Notre Dame-Michigan State Recap: McCarthy’s INT Saves the Irish From Another Tough Loss

It was the same scenario for the Irish, just a different but better outcome this time…all thanks to Michigan State.

Michigan State again gave their opponent a second chance, only for it to bite them back in the butt.

Late in the 4th quarter, Michigan Sate was down 30-33. Michigan State’s WR, Larry Caper, beat all of the Irish’s defense. He was wide open. All he had to do was catch the ball. Instead the ball was too high, and while Caper got his hands on the ball, he wasn’t able to catch it.

It would have been a TD and given the Spartans the lead, and maybe even the game, but it only led to an Irish interception that would clinch the game for the Irish.

The hero tonight?

Kyle McCarthy is the big man on campus this weekend for Notre Dame. His interception at the 4 yard line, with 57 seconds left, sealed the win for the Irish. A win that they needed really badly. Last week, Notre Dame let Michigan come back and beat them. A loss that put even more doubt on the team, including head coach, Charlie Weis.

The Irish aren’t even close to showing that they are the real deal. They won the game, and while thats all that matters in the end, having another late night scare shows that this team doesn’t know how to finish a game. It was another scare for loyal Fighting Irish fans. A scar that not many fans want to endure 2 weeks in a row. A scare that kinda ticks you off.

One thing that will make fans happy is Jimmy Clausen continues to play extremely well. He threw for 300 yards with 2 TD passes and no interceptions. He is looking like a great leader for a team that needs one. He has played very well this year, and is a reason why the Irish should be hopeful this and next year.

A huge blow to the Irish is the loss of WR Michael Floyd. Floyd suffered a broken collarbone when he landed in the endzone. He leads the nation in receiving yards per game (160), and in yards per catch (29.1). Luckily, Golden Tate and Clausen were able to pick up the slack, something they might have to be doing for some weeks. It’s not yet known how long Floyd will be out.

Overall a win is a win. However I am beginning to doubt this defense that, in the first week, looked very strong. They have given up two straight 30+ point games. A team can’t expect to win when their defense gives up that many points in a game. Defense should be the main thing for the Irish to work on this week in practice.

The Irish’s season depends how the defense plays. Look for the defense to step it up next week.

Michigan State-Notre Dame Preview and Prediction

This game is not as hyped up as the Michigan-Notre Dame game, but it’s still a big game — maybe even bigger — for the Fighting Irish.

Let me just say one thing looking back at last weekend and then we can get into the preview: Notre Dame lost the Michigan game because of terrible, crazy, offensive play calling.

What were they thinking when they called two pass plays with the lead late in the 4th quarter!? Run the ball and make Michigan use their timeouts! It was just dumb play calling at its “finest”.

Now back to the ND-MSU preview. Before we delve into the analysis, here are the particulars for Saturday’s matchup:

Michigan State at Notre Dame

• Michigan State-Notre Dame Date: Saturday, September 19th
• Michigan State-Notre Dame State Kickoff Time: 3:30 ET
• Michigan State-Notre Dame TV Channel: NBC
• Michigan State-Notre Dame Point Spread: Notre Dame -10.5

Notre Dame has to win this game, and on paper Notre Dame is the stronger team; but this is sports, and if you haven’t found out yet that anything can happened in sports, well you’re not a very astute fan.

So while Notre Dame should win this game, don’t count out Michigan State too easily.

Despite the 30+ points given up against Michigan, Notre Dame’s defense has improved dramatically. While the Irish offense is explosive, I believe it is their defense that will be the key to this game. Defense wins football games, as the old adage goes, and Notre Dame has the defense to do beat Michigan State, along with the offense to back it up.

Michigan State needs to stay to the basics of football. That is playing smart football, not giving up many turnovers, and converting on chances. Michigan State is running against the wind in this game, but playing smart football can make all the difference.

This game will go to the team with the better choices, play calling, and whoever converts on the others mistakes. Those are fairly common things you have to do to win a football game, but not many teams can do that in a game, and they end up paying the price for not sticking to the basics.

Overall I see Notre Dame winning this game comfortably. if not, then maybe Notre Dame isn’t as good as they were hyped to be.

Michigan v Notre Dame In the Big House: Preview and Prediction

Michigan and Notre Dame meet in Ann Arbor on Saturday and this year it will actually be a game worth watching. It will also be a game played in one of the only stadiums — The Big House — that is large enough to hold both schools’ massive  football egos.

