T1B

[align=justify]A relatively quick hitter. I don't have time to stick around today since (a) I'm likely to be in court all day today; and (b) it looks like my 6-month-old daughter has either a respiratory virus or asthma (I'm leaning toward the former, given that she's been throwing up quite often, including, in what was probably an omen, my ND sweatshirt only a few minutes before kickoff yesterday).

Anyway, props to the Buckeyes. You guys played a nearly flawless game (excluding two blocked FG's and a couple of turnovers). And your team is quite a bit better than I had thought, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and Troy Smith, in particular. That's not arrogance on my part -- my wife doesn't like football, doesn't get it on any level, and doesn't understand why I'm into it. She expects me to use weekends to catch up on housework and yardwork. The compromise we've sort of arrived at is that I get to watch ND in relative peace and quiet, but the rest of the weekend is fair game. So anything beyond ND is gravy for me. As a result, I've seen tOSU only three times this year, and only fragments of each game -- against Texas, against Penn State and against Michigan.

On to the game analysis:

• As I said, props to the Buckeyes, who were much better on the offensive side of the ball than I had anticipated.
• If there was a turning point, it was our inability to cash in on a fumble recovered at the tOSU 15 and the score 7-7 at the time. Running Walker three times in a row was inadvisable, but once we had done that, play action would have made more sense to me on the 4th down play.
• Ironically, in light of the above, Walker was underutilized by the coaching staff during the game. Weis typically stays with the hot hand until the other defense shuts it down, and Walker was averaging 6 yards per carry against that defense. Using Walker better would have eventually set up the passing game, would have taken tOSU's LB's out of their blitzing rhythm, and would have kept their defense on the field longer.
• Defensively, we played well enough to win on 1st and 2nd downs. Third down, however, was another matter entirely. tOSU converted far, far too many third downs, particularly in long yardage situations, for us to have a fair chance to win the game. On third-and-long, to compensate for the rather obvious speed disadvantage we had to Holmes and Ginn, we either should have brought the pressure to Smith or gone to a nickel package and zone coverage. We did neither, and got beaten badly as a result on third down.
• Since it's been mentioned elsewhere, Gonzalez' catch was a fumble. He took two steps with the ball before it came out. Bad calls on the field are one thing, and they tend to average themselves out over the course of a season. Bad calls from the replay booth are another thing altogether. That's the first time I can remember that a crew got the call right on the field and then were overturned in the booth. Having said that, that did not cost us the game.
• Every good Notre Dame team gets great special teams play at times, and this year's team was no exception. Against tOSU, the great special teams play came from an unlikely source (two blocked FG's). Here's hoping that continues next season.
• Burnt Cheeseburger was, in a word, obnoxious. All that was missing from dude was a tOSU cheerleader's uniform. Of course, given that he's an unapologetic Big 10 homer, I suppose that was to be expected. I know ABC had to stick him somewhere, but I really wish they had put him in the Sugar Bowl or Orange Bowl rather than in my team's game. And speaking of his fixation on the relationship between AJ Hawk and Brady Quinn's sister, maybe he'd be happier working for People magazine. I know I'd be happier if he did.
• Much as I've criticized ND's in-game coaching here, I should give credit where credit is due. The most important thing here is that ND did not roll over and die after the first half. Anyone who has not followed ND football closely for the past several years probably doesn't realize that or appreciate fully what it means. If either of ND's previous two coaches had taken that team into halftime under those circumstances, I'd bet my next paycheck against yours that the final score would have been 52-7 or thereabouts. Imho, that's the single most important change, far and away, that's occurred in the program under Weis. The outcome of this game was in doubt until Pittman (who had been kept in check pretty much until that time) broke off a long run with about 1 1/2 minutes left. If nothing else, ND under Weis has served notice that it is never really out of any game, both with this game and the Michigan State game.

