I
iloveirish_12
Guest
I want to date brady quinn's little sister.
[January 2, 2006] FIESTA BOWL #9 Notre Dame (9-2) vs #4 Ohio State (9-2)
- Thread starter Irish Envy
- Start date
domerfor life
New member
- Messages
- 1,118
- Reaction score
- 42
jiggafini19 said:
that's funny!! This will be a good game against a good opponent. I'm interested to see how close to the vest Tressel plays this one. He was very conservative in losses against Texas and Penn State. He does pucker up a little in big games. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I don't think he wants to be conservative in this game. That would be a bad choice.
domerfor life
New member
- Messages
- 1,118
- Reaction score
- 42
iloveirish_12 said:
Yeah...she's real, real nice. LOL
AlbuquerqueIrishFan
New member
- Messages
- 1,074
- Reaction score
- 27
So, I just nabbed one... officially cost and arm-and-a-leg though, had to go through an outside website to do it. Meh. But I'll be there. That's the important thing. 
GO IRISH![/QUOTE]
If I wasn't getting married in March, I would have put up the money to go. I foolishly thought I could afford it, but then when I saw ticket prices starting at $400 a piece, I decided I'd just watch this one on tv.
GO IRISH![/QUOTE]
If I wasn't getting married in March, I would have put up the money to go. I foolishly thought I could afford it, but then when I saw ticket prices starting at $400 a piece, I decided I'd just watch this one on tv.
Vince Young
New member
- Messages
- 1,296
- Reaction score
- 64
Oh, make no mistake about it, I'm a fool through-and-through.AlbuquerqueIrishFan said:
But this has been a special season, and I wanted to make myself a part of it somehow, and this was the best opportunity to do it. Worth every penny.Óglaigh_na_hÉireann
New member
- Messages
- 1,276
- Reaction score
- 32
Vince Young said:Okay, I'm an idiot... I watched the selection show, saw the Fiesta Bowl was confirmed, and sprang into action. I booked my hotel room (I'm a hotel employee, employee discounts rule!), booked my flight, then settled back and called a friend to announce that I was going to Tempe.
Talked for about an hour. Then realized... OH CRAP! The GAME ticket! I didn't buy the frickin' GAME ticket!
So, I just nabbed one... officially cost and arm-and-a-leg though, had to go through an outside website to do it. Meh. But I'll be there. That's the important thing.
GO IRISH!
Awesome. Root hard, drown out the sounds of the Buckeye fans.
domerfor life
New member
- Messages
- 1,118
- Reaction score
- 42
Is it me or are we getting the shaft in some of these "expert predictions". I think many of these experts are subscribing to the school of thought that we shouldn't be there and will in turn get creamed. Does anybody else get that feeling? It's almost like the start of the year again. Even after all the accomplishments, we are getting no respect. Everybody's predicting that we will get beat by at least 2 TD's. OSU's defense is good, but come on...20 points? I highly doubt that ND will be held to 20 points. That's not going to happen. I don't think ND loses this game. Although I highly respect OSU's defense, I still don't believe they can stop us. This will be a good opportunity for Notre Dame to prove once and for all they're back among the elite.
domerfor life
New member
- Messages
- 1,118
- Reaction score
- 42
nayers said:
I say whatever. Ohio State's defense is great, but they will be confused more than a couple of times in this game. I think ND wins by at least 10. At least.
<CENTER>
</CENTER>
QBs Quinn, Smith could jump-start Heisman campaign in Fiesta Bowl
Sunday, December 25, 2005 Doug Lesmerises Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus — The winning players at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan.2, along with the rest of the BCS bowl champs, won’t be able to claim anything more emphatic than, “We’re No. 3. Maybe.”
No matter how intriguing or intense No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame is, neither team will win anything of lasting consequence.
So if you want to talk relevant Fiesta Bowl hardware, you have to talk about the 2006 Heisman Trophy. Because once the calendar fl ips, the campaign begins. Bowl season is the Iowa caucus, and it’s never too early to troll for votes.
The 2005 Heisman runner-up, Texas quarterback Vince Young, proved that with his five-touchdown performance against Michigan in last season’s Rose Bowl. The two junior quarterbacks in the Fiesta, Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn and Ohio State’s Troy Smith, could shake a lot of hands and kiss a lot of babies with a big win in a big game, then return next season to strong teams with their campaign platforms already established.
“Brady Quinn is trying to make a run for the Heisman next year, that’s what he’s going to try to do against us,” Ohio State safety and pundit Donte Whitner said. “He’ll try to come out like Vince Young did last year against Michigan. We’re one of the top defenses in the country, he led his team all year and if he has a big game against us, next year you’re going to be talking about Brady Quinn and the Heisman and all that. And we can’t let him do that.”
With the seasons the quarterbacks have had so far, the delegates are already gathering, especially for Quinn, who finished fourth in the voting this year. For one of them, their case will strengthen even more in eight days. A straight line is being drawn between the improvement of Smith and the improvement of the Buckeyes over the second half of the season. The big picture: With Smith playing this well, the Buckeyes are a national championship level team.
