Top 5 Games of the Kelly Era

[TheTurningPoint]

We are going to do a segment on the top 5 games of Kellys era over the next 5 weeks. Here is our #5. Discuss!


#5 - Notre Dame at Michigan St 2012

Top 5 Games of the Kelly Era: #5 Michigan St 2012 | Irish Turning Point


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[notredomer23]

Pretty much any game from 2012 could be in the top 5.

ND vs Oklahoma, ND vs Pitt, ND vs USC, and ND vs Michigan, ND vs Stanford should all be considered.

Maybe the 2010 USC game.

 

[Irish#1]

This game showed me this team had a mental toughness that had been lacking in previous years.

 

[IrishInFl]

Skip to #1: ND Vs Stanford 2012

 

[rocket66]

I'm not sure I have ever been as jacked up for any Irish game as I was for the '12 OU game. Even at that point not many gave ND a chance.

 

[arrowryan]

Notre Dame vs. Utah?

Talk about a swing in momentum

 

[IrishInFl]

Also ND vs USC 2010

 

[fightingirish26]

2010 USC, Utah, 2012 Oklahoma, Stanford should in my opinion round out the top 5

 

[eNDzone]

You just beat me to it on the Utah game. The Blanton blocked punt for a TD ranks up there with the goal line stands in the Stanford and Pitt games of 2012.

 

[BobD]

Top 5 as in only games with good outcomes? If not, then the most important game in his era was the BCS championship disaster.

 

[IrishInFl]

2010 USC, Utah, 2012 Oklahoma, Stanford should in my opinion round out the top 5

I concur good sir.

 

[koonja]

Bama game (sarcasm).

 

[Black Irish]

The 2011 Sun Bowl win against Miami was a solid way to wrap up Kelly's first season. Reviving the old "Catholics vs Convicts" rivalry got the Irish fan base really excited again.

 

[koonja]

IDK, I didn't think the Utah game was as big as others think. They were coming off of a game where they got the doors blown off by TCU I believe, and they finished the year unranked.

That win wasn't really impressive to me, but I've been at the BMV for an hour and am pissed off so tifwiw.

 

[fightingirish26]

IDK, I didn't think the Utah game was as big as others think. They were coming off of a game where they got the doors blown off by TCU I believe, and they finished the year unranked.

That win wasn't really impressive to me.

Yeah, but it was senior day, coming off of losses to navy and Tulsa, and they were still ranked. The Robert Blanton punt block td was the symbolic turn of our luck that year

 

[gkIrish]

Purely in terms of best games with no preference to ND winning I would have to say

2011 Michigan
2012 Stanford
2010 Michigan St.
2012 Pitt
2010 Michigan/2012 Michigan (tie)

 

[BeauBenken]

IDK, I didn't think the Utah game was as big as others think. They were coming off of a game where they got the doors blown off by TCU I believe, and they finished the year unranked.

That win wasn't really impressive to me, but I've been at the BMV for an hour and am pissed off so tifwiw.

We had been plain BAD. We needed a win in the worse way. We were 4-5 after being blown out by Navy and after having lost to Tulsa in embarassing fashion at home after the Declan Sullivan accident (RIP). Morale was essentially at an all time low. We had all seen more talented Notre Dame teams collapse under Weis for lesser reasons. The fans needed it; the players needed it. It was huge. Not to mention our guys finally started making some real plays in that game. We won 4 straight games including that one to close off the season.

It is arguably the epitome of the Irish Turning Point.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6DdbunO_tHw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[nsisk157]

2010 Utah, 2012 Stanford & Okla, 2013 MSU & ASU

... love for Utah..was there & it sparked Tommy's great end of the season(Army in NYC & SC away)

 

[AvesEvo]

Pretty much any game from 2012 could be in the top 5.

ND vs Oklahoma, ND vs Pitt, ND vs USC, and ND vs Michigan, ND vs Stanford should all be considered.

Maybe the 2010 USC game.

This, this, and this.

 

[notredomer23]

While I get that we beat a top 5 MSU team in 2013, I don't consider that one of the best games of the Kelly era. I was at the game and have never been so bored. Neither team could do any thing offensively, and it wasn't so much because of great defense.

 

[irishfan]

I love Utah 2010, but beating USC in 2010 was way bigger IMO. We had lost 8 straight to them, most of which had been embarrassing losses. I'd take that win over USC in 2010 over the Utah one every day.

I'd go with....