I wanted the bowl game losing streak to end badly, if only so that the media would shut up about it finally. But all in all, and looking at the circumstances realistically, I'm satisfied with this season. The team met my expectations, and pretty much exceeded the national media's expectations. I believe that next year, we can, not necessarily will but certainly can, contend for the national championship (of course, we'll have to win our bowl game to do that).[/align]

All I could think of watcxhing that game was man if only FSU had OSU's offensive line.

I realize that I am an OSU fan, but I don't consider myself to be that big of a homer.

I thought that the replay clearly showed that Gonzalez never caught the ball.

I didnt think it was a fumble either, but oh man what a momentum shift that would have been. I think Weis should have kicked insted of going for it, early on. That would have given his team a lead and maybe would have gave them some momentum in the 1st Half. After the failed 4th down, it seemed like ND was flat the rest of the half.

My thoughts (before the game):

ND matches up with OSU well because ND doesn't use the run game to control the clock as much as they use the short passing game. OSU allows other teams to complete 60% of their passes, which should allow Quinn to controll the ball/clock with quick hitters to Samardzija and Stovall, and use Fasano over the middle.

On defense, they don't defend the deep ball very well, but luckily Troy Smith has had problemw with his accuracy when throwing deep. ND's safeties bite hard on the play action, but if their front 7 controls Pittman, that shouldn't be an issue.

All things considered, I think ND's weaknesses won't be exposed by Ohio State.

(That's basically an abreviated version of my pregame thoughts.)

My thoughts (post game):

Troy Smith is a stud. He proved me wrong in every way imagineable, and I fully expect him to be in New York next year if he continues to improve at the rapid rate he did this year. This wasn't the same kid that I saw play against PSU, he looked like a completely different QB. Props to him.

I had no idea that Samardzija's long hair was indicitive of him becoming the biggest pussy in the stadium (close runner up is Laura Quinn after AJ celebrated with her last night). He had a great year but vanished in the biggest game of the year. Good job Jeff. Props to Maurice Stovall. That kid played awesome and I'm sorry to see him leave. After his SO and JR years, I never thought I'd say that.

This was the first game that I have been irritated with Weis and the play calling. Those quick 5 yard hitters were there all game, and they threw them only a handfull of times. And after the first play when Samardzija got deep, they tried one other deep pass the whole game. Walker ran well, and I was excited to see him run that well against a great defense, but I was dissapointed that ND didn't try the 5 wide spread earlier in the game. With a month to prepare, fankly, I expected more.

Rack the Buckeyes for a great game. I'm not sure if I agreeded to a sig bet, but if I didn't, I intended to, so Pat Benatar me.

-Edit-
I also think Rick Minter should be fired, and Weis should let Bill Lewis know that the saftey play is a step above horse shit. ND will not win a title with subpar defensive coaching, and Minter is not cutting it.

This wasn't the same kid that I saw play against PSU, he looked like a completely different QB. Props to him.

Exactly. Smith seems to have progressed with the long ball. In the PSU game, he didn't execute a few long passes well...he clearly can make those throws now. When that happens, OSU's offense is scary, because of the immense WR talent on the roster.

Personally, I am sure OSU would beat PSU today, and probably UT as well...

When you're hanging your "woulda/coulda/shoulda" hat on what would've been a TOTALLY fluke play to begin with.... you know you just had your ass dominated and embarrassed.

That said.... Gonzo clearly never had control of the ball. I haven't heard anybody but Charlie Weis and Crapchester Terry say otherwise (although I did read somewhere that one of the ESPN douchebags -- probably Lou "Marblemouth", "I could never beat Ohio State when I was at Notre Dame" Holtz -- questioned the call).

Only an ND fan could spin the fact that OSU's most sure-handed receiver dropped an easy first down (if not touchdown) pass.... into some kind of "break " for the Buckeyes. Nine out of ten times - Tony makes the clean reception and takes it to the house.... first down, minimum. As it stood, he was bobbling the ball until ND broke it up and the ball came loose. It was obviously the right call.... and if anything, it was a break for NOTRE DAME that Gonzo uncharacteristically bobbled the ball and didn't turn that play into more OSU points.

