Ranking Every Defeat of the Weis Era

[NDFan4Life88]

I went to the 2009 UConn game with my brothers and son. It is #1 in my heart! The whole thing was painful and of course I tortured myself watching highlights.

I had bought tickets for that game. It was going to be my first trip to South Bend after seeing them multiple times against Navy. However, I did not make the trip with my son due to an unexpected expense that came up. Glad I skipped it because if that was my first game at ND, I would have stormed the field and went after Charlie. It would have been bad for my son to see his father taken away in handcuffs!

 

[Irish2155]

2007 vs PU, Ross-Band Ade Stadium...my very first ND live game ever. That shit sucked, freaking noon start...barely out of bed on a Saturday, only in B10 country.

Oh, and we got smoked too...33-19, although I had already left by mid fourth quarter to see many of those 19 points...must have needed a nap, maybe a good cry. That whole '07 season was a nightmare.

 

[Henges24]

Tate/Floyd/Clausen -- damn I miss those guys. It's a shame they couldn't have had a better team/coach around them.

 

[Classic Irish]

In 2007, the only win at home was against Duke.

 

[Irish2155]

In 2007, the only win at home was against Duke.

But we did beat Stanford, a ranked UCLA team too.

 

[gkIrish]

In 2007, the only win at home was against Duke.

I was on the field pulling up the nets for that game. On one of the extra points, the net snapped and so there was no net on that side. So you're welcome.


That list is so depressing. I lived through all that as a student and some of those games were just miserable. Some of the most head-scratching decisions ever.

 

[Jerry]

Tate/Floyd/Clausen -- damn I miss those guys. It's a shame they couldn't have had a better team/coach around them.

That's what annoyed me most about the knock on Jimmy being that he wasn't a winner. Kid got knocked down like no QB I've ever seen and he got up and put up huge numbers to give those bad teams a chance. Can't even imagine the program back then without him and those other 2. They carried ND for 3 years.

 

[Grahambo]

People like to blame Bush but we had them 4th and 9. If only Ambrose Wooden was like two inches taller. MAYBE he gets his hand in there and deflects that ball.


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[ickythump1225]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Notre Dame is 40-15 under <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBrianKelly">@CoachBrianKelly</a> -- 23 of those wins (57.5%) have come vs. teams that finished the season above .500 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BertschyBits?src=hash">#BertschyBits</a></p>— Michael Bertsch (@NDsidBertschy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDsidBertschy/status/512670015116832768">September 18, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

We're beating quality teams and quality teams are tough to blow out. It puts in perspective why we seemingly "struggle" to win. We play tough schedules every year and even if the schedules don't turn out so daunting (2012, so far this year might not be as beastly as once thought) we're still playing FBS teams and most of them are pretty decent.

Our recruiting is healthy and we have a load of young talent. We're set up for a nice run. It's another reason I'm so glad BK didn't book it to the NFL 2 years ago. That would have been a big set back.

 

[Irish2155]

People like to blame Bush but we had them 4th and 9. If only Ambrose Wooden was like two inches taller. MAYBE he gets his hand in there and deflects that ball.


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Good point. I remember being warned at the bar for dropping a loud F-bomb after that play. Only to be asked to leave moments later after the "push"...LOUDER F-BOMB!!

Fuck it, their beer was too warm for my liking anyways. Still wish we'd have won that game.

 

[GBdomer]

Thanks OP for a shitty run down memory lane.

 

[Booslum31]

During the CW years i just remember not being able to get a crucial stop when we needed it. 3rd and 9 was as good as a first down...especially when we played USC. I also remember we couldn't sustain a drive to eat clock to save our lives.

On a good note...under CW I came to believe that ND could in fact complete a forward pass. Under Davie and Ty I was always completely shocked whenever we completed a damn pass. So there's that.

 

[Classic Irish]

I was on the field pulling up the nets for that game. On one of the extra points, the net snapped and so there was no net on that side. So you're welcome.


That list is so depressing. I lived through all that as a student and some of those games were just miserable. Some of the most head-scratching decisions ever.

I was at the Duke game, too. I typically attend most home games every season and I just remember thinking that beating Duke was the only victory I witnessed that year.

 

[ACamp1900]

Don't know if I can read article but I remember thinking the Pitt game that Harrison Smith 'blew' with his personal foul was the final game in terms of hope for CW...

 

[irishandy]

Tate/Floyd/Clausen -- damn I miss those guys. It's a shame they couldn't have had a better team/coach around them.

Imagine if they were all coached by the staff we have now.

 

[condoms SUCk]

Imagine if they were all coached by the staff we have now.

Yeah (sigh)

 

[Circa]

I was an undergrad from 2007 to 2011. My class witnessed (statistically) the worst consecutive four years of Notre Dame football... ever.

Thank god you finally graduated!

 

[Blaise]

The Syracuse loss stills gives me nightmares.... I was at the game with my wife and nephew (who was going to his first game).... I walked out of that stadium a beaten man.... I truly began to doubt if we could ever be a legit top 10 program again...

