Sep 7 | Michigan

[wizards8507]

Holy white out.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S III using Tapatalk 4

 

[irishfan]

This, along with Oklahoma today, makes me think we are an average football team at best.

Or the fact that Purdue hung with us and is awful, MSU hung with us and is very average, and Temple played us better than they've played anyone....

 

[IrishLax]

This, along with Oklahoma today, makes me think we are an average football team at best.

Or the fact that Purdue hung with us and is awful, MSU hung with us and is very average, and Temple played us better than they've played anyone....

This is what I've been saying since the Purdue weekend when I saw Michigan against Akron and its been reinforced every week since then. Oh well. We played a lot of "solid" teams to start the year and went 4-2. We beat a pretty darn good ASU team, and lost to mediocre Michigan/Oklahoma because of a number of factors.

This team has less talent/experience than either 2011 or 2012. It's a sad reality but they're playing hard and we can salvage a very good season if they bring their A game from here on out.

 

[Rack Em]

This is what I've been saying since the Purdue weekend when I saw Michigan against Akron and its been reinforced every week since then. Oh well. We played a lot of "solid" teams to start the year and went 4-2. We beat a pretty darn good ASU team, and lost to mediocre Michigan/Oklahoma because of a number of factors.

This team has less talent/experience than either 2011 or 2012. It's a sad reality but they're playing hard and we can salvage a very good season if they bring their A game from here on out.

I agree that we are an average team.

But we're also the only team to beat Michigan State this year. I still don't think they're that good, but they're better than many of us originally thought IMO.

 

[IrishLax]

I agree that we are an average team.

But we're also the only team to beat Michigan State this year. I still don't think they're that good, but they're better than many of us originally thought IMO.

Yeah, it's like to be fair to this team... they played a lot of solid opponents and went a respectable 4-2. That's really pretty good for the hard half of the schedule especially with injuries to Spond, Tuitt, Day...

 

[IrishLax]

How is Gardner not hurt yet? He takes 30+ hits a game.

 

[koonja]

PSU should be ashamed of their 2nd half.

 

[greyhammer90]

Penn State you f*cking losers.

 

[IrishLax]

Penn State choked so hard. Out scored 24-3 in a quarter and a half.

 

[greyhammer90]

Hackenburg, buddy. it's time to play ball.

 

[palinurus]

I know this Penn State QB is supposed to be a prodigy, but he throws like the Army QB.

 

[greyhammer90]

To be fair to the kid Penn State's OL has really sucked in pass coverage.

 

[koonja]

I know this Penn State QB is supposed to be a prodigy, but he throws like the Army QB.

.

 

[Rack Em]

**** those refs. That wasn't a catchable ball.

 

[enrico514]

B10 officials want scUM to win!

 

[rocket66]

In all seriousness, how many times does ND beat Michigan if they played 10 times this season? I say 9/10.

 

[T Town Tommy]

LMAO at UM. It has to be difficult being a Wolverine fan.

 

[Jebediah Springfield]

So when does meatchicken fire Hoke and their S&C coach?

 

[NDinL.A.]

I agree that we are an average team.

But we're also the only team to beat Michigan State this year. I still don't think they're that good, but they're better than many of us originally thought IMO.

We probably agree more than it seems, but I think we're better than average. I wasn't saying that a few weeks ago. Not that we're great or anything, but I think we're an above average team, whose needle is pointing up.

The 2nd half of Purdue, the MSU game, and yes, even the Oklahoma game, I saw signs of a team improving (if ever so slowly). I exchanged texts with a prominent member of this site the day after the OK game and we both weren't nearly as upset as the rest of the ND fans, because we saw a team that did a lot of good things after a horrific start (I had us losing that game by 10, so maybe that is why I wasn't as upset the next day).

And then the ASU game happened, and what I thought I'd see vs. UM is what finally came to fruition. Bottom line is that we are playing with a back-up QB and this is what happens when you lose the most important position in football. (But thank God for Rees this year, warts and all.)

Of course, 8-4 is in no way out of the equation, and neither is a loss to the Trogans next week, soooooooo....yeah. What was I saying?

 

[Rack Em]

We probably agree more than it seems, but I think we're better than average. I wasn't saying that a few weeks ago. Not that we're great or anything, but I think we're an above average team, whose needle is pointing up.