And, as some folks have conveniently forgotten.... even if they would've given Notre Dame the ball, there was an illegal block in the back that would've taken the l.o.s. all the way back to Notre Dame's own 20-something.

Any way you slice it, ND was lucky to even be reasonably within striking distance. OSU dominated a game that could've just as easily been a 45-7 final if not for a fluke fumble and some unchararacteristically poor special teams play from OSU.

Had a chance to check, I did agree to one, so lay it one me when you come to a consensus.

BraveFan wrote:That said.... Gonzo clearly never had control of the ball. I haven't heard anybody but Charlie Weis and Crapchester Terry say otherwise (although I did read somewhere that one of the ESPN douchebags -- probably Lou "Marblemouth", "I could never beat Ohio State when I was at Notre Dame" Holtz -- questioned the call).

He took two steps with the ball before it came loose. How is that not a fumble?

Only an ND fan could spin the fact that OSU's most sure-handed receiver dropped an easy first down (if not touchdown) pass.... into some kind of "break " for the Buckeyes. Nine out of ten times - Tony makes the clean reception and takes it to the house.... first down, minimum. As it stood, he was bobbling the ball until ND broke it up and the ball came loose. It was obviously the right call.... and if anything, it was a break for NOTRE DAME that Gonzo uncharacteristically bobbled the ball and didn't turn that play into more OSU points.

How was it not a break for tOSU? Clearly, he didn't score. It was either a fumble or an incompletion. Tell me, which is worse for tOSU?

And, as some folks have conveniently forgotten.... even if they would've given Notre Dame the ball, there was an illegal block in the back that would've taken the l.o.s. all the way back to Notre Dame's own 20-something.

I'm well aware of the call on the field. I never said the call took points away from ND. And if you'll recall, I went out of my way to say that it didn't affect the outcome of the game.

Did anyone see Charlie Weis get flagged for having his pants too high in the 2nd quarter?:




Awesome game.

Go Bucks!

Terry in Crapchester wrote: [*]Since it's been mentioned elsewhere, Gonzalez' catch was a fumble. He took two steps with the ball before it came out.

I watched with a couple of people who shared my neutrality, and it was universally agreed that it was an incomplete pass...if it makes you feel any better or worse. He never had control of the ball, regardless how many steps he took before it came out. The ball was bouncing around in his hands the entire way.

Good game. Troy Smith played one HELL of a game. I think tOSU is set at starting QB next year, for certain.

I'll throw in my 2 cents. That Gonzalez play was a fumble. He caught the ball and only when he brought it down to tuck it away did he bobble it. fumble. Be that as it may the call went one way and ND fan has to live with it. I thought the game plan was good for the first couple of series but the first down drop by Samardizjia (sp) was huge, among other missed and dropped passes. The defense in a word was flat out pathetic. What was Wooden thinking? Wait, was he thinking? the tackling past the front 6 or 7 was below average. Why is it that most DB's have to lower their head and tuck one shoulder when tackling? What ever happened to good form tackling and keeping the gall carrier in your view. Why duck the head? Poor angles on tackles proved to be a killer. The other thing is why don't kids break down before making a tackle. I saw so many ND defenders overrun the ball carrier that it's not even funny. I agree that Minter did a horrible job. The secondary needs a lot of help. They need to get a better grasp of their coverages. How the hell does Ginn get open by 15 yards on the first TD? The good news is that Weis did a great job this year. He has a lot coming back next year and will do better. I don't understand how ND can be overrated. 2 of their losses came from teams that were rated higher than they were. This may not have been the best effort but CW has this program going in the right direction. Remember Pete Carro's first year? 6-6 and a LV Bowl loss to Utah. Things are looking up in Domer Land.

Laxplayer wrote:How the hell does Ginn get open by 15 yards on the first TD?