Even Ohio State’s loss to Texas, Smith’s first game of this season, in which he split time with Justin Zwick, works for him.
“I would have been more impressed [with that Texas win] had Troy Smith been the quarterback in fall camp and in the first game,” ESPN analyst and former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz said, “because with Troy Smith, they’re a different team now.”
“It was interesting watching him evolve,” Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said after finishing his first run-through of the Buckeyes’ 11 game tapes. “I like to watch the first game and work my way through the season. It was interesting watching that take place, watching a guy who is primarily a runner become a multi-threat guy. Now he is ‘The Guy.’”
Smith’s suspension for last year’s Alamo Bowl and the first game of this season has evolved from a possible negative into a perfect public relations learning experience.
“I don’t regret anything that happened in the past,” Smith said, “because it has helped me become who I am. I can say I think I like this Troy Smith better because I wouldn’t be where I am now without what happened in the past.”
With the defense losing seven senior starters, the offense should define the 2006 Buckeyes. Though he’s thrown more effectively, Smith may not put up gigantic passing numbers. But as a dual-threat leader and winner, he could produce a season like 2001 winner Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch.
Smith is 12-2 as starter. And the best two games of his career are Ohio State’s last two wins against Michigan, when he accounted for 723 total yards and five touchdowns.
It d oesn ’ t ge t mu c h b i gge r th an his first bowl .
Quinn’s candidacy obviously is contingent on him returning to Notre Dame. He appears to be leaning that way, leaving the pro door cracked, in part, to avoid the chance of being labeled a liar.
“If it did happen that I would leave, if I ever told you guys I would definitely be back, that would be going against my word,” Quinn said.
Returning to school when you could have been a first-round pick always makes for good press. So does sharing a name and a coach with two-time Super Bowl MVP and All-American heartthrob Tom Brady.
“He has a lot of the same elements and same components that make him a front-line quarterback,” Weis, formerly Brady’s offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots, said of Quinn. “It starts with that something inside that the great ones have and I think he has that something special inside.”
Quinn also has that something special outside, a coach with an offensive scheme that maximizes the pressures on and the opportunities for his quarterback. “All that means is there is a lot more responsibility on your shoulders coming out of the huddle,” Quinn said. “Making different decisions, communicating different things, and basically getting in a little more trouble when you make mistakes.”
Weis will ride his quarterback, but will also defend him, making a phone call to the Heisman people expressing his displeasure when Quinn wasn’t invited to New York for this year’s ceremony. Weis knows his best way to win is through this quarterback, in this game and next season.
“I think the success of our offense can be pinpointed to the progress of Brady,” Weis said.
Regardless of the score, when the clock hits 00:00 in Sun Devil Stadium, no one will be passing out national championship hats. But maybe you’ll see a few campaign buttons
QBs Quinn, Smith could jump-start Heisman campaign in Fiesta Bowl
Sunday, December 25, 2005 Doug Lesmerises Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus — The winning players at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan.2, along with the rest of the BCS bowl champs, won’t be able to claim anything more emphatic than, “We’re No. 3. Maybe.”
No matter how intriguing or intense No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame is, neither team will win anything of lasting consequence.
So if you want to talk relevant Fiesta Bowl hardware, you have to talk about the 2006 Heisman Trophy. Because once the calendar fl ips, the campaign begins. Bowl season is the Iowa caucus, and it’s never too early to troll for votes.
The 2005 Heisman runner-up, Texas quarterback Vince Young, proved that with his five-touchdown performance against Michigan in last season’s Rose Bowl. The two junior quarterbacks in the Fiesta, Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn and Ohio State’s Troy Smith, could shake a lot of hands and kiss a lot of babies with a big win in a big game, then return next season to strong teams with their campaign platforms already established.
“Brady Quinn is trying to make a run for the Heisman next year, that’s what he’s going to try to do against us,” Ohio State safety and pundit Donte Whitner said. “He’ll try to come out like Vince Young did last year against Michigan. We’re one of the top defenses in the country, he led his team all year and if he has a big game against us, next year you’re going to be talking about Brady Quinn and the Heisman and all that. And we can’t let him do that.”
With the seasons the quarterbacks have had so far, the delegates are already gathering, especially for Quinn, who finished fourth in the voting this year. For one of them, their case will strengthen even more in eight days. A straight line is being drawn between the improvement of Smith and the improvement of the Buckeyes over the second half of the season. The big picture: With Smith playing this well, the Buckeyes are a national championship level team.
Even Ohio State’s loss to Texas, Smith’s first game of this season, in which he split time with Justin Zwick, works for him.
“I would have been more impressed [with that Texas win] had Troy Smith been the quarterback in fall camp and in the first game,” ESPN analyst and former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz said, “because with Troy Smith, they’re a different team now.”