The last two meetings between these teams were sloppy blowout games and neither team ended up having a good season. But this year both squads look to be back on track and the rivalry is being revived.

Last week, Michigan coasted to an easy 31-7 victory over Western Michigan, scoring all of their points in the first half. Freshman quarterback Tate Forcier solidified himself as the starter for the Wolverines while fellow freshman Denard Robinson flashed the speed and big play ability that quarterbacks in Rich Rodriguez’s system are known for having.

Rich Rodriguez’s spread option offense was effective against the Broncos, as Michigan racked up 242 rushing yards from 8 different ball carriers. The problem for the Wolverines is they are currently without a go-to running back. Backup quarterback Denard Robinson was the leading rusher with 74 yards.

In Notre Dame’s season opener, the Irish shut out Nevada 35-0 with Jimmy Clausen throwing for 4 TD’s. Claussen showed poise in the pocket, completing 15 of his 18 attempts.

Charlie Weis and the Fighting Irish look ready to make it back to another bowl game this year, and possibly even compete for a BCS bid. The offense that was in complete disarray two seasons ago is now finally coming together.

Saturday’s matchup between these two bitter rivals is an intriguing one. Both teams have shown vast improvement from last year, but this will obviously be the first real test for each squad with Rodriguez and Weis both seated firmly on the hot seat to bring their teams back to the elite level of college football.

Before we get into an analysis of the matchup, let’s take a quick look at the particulars:

#18 Notre Dame (1-0) at Michigan (1-0)

• Notre Dame-Michigan Date: Saturday, September 12th
• Notre Dame-Michigan Time: 3:30 ET
• Notre Dame-Michigan TV: ABC
• Notre Dame-Michigan Location: The Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Notre Dame-Michigan Point Spread: Notre Dame -4.5
• StubHub: Michigan-Notre Dame tickets for as low as $95
• StubHub: Michigan football tickets
• StubHub: Notre Dame football tickets
• StubHub: all College Football tickets

Notre Dame-Michigan Preview and Analysis

Notre Dame comes into the game a slight favorite and rightfully so. Clausen is starting to fill in the void that was left when Brady Quinn left for the NFL draft. (Side note to Notre Dame fans: please don’t treat Claussen like the “golden boy” as you did with Quinn. Thank you.)

To win the game, the Irish must provide strong pass protection for Clausen and allow him to spread the ball around. Michigan, on the other hand, needs to pressure Clausen and limit his ability to locate WRs Golden Tate and Michael Floyd down the field. If Michigan tries to get in a shootout with Notre Dame, the Wolverines won’t be able to keep up with the Irish’s high-octane offense.

If Claussen can put up 300-plus yards passing Michigan won’t have a chance. Tate, a speedy and talented young receiver, could be the X-factor with his big play potential.

Michigan needs to control the pace and the clock by running the football over and over. Forcier looked good passing the ball last week, although he only put the ball in the air 20 times. He completed 13 of those passes for 175 yards and tallied 3 TDs. You might look at those stats and think the Wolverines should throw more.

On the contrary, Forcier’s efficient passing was set up by 50 rushing attempts at 4.8 yards per pop. Michigan would do well to follow attain a similar run:pass ratio. Forcier will have to be smart with the ball again when passing plays are called. An improving Irish defense picked off two passes last week and will be licking their chops going up against a freshman making only his second start.

Notre Dame-Michigan Prediction

This game can go either way and will likely be decided by one or two key plays. Notre Dame comes in ranked #18, but when playing in the Big House all rankings go out the window. [Editor's note: as do Division 1-A and 1-AA classifications...right App State?]

Rich Rodriguez will have the Wolverines amped up to start the game and the Irish will have to take the fans out of the game early. Luckily for Notre Dame fans and the embattled Weis, the Irish have an experienced quarterback to rely on in Jimmy Clausen, who is no stranger to pressure, expectation, and hostile environments.  

In this high profile matchup between two of the all-time giants of college football, Clausen’s experience will most likely be the difference.