Ndukwe broke on the receiver going to the sideline, Wooden thought he had over the top help. But I agree, Wooden couldn't tackle for shit.

Things are looking up, but how Weis handles this will tell us a lot.

Laxplayer wrote:That Gonzalez play was a fumble. He caught the ball and only when he brought it down to tuck it away did he bobble it.

No, he was bobbling it from the instant he touched it, including while he was bobbling it trying to tuck it to his side. Moot point anyhow, but the entire viewing audience where I was (which in all fairness was only 3 neutral fans) were all in agreement that he never had a firm hold of the ball...but all three of our opinions were wothless, as was yours -- just the zebras.

And while we're picking on the defensive strategy, all 3 of us were scratching our heads as to why, if the ND DBs were going to play soft on the recievers, why on earth would they do it on the wrong side of the first down sticks? Soft coverage can be deadly effective against a team that runs a lot of short routes, but it's customary to try and contain them INSIDE the sticks. And they got burned by it over and over and over, yet didn't ever make any adjustment. Bad coaching, there.

Two opinions:

-I agree with Lax, it seemed to me that it was a fumble. I saw two steps with the ball possessed, and then a fumble on an adjustment of his grasp.

-soft coverage was definitely in order, because the WRs connected on long passes early on. If Gonz or Ginn shakes you and breaks down the sideline again, you lose. So the soft coverage came as a result of an adjustment.

I just think tOSU's speed was too much for ND...

no homerism but even had the play stood for ND they had a penalty on the run back...

in my mind ND lost a lot of steam when they went for it on 4th and 2 instead of taking the points...


was there any mention of Brady Quinn's sister yesterday?

OSU does have speed, but poor coaching makes other player look much faster.

ND lost steam constantly on third down. They were awful, which was surprising considering their 3rd down defense all year.

After the game and impromptu depiction of BrokeBack Mountain was put on display as Laura Quinn kissed AAAAAAAA JAAAAAAAY HAAAAAWK.

PSUFAN wrote:-soft coverage was definitely in order, because the WRs connected on long passes early on. If Gonz or Ginn shakes you and breaks down the sideline again, you lose. So the soft coverage came as a result of an adjustment.

Good point, but I had no beef with the soft coverage, just how it was done. And if it was somebody's idea of an "adjustment" to have the DBs stand on the wrong side of the sticks, let their guy catch it, then suddenly try to close up a 4 yeard gap to make the tackle, the it wasn't much of an "adjustment," and dude has no business coaching Pop Warner. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you get past that last stick at least once every 3 downs, doesn't that mean you score a TD every time you have the ball? Giving the opponent 12-13 yards any time they want it just isn't a sound defensive strategy.

"Hey guys, don't worry about those markers, I want you to stand 13 yards ahead of the LOS, and then try and sprint to the nine-yard-mark and try and stick them...but DO NOT try to make a play inside the first dopwn marker!"

Dumb, dumb, dumb. Saw my team doing little bit of that themselves last week, which made me pretty unhappy. Wasn't a good idea then, wasn't a good idea last night, and wasn't a good idea 50 years ago (or whenever they quit putting restrictions on passing).

And it sure looked like OSU had too much speed for ND -- except that #9 guy...holy smokes, that guy is fast.

If you're going to give a cushion that's fine but when the receiver catches the ball come up and actually make a tackle. Don't run up out of control, head down, taking the wrong angle and then grasp at air. Run up, break down, use the sideline to your advantage and make a form tackle. Kind of like they teach in Pop Warner.

I think we're on the same page. The problem was, that the DBs had to run up about 5 yards to miss a tackle. Even if the tackling was good, they were still only having to run for about 1 YAC to move the chains. If you're going to give up a guaranteed first down on every short passing play, then it probably behooves you to miss all of the tackles, so you might have a prayer at staying competative in the time-of-possession battle...I guess.

Bad defensive game plan, bad coverage, bad tackiling -- they were lucky to still have had a chance late in the game.