“It was interesting watching him evolve,” Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said after finishing his first run-through of the Buckeyes’ 11 game tapes. “I like to watch the first game and work my way through the season. It was interesting watching that take place, watching a guy who is primarily a runner become a multi-threat guy. Now he is ‘The Guy.’”
Smith’s suspension for last year’s Alamo Bowl and the first game of this season has evolved from a possible negative into a perfect public relations learning experience.
“I don’t regret anything that happened in the past,” Smith said, “because it has helped me become who I am. I can say I think I like this Troy Smith better because I wouldn’t be where I am now without what happened in the past.”
With the defense losing seven senior starters, the offense should define the 2006 Buckeyes. Though he’s thrown more effectively, Smith may not put up gigantic passing numbers. But as a dual-threat leader and winner, he could produce a season like 2001 winner Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch.
Smith is 12-2 as starter. And the best two games of his career are Ohio State’s last two wins against Michigan, when he accounted for 723 total yards and five touchdowns.
It d oesn ’ t ge t mu c h b i gge r th an his first bowl .
Quinn’s candidacy obviously is contingent on him returning to Notre Dame. He appears to be leaning that way, leaving the pro door cracked, in part, to avoid the chance of being labeled a liar.
“If it did happen that I would leave, if I ever told you guys I would definitely be back, that would be going against my word,” Quinn said.
Returning to school when you could have been a first-round pick always makes for good press. So does sharing a name and a coach with two-time Super Bowl MVP and All-American heartthrob Tom Brady.
“He has a lot of the same elements and same components that make him a front-line quarterback,” Weis, formerly Brady’s offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots, said of Quinn. “It starts with that something inside that the great ones have and I think he has that something special inside.”
Quinn also has that something special outside, a coach with an offensive scheme that maximizes the pressures on and the opportunities for his quarterback. “All that means is there is a lot more responsibility on your shoulders coming out of the huddle,” Quinn said. “Making different decisions, communicating different things, and basically getting in a little more trouble when you make mistakes.”
Weis will ride his quarterback, but will also defend him, making a phone call to the Heisman people expressing his displeasure when Quinn wasn’t invited to New York for this year’s ceremony. Weis knows his best way to win is through this quarterback, in this game and next season.
“I think the success of our offense can be pinpointed to the progress of Brady,” Weis said.
Regardless of the score, when the clock hits 00:00 in Sun Devil Stadium, no one will be passing out national championship hats. But maybe you’ll see a few campaign buttons
<CENTER>
</CENTER>
QBs crazy about their schools
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Doug Lesmerises Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus
-- Ohio State wanted Brady Quinn.
Asked about the recruitment of Notre Dame's junior quarterback, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said: "It didn't go well. He went to Notre Dame. He certainly gave us all the respect and interest, and he chose Notre Dame."
If the Dublin native thought like Troy Smith, the two quarterbacks wouldn't be facing each other in the Fiesta Bowl, but battling each other for playing time in Columbus. Quinn, who narrowed his choices to the Irish, Buckeyes and Michigan, would have arrived on campus in 2003, after Smith and Justin Zwick had redshirted as freshmen. The quarterback battle in 2004 would have been very interesting.
Asked generally about Ohio natives leaving the state to play college football, Smith couldn't relate.
"To me, being from Ohio and understanding that this is where you're from, I think it's probably one of the dumbest decisions you can make," Smith said. "Seriously. Because you're from Ohio, you're not from somewhere else. To me, this is where you need to be, this is where your family started you off, this is what you know, Ohio football."
Told of Smith's comments, Quinn was initially polite.
"Obviously, it wasn't the best fit for me," Quinn said. "Everyone knows Ohio State is a great school, it just wasn't the right place for me. It would have been fun being there with Troy, competing with him and working with him."
Smith said he would have taken on the challenge.
"I've never been a guy to back down from anything," Smith said. "I probably could have learned some things from him and I'm sure he could have learned some things from me. His decision was to go elsewhere and obviously he's going to be a great quarterback wherever he goes. But to me, being an Ohio guy, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'd send that message to anyone. If you're from Ohio, stay in Ohio."
Asked later about the attractiveness of Notre Dame for recruits, Quinn's own school pride kicked in.
"It'd be tough to turn down Notre Dame at this point, and I think if a recruit did, he would be crazy," Quinn said. "If you want to throw out quotes that Troy Smith said, I think it'd be crazy if they didn't look here with the success that we've had and [if they did] not see that it's a great opportunity."
QBs crazy about their schools
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Doug Lesmerises Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus
-- Ohio State wanted Brady Quinn.
Asked about the recruitment of Notre Dame's junior quarterback, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said: "It didn't go well. He went to Notre Dame. He certainly gave us all the respect and interest, and he chose Notre Dame."
If the Dublin native thought like Troy Smith, the two quarterbacks wouldn't be facing each other in the Fiesta Bowl, but battling each other for playing time in Columbus. Quinn, who narrowed his choices to the Irish, Buckeyes and Michigan, would have arrived on campus in 2003, after Smith and Justin Zwick had redshirted as freshmen. The quarterback battle in 2004 would have been very interesting.