My prediction for this game: Notre Dame- 31 Michigan- 24

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* – Notre Dame / Michigan helmets image credit: The Onion

* – Charlie Weis photo credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio via WSBT-2

* – Denard Robinson / Tate Forcier photo credit: Said Alsalah/Daily via Michigan Daily

* – Jimmy Clausen in high school photo credit: Pre Pro Sports

I’ll Tell You This: The Meaning of Bradford’s Injury, ND’s Win, and Why the Jets and Lions are Making a Mistake

[Editor's note: This is the second installment of Big MB's weekly post entitled I'll Tell You This, in which he tells us all what in the sports world -- to quote the great Peter Griffin -- is grinding his gears. Enjoy...and stay tuned for an upcoming appearance by Big MB on the soon-to-be resume MSF podcast.]

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1. Sam Bradford

This past Saturday, Oklahoma was upset in new the Dallas Cowboys stadium by BYU. What’s worse is that last year’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Sam Bradford, injured his throwing shoulder on his way to the ground. Sooner Nation stopped breathing for a moment, however with recent reports it seems that the Sooner’s Slinger will only miss 2-4 weeks.

I’ll Tell You This: For all of you skeptics of Mark Sanchez and other athletes coming to pro sports early, and for all of you haters of high schoolers jumping to NBA, this is the case against you. Bradford decided to stick around one more year when he could have been the #1 pick last year. What if this was a career ending injury? Even though it’s not at this point, what if it severely affects Bradford’s play?  Bradford would possibly never get to live his dream of playing pro football. And worse, what would be his future profession after dumping all of his time into becoming an A-level quarterback?

2. Saving Weis?

Charlie Weis and all of South Bend (and those who support the Irish) may breathe just a little easier after Notre Dame pitched a shutout against Nevada. Jimmy Clausen finally looked like the quarterback that he has been hyped to be, completing 15 of 18 passes for 315 yards and 4 touchdowns.

I’ll Tell You This: No coach in sports is under as much pressure as Charlie Weis is right now. Notre Dame MUST win, and look good in doing so. However, this was Nevada. It’s the first week of the season. The team that should have won did. Next week brings bitter rival the Big Blue of Michigan. Someone shoot Charlie a text and let him know his job is still on the line.

3. Al Davis Strikes Again

Once again, Bill Bellicheck is a genius and Al Davis is a fool. This past weekend the New England Patriots traded DE Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for a first round pick in 2011. Seymour is getting older and has seemingly started to lose a step, but is still an upgrade to a porous Raiders D-Line. However, the question remains: is he worth a first round pick?

I’ll Tell You This: There is not a soul on the earth that can honestly tell me that Al Davis made a good move, or ever will. Seymour is a “right now” type of guy, and Oakland is FAR from a “right now” type of team. There is no doubt that the Patriots will likely be picking top 5 in the 2011 draft, and that is something that no one in the entire NFL (save for New England) wants to see (and it’s possible that Al Davis won’t even live long enough to see). Al Davis needs to let go of this historic NFL franchise or they will never succeed. It’s definitely the black hole….a place where NFL players and winning go to die.

4. The Rookies

NFL rookies take the cake this year as both Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions and Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets will both get the starting nod at quarterback for their respective teams this season.

I’ll Tell You This: Although I think both guys are talented and will be good quarterbacks in the NFL, both teams are making mistakes starting them. Yes, some quarterbacks do well when thrown right into the mix (see Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts). However, in many cases it hurls what may have been a talented superstar into the cursed pool of the draft day flops (See Ryan Leaf, Joey Harrington, and David Carr). And some never can turn it around afterwards. Both teams have respectable veteran starters in Daunte Culpepper (Detroit) and Kellen Clemens (NY).  I can only hope for the sake of these two QB’s that they follow Peyton’s path to success and not Ryan Leaf’s path to America’s Funniest Home Videos.

5. The Knockout Heard Round the World

Everyone has seen it. Most of us saw it every hour for 48 straight hours on every sport program on television. And while for a fan of MMA like myself it was somewhat exciting to watch, America was once again taken aback by another sports thug when Oregon standout running back LeGarrette Blount sucker punched Boise State’s Byron Hout after Hout spouted a little trash talk to Blount. Blount made things worse by almost going Ron Artest-style on a couple fans on his way to the locker room. It took 4 or 5 police officers and building security to keep him from broaching the stands.

