Barkley out, Wittek in............

[IrishEyesAreSmiling]

guys we're going to lose i shaved my beard....fml i started growing it before the navy game and i had to shave it for my work im superstitious

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

guys we're going to lose i shaved my beard....fml i started growing it before the navy game and i had to shave it for my work im superstitious

At least now we know who to blame.

 

[IrishEyesAreSmiling]

At least now we know who to blame.

fml blame my work ugh.

 

[WaveDomer]

guys we're going to lose i shaved my beard....fml i started growing it before the navy game and i had to shave it for my work im superstitious

I got you. I haven't shaved since before Navy, despite not so subtle hints from the wife, and I'm from Boise too. It's all good. We balance out.

 

[IrishEyesAreSmiling]

I got you. I haven't shaved since before Navy, despite not so subtle hints from the wife, and I'm from Boise too. It's all good. We balance out.

thank god.

 

[Cackalacky]

Maybe I am the only one thinking this but, I am assuming he got little to feww snaps each week, the kid will have little chemistry with the vaunted WRs. Am I wrong in thinking this?

Vanilla offense to keep the kid sane? Lots of runs, short passes, moving pockets?

What about a sold-out Gameday, hype machine, #1 team coming into your hour house with the #1 defense in the country gunning after you every play?

This kid better have antifreeze in his veins if USC is to win. Just my opinion.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Judging on his HS highlights he definitely has the play-action down.

Their HS basically ran the exact same offense as USC.

 

[Chris P. Bacon]

Maybe I am the only one thinking this but, I am assuming he got little to feww snaps each week, the kid will have little chemistry with the vaunted WRs. Am I wrong in thinking this?

Vanilla offense to keep the kid sane? Lots of runs, short passes, moving pockets?

What about a sold-out Gameday, hype machine, #1 team coming into your hour house with the #1 defense in the country gunning after you every play?

This kid better have antifreeze in his veins if USC is to win. Just my opinion.

Agreed. The chemistry is going to be his biggest obstacle, and even Barkely had been struggling with his team Chemistry with his WR's. I.E First play of the game against UCLA, looked like Barkley was expecting a curl route, while Lee/Wood ran an out route. If those two can't be on the same page in the second to last game of the season, it doesn't seem to bode well for the backup who has probably had zero snaps with the 1st team offense, has thrown 9 passes all year in mop up duties or the UCLA loss/injury of Barkley. Look, I'm not expecting a completely vanilla offense from USC, I see a lot of screens to the RB's and WR's and slants, which will more than likely end up with some sort of interception with Teo sitting in the middle. There may not be much video on this kid, but I don't expect much of a difference in play calling than what Barkley has been showing all year. I expect Teo to be all over the field with 10+ tackles and hopefully a pick 6 to solidify his Heismen.

Stay focused and play lights out guys, you're one game away, bring it home for us boyz!

 

[Grahambo]

Kiffin doesn't seem like the type that would be David Shaw-esque in the aspect of just win, seems like he will want to try and stomp ND out and try to gameplan for his team to do too much instead of keeping it simple.

 

[Cackalacky]

What scares me the most is that we have everything to play for and they have nothing except to keep us out of the NCG. To what extent would Kiffin go to ensure that?

 

[Bluto]

What scares me the most is that we have everything to play for and they have nothing except to keep us out of the NCG. To what extent would Kiffin go to ensure that?

This made me laugh. I had this vision of former SC players who are now pros suiting up and tryin to be incognito about it.

We play a clean game on both sides of the ball and we will win.

 

[koonja]

BK was on espn and said jokingly 'I'm still not sure Barkley will not play so we're going o plan as if he is'.

 

[Dizzyphil]

Maybe I am the only one thinking this but, I am assuming he got little to feww snaps each week, the kid will have little chemistry with the vaunted WRs. Am I wrong in thinking this?

Vanilla offense to keep the kid sane? Lots of runs, short passes, moving pockets?

What about a sold-out Gameday, hype machine, #1 team coming into your hour house with the #1 defense in the country gunning after you every play?

This kid better have antifreeze in his veins if USC is to win. Just my opinion.