AAAAND another thing -- if I was ND fan....first, I'd shoot myself. Then, I wouldn't be at all pissed that my team lost -- I'd be fucking pissed that they threw in the towel with about 1:40 showing on the gameclock. WTF was THAT? There's a reason that teams(not many, but certainly a few) have come back from 2 TD down in the last minute or two in football's storied history...BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY TRIED! Funny how that fucking works. Maybe someone should inform the ND coaching staff that the clock stops when you go out of bounds, and that 2 scores down with less than 2 minutes left probably isn't the best time to try and demonstrate your dominance of the area between the hashes. They could have run Joe Montana's geriatric ass out there for one more game of eligibility, and he would have undoubtedly done a much better job of trying to lead a late comeback.

If I was ND fan, THAT would have pissed me off.

Dinsdale wrote:AAAAND another thing -- if I was ND fan....first, I'd shoot myself. Then, I wouldn't be at all pissed that my team lost -- I'd be fucking pissed that they threw in the towel with about 1:40 showing on the gameclock. WTF was THAT? There's a reason that teams(not many, but certainly a few) have come back from 2 TD down in the last minute or two in football's storied history...BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY TRIED! Funny how that fucking works. Maybe someone should inform the ND coaching staff that the clock stops when you go out of bounds, and that 2 scores down with less than 2 minutes left probably isn't the best time to try and demonstrate your dominance of the area between the hashes. They could have run Joe Montana's geriatric ass out there for one more game of eligibility, and he would have undoubtedly done a much better job of trying to lead a late comeback.

If I was ND fan, THAT would have pissed me off.

Trust me, I'd be pissed if you were an ND fan, too.

Terry wrote:He took two steps with the ball before it came loose. How is that not a fumble?

Maybe one of us is misunderstanding the rule. He may have "taken two steps with the ball before it came loose," but he never had possession of the ball. That's going to be called an incomplete pass every single time. I've seen at least a dozen of those this year alone, and they were all ruled incomplete. Every single one. He flat-out never had control of the ball. And even if ND would've incorrectly been given the ball.... the return comes back. At most it means 3 points.... because after the FG, ND got the same field position they would've had after the return got called back due to the penalty.... OSU just had 3 more points.

Look... this isn't directed at you, Terry.... but your comments reminded me of Charlie's after the game. Not that he cares, but that guy has not made too many friends across the Buckeye Nation these past few weeks.

Terry wrote:How was it not a break for tOSU? Clearly, he didn't score. It was either a fumble or an incompletion. Tell me, which is worse for tOSU?

Actually, the way our red zone offense & our kicking game were going last night, maybe it would've been better to just give you the ball on your own 20.

In all seriousness, I called it a "break" for ND and not for OSU because Gonzo catches that pass 99 out of 100 times. I stand by my comment. Obviously, I realize he didn't catch the ball cleanly. My point was that he typically catches anything in his vicinity.... just ask Michigan. With that in mind... I have a very hard time calling it a "break" for OSU..... especially when a team of SEC refs watched the play several times in slow motion and made sure they got it right.... which they did.

For that matter, I didn't think Walker crossed the plane on your last TD.... which could've potentially taken 4 to 7 points off the board for ND.

Bottom line -- ND gave up over 600+ yards. That's flat-out domination, however anyone wants to spin it. There seem to be a lot of backhanded compliments coming out of the ND camp..... and I don't mean to take it out on the guys in here.... because for the most part, you've all been class acts..... I guess I just hate Charlie Weis.

Look, ND is a very, very good squad with a very scary offense that will certainly contend for an MNC next season .... but they got dominated yesterday by a superior football team. Charlie Weis blamed it on that one call.... and I think that's bush league, horse shit.

Bottom line.....ND was WAY overrated. They were 1-2 vs top 25 teams and beat up on a bunch of lesser teams finishing 9-3. They are media darlings......so be it. But you can't tell me that they were the 6th best team in the land....no way.