Asked generally about Ohio natives leaving the state to play college football, Smith couldn't relate.
"To me, being from Ohio and understanding that this is where you're from, I think it's probably one of the dumbest decisions you can make," Smith said. "Seriously. Because you're from Ohio, you're not from somewhere else. To me, this is where you need to be, this is where your family started you off, this is what you know, Ohio football."
Told of Smith's comments, Quinn was initially polite.
"Obviously, it wasn't the best fit for me," Quinn said. "Everyone knows Ohio State is a great school, it just wasn't the right place for me. It would have been fun being there with Troy, competing with him and working with him."
Smith said he would have taken on the challenge.
"I've never been a guy to back down from anything," Smith said. "I probably could have learned some things from him and I'm sure he could have learned some things from me. His decision was to go elsewhere and obviously he's going to be a great quarterback wherever he goes. But to me, being an Ohio guy, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'd send that message to anyone. If you're from Ohio, stay in Ohio."
Asked later about the attractiveness of Notre Dame for recruits, Quinn's own school pride kicked in.
"It'd be tough to turn down Notre Dame at this point, and I think if a recruit did, he would be crazy," Quinn said. "If you want to throw out quotes that Troy Smith said, I think it'd be crazy if they didn't look here with the success that we've had and [if they did] not see that it's a great opportunity."
O
OSU_Fan14
Guest
nayers said:
damn........and you're really serious?
Óglaigh_na_hÉireann
New member
- Messages
- 1,276
- Reaction score
- 32
OSU_Fan14 said:
Well anything is possible in this match-up. Say OSU's defense comes to play while their offense proves itself to be legitimate, and ND's offense stutters while our defense can't figure out how to stop Troy Smith's running attack mixed in with a spread offense. If that were to happen, ND would be blown out.
However, if ND can isolate OSU's linebackers with a swift barrage of attacks through the air and Youboughty and Co. can't stop it... then look out. If that happens and OSU's offense only plays decent, you guys won't be able to catch up to us and it might turn out to be a blowout in our favor.
However, I think this will be a very evenly matched game. Youboughty and Everett are pretty decent as are Salley and Whitner. So, I think they'll be able to defend the pass as well, if not better than anyone ND has played this year. So the issue will be whether OSU's offense is the paper-tiger I believe it to be and whether Tressel will strangle the athleticism of his own offense. The last times he didn't do that were against Michigan last year, Oklahoma State in their last bowl, and against KSU two years ago. Each time OSU used a spread offense and utilized their speed and their opponents were blown out.
However, none of those teams had the consistent offense that Notre Dame does.
So again, I think it will be a close match-up, easily the best of all the bowls.
D
DeeRock
Guest
Osu 31 Nd 24
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Who Will Be Special? [/FONT]<HR width="100%" SIZE=1></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Colin Burns
IrishEyes.com[/FONT]</TD><TD align=right>[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Dec 31, 2005[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=2>
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]The predictions for Monday’s Fiesta Bowl generally range from a close Notre Dame win to a razor thin Ohio State victory. Whatever side of the guessing game one is on, there is a common thread: the game is going to be close and decided by a few critical plays in key moments.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]
If this holds true, special teams could go a long way in determining the winner of the contest. Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis has made no secret about the importance of special teams for the Irish and how that area, more than anything, can turn a program quickly around. The Buckeyes also place the value of this unit near the top of their bowl preparations.
“You can look at every bowl game and every big game,” Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said. “There is always going to be a play or two or three in special teams that may have changed the momentum of the game. We haven’t talked too little about it. We’ve been talking about it everyday. Special teams will be huge.”
For Notre Dame, the time off between the end of the regular season and the Fiesta Bowl allows kicker/punter D.J. Fitzpatrick to heal from an injury sustained during the Syracuse game when an Orange player flew into his leg on a field goal attempt. Fitzpatrick did not look his normally reliable self one week later in the Stanford game when the senior missed two field goals and an extra point. But it appears that all systems are a go for Monday’s big game.
“I’ve had some time to heal up,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m 100% for this game and ready to go.”
Fitzpatrick will have to deal with one of the nation’s best kickoff and punt return duos. Wide receivers Ted Ginn, Jr. and Santonio Holmes are a threat every time they touch the ball. Ginn this season has scored a touchdown in both areas while Holmes actually averages more yards per punt return than the speedy sophomore. Some more eye-popping numbers: in just two season, Ginn is already the Big Ten career leader in punt returns for touchdowns with five. It’s a deadly combination that has the Irish’s full attention.
“When you take those two starting wide receivers and put them back as both the kickoff returners and punt returners, every time you kick the ball there is a potential for a touchdown,” Weis said. “That is the first area of concern because the easiest way to lose a game is by making a mistake on special teams. You have to respect both returners because if you don’t, you could be in for a long day.”
