Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: Some things you wonder, some things you think, and some things you just know. Maybe John Greenlief Whittier would have liked Mike Royko’s writing too. At least he actually said part of that.

On the long list of things I don’t want to hear this week, Todd Graham being some kind of dick for scoring the final touchdown is at the top of the list. You get the ball at the 10 yard line with three minutes left, you move the ball and play the game. It’s not Graham’s fault Everett Golson made a bad play.

Second on the list is the “Navy curse”. Navy had nothing to do with this game. They had nothing to do with the 34-3 deficit, just as they had nothing to do with the 28 straight points Notre Dame scored to get back in it. It’s just another bullshit mantra to explain poor Notre Dame performances.

Coming in to show is “if it weren’t for the turnovers”. It’s not like Golson’s been a model of consistency all season. It’s now 11 turnovers in his last six games, and a lot of those turnovers made a lot of those games closer than they should have been.

For those of you who think we at NDN complain about the running game too much, this is exactly the kind of game where a competent ground game would really have helped. A couple first downs on the ground after Golson’s first turnover might have helped him settle down. Instead, the air show reigned, and five minutes later it was 34-3. Balance, thy name ain’t us.

Seeing the Auburn result just makes it hurt more.

According to what I’ve read, Chris Spielman’s broadcasting career started in 1999.  Listening to him tonight, I would have thought it started at 1900 hours last night.  “Distant” doesn’t even begin to cover it.  He sounded like he was on the opposite of whatever it is Lee Corso takes.

When it got to 34-31, I was wondering if I was going to see a Notre Dame moment. Instead, I saw 21 points given up in five minutes. This is what I get for not having a couple beers while watching.

Say what you want about mental toughness or lack thereof, but I believe this team had it today. It’s easy to fold your tents when you’re down 34-3. But these guys not only weren’t content to just get to the locker room, they scored a TD before the half, almost drove for another in their first possession after halftime, and scored 28 straight points while shutting the ASU defense down. The crap-out at the end notwithstanding, no one gave up, which is an improvement over the prior regimes.

I wonder if this is one of those games where we missed Tommy Rees … or, more specifically, his ability to come in for a series or two to allow Golson to get out of his own head.

On consecutive series in the first half, Golson gave away two fumbles in or just outside the ASU red zone and threw a pick-six. On consecutive series in the second half, he threw another pick-six and turned the ball over (on downs) in the ASU red zone. ASU scored 21 points in five minutes in each half. Symmetry, I guess.

The OL performance this season for the most part has been atrocious. As good a recruiter as Harry Hiestand is, I have to wonder if he’s worth the roster spot. Surely someone else can get the job done.

This game hasn’t changed by opinion on Brian Van Gorder one bit. This guy is holding the defense together with chewing gum and baling wire, and I’m very interested to see what the same unit looks like next year with a season under their belt and Russell roaming in the backfield.

“Win out for the Peach Bowl” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.