Maybe it's just me, but I didn't think that Weis was blaming anything on the "fumble" call.

To me, I thought he was asked about the play and he said it was a big play. Not that the refs screwed ND, but had the play gone the other way then it would have made a difference in the game. I don't think he implied the refs made the wrong call or anything.

You might be right. But even if that's all he was doing... which I'm not sure I agree with... I don't think he was right.

Having the ball at your own 25 with an eight-point defecit.... and not having been able to stop OSU's offense all night..... I don't think it was really all that big of a play. Now, had ND scored on the runback without the illegal block.... it would obviously be a different story.... and it would've been a MUCH bigger call. But again, I go back to the point that a crew of SEC refs spent several minutes watching the play in slow motion.... so this notion that they somehow "blew the call" just doesn't sit too well with me. [Just my opinion, obviously. That and 5 bucks and I could have a pretty good time in southeastern Asia.]

I guess I just felt like Charlie made a much better deal about it than it was. If Ohio State had just given up 600+ yards of offense..... I think Jim Tressel would've answered the question much differently.

Well here is the real answer--it didn't fuck matter.

ND had already recovered two fumbles and produced exactly "0" points. So why the fuck would this one have mattered?

Offensive genius my ass, I just wish he would untuck his shirt or something.

BraveFan,

Relying on total yardage to claim domination in this game is just a little misleading, given that almost half of tOSU's total yards came on four plays. Of course, you can't give up four plays like that to a team like tOSU and expect to win. Even worse was our inability to get a stop on third down -- IIRC, tOSU converted at least one third down in each drive that featured a big play.

Also, while your claim that the score could have been worse is correct, it's also correct to note that ND could have had the lead prior to Pittman's final score, if ND had managed to score after getting the ball at the tOSU 15 (talk about incharacteristic), and Fitzpatrick had made the extra point (he never missed one all season prior to the Stanford game; in fairness, he was a different kicker after the injury against Syracuse). Point is, in most games, you can point to a few plays here and there and argue that the score could have been different. It's a weak argument, no matter who makes it. The score is what it is.

Killian,

Disagree on firing Minter, at least just yet. I'm not one to see firing the coach as the panacea in all situations, and given his previous track record, one season is not giving him a fair chance. I agree that the defense was not up to par this year. However, winning causes a lot of sins to be forgiven, and this was the first game that ND wasn't at least in position to win the game up until the final play. With at least seven returning starters next season (assuming that none of the four starting seniors get a fifth year), the defense should be better next season. OTOH, the whole of the defensive unit was worse than the sum of the parts this season, and that's never a good sign for a DC.

I'd retain him, at least one more year, but he'd have a short leash, if I were Weis.

88 wrote:How long before the media starts running the Willingham first year vs. Weiss first year comparisons? Willingham went 10-3, and lost his bowl game. Weiss went 9-3, and lost his bowl game. Willingham got shit-canned before he could complete his initial 5-year contract. Weiss got a 10 year, $30M extension in the middle of his first year. This is coming. I guarantee you.

Jesus, I hope not. They ran it into the ground when the extension was announced. But I'm sure Scoop Jackson or Jason Whitlock will be up to the challenge.

Killian wrote:

88 wrote:How long before the media starts running the Willingham first year vs. Weiss first year comparisons? Willingham went 10-3, and lost his bowl game. Weiss went 9-3, and lost his bowl game. Willingham got shit-canned before he could complete his initial 5-year contract. Weiss got a 10 year, $30M extension in the middle of his first year. This is coming. I guarantee you.

Jesus, I hope not. They ran it into the ground when the extension was announced. But I'm sure Scoop Jackson or Jason Whitlock will be up to the challenge.

One difference is the tone of the season. ND set a record for points scored in a single season this year, and as you pointed out, 3 losses were by a combined total of 20 points. We were the proverbial two plays away from being undefeated prior to the Fiesta Bowl. In '02, by contrast, we lost the final two games (including the Gator Bowl) by a combined score of 75-20. That, unfortunately, was a harbinger of things to come, as it turned out, although most ND fans, myself included, didn't want to see it that way at the time.