“We all know that special teams is an equal slice of the pie when it comes to offense and defense in a game like this, especially when you have Santonio Holmes and Teddy Ginn to kick to back there,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve had a lot of focus on that and ready to take on that challenge.”
Notre Dame’s punt return man is not exactly chopped liver. Tom Zbikowski earned some honorable mention All-American notice for his game-changing play on special teams. The hard-charging junior safety took two punts back to the house this season for touchdowns and averaged an astounding 14.6 yards per return. Tressel can see evidence that the Irish make special teams one of their top priorities.
“That’s why I’m impressed with Notre Dame because they are so fundamentally sound,” Tressel said. “That Zbikowski has changed around a few ball games not just with the touchdowns he scores but putting them in good field position at crucial times.”
If it comes down to a field goal kicking contest, the edge might go to Ohio State’s Josh Huston. The sixth-year senior has been on the money this season, making 20-of-24 field goal attempts, which is good for 5th in the nation with an average of 1.82 FG’s per game. More impressive is that Huston has not missed from 45 yards and in. The four misses came from 46, 49, and two from 50 yards. Huston’s long in 2005 was from 47 yards. Fitzpatrick is 11-of-17 for the year with his longest of the season coming from 48 yards. If the predictions hold true, the Fiesta Bowl could come down to the foot of either kicker.
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
IrishEyes.com[/FONT]</TD><TD align=right>[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Dec 31, 2005[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=2>
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]The predictions for Monday’s Fiesta Bowl generally range from a close Notre Dame win to a razor thin Ohio State victory. Whatever side of the guessing game one is on, there is a common thread: the game is going to be close and decided by a few critical plays in key moments.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]
If this holds true, special teams could go a long way in determining the winner of the contest. Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis has made no secret about the importance of special teams for the Irish and how that area, more than anything, can turn a program quickly around. The Buckeyes also place the value of this unit near the top of their bowl preparations.
“You can look at every bowl game and every big game,” Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said. “There is always going to be a play or two or three in special teams that may have changed the momentum of the game. We haven’t talked too little about it. We’ve been talking about it everyday. Special teams will be huge.”
For Notre Dame, the time off between the end of the regular season and the Fiesta Bowl allows kicker/punter D.J. Fitzpatrick to heal from an injury sustained during the Syracuse game when an Orange player flew into his leg on a field goal attempt. Fitzpatrick did not look his normally reliable self one week later in the Stanford game when the senior missed two field goals and an extra point. But it appears that all systems are a go for Monday’s big game.
“I’ve had some time to heal up,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m 100% for this game and ready to go.”
Fitzpatrick will have to deal with one of the nation’s best kickoff and punt return duos. Wide receivers Ted Ginn, Jr. and Santonio Holmes are a threat every time they touch the ball. Ginn this season has scored a touchdown in both areas while Holmes actually averages more yards per punt return than the speedy sophomore. Some more eye-popping numbers: in just two season, Ginn is already the Big Ten career leader in punt returns for touchdowns with five. It’s a deadly combination that has the Irish’s full attention.
“When you take those two starting wide receivers and put them back as both the kickoff returners and punt returners, every time you kick the ball there is a potential for a touchdown,” Weis said. “That is the first area of concern because the easiest way to lose a game is by making a mistake on special teams. You have to respect both returners because if you don’t, you could be in for a long day.”
“We all know that special teams is an equal slice of the pie when it comes to offense and defense in a game like this, especially when you have Santonio Holmes and Teddy Ginn to kick to back there,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve had a lot of focus on that and ready to take on that challenge.”
Notre Dame’s punt return man is not exactly chopped liver. Tom Zbikowski earned some honorable mention All-American notice for his game-changing play on special teams. The hard-charging junior safety took two punts back to the house this season for touchdowns and averaged an astounding 14.6 yards per return. Tressel can see evidence that the Irish make special teams one of their top priorities.
“That’s why I’m impressed with Notre Dame because they are so fundamentally sound,” Tressel said. “That Zbikowski has changed around a few ball games not just with the touchdowns he scores but putting them in good field position at crucial times.”
If it comes down to a field goal kicking contest, the edge might go to Ohio State’s Josh Huston. The sixth-year senior has been on the money this season, making 20-of-24 field goal attempts, which is good for 5th in the nation with an average of 1.82 FG’s per game. More impressive is that Huston has not missed from 45 yards and in. The four misses came from 46, 49, and two from 50 yards. Huston’s long in 2005 was from 47 yards. Fitzpatrick is 11-of-17 for the year with his longest of the season coming from 48 yards. If the predictions hold true, the Fiesta Bowl could come down to the foot of either kicker.
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Parseghian in middle of Fiesta Bowl excitement
BY TOM REED Akron Beacon Journal
<!-- begin body-content -->AKRON, Ohio - Ara Parseghian's winter home rings with the sounds of a campus ticket office.
The 82-year-old former coach always gets the occasional request from a friend or associate wanting help in scoring Notre Dame football tickets. But never have the calls come in such volume since the Notre Dame-Ohio State bowl matchup was announced.