I’ll Tell You This: Although it is very sad to see a player throw away his career for lack of ability to keep his attitude in control, I do find it funny that the game started with both teams meeting at midfield for a handshake in light of “Good Sportmanship Week.” What I also find funny is that Blount ran his mouth ALL week before the game and then after getting held in check and to career lows, couldn’t take what he had been dishing out. The senior received a one year suspension, thus ending his college career. What will he do with his time off? Maybe he should give the Winnepeg Blue Bombers a call. He can hang out with Pacman Jones. They would make a cute couple. Canada can have him too.

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You can follow BigMB on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/mylesb3269.

Charlie Weis’ Fighting Irish Have One More Year to Finally Prove Themselves

When people say Notre Dame, most people think about the football team. The Fighting Irish have always been a very prestigious football school. They hold the second best all-time winning percentage of any college team – behind only Michigan – but the past two years have not been so good to the golden domers.

In fact, the past two years have been hell for Irish fans.

Notre Dame went a combined 9-15 over the past two season, including setting the record for most losses in a season in 2007 with nine. The Irish especially did not fare well against their main rival USC, losing 0-38 in 2007 and 3-35 in 2008.

So you would think it could only get better for the Irish, right?

Well, that’s exactly what might happen.

Follow the links to StubHub for great deals on Notre Dame football tickets and all college football tickets.

This year has the potential to be a comeback year for the Irish. With a relatively easy schedule, the Irish can post an above .500 record for the first time in two years and could end up in the top 25 – or *gasp* even the BCS – at the end of the year. The Irish were ranked at 23rd in the pre-season polls, which I think is a lenient ranking considering how average they were last season.

One thing is for sure, after yet another stellar recruiting class pulled into South Bend by Charlie Weis: the Irish have the players to prove they belong in the top 25. The Irish’s recruiting class was in the top 10 again this year, and we all know that recruiting is a necessary step in rebuilding a college football program into the powerful force it desires to be.

Furthermore, the returning players on offense have matured and should be ready to take another step forward this season, which is obviously one in which the Irish hope to win a spot in one of the major bowl games. And not only do they want to be in one, they want to win one.

The offense is led by junior QB Jimmy Clausen and junior WR Golden Tate. These two love each other and are prepped to have a stellar year. Clausen has been called a bust by some, but he is now in his prime and so is the offense. Notre Dame is known to have had potent offenses in the past, and it all starts at the QB position. With greats like Joe Montana, and recently Brady Quinn, Clausen has high expectations to fulfill.

Another person who is not a player also has infamously high expectations to fulfill. And when I say that, I mean – who else? – Charlie Wies.

Going into his 4th season, Weis has put up a modest 29-21 record. The only great year Weis has had was in 2006, when they went 10-2, but lost in the Sugar Bowl to LSU. After the disappointment of the last two years, fans have been calling for Notre Dame to fire Weis, and there was rumors after last season that he was in fact going to be fired. However, Weis wasn’t fired, and this year will be a statement of just how good a coach Weis is.

He has clearly had mixed reviews over his coaching career with Notre Dame. All agree he is a great recruiter, but some argue he is a terrible on-field play caller and coach. Is his offense too complicated for a college football team? Some have said so. The overriding trust is that Weis has the tools, and he mentally understands how to move the football. Now can he use those tools effectively and instill the same knowledge into his players?

We will just have to wait and see.

As you can see, this year will be a make or break season for the Fighting Irish and their embattled coach. The players are there, the schedule sets up nicely, and the fans are ready. Will this be a comeback year, or will it just be another disappointment?

Nobody can know, except maybe Touchdown Jesus.

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[Editor's note: you can catch Notre Dame's first game this Saturday, September 5, against Nevada at 3:30pm est. Follow the link to see the entire Week 1 college football schedule and point spreads.]

* – Notre Dame gold helmet photo credit: UND.com

* – Charlie Weis / Jimmy Clausen photo credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar via WSBT.com

Ohio State, Notre Dame Make GQ List of America’s Douchiest Colleges

Earlier today, KVB tried to convince everyone that Ohio State and its 102,329-person capacity stadium is the best football stadium in the Big Ten. Well guess what? GQ thinks that KVB, Kirk Herbstreit, and the rest of their Buckeye brethren are douches.

In fact, in its list of the 25 Douchiest Colleges in America, Ohio State came in at #19, right between other notable instidouchions of higher learning Morehouse (#20) and Boston U. (#18).  

