Same Old Notre Dame? Same Old Notre Dame.
By Jason McIntyre
Back in January, I wrote that the Irish would be serious a serious BCS threat in 2011 because a lot of talent was returning, the recruiting class was impressive, and the schedule was manageable.
The Irish opener against South Florida Saturday began with such promise – QB Dayne Crist led Notre Dame into the red zone with ease. And then on 3rd and goal, Jonas Gray was stripped on the 1-yard line, the ball popped out, and Kayvon Webster raced 96 yards the other way for a touchdown. The Irish never recovered.
Plagued by penalties (eight), turnovers (five), and dropped passes (lost count), Notre Dame fell behind 16-0, and after a quarterback change and two rain delays, the Irish lost their opener, 23-20. Crist threw a terrible 2nd quarter interception – right after a costly Michael Floyd holding penalty negated a TD – and after a two hour halftime due to lightning, he was replaced by last year’s hero, Tommy Rees.
On Notre Dame’s second drive of the third quarter, Rees connected on a TD pass to Floyd (12-154-2 TDs) and I heard Don Criqui proclaim on the radio, “And Tommy Rees will be Notre Dame’s quarterback for the rest of the season.”
Collectively, it was a clunker of a performance reminiscent of stinkers from the forgettable Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis eras. How, with a veteran team, could an offseason filled with promise crumble so quickly? Turnovers do happen, but five? When you ring up 508 yards of total offense – exactly double what South Florida generated, you’re supposed to win. The Notre Dame defense wasn’t terrible – idiotic penalties aside – and South Florida was only 2-for-14 on third down.
Next up? A trip to Michigan for the first night game in the storied history of the Big House. The Wolverines defeated Western Michigan, 34-10, in a rain-shortened game (three quarters). Notre Dame lost to Michigan in a 2010 classic – Denard Robinson totaled 502 yards of total offense (including this awesome TD run) and guided the Wolverines on a game-winning drive in the final minute to defeat the Irish, 28-24.
It’ll be a lengthy climb to the BCS if Notre Dame falls to 0-2.
*Yes, I have deleted the 41-14 Sugar Bowl loss to JaMarcus Russell in 2007 from memory. One can stomach two BCS losses in a row. Three? Come on, that didn’t actually happen. The NFL and the Raiders certainly wish it the game never happened; it propelled Russell to the No. 1 pick in the draft.