Parseghian can't accommodate any more ticket requests, but he understands the excitement surrounding Monday's Fiesta Bowl. He also relates to the disappointment of not being able to witness an Irish-Buckeyes battle in person.
The Notre Dame coaching legend said he lobbied unsuccessfully 35 years ago to get Ohio State on the Irish schedule. The storied programs have met four times.
Parseghian still believes pursuing a regular meeting is a worthwhile cause, and said it could become as big as the "Michigan rivalry."
For Ohio State or Notre Dame?
"For both," the Akron native said by phone from his Marco Island, Fla., residence. "It would be such a natural game. Two great Midwestern schools with outstanding reputations. I'd like to see it happen."
One of Parseghian's former players is working toward that goal. New Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith is looking for a way to add his alma mater to the Buckeyes' schedule.
Smith conceded on Friday that such a meeting won't be in the near future. The schools met in 1935-36 and again in 1995-96.
Hostilities between the programs spiked before and during the games in the 1930s, prompting the long layoff. Parseghian, who won two consensus national titles during his 11-year Notre Dame tenure (1964-74), attempted to resurrect the rivalry and thought he had the right people in place to make it happen in the early 1970s.
He had been an assistant coach under OSU icon Woody Hayes at Miami University, where Parseghian also played. Parseghian's former Miami teammate, Hugh Hindman, was working in the OSU athletic department at the time.
"We tried to get a series set up, but Woody was so focused on the Big Ten that he didn't want to play too many difficult non-Big Ten games," Parseghian said.
Hindman ascended to athletic director in 1977 and eventually scheduled the two Notre Dame-Ohio State games in the 1990s.
Parseghian is impressed with Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and how quickly the program has responded under his guidance. He thought the university should have allowed Tyrone Willingham to finish the remaining two seasons on his five-year contract, but Parseghian can't argue with Weis' success.
"Charlie will have to stand to the test of time, but he's done a heckuva job so far," Parseghian said. "He's a terrific offensive coach and a very good recruiter.
"He's using the same players who have struggled on offense the last few years and turned them into one of the best offenses in the nation. The turnaround has been dramatic. I think Charlie will have a long, successful tenure."
Parseghian divides his year between Florida and South Bend. He enjoys tailgating at Irish home games, but retires to his house to watch the action on television.
"You get to see the replays and I can holler all I want at the officiating," said the coach, who declined to make a prediction on the game.
He and his wife continue their work with the Ara Parseghian Medical Foundation. The foundation is searching for a cure for Niemann-Pick Type C, the neurodegenerative disease that claimed the life of the Parseghians' grandson, Michael, and granddaughter, Christa.
<!-- end body-content -->
BY TOM REED Akron Beacon Journal
<!-- begin body-content -->AKRON, Ohio - Ara Parseghian's winter home rings with the sounds of a campus ticket office.
The 82-year-old former coach always gets the occasional request from a friend or associate wanting help in scoring Notre Dame football tickets. But never have the calls come in such volume since the Notre Dame-Ohio State bowl matchup was announced.
Parseghian can't accommodate any more ticket requests, but he understands the excitement surrounding Monday's Fiesta Bowl. He also relates to the disappointment of not being able to witness an Irish-Buckeyes battle in person.
The Notre Dame coaching legend said he lobbied unsuccessfully 35 years ago to get Ohio State on the Irish schedule. The storied programs have met four times.
Parseghian still believes pursuing a regular meeting is a worthwhile cause, and said it could become as big as the "Michigan rivalry."
For Ohio State or Notre Dame?
"For both," the Akron native said by phone from his Marco Island, Fla., residence. "It would be such a natural game. Two great Midwestern schools with outstanding reputations. I'd like to see it happen."
One of Parseghian's former players is working toward that goal. New Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith is looking for a way to add his alma mater to the Buckeyes' schedule.
Smith conceded on Friday that such a meeting won't be in the near future. The schools met in 1935-36 and again in 1995-96.
Hostilities between the programs spiked before and during the games in the 1930s, prompting the long layoff. Parseghian, who won two consensus national titles during his 11-year Notre Dame tenure (1964-74), attempted to resurrect the rivalry and thought he had the right people in place to make it happen in the early 1970s.
He had been an assistant coach under OSU icon Woody Hayes at Miami University, where Parseghian also played. Parseghian's former Miami teammate, Hugh Hindman, was working in the OSU athletic department at the time.
"We tried to get a series set up, but Woody was so focused on the Big Ten that he didn't want to play too many difficult non-Big Ten games," Parseghian said.
Hindman ascended to athletic director in 1977 and eventually scheduled the two Notre Dame-Ohio State games in the 1990s.
Parseghian is impressed with Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and how quickly the program has responded under his guidance. He thought the university should have allowed Tyrone Willingham to finish the remaining two seasons on his five-year contract, but Parseghian can't argue with Weis' success.