Thank you Brian Kelly for restoring my faith in this team

 

[ulukinatme]

While a number of those Weis losses stung, I'd hate to relive a ranking of Willingham's worst losses. That punk set records for points given up at home against Michigan AND FSU if I recall. While he didn't lose to Navy, I'm pretty sure he came close and his recruiting certainly contributed to the loss in '07.

 

[GowerND11]

While a number of those Weis losses stung, I'd hate to relive a ranking of Willingham's worst losses. That punk set records for points given up at home against Michigan AND FSU if I recall. While he didn't lose to Navy, I'm pretty sure he came close and his recruiting certainly contributed to the loss in '07.

He won two by a field goal I believe, and one by about 20. I believe Ty was 0-3 against BC.

 

[Booslum31]

While a number of those Weis losses stung, I'd hate to relive a ranking of Willingham's worst losses. That punk set records for points given up at home against Michigan AND FSU if I recall. While he didn't lose to Navy, I'm pretty sure he came close and his recruiting certainly contributed to the loss in '07.

I'm glad i read that whole thing. It's weird how you can remember where you were (even if not at the stadium) for everyone of those games. Those were some tough years and dark times. But I'm glad I read it because it really makes me appreciate the team that Kelly has built today. Saturdays are much more fun for me these days.

 

[ickythump1225]

I'm glad i read that whole thing. It's weird how you can remember where you were (even if not at the stadium) for everyone of those games. Those were some tough years and dark times. But I'm glad I read it because it really makes me appreciate the team that Kelly has built today. Saturdays are much more fun for me these days.

Yeah I'll never forget that Penn St. game. I just remember thinking how we looked like a middle school team playing against professionals. We just looked so helpless it was horrible.

 

[kmoose]

I have had a brain aneurysm, and a heart attack. And no pain was greater than losing to Navy for the first time since Midshipman John Paul Jones was the QB.

 

[Cackalacky]

Losing to Syracuse was rock bottom for me. Even though Michigan always managed to win, that loss was when I saw the bottom of the abyss.

 

[irishfan]

Navy in 2009 was the worst for me. We were 6-2 with only very close losses to Michigan and USC. 10-2 still seemed very likely.

Losing to Navy with Clausen, Tate, and Floyd (I think Rudolph got hurt this game?) on the field was beyond unacceptable. Throw in the crazy turnovers that we had, and it was just a horrid game.

Golden Tate still almost bailed us out with the onside recovery and subsequent TD. I remember going for that 2nd onside kick and honestly thinking Tate was going to recover it and score another TD.

I'm too young to remember Rocket that well. Tate is by far the most electric guy I've seen at ND. You always had a chance with Golden out there.

 

[kmoose]

I'm too young to remember Rocket. Tate is by far the most electric guy I've seen at ND. You always had a chance with Golden out there.

That's a shame. Every time Rocket touched the ball, the stadium (home or away) fell deathly silent. Because every single person there was holding their breath, waiting to see what Rocket would do. It was simply amazing. Rocket was Devin Hester way before Devin Hester was Devin Hester; and I think Rocket was more dangerous.

 

[KPENN]

Navy in 2009 was the worst for me. We were 6-2 with only very close losses to Michigan and USC. 10-2 still seemed very likely.

Losing to Navy with Clausen, Tate, and Floyd (I think Rudolph got hurt this game?) on the field was beyond unacceptable. Throw in the crazy turnovers that we had, and it was just a horrid game.

Golden Tate still almost bailed us out with the onside recovery and subsequent TD. I remember going for that 2nd onside kick and honestly thinking Tate was going to recover it and score another TD.

I'm too young to remember Rocket that well. Tate is by far the most electric guy I've seen at ND. You always had a chance with Golden out there.

If i remember correctly they were absolutely inept in the red zone that game too.

 

[irishfan]

If i remember correctly they were absolutely inept in the red zone that game too.

Ya I remember JC fumbling on the 1 (and getting destroyed) and then the pass off Floyd's back was just great. Then we had a sack for a safety late which led to the Tate onside recovery and TD.

I tried erasing this game from my memory but hasn't completely disappeared.

 

[Cackalacky]

Navy in 2009 was the worst for me. We were 6-2 with only very close losses to Michigan and USC. 10-2 still seemed very likely.

Losing to Navy with Clausen, Tate, and Floyd (I think Rudolph got hurt this game?) on the field was beyond unacceptable. Throw in the crazy turnovers that we had, and it was just a horrid game.

Golden Tate still almost bailed us out with the onside recovery and subsequent TD. I remember going for that 2nd onside kick and honestly thinking Tate was going to recover it and score another TD.

I'm too young to remember Rocket that well. Tate is by far the most electric guy I've seen at ND. You always had a chance with Golden out there.

Do yourself a solid and go back and watch as many games as you can from 1986-93. The 1988 season was great but the 1992-1993 team was epic. Rocket was amazballs.

 

[The Polish Irishman]

God. The number of beers it took to forgot. I could only read half. The UConn game hurt the most.