Btw, Scoop Jackson? Is that what they call Tom Jackson these days? The only Scoop Jackson I know of -- former U.S. Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson -- has been dead since 1983. Maybe that's a new thing -- everyone in the media named Jackson automatically gets nicknamed "Scoop", much like any boxer named Ray automatically gets "Sugar" appended to his name.

Terry wrote:Relying on total yardage to claim domination in this game is just a little misleading, given that almost half of tOSU's total yards came on four plays.

Are you serious, Terry? Wow!

That's like a pitcher saying "I really pitched a good game other than those four two-run dingies I gave up in the first 6 innings." Come on!

These aren't four fluke plays we're talking about. These are four plays where Ohio State's balance and overall speed were just WAY too much for ND to handle. If it didn't happen at the time those plays took place.... it would've just been a matter of time before they would've found other ways to score and put up big yardage numbers. OSU didn't punt much at all, and there's a reason for that.... beyond the "four big plays."

Terry wrote:It's a weak argument, no matter who makes it. The score is what it is.

Okay, let's just leave it at that. It is what it is. It is a 14-point victory over a very good Notre Dame team.... a team that wasn't beaten that badly all year.

Terry in Crapchester wrote:Btw, Scoop Jackson? Is that what they call Tom Jackson these days? The only Scoop Jackson I know of -- former U.S. Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson -- has been dead since 1983. Maybe that's a new thing -- everyone in the media named Jackson automatically gets nicknamed "Scoop", much like any boxer named Ray automatically gets "Sugar" appended to his name.

No, he's some hack who writes for ESPN Page 2 and tries to stir the pot. He's awful, usually writes about basketball, but doesn't limit himself when he decides to go on one of his "everyone is racist" rants.

BraveFan wrote:These aren't four fluke plays we're talking about. These are four plays where Ohio State's balance and overall speed were just WAY too much for ND to handle. If it didn't happen at the time those plays took place.... it would've just been a matter of time before they would've found other ways to score and put up big yardage numbers.

You'll recall that in my very first post, I said that ND needed to find a way to negate the rather obvious advantage tOSU had in speed, either by bringing the heat to Smith, or by going to a nickel package and zone coverage, at least in the third-and-long situations.

Having said that, I give Smith a lot of credit. One of the things I like about Quinn is that, while he's no Michael Vick in terms of mobility, he can get you the tough yardage much like a fullback in short yardage situations, and he can also break tackles in the pocket. Smith showed the same ability on several occasions where we should have sacked him (i.e., breaking tackles in the pocket). And he's really matured as a passer from the last time I saw him, if that game was a fair indication.

BraveFan wrote:OSU didn't punt much at all, and there's a reason for that.... beyond the "four big plays."

Agreed. IIRC (could be wrong because I missed part of the game having to deal with kids) tOSU punted only once. And I pointed out that we absolutely sucked on third down. How many third-and-eights (or longer) did you guys convert, anyway?

The corollary of that, however, is that we actually played pretty well on first and second downs. With that in mind, I'm not quite sure why we couldn't make the necessary adjustments to shut you guys down on third down.

Agreed. One of the things I was most disappointed with was OSU's inability to establish the run on first and second downs. Yes, the overall yardage ended up being a huge number at the end of the game, but I was actually very impressed with ND's D from that standpoint. A lot of our rushing yardage came off of Troy's scrambles and, of course, Ginn's big run & the big run Pittman had at the end of the game. That could cost us a few games next year if we're not able to get that going. We've got a kid coming in as a true frosh by the name of Chris Wells who has already been annointed the next Eddie George..... so I'm hoping that "thunder and lightning" type of attack will give us a little more balance.

Fortunately for us, Troy was on top of his game and our receivers are ridiculously good.

Both teams will be pre-season top-five in '06. It can't get here soon enough!