"Charlie will have to stand to the test of time, but he's done a heckuva job so far," Parseghian said. "He's a terrific offensive coach and a very good recruiter.
"He's using the same players who have struggled on offense the last few years and turned them into one of the best offenses in the nation. The turnaround has been dramatic. I think Charlie will have a long, successful tenure."
Parseghian divides his year between Florida and South Bend. He enjoys tailgating at Irish home games, but retires to his house to watch the action on television.
"You get to see the replays and I can holler all I want at the officiating," said the coach, who declined to make a prediction on the game.
He and his wife continue their work with the Ara Parseghian Medical Foundation. The foundation is searching for a cure for Niemann-Pick Type C, the neurodegenerative disease that claimed the life of the Parseghians' grandson, Michael, and granddaughter, Christa.
<!-- end body-content -->
<CENTER>
</CENTER>FIESTA BOWL: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, Monday, 5 p.m., WEWS Ch. 5
It's such a good time, Charlie
Sunday, January 01, 2006 Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist
Tempe, Ariz.
- Notre Dame tried the high school guy, the guy who wasn't all he seemed to be, and the guy who was going to be the school's racial pioneer. That would be Gerry Faust, George O'Leary and Tyrone Willingham, if you're keeping score at home.
Then the most famous college football school in America got smart and tried the lord of the rings.
The Fighting Irish chose as their new coach Charlie Weis, an alumnus, a guy who knew the place was special. He was a speech and drama major, so communication wasn't going to be a problem. He was also a man who learned in the NFL from Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, so softness wasn't going to be one either.
Weis "gets" the Notre Dame mystique. In a victory this season over Washington, which is Willingham's team now, Weis called a dangerous pass play from his own end zone simply because he had promised a dying 10-year-old boy, Montana Mazurkiewicz - "Montana" for Joe Montana - that he would. The pass was complete. The moment was out of "Win one for the Gipper." Everybody wanted to cheer for old Notre Dame that day.
Weis is a big man who maybe doesn't fit the mold of the modern coach in the view of the more fastidious alumni, the ones who put appearance ahead of deliverance. You might have a hard time convincing Maryland and Toledo fans that Ralph Friedgen and Tom Amstutz aren't up to the job, however.
About the only thing even slightly controversial about Weis was the disclosure last week by Bob Golic, former Brown, former Fighting Irishman, current reporter for WOIO Channel 19, that Weis would buy the beer for the football players when they were all students in South Bend in the 1970s. "Over time, the beer thing got harder because they were cracking down on us," said Golic.
True, Weis' head-coaching experience had been limited to one year of high school ball, but he is quite often the smartest guy in the room at a coaches conference. He absolutely got the job on merit. He is capable of coping with the 17 or so defensive schemes he might face in the NFL. In the college game, a half-dozen well-implemented plans is considered to be proof of the sort of brainstorm Isaac Newton had after the apple hit him on the head.
Asked if his four Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach in the NFL trump the five his coaching rival in Monday's Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State's Jim Tressel, has won in college (four of them at the "Triple-A" level of Division I-AA), Weis held up the hand that bears the enormous bauble the Patriots won by defeating Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX last season. "Size-wise, it does," he said.
Weis also brings an appetite for the man-killer hours of NFL coaches, who have been sleeping on office couches at least since Dick Vermeil with the Eagles a generation ago. "You're only as smart as you are, but you can go and outwork some people," Weis said.
Success has lately happened to former NFL coaches now working in the college ranks (USC's Pete Carroll, Weis) rather than the reverse (Steve Spurrier, Butch Davis.)
But why can't success also depend on accepting and excelling in the dynamics of the college game?
For all his brilliance in film study and his improved ability to deal with the media since his Browns days, Belichick could not have been a successful college coach. Recruiting, the lifeblood of the sport, was not suited to his introverted personality.
"A lot of head coaches don't like to recruit, but I think the coach of Notre Dame should be out pounding the pavement," Weis said.
He gets the pick of the litter as often as not, because he is the ring-bearer.
"So you want to play in the NFL, huh?" Weis will say to a recruit who is considering rival schools. Then, Weis will rub his hand slowly across his face in exasperation, while his diamond-encrusted Super Bowl ring blazes with gaudier lights than a cathedral's rose window. Most teen-aged boys pick up on this subtle technique.
It is hard to get back to the top once a collegiate program slips in an era of scholarship reductions and cable exposure for everybody. Notre Dame has lost seven straight bowls, for example, and hasn't been national champion since 1988.
But Weis doesn't buy it. Salary-cap management and drafting from the rear of the pack work against pro dynasties. "In college football, you can go get 10 first-round draft choices if you can sign them," he said.
Notre Dame offers huge advantages, such as a network contract with NBC and a radio deal with Westwood One. The revenue goes to a general fund for all students, not to the athletic department.
"There's a lot of jealousy. I grew up in New Jersey, as a Yankees fan, so I'm used to it. But why wouldn't Notre Dame do that?" Weis said.