I believe the bigger problem will be the chemistry with the O-line. They know how Barkley moved around in the pocket and how to protect his blind side. The Irish have so many looks up front, I think we have the means of pressuring him a lot unless they incorporate more screens and slants to get the ball out of his hands quickly. I am betting U$C plays 'small ball' to get him comfortable and let the receivers do all the leg work.

GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!

Diz

 

[Riddickulous]

guys we're going to lose i shaved my beard....fml i started growing it before the navy game and i had to shave it for my work im superstitious

I eat hot dogs before every game and I don't intend to stop Saturday. I've got this.

 

[woolybug25]

I'm more worried that Kiffin goes out and just says, "Guys, its been a rough season. Just go out and play."

I'm more worried about them going all street-ball on us and throw it 60 times. If they try to run the ball, control the ball, etc. then they are instituting a losing philosophy.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Mark Willard‏@Mark_T_Willard

Link to the comment by Max Wittek about winning the ballgame: http://bit.ly/TeiN7D

I wanna see this kids helmet covered in earth.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

@Mark_T_Willard: Max Wittek: "We're going to win this ballgame."

.

 

[phgreek]

I think he's confident...I think this makes its way to our guys...but they won't think much about it...they were already going to try and smash him in the mouth...and he didn't say ND sucks, or is overrated...he just thinks he'll win...typical backup QB trying to do whatever he can to win his guys over...

I do think the "they quit" BS has been on the ND Defense's mind....

 

[stlnd01]

I'm more worried about them going all street-ball on us and throw it 60 times. If they try to run the ball, control the ball, etc. then they are instituting a losing philosophy.

Yep. Dinks and dunks. Too quick for us to get much pressure and high percentage passes to Lee and Woods and hope they break some, with the occasional bomb sprinkled in to keep us honest. That's what I'd do, anyway.

 

[woolybug25]

Yep. Dinks and dunks. Too quick for us to get much pressure and high percentage passes to Lee and Woods and hope they break some, with the occasional bomb sprinkled in to keep us honest. That's what I'd do, anyway.

The crazy thing is that I work with several USC fans and not one of them believed that Kiffin would do this. They all in fact, thought that we will slaughter them. This is not their character either, I have worked with these guys for the better part of a decade and this is the first time that I have ever seen them completely believing in Notre Dame. It's strange really. The only football fans in my office that believe in Notre Dame are the three ND guys, and the ten USC guys. Everyone else thinks of us as a fraud.

 

[Irish To The Core]

My understanding is that Wittek lacks mobility. I think our front seven can give him a beat down physically. An inexperienced quarterback who will likely have Louis Nix in his face and Tuitt/Kapron/Shembo in his peripheral all day. He is talking big but that is likely just bluff. My money says he does not keep his mind on his reads once our pass rush starts pounding him...I smell him putting up some lame ducks for Manti T'eo and Associates to take advantage of.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I'm more worried that Kiffin goes out and just says, "Guys, its been a rough season. Just go out and play."

Kiffin is so ego-maniacal that he: (1) sent a backup QB out in the Punter's jersey against Colorado; (2) deflated game balls against UO to make them easier to catch; and (3) banned a journalists from his pressers for (accurately) reporting about an injury.

Does that sound like the kind of coach who would ever voluntarily take himself out of the equation?

 

[Riddickulous]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JUDisFF5v1E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Is it me or does his body language scream "terrified" on this play here?

 

[Irish YJ]

Max needs a Chocalate hug.

 

[Fbolt]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JUDisFF5v1E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Is it me or does his body language scream "terrified" on this play here?

great play by the RB.

 

[BurningRiver]

I don't think Wittek is going to be so confident after he sees the way Tuitt, Nix, KLM, and Shembo collapse the pocket on the first play of the game.

 

[Fbolt]

I like his statement-you should always go out looking for the "W". I hope it backfires, but you have to like his fire.

 

[Irish To The Core]

I just pray they pretend that Barkley is in at qb and plan to let this guy use his legs. He has a good arm, when nobody is rushing him.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SaICZZem5r0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Grahambo]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JUDisFF5v1E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Is it me or does his body language scream "terrified" on this play here?

Seems a bit stiff. Easy for him to be so confident in practice. Wait until the D rolls up for the first series.