And wouldn’t you know it, the tagline for Buckeye douchiness according to GQ is “The Excessive-School-Pride-Douche.” GQ also says:

Affectations: Dressing for class each morning as if you were the offensive-line coach; writing prison letters to Maurice Clarett.
Overheard at Buckeye career-building workshop: ”You can put ‘Won a national championship’ on a résumé, right?” 
Most likely to: Suffocate a hapless Boilermakers fan with a giant foam Number One after offhand comment about how the marching band’s “Script Ohio” wasn’t all that impressive.
Honorable-mention excessive-school-pride institutions: Duke, Michigan, Texas, Penn State, Yeshiva University.

For the record — and this should surprise no one — Indiana did not make list.  Purdue, however, somehow escaped GQ’s wrath.  How about the “Wears-Plaid-Every-Day-Douche”…that would have worked.

Other notables on the douchy college list:

• #25 Virginia
• #24 Texas
• #17 Chicago
• #16 USC
• #15 Notre Dame
• #14 Arizona State
• #13 Georgia
• #12 Phoenix
• #10 Colorado
• #4 Harvard
• #3 Princeton
• #2 Duke
• #1 Brown

* – Kirk Herbstreit photo credit: Year 2

College Basketball: Big East is too tough for Luke Harangody alone

All you could hear was Jay Bilas talking about how Notre Dame could come back, “Give it to Harangody…They have got to see Harangody down low…He has got to get to the line more.” He did that, but it did not solve the recent woes of a sliding Irish team. It has been clear in the last two games that Notre Dame, while hanging tough, may not be the contender in the Big East that everyone thought they were. It has a lot to do with Luke Harangody. Back up the truck, chief. Harangody is a beast, he’s a corn-fed monster with a stroke. I wonder aloud what he could do at offensive tackle. Speculation aside, his work is on the court and he can’t do it all for the Irish to win in the Big East, that is becoming crystal clear, with the Irish taking their 5th in conference loss on the chin Tuesday night from Marquette.

Harangody is a serious candidate for player of the year and has been averaging almost 25 points per game all season, with 13 rebounds dominating the glass for the Irish throughout their season. That’s not the problem, the problem is Luke cannot carry the team alone.

The Irish dropped to 12-7 Monday night with a second home loss to a tough, experienced Marquette team who is best in the Big East, undefeated in conference play. Tough game. So, was Saturday’s UConn game, too. No win with Gameday in house. It’s a tough conference, though, not just a tough game. They have racked up 5 in-conference losses, already, dropping games to Marquette, UConn, Syracuse, Louisville and St. John’s.

The Big East is the, top to bottom, most complete conference this year. It seems each team can be a contender but Notre Dame has begun to sink, slowly since a strong start. Harangody has been out of his mind, though, with 14 double-doubles and with last 9 games in a row. He is a dominant force in the Big East playing like Blake Griffin of Oklahoma but in the toughest conference in the country. There’s a problem, though, he’s it. He is it for the Irish. Yes, other players like Kyle McAlarney and Tory Jackson have done some great work on the court, but neither can remain consistent and when one, or both of those players fall off, the Irish stall and cannot produce effective offense, enough, to win games.

Against Marquette, Monday, Harangody put up 29 points and pulled down an amazing 17 rebounds. He took over the paint at moments, putting the Irish in the driver’s seat and within striking range for a majority of the game. They lead by as much as 4 in the second half, and were playing in a Joyce Center that was about to lose it’s top for the 2^nd time in 3 days. Ultimately, though, they could not finish.

There are dozens of problems, questions and answers surrounding Notre Dame and their season right now. They must play better defense on penetration, they must execute their offense and stop resorting to the long ball and they certainly need someone else to step up and at least play in the same gym as Harangody. Tory Jackson and Luke Zeller have visited that gym, but never stayed. McAlarney plays there, and will. He’s definitely trying. He’s working his darndest to do his Reggie Miller impression, running off every screen he can find. But the news is out on him and so he hasn’t been able to back up the big fella. Buzz Williams rotated his defenders and kept a fresh set of legs on McAlarney’s jock all night, then the answer was easy. Do the best you can with Luke, don’t foul him too much, too early and get in foul trouble. Then, shut down the other 4 on the floor and take advantage of their spotty, slow defense on the offensive end. There’s no easy solution for Coach Mike Brey.

