Uniform Spotlight

I didn't notice any particularly notable uniforms or helmets yesterday (Louisville's mettalic helmets were nice enough but pretty normal at this point) but I did notice something odd about Notre Dame's uniforms: Their pants.

Seeing a football player with sweaty pants isn't unusual but it's particularly noticeable on ND's pants. and kind of gross. A lot of the players looked like this at kickoff. You'd think Under Armour would be able to come up with gold pants that didn't make it look like the players peed themselves before going on the field.

Shocking

I am shocked that Brian Kelly is whining about the (correctly called) pass interference penalty that took the winning touchdown for Notre Dame off the board. He's usually such a class act.

Thoughts from Saturday

A few thoughts, observations, and anecdotes from Saturday's MSU-ND game (yeah, I know it's late):

-There was a drunk student in my seat. Not a little drunk, completely blitzed. I don't think he really knew where he was, or even his name. Security did eventually get him to move. I just wanted to make sure I didn't end up standing in vomit all night.

-Joe Montana was sitting a few rows down across the aisle. Lots of people were trying to snap pictures, but as far as I could tell everyone left him alone. I have no idea why he didn't have better seats.

-MSU's secondary is awful. Horrendous. And ND seems to be the only team that can figure that out and keep throwing the ball.

-I expected the game to pick up in the second half after little scoring in the first half.

-Cousins needs to stop showing flashes of being a great QB and just be one. The inconsistency is really frustrating.

-I think both Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell are the real deal.

-I expected MSU to blow the game late in the 4th and again in OT. So did most of the MSU fans. Probably the Domers too.

-No one saw the fake coming. Everyone started screaming then praying Gantt wouldn't drop the pass because he was so wide open.

-The look on the Domers' faces after that TD was priceless. I wouldn't even call it shock, it was more like they couldn't even comprehend what had happened.

-I didn't hear that anyone was questioning the clock until Monday. As far as I can tell no one in the stadium though there was any issue, including the Domers.

-3am is late to get in from a football game.

Two Thoughts

1. Why does everyone play such soft coverage in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter when up by less than a TD? ND against UM is a perfect example. ND had held UM scoreless for seven consecutive possessions. So with a little over three minutes left and up by four they back off UM's receivers and let them march down to the red zone and eventually score the winning touchdown. Obviously Denard Robinson was playing well, but he didn't have to stretch himself much to hit WRs who have five yards (or more) of space around them. But everyone does this. I wish I had some numbers to work with, but I'm sure that approach greatly increases the likelihood of the opposing team scoring versus playing straight defense (based on many hours of observation). So why do it?

2. I get that being a color commentator can be a challenging job, and it's easy to talk about star players, but I think these guys are getting out of hand. Yes, Denard Robinson is making big plays. Yes, Terrelle Pryor is good. I get it. I'm watching the game, I can see the guys playing. No need to sound like you're running down to the locker room after the game to get a signed jersey. Is that too much to ask of a professional?

Seriously?

I have to call foul on the Notre Dame color commentator. He claimed that one of the ND players was so good he'd be seeing regular action on a Big Ten team, but was struggling to get snaps at ND. Really? Notre Dame's talent is far above the level of Big Ten teams? Is that why they fired their last coach? Is that why they regularly lose to Michigan and Michigan State? Come on.

On the Outside Looking In

There's another article in the News today about Big Ten expansion, most notable in that it mentions everything you'll hear from now until the fall is speculation and rumor and not even fresh at that. This is probably worth remembering at some of the more outlandish theories are thrown around.

There's also a bit about ND and it's AD talking about how important their independence is to them. Which is no doubt true as the Domers have the biggest egos this side of Ann Arbor. But I'll make a prediction: In the near future Notre Dame is going to find itself desperately wanting in on a major conference and all they'll be able to find is a "No Vacancy" sign.

?

How good is Jimmy Clausen? Mel Kiper Jr. has him as #4 overall on the Big Board and the highest-rated QB. Scout Inc. has him at #37 and the second-highest QB behind Sam Bradford. ESPN: The Advertising Pamphlet just featured a long article about how perfect a spiral Clausen can throw and how great his mechanics are, which was certainly fascinating from a physics standpoint. Notre Dame was 6-6, but Clausen was dealing with an injury most of the year. So, franchise QB or not? Physics aside, I'm guessing not.

Great Expectations

As many expected, Notre Dame fired coach Charlie Weis today with six years left on his contract.

A couple thoughts:

- Apparently there was speculation about Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Florida's Urban Meyer being candidates for the job, but both have said they aren't interested in leaving their current positions. Do people really think Notre Dame is a coaching job that would lure those guys from such great positions? I think many, perhaps overcome with nostalgia, vastly overestimate the draw of coaching at ND.

- Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports would say I'm wrong.

- ND plays Purdue, Michigan, MSU, Stanford, BC, Pitt, Western Michigan, Navy, Tulsa, Utah, Army, and USC next season. That's a pretty respectable schedule, with only two sure wins (Army, Tulsa). How well can ND expect to do?

- How long will it take Weis to find a job? I think he has another in a month if he wants one. Of course, if he's paid the $18 million that is rumored to be on that contract, he might just stay home.

- Is it possible Domers are more arrogant than Wolverine fans? I think possibly, but it's close.

Punch Out

The Detroit News picked up on a story from the South Bend Tribune about video of UM's Jonas Mouton punching ND's Eric Olsen. Here's the video:



When Coach Rodriguez was asked about it today he said, "The little bit of the clip I saw, guys got tangled up and Jonas was trying to free himself." Now, I'm a little biased, almost as much as Rodriguez himself, but that looks an awful lot like a cheap shot to the throat to me. Thoughts?

UPDATE: Maybe I am a whiny Spartan fan, but I'm also right. Mouton was suspended for one game today by the Big Ten. This could be a big deal, except that UM is playing EMU.

Fumblerooskie

The Spartans final score in their 31-14 victory over Notre Dame was a trick play, not a botched one, according to Coach Mark Dantonio. "He waved the ball a little bit at the ground. That is a called play. We've practiced that since the spring. Every time it gets us (the defense)." It was a brilliant call since Hoyer had killed a potential MSU scoring drive with a fumbled snap earlier in the game. The win put MSU at 4-0 for only the fourth time since 1967 (that sounds kind of pathetic). It's also the first time ND has gone 0-4 in 119 years of playing football.

Starting Over

Notre Dame is so bad that Charlie Weis has decided to start the season over. The losses won't go away, but the Irish are treating today like the first day of training camp. They need to, given how historically awful they are. They have -4.7 rushing yds on the season. Yup, that's three games and less than zero rushing yards. It makes me a little nauseous just typing it. If they lose to MSU next weekend, and they should with MSU having a last year's embarassment to avenge, they will be 0-4 for the first time in team history, and 10 losses doesn't seem out of the question when you look at the schedule.

Dead Sound of Misery

Just how bad can it get for Michigan? Senior QB Chad Henne will not play against Notre Dame. Now, the Irish have looked every bit as awful as the Wolverines, but you hate to lose one of your best players. But don't worry Michigan fans, Mike Hart says the Wolverines will win the game.

One more thing: How many teams are putting a "Statue of Liberty" play in their offense this week?