The 2nd half of Purdue, the MSU game, and yes, even the Oklahoma game, I saw signs of a team improving (if ever so slowly). I exchanged texts with a prominent member of this site the day after the OK game and we both weren't nearly as upset as the rest of the ND fans, because we saw a team that did a lot of good things after a horrific start (I had us losing that game by 10, so maybe that is why I wasn't as upset the next day).

And then the ASU game happened, and what I thought I'd see vs. UM is what finally came to fruition. Bottom line is that we are playing with a back-up QB and this is what happens when you lose the most important position in football. (But thank God for Rees this year, warts and all.)

Of course, 8-4 is in no way out of the equation, and neither is a loss to the Trogans next week, soooooooo....yeah. What was I saying?

Fair assessment.

What gets me though is that we don't utilize the middle of the field with our passing game and Kelly/Martin still want to get cute with the running game (when Rees is zero threat to run). I see the potential but our gameplans seem to snuff it out.

Against the OU 3-3-5, why not install a jumbo package ala Stanford (where they put up to 8 OL on the line) and dare someone to stop us? Rees isn't going to take off, so ram it down someone's throat until they change their defensive scheme?

And for Crist's sake, run a damn quick slant route or a drag. Open up the field a bit. I know Rees' arm isn't great so why not give him some quick throws every now and then to make the fades and out routes a little more effective?

 

[Emcee77]

In all seriousness, how many times does ND beat Michigan if they played 10 times this season? I say 9/10.

Totally agree. After 6 games we look like the better team by far.

That loss is so much more frustrating now. At the time I thought we got outplayed by an excellent team that just played a perfect game. Now I think that our defense just hadn't figured out how to bring pressure effectively yet. The team that played ASU would have beat that team handily.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Just because it's too funny not to share.

Re:Official UM/Penn State Game Day Thread 7 hrs. ago (permalink)

So Penn State won their Super Bowl,,, Bowl Game. Big Deal. Our defense played with passion. Gardner is still a player. We win out!!!! Tired of these mamby pambies bitching about everything. Hoke is STILL the best thing to happen to this program since a young LLoyd Carr. WE will beat that team south. We will refocus. I still am happy about the feeling Hoke's teams give me. Even though we came up short I never thought we would. The team just gives me confidence. If Gibbons just has a mediocre night we are fine. Heads up!!! It's no where near as bad as some of you act!!!

But it gets better.

Re:Official UM/Penn State Game Day Thread 7 hrs. ago (permalink)

Goodnight All. The worst part of this is the realization that Michigan Football is irrelevant when discussing the top echelon of College Football. it blows to feel that way...and to know it's true.

And they're not finished.

Re:Official UM/Penn State Game Day Thread 7 hrs. ago (permalink)

Hoke just gives me confidence. We are 5-1. Things are still upbeat. I honestly thought we were going to stuff them and they would miss the fg. We ALWAYS beat Penn State!!! Just a bump in the road!

But wait...

Re:Official UM/Penn State Game Day Thread 7 hrs. ago (permalink)

osu is going to obliterate us! moo u is going to beat us down, they actually have developed an offense since the beginning of the season, granted its not Oregon or anything, but combined with that defense they have, its gonna be ugly. Plus their players are much more aggressive than ours.

The solution????

Re:Official UM/Penn State Game Day Thread 7 hrs. ago (permalink)

What do you guys think about getting in Tressel as our offensive coordinator!! He was treated pretty crappy at the end there. I don't think he cares for Meyer either. We wouyld get all of Ohio's recruits. The high school coaches down there still like him a lot. I've honestly have been drinking and this just came to me. I just hate OSU and I want to beat them. I would take Tressel in a second.

I swear I can't make this stuff up.

 

[NDinL.A.]

I actually don't think those are that bad Tommy. Sounds a ton like this board after a loss. Some sunshine pampers and some woe-is-me types.

But that last one about Tressel???? Holy shiznit, now THAT was looney.

 

[johnnycando]

I actually don't think those are that bad Tommy. Sounds a ton like this board after a loss. Some sunshine pampers and some woe-is-me types.

But that last one about Tressel???? Holy shiznit, now THAT was looney.

I was hoping we could pick Pete Carroll.