The Big East features some of the best guard play in the country and certainly some of the toughest defense. Marquette was the perfect example. With 3 seniors leading the #8 team in the country, Marquette saw 27 points from Jerel McNeal, 15 points from Dominic James and 16 points from Wesley Matthews. They created 17 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 9 assists. They played a floor to floor game that with the help of Maurice Aker that put Kyle McAlarney on ice with 9 points in the full 40 minutes and let Luke have a day. Notre Dame could not find a winning answer, though. The only thing keeping them in the game was Big Luke, but he can’t win games alone.

It’s a big problem. A problem that has some wondering if they can salvage the rest of the year without seeing many more losses, that they can’t afford.

Buzz Williams notched one more strike for the Irish tonight. He did it with a team that fell in his lap, but he did it, and on the road. Marquette left Domers shaking their heads, wondering where days of old, and wins over Texas and Georgetown had gone for the Irish. Where the team had gone off to that was going to be a force in the Big East.

Luke will find help, the Irish will not die. I see some W’s coming soon against, perhaps, UCLA, Cincinnati and Providence, hopefully against South Florida, Rutgers and in a second chance against St. John’s. Those aren’t guaranteed, though, no game in the Big East is and Luke Harangody is feeling that hurt now for his low-luck Irish.

Charlie Weis Will Not Be Fired – Yet; Will Return to Coach Notre Dame in 2009

Speculation has been swirling ever since Notre Dame lost to Syracuse that head coach Charlie Weis might not be leading the Fighting Irish in 2009.

It appears as if that speculation can stop — at least for now.

Multiple websites are reporting that “sources” have informed them that Charlie Weis will return in 2009 to coach the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I’ve read this on ESPN.com, Irish Illustrated, and even Weis’ homepage: Arrogance.net. (Well, I didn’t actually check that last one.)

I did not want to post anything until I had confirmation from our secret source for insider Notre Dame football information here at Midwest Sports Fans, but I spoke with Charlie Grimace earlier today and he also confirmed the return of Charlie Weis as head coach. Thanks CG.

From Notre Dame’s perspective, it makes sense to decide the fate of Charlie Weis as quickly possible. The recruiting season is heating up, and Notre Dame already has commitments from several top-ranked recruits.

We know how obsessed with tradition Notre Dame is, and to continue the school’s recent tradition of bringing in top-10 recruiting classes and then coming nowhere close to actual top-10 during the season, the school needs to retain Charlie Weis to ensure the stability of its recruiting class for 2009.

With the not-officially-confirmed announcement yesterday that Weis will be back, the Irish should retain their bounty of highly ranked recruits and once again offer false hope to their fan base that Notre Dame is actually still an elite football program.

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I realize that I am being harsh here, but two primary facts are clouding my opinion as I write:

1. I don’t like Notre Dame.
2. Karma is a bitch, and Charlie Weis’ arrogance when he got to Notre Dame wrote a pretty hefty check that his results have not come close to cashing.

For the record, Charlie Weis has a .571 winning percentage in his four years at Notre Dame. By comparison, Tyrone Willingham had a .583 winning percentage before being unceremoniously discharged from his duties as head after four seasons. Remember, that was the first time that any Notre Dame coach had been fired before completing their initial five-year contract.

Now, some people say that Notre Dame was wrong to fire Tyrone Willingham. I think it stunk how the situation was handled, but Willingham’s results at Washington seem to show that he might not have been the man to lead Notre Dame football back to national prominence.. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, they couldn’t get Urban Meyer after firing Willingham, and now they are stuck with another coach who does not seem to be the man to lead the Irish back to the promised land of college football.

So I am not jumping on the “they did Tyrone Willingham wrong” bandwagon — and I think it’s hard to do so when he has failed so miserably at Washington. However, what about Bob Davie?

Davie, who succeeded Lou Holtz in South Bend, also had a .583 winning percentage. Like Willingham, this is better than the winning percentage posted by Charlie Weis through four seasons. I realize that at Notre Dame, winning just under 60% of your games is not enough. Hey, I’m an Indiana basketball fan, so I know what it’s about to cling to your tradition from the 40s through the 80s even though your team now only pops up on the national radar every few seasons anymore.

