9-3 Is Not Good Enough...
It seems that I made a mistake. I encouraged too much talk about the referees for the Michigan game of last week, instead of focusing more on strategy. But hey, if your team had been robbed of an upset over the #1 team in the country, the supposed "team of the century" because of a bad non-call on the Bush Push, you might be a little sensitive about the refs too. But going back to talk about the players, I found this comment on Mgoblog.
"UM dominating ND? I think Dodd and everybody else needs to go back and watch the first half. Michigan lined up in an illegal formation on nearly every play run in the half including the TD passes. If you watch the highlights you will see that both tackles line up two yards off the line of scrimmage on virtually every play. That strategy effectivily nullified the only thing Notre Dame does well on defense, rush the passer from the end positions. This forces the ends further upfield giving Henne more time and the opportunity to step up into the pocket on every play to buy more time. Just about any QB can pick apart a defense if they have all day to scan the field, especially when you have a couple of stud recievers. Sorry Michigan fans, but your win is tainted. You probably would have won regardless given Notre Dame's lack of effort early on, but it surely would not be a blowout. "
Now, in my video postings about the game, I was focused only on the Notre Dame offense, I never looked at Michigan's offense, because I felt that Notre Dame's poor play on offense was the reason for the loss. I would love to go back and look at that tape and break it down, but there's not enough time before the Michigan State game. This sounds like a good bye week project, although by that point, I may have no desire what I hope will be the most painful week of the season. Dear God, I hope that is true.
But anyway, I'm frankly amazed at one commenter, who said that Notre Dame's fans couldn't be classy about the loss. That's just a goading comment if I ever saw one. Like the Kung Fu guys who stop and pose and put one hand up and wave their fingers to say, "Bring it on." The only thing I will say is that when ND visited Michigan last year, the fans threw bottles on the field when they lost. Notre Dame stadium is widely regarded as one of the most hospitable places for opposing fans to visit, with, dare I say it, classy fans. In fact, one reason that Gary Gray, the highly regarded CB recruit, decided to commit to the Irish after attending the Notre Dame-Michigan game was because of their classy fans, who stayed to the end of that terrible loss and cheered on their team. Which place sounds more classy to you?
I think the real reason Michigan fans have so much bitterness is this:
But, Michigan does what it does best, and reponds with eloquence and facts:
But let's be realistic for a moment.
Notre Dame fans making fun of Michigan for amassing 3-loss seasons is so far past ironic that O'Henry would be at a loss for words in trying to describe it. Notre Dame fans taunting Michigan for 'accepting' 3-loss seasons is like Kevin Federline taunting George Harrison for only being the 3rd most important Beatle. It's Michael Dukakis taunting George HW Bush for being a 1-term president. It's me taunting Billy Joel that his new wife isn't nearly as hot as Christie Brinkley. "I've dreamt about being with women way hotter than the one you're married to," the taunt would go, if I were a Notre Dame fan.
Because that's the key to it all; Notre Dame fans taunt Michigan because our accomplishments aren't as lofty as their pipe dreams. They hope that some day they will be able to do better than Michigan is doing right now, and think that fantasy is real enough that they can start their taunting today.
Fans like this think that expectations are higher at Notre Dame than at Michigan. They say things like "We expect to be in the national title hunt every year." You can expect it, slappy, but it isn't happening. And it hasn't happened in over a decade. Every fan base has its lunatic fringe, but at Michigan we like to keep ours hidden; we don't trot it out there for everyone to see, under a banner declaring that they speak for the rest of us.
Your expectations are higher than ours? That must explain why after our loss on the last play of the Rose Bowl to a top 5 Texas team, all we heard about was how our defense was embarrassing and we'd never win another big game until Herrmann was gone, but after Notre Dame's loss on the last play (at home) against Southern Cal last year, Notre Dame celebrated in Gordon Gee fashion, a loss that would be treated as a win every place except the record books.
That must explain why 16 months ago, when Michigan was coming off back to back Big 10 title, Rose Bowl 3-loss seasons the fan base was grumbling for change, but when Notre Dame went 9-3 the ND fan base declared a Return to Glory and Charlie Weis got a 10 year contract extension. Heck, every time Notre Dame has a 3-loss season someone writes a book about it.
That's right - the 3-loss season they ridicule would match the best Notre Dame has done since 1993. You know ... the year before Ron Powlus era began at Notre Dame. The year before the Contract With America helped Republicans gain control of Congress. The year Gary Moeller led his team into South Bend to take on Lou Holtz ...yes, Lou Holtz, the TV commentator who used to coach at South Carolina. He used to coach at Notre Dame, but it was a long time ago.
As for Lloyd Carr? Well, let's just put it this way ...
Since LLLoyd Carr took over at Michigan, Michigan has won 75.5% of its games, compared to Notre Dame's 62.2%. He has had 5 ten win seasons, compared to Notre Dame's 1. He has won 5 bowl games, and Notre Dame hasn't won any. He has had 1 perfect season and the accompanying national title. Notre Dame hasn't had any. But there is one place ND does top Lloyd ... Lloyd hasn't had any losing seasons, and Notre Dame has had 3.