5) ND vs. MSU in 2012 (they only finished 7-6 but huge early primtime win)
4) ND vs. Navy in 2011 (that was the program turning point, not the Utah one. players and coaches finally on same page, "count on me")
3) ND vs. USC in 2010 (FINALLY beating them)
2) ND vs. Stanford in 2012 (proving we could play smashmouth)
1) ND vs. OU in 2012 (Stanford win was great. OU was on road against perennial powerhouse....no one gave us a chance including most fans here)

 

[arrowryan]

I love Utah 2010, but beating USC in 2010 was way bigger IMO. We had lost 8 straight to them, most of which had been embarrassing losses. I'd take that win over USC in 2010 over the Utah one every day.

I'd go with....

5) ND vs. MSU in 2012 (they only finished 7-6 but huge early primtime win)
4) ND vs. Navy in 2011 (that was the program turning point, not the Utah one. players and coaches finally on same page, "count on me")
3) ND vs. USC in 2010 (FINALLY beating them)
2) ND vs. Stanford in 2012 (proving we could play smashmouth)
1) ND vs. OU in 2012 (Stanford win was great. OU was on road against perennial powerhouse....no one gave us a chance including most fans here)

The thing is, I don't think they would've beaten USC if they had lost to Utah

 

[kmoose]

The 2010 USC game should definitely be on this list............

USC had been practically manhandling ND, for almost a decade. The 2010 win snapped a nasty losing streak to a bitter rival, and took a HUGE monkey off of the back of the team.

The 2012 Oklahoma win was a big one, as well, because it demonstrated that ND could still (once again?) handily defeat a highly regarded team. Oklahoma was a Top Ten team, coming into the game against the Irish, who was 5-1 and had finished with double digit wins in 5 of the previous 6 seasons.: 11-3 in 2006, 11-3 in 2007, 12-2 in 2008, 8-5 in 2009, 12-2 in 2010, and 10-3 in 2011. The knock on the Irish in the Weis years was that they could beat the good teams on their schedule, but got blasted by the first and second tier teams.

 

[koonja]

I just don't think Utah was very good that year. They played a bad schedule but got beat badly by TCU, beat by us, and I'm pretty sure although I didn't look it up, that they lost another game after that.

I'd argue the 2012 game against USC was more of a 'top game'.

11-0, USC has nothing to play for, the whole country is watching because if you win you're in, at the Coliseum. Buckets.

Edit: Utah lost to Boise St. 26-3 after getting creamed by TCU and beat by us. They weren't very good.

 

[arrowryan]

I just don't think Utah was very good that year. They played a bad schedule but got beat badly by TCU, beat by us, and I'm pretty sure although I didn't look it up, that they lost another game after that.

I'd argue the 2012 game against USC was more of a 'top game'.

11-0, USC has nothing to play for, the whole country is watching because if you win you're in, at the Coliseum. Buckets.

I agree that Utah wasn't as good as their record indicated, but they needed that game desperately.

Lose the Utah game, we'd probably be looking at a 5-7 season and Stephon Tuitt would've been playing at Georgia Tech IMO

 

[koonja]

I agree that Utah wasn't as good as their record indicated, but they needed that game desperately.

Lose the Utah game, we'd probably be looking at a 5-7 season and Stephon Tuitt would've been playing at Georgia Tech IMO

That's fair, but if you're saying the Utah game because of 'how bad would it have been/looked if we lost', I feel like there's been a handful of games that fit that description.

 

[arrowryan]

That's fair, but if you're saying the Utah game because of 'how bad would it have been/looked if we lost', I feel like there's been a handful of games that fit that description.

I wouldn't be surprised if we were the underdogs for that game

 

[IrishInFl]

My top 5:

5: Nd vs MSU 2013
4: Nd vs Utah 2010
3: Nd vs Oklahoma 2012
2: Nd vs USC 2010
1: Nd vs Stanford 2012

 

[tko]

At OU in 2012 was such a great game and great win. They absolutely went into Norman and punched them in the face, especially Bob's red-headed step child brother. I also met Johnnykillz that night making it extra special. The ASU win last year was pretty big also.

Best ICON moments need to be discussed as well. The 2012 MSU halftime speech and the OU video stand out. I also enjoyed the end of game part of the USC one. Which one had Prince Shembo giving Manti? "the look?"

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

I don't think I would call it top 5 either but 2013 USC game should get some love. ND won that game with straight up toughness and desire - a complete war of attrition through the second half.

It wasn't pretty but I can't think of another recent game that kept me on the edge of my seat the same way. Not even Pitt in 2012.