As our training table mentor.

Then all u r recruitz iz mine.

 

[irish4ever]

LMAO at UM. It has to be difficult being a Wolverine fan.

Yeah, especially since being a scUM fan means that you are automatically considered a real douche bag! I hate Michigan, so this win by PSU is extra special for me. Toussaint had 27 carries for only 27 yds. Hahaha .... sweeeeeet!

 

[rocket66]

Totally agree. After 6 games we look like the better team by far.

That loss is so much more frustrating now. At the time I thought we got outplayed by an excellent team that just played a perfect game. Now I think that our defense just hadn't figured out how to bring pressure effectively yet. The team that played ASU would have beat that team handily.

Yeah that was pretty much my point, albeit a bit tongue in cheek. As LA pointed out, our needle is pointing up and the team keeps improving each week, which is a clear sign that our staff gets it. There are a lot of teams out there (UM) that are staying the same or possibly even getting worse. Losing early games suck but this season is heading in the right direction and has a ton of promise. Now, beat SC!!

 

[woolybug25]

A funny text I got that I had to chuckle at:

With OU and Mich both getting beat, ND looks worse without even playing. Essentially getting beat by BYE... A starteling feat."

 

[Irish Insanity]

Garder played like ****. 2 INTs and a fumble. He seems bi-polar on the field. At times he's phenomenal (seemed to be the whole game against us) and at times he's blind. What was absolutely ridiculous was just after half the announcers kept saying how great Gardner was and how he was making impossible throws and ......yet he was horrible.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Hey, guys,

A little reality here. When have you seen a team like ND this year, at the level of football ND espouses to play, come into a season with a trajectory like ND did. ND lost its six of its top eight key players, most probably, and then the off season -

And then the off season! Forget about the AA and EV fiascos. Even forget about the freshmen with expectations leaving just before spring.

After spring ball, and into fall camp, ND loses Everett and Danny, maybe not in the top eight, but certainly two more in the top ten. Especially when you account for experience and leadership with Danny.

The losses of Hounshell and Springman are doubly tough the way the ND defense is built.

ND is a team that has played 10 freshmen extensively. And many underclassmen have subbed in, from Jones to Schmidt.

When just going through this kind of woes list, who would think of a team that will have played 5 top 25 teams, and still potentially win enough to make a BCS bowl game. I am sure most people would get that this team was one that would have "improved as the season progressed."

As far as coaches, I only have been really critical of one coach, and am still skeptical. As far as Kelly, his unabashed obfuscation of his staff's tendency to telegraph their intent miffed me, but in the whole scheme of things, this team had so many parts underwater coming into the season, that I almost consider it a coaching miracle to be at the point ND is. (See hernia surgery, and replacing a teams entire leadership, save TJones and ZMartin. I mean how many torn labrum surgeries are we coming off? Two, three, four, with a repeat, a second timer? Also, two of the defenders we lost T'eo and Motta, had no capable successor for their [knowledge of the defense and how to play the game]leadership roles.)

So ND isn't like U of M, MSU, OU or anyone else. The real shame of ND losing to the U of M this year, is after they get blasted by half the teams on their schedule, they will still be able to point to beating ND as success in their season. My preseason hopes were that Hoke would fall all the way into the abyss of RichRod's recruiting hole. As disappointing as the ND loss is to this end, looking at SMorris and DGreen in action hasn't convinced me that much better things are on the horizion for UofM under Brady Hoke.

EDIT: The DOG (change in depth chart) saga is pretty much a valid allegory for this year's team. A position early on with great returning experience and a bright star in the recruiting class, takes a hit, a freshman (AA) is exposed early and grows up before our eyes. (Jaylon's least productive important game was, anyone? Michigan?) And Jaylon is now developed to the point where freak and beast are appropriate adjectives! Kid got thrown into the fire and came up a real winner, in the meantime we lose to U of M and OU. So goes life!

 

[returnofthemack]

Just because it's too funny not to share.



But it gets better.




And they're not finished.




But wait...




The solution????




I swear I can't make this stuff up.

Hasn't Penn State beaten them the last 4 times they've played? Also, I don't know what has convinced them they'll win out after losing to a team that was smoked by IU. It would be great if State, NW, Nebraska, and OSU (or at least three out of the four) beat them.