Love them or hate them, college football's Yankees are most of the way back. They have gotten there because of the boss who used to be the beer man, who was the best man for the job.
It's such a good time, Charlie
Sunday, January 01, 2006 Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist
Tempe, Ariz.
- Notre Dame tried the high school guy, the guy who wasn't all he seemed to be, and the guy who was going to be the school's racial pioneer. That would be Gerry Faust, George O'Leary and Tyrone Willingham, if you're keeping score at home.
Then the most famous college football school in America got smart and tried the lord of the rings.
The Fighting Irish chose as their new coach Charlie Weis, an alumnus, a guy who knew the place was special. He was a speech and drama major, so communication wasn't going to be a problem. He was also a man who learned in the NFL from Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, so softness wasn't going to be one either.
Weis "gets" the Notre Dame mystique. In a victory this season over Washington, which is Willingham's team now, Weis called a dangerous pass play from his own end zone simply because he had promised a dying 10-year-old boy, Montana Mazurkiewicz - "Montana" for Joe Montana - that he would. The pass was complete. The moment was out of "Win one for the Gipper." Everybody wanted to cheer for old Notre Dame that day.
Weis is a big man who maybe doesn't fit the mold of the modern coach in the view of the more fastidious alumni, the ones who put appearance ahead of deliverance. You might have a hard time convincing Maryland and Toledo fans that Ralph Friedgen and Tom Amstutz aren't up to the job, however.
About the only thing even slightly controversial about Weis was the disclosure last week by Bob Golic, former Brown, former Fighting Irishman, current reporter for WOIO Channel 19, that Weis would buy the beer for the football players when they were all students in South Bend in the 1970s. "Over time, the beer thing got harder because they were cracking down on us," said Golic.
True, Weis' head-coaching experience had been limited to one year of high school ball, but he is quite often the smartest guy in the room at a coaches conference. He absolutely got the job on merit. He is capable of coping with the 17 or so defensive schemes he might face in the NFL. In the college game, a half-dozen well-implemented plans is considered to be proof of the sort of brainstorm Isaac Newton had after the apple hit him on the head.
Asked if his four Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach in the NFL trump the five his coaching rival in Monday's Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State's Jim Tressel, has won in college (four of them at the "Triple-A" level of Division I-AA), Weis held up the hand that bears the enormous bauble the Patriots won by defeating Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX last season. "Size-wise, it does," he said.
Weis also brings an appetite for the man-killer hours of NFL coaches, who have been sleeping on office couches at least since Dick Vermeil with the Eagles a generation ago. "You're only as smart as you are, but you can go and outwork some people," Weis said.
Success has lately happened to former NFL coaches now working in the college ranks (USC's Pete Carroll, Weis) rather than the reverse (Steve Spurrier, Butch Davis.)
But why can't success also depend on accepting and excelling in the dynamics of the college game?
For all his brilliance in film study and his improved ability to deal with the media since his Browns days, Belichick could not have been a successful college coach. Recruiting, the lifeblood of the sport, was not suited to his introverted personality.
"A lot of head coaches don't like to recruit, but I think the coach of Notre Dame should be out pounding the pavement," Weis said.
He gets the pick of the litter as often as not, because he is the ring-bearer.
"So you want to play in the NFL, huh?" Weis will say to a recruit who is considering rival schools. Then, Weis will rub his hand slowly across his face in exasperation, while his diamond-encrusted Super Bowl ring blazes with gaudier lights than a cathedral's rose window. Most teen-aged boys pick up on this subtle technique.
It is hard to get back to the top once a collegiate program slips in an era of scholarship reductions and cable exposure for everybody. Notre Dame has lost seven straight bowls, for example, and hasn't been national champion since 1988.
But Weis doesn't buy it. Salary-cap management and drafting from the rear of the pack work against pro dynasties. "In college football, you can go get 10 first-round draft choices if you can sign them," he said.
Notre Dame offers huge advantages, such as a network contract with NBC and a radio deal with Westwood One. The revenue goes to a general fund for all students, not to the athletic department.
"There's a lot of jealousy. I grew up in New Jersey, as a Yankees fan, so I'm used to it. But why wouldn't Notre Dame do that?" Weis said.
Love them or hate them, college football's Yankees are most of the way back. They have gotten there because of the boss who used to be the beer man, who was the best man for the job.
- Messages
- 30,265
- Reaction score
- 73
The game is here and kickoff is just minutes away!
- Messages
- 30,265
- Reaction score
- 73
Touchdown Walker!!!
Wooooooooho!
Wooooooooho!
- Messages
- 30,265
- Reaction score
- 73
7-0 Irish!
- Messages
- 30,265
- Reaction score
- 73
We already have one.
- Messages
- 30,265
- Reaction score
- 73
irish9331 said:
It looked like a game of RL Madden out there. There was absolutely no answer. The Irish also always play 20x better when they have a lead.
- Messages
- 30,265
- Reaction score
- 73
WOW... he had 25 yards on our defenders