the difficulties of attending a game at ND in re comparison to other fan bases. If I want to see Alabama or Auburn, as expensive as the tickets can be for quality seats, I'm looking at a tank of gas and parking. Toss in tailgating supplies etc. All in all, I'm out a few hundred bucks. I'm back at home for Sunday service no problem. For an ND game, while they supply the Sunday service, I'm out hundreds just getting there and back. That doesn't even cover the tickets or tailgate supplies. Since I don't have an SUV anymore, I'd have to get all temporary tailgate supplies on top of the food etc. It can be pretty tough. Not that I have the money to do any of this now, but one is a much further reach than the other. Heck, even my friends who went to ND don't go back for games like they used to.
While I haven no knowledge of the breakdown of who's attending ND games. I think a large % of the fans are from the midwest and drive in for the games from as far east as Penn. Certainly the alumni are spread out all over the country and for them it's fly in, rent motel, eat out, eat out, etc. No doubt the decline has something to do with ticket pricing policies that have changed over the last 10 years, some to do with more than a few disliking Brian Kelly whether he wins 10 or 11 games or not. Some of it is a problem for colleges all across the country where higher prices at most of the better programs combined with all the games being available on TV have resulted in some issues with attendance. As I said beyond Neb nobody is touting that they have sold out X games in a row.
I've reflected on my earlier post, and after reading what others have written, I have a thought that did not occur to me earlier. Most large school fan bases are located predominantly in the same state as their schools. That's not the case with ND. Our fan base is the entire country. With the exception of those in the Chicago area, I believe most out-of-state ND fans look forward to attending one or two games a season. Some are close enough to attend more. As Corey said, the cost of a weekend trip has become prohibitive for many. The overall ticket demand remains high, but because of all the factors mentioned by Tim, Corey, and Terry, the crowd turns over each game, and the mid to late November games are not as popular as those in better weather. Perhaps the game-to-game turnover of the crowd is a factor in the enthusiasm being a 7-8 on a scale of 10 vs. a 9-10 at some of the FBS conference programs. Perhaps it's a reason why opponents like Nebraska and Georgia can match or exceed the ND crowd numbers in the stadium. Whatever the reason, whatever the weather, whatever the score, I can't understand why people would leave the game before the final whistle. I guess that's just me.
I drove in from the Jersey Shore.... 12 1/2 hours each way. Two nights is a motel. Tickets, parking , gas , food, liquor, bookstore etc. Probably was $900.00 -$1100.00 and 1500 miles in 72 hours. For the same money I could have run down to Best Buy and picked me up a 60" HD smart TV and watched it in comfort.
I will give George credit for being a faithful Irish fan for his weekend trip! Might be wise though to consult with your financial advisor?
It's the Georges of Irish fandom whom I admire for their loyalty and sacrifice of time and money. Your trip was challenging, but your presence in the stadium was a factor in the win.
Probably would still have been $600 without the liquor. But seriously, when you consider the total cost for those coming from more than a half days drive, the ticket prices are only a small portion of the total cost. Flying into South Bend is expensive and many decide instead to fly into Chicago and then drive an hour and a half down to campus. Motel rooms are hard to get and expensive. In short going to an ND game for many fans is like going to a bowl game for fans of other schools. Efforts like that at Michigan make the expense and hassle seem to be not worth the trip.