So, again, I can’t really fault Notre Dame for firing Bob Davie. I’m not sure anyone really thought that Davie was the man to lead Notre Dame back to prominence. However, I wish that Notre Dame had either kept Davie has head coach or never let him ascend to that position in the first place. Because of the high profile he developed on the sidelines beneath Touchdown Jesus, Davie was able to land a gig as an announcer with ABC and ESPN. His failure as a Notre Dame coach never affected me, because I don’t actively root for or against Notre Dame — I don’t care. However, I love watching college football, but am too keen on the idea of listening to a Ben Stein-type monotone voice provide color commentary.

Sometimes during games in which Bob Davie is announcing, I have to check my pulse just to make sure I’m still alive and have not descended into a catatonic state. Something tells me the play-by-play guy who works with Davie has to do the same — both for himself and Davie.

But I digress.

The good news for Charlie Weis is that it appears he will get a fifth season to confirm that he is not a good college football coach. He sailed pretty smoothly his first couple seasons with arrogance and Ty Willingham’s recruits. Coaching with his own recruits and a little more humility, the last two seasons have not gone quite as planned.

I don’t know who Brian Combs is, but over at www.briancombs.net he put together a list of the Top 8 Charlie Weis quotes. Allow me to regale you with my favorite one:

“You are what you are folks, and right now you’re a 6-5 football team. And guess what? That’s just not good enough. It’s not good enough for you. And it’s certainly not going to be good enough for me. So, if you think they hired me here to go .500, you…you got the wrong guy.”

Damn straight Charlie. You got them to .571!

And I won’t even bring up the whole “schematic advantage” quote. It’s too cliched at this point.

As the son of a former college football coach, I never actively root for any coach to fail because I understand the pressure coaches are under, the energy and passion they put into their work, and the utter frustration of your livelihood depending on 18-22 year old college kids. I was a college kid not too long ago, and it gave me even more of an appreciation for immature college kids are, but yet how much is riding on them in the big business of college football.

With that said, Charlie Weis has made it very hard for anyone to have sympathy for him. He came into South Bend projecting himself as some sort of coaching knight on a white horse (pity the horse) who would, without question or difficulty, lead Notre Dame back to the top 10 and restore the proud tradition of Fighting Irish football.

Instead, he has put the program in far worse shape than they were four years ago when Tyrone Willingham left.

But it appears that Charlie Weis will return in 2009 and have one last shot at making Touchdown Jesus smile. If the Irish continue to fail to compete against top-level competition, and lose more games to teams like Syracuse, not even Jesus, the King of Forgiveness and the Golden Rule himself, may be able to muster up any forgiveness for Charlie “Schematic Advantage” Weis.

Update: Just caught on ESPN.com that Notre Dame is officially keeping Charlie Weis for 2009.

“Though this past season fell short of the expectations that all of us have for our football program, I am confident that Charlie has a strong foundation in place for future success and that the best course of action is to move forward under his leadership,” athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement released by the university Wednesday.”

Obviously Jack Swarbrick and the other imbeciles who run the Notre Dame athletic department (superpassed only by the imbeciles who have been running the IU athletic department for the last decade) did want to lose their schematic advantage. That load groan you hear is the collective hopes of the entire Notre Dame fan base, who must be subjected to another year of top-level recruits and bottom-level performance.

Notre Dame vs. Boston College: The Holy War means a little something this year

Well it isn’t going to be happening in the Midwest and it isn’t exactly the biggest game that Gameday will be covering. Let’s say this, though: when you turn on ESPN this Saturday and you see the battle of the Golden Domes, BlarneyFest, the Holy War going down in Alumni Stadium you will witness one of the most heated rivalries in college football.

I’m talking about the Boston College/Notre Dame game.

This year the 5-3 teams face off for the 18^th time since 1975. Irish Catholics from Chicago to Boston will be drinking heavily, and pleading with their teams to rise out of bitter mediocrity to walk away saying, “If the rest of the season fails, at least we beat them.”

I’ll give you some history. You may be wondering, “Kaner, Chicago based? You must be an ND fan.” Bull. I would have already made some pretentious comment about how Jimmy Clasuen is the truth, our “storied history” or how everything is Ty Willingham’s fault. I am a Boston College Eagle to the core.

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