Josh Adams had a record 98-yard touchdown run and DeShone Kizer ran for two scores as Notre Dame eased past a surprisingly spunky Wake Forest squad by 28-7 on Saturday. The Irish moved to 9-1 on the season, but detractors will claim the victory lacked style points that might be required to maintain the number four position in the playoff rankings. Although Notre Dame grabbed a quick 14 point lead by the end of the first quarter, the Deacons played the Irish to a 7-7 standstill during the next 30 minutes while dominating time of possession. Two goal line stands by Brian VanGorder’s often-maligned defense kept the final score from being uncomfortably close, but Notre Dame was never in real danger.
A 17-yard pass from Kizer to Amir Carlisle got the Irish going late in the first period, and Kizer capped the scoring march with a 12-yard stroll into the end zone. Three plays later, an errant pass from Wake Forest’s John Wolford fell into the hands of lineman Andrew Trumbetti, who promptly returned it 30 yards for another touchdown.
The Deacons may have been temporarily stunned, but they quickly regrouped and drove back downfield as the game moved into the second quarter. On fourth and goal from the one yard line, tailback Tyler Bell was stuffed by Jaylon Smith and Notre Dame took over. After Kizer moved the ball forward a yard, Adams took a second down handoff around right end, stiff-armed the safety, and raced down the sideline with the help of excellent downfield blocking by Chris Brown and Will Fuller.
Now trailing 21-0 after only 20 minutes had transpired and nothing had gone its way, Wake Forest began to fight back. While his defense was shutting down the Irish offense, Wolford finally snuck into the end zone late in the third quarter after a well-thrown pass to Taban Hines brought them to the doorstep once again. Sensing the frustration of the crowd, Notre Dame finally rallied with a defensive stop and its only productive drive in the final 40 minutes. Fuller caught a long pass along the way and an interference penalty against Wake Forest helped to set up another scoring run by Kizer with 11 minutes left.
The Deacons had one more surge left in them, as a 52-yard pass to K.J. Brent led to another visit the the Irish one yard line. Wolford mishandled a snap and lost eight yards, and Jaylon Smith thwarted consecutive passing attempts to end the threat. Despite generating some statistical success, Wake Forest could put only seven points on the board in three trips to the Irish one yard line and another drive to the ten. Notre Dame did not play especially well, but a quick look across the rest of the top ten is proof that it is harder even for good teams to win football games in November.
Let’s look at the pregame questions for additional insight.
Will either Deacon quarterback be able to move his team with any consistency? Wolford did a credible job and was 19 of 30 passing, but the object of the game is to get the ball over the goal line.
Which Irish receiver other than Fuller will distinguish himself? Unfortunately, no one had a big game. It looked as though the Irish route runners were being covered by Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman.
Can Wake Forest establish a credible running game against Notre Dame? Bell had a nice game with 90 yards on 23 carries, but Notre Dame did not allow the big play.
Will the Notre Dame secondary turn back to look for the ball in the air? KeiVarae Russell did not look back and was burned, while Cole Luke did find the ball only to be out-jumped by the 6’4″ Brent.
How will the Deacons young offensive line hold up in pass protection? Better than I thought they would, although Sheldon Day and Romeo Okwara pressured Wolford enough to maintain control of the game while the Irish offense struggled.
Can Adams and Williams give Prosise a much-needed rest? Adams turned in a 141 yard performance, and his 98-yard romp will be seen on highlight reels for decades to come.
Will Kelly be able to give his second teams meaningful minutes? Several backups played throughout, but the starters could never get comfortable on the bench.
Which playoff contenders will help Notre Dame by losing on Saturday? Several highly rated teams (Oklahoma State, Clemson, Michigan, Iowa, TCU) had scares against unheralded opponents, but losses by Stanford and Baylor were major blows to the playoff aspirations of the PAC-12 and Big-12 conferences. One other note; an emerging team that no contender would want to play right now is North Carolina.
I don’t normally address the calls made by referees during the game, but there was a significant inconsistency in the personal foul penalty called against Notre Dame for roughing the snapper and the flag that was picked up when Chris Brown was thrown down after he was clearly out of bounds. The former should never have been called while the latter was a blatant foul. I guess only full members of the ACC can expect fairness in that league.
The Irish will travel to Fenway Park next week for a Shamrock Series game against Boston College. The Eagles have struggled mightily on offense this season, but have an excellent defense that will attempt to duplicate the relative successes enjoyed by Temple and Wake Forest in slowing down Kizer, Fuller, and the rest of Notre Dame’s playmakers.
irishhawk50 says:
I never thought the game was in doubt but kept looking for style points and saw none. Oklahoma State barely survived lowly Iowa State so I don’t think they will move up, but a real lackluster game by the Irish. I guess we have to cheer for Minnesota and Oklahoma tonight. I think a Baylor victory over Oklahoma,especially with a freshman quarterback will leap frog them over ND
I could see Kelly was not happy all game and I don’t blame him. Maybe this will light a fire under the team for next week’s game against BC. This was a game ND had to win convincingly.
Rockne Schaller says:
Remember these games require mental energy and letdown can happen but when I look at today Clemson not stellar but won…Alabama Ohio State and Notre Dame won similarly…also let Oklahoma and Baylor wrecking ball Oklahoma State…so everyone has a loss in the Big 12 although I prefer to see a bounce back by Baylor to sneak Ok State and OKlahoma State then beat OU…Remember Iowa looked shaky today and if Ohio State can run through Michigan St Michigan and then Iowa…that’s a tough one!!…Clemson may not want to count chickens yet…South Carolina a tough rivalry …North Carolina is throwing up serious points and may pose an issue in an ACC game the week after….again a lot in motion….hey it’s simple if we lose we are out but if we take it one game at a time…and be ready for Boston College’s game next week we have a chance….
Terry says:
Agree with everything you say but yesterday ND played the youngest team in college football with a 3-6 record on senior day and for a while there it was a little close.
IMO ND should have won by at least 40 points and Wimbush should have played the 4th quarter and all the seniors should have gotten significant time.
On the other hand Chase Hounsell (sp?) caught a pass.
I don’t think we’ve seen this team play its best.
Yet?
Terry says:
Once again Notre Dame played down to an inferior opponent and let them stay in the game. No style points and they will almost certainly drop to 5th or 6th if not lower. If they win out they’ll get a good bowl game, but IMO they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.
Hotbod Handsomeface says:
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Been thinking this every week since Virginia. Good, not great. Not championship material. Haven’t shown it all season.
Anthony says:
terry …. Wake forest played to hold the ball the whole game. That’s what they wanted. If you noticed yesterday no one in the top 4 had a convincing win. There should be no movement. Wake Forest was never in this game. They kept the ball so they wouldn’t get blown out. Did you watch the same game I watched?
Mike says:
We will still be 4th. 4 of 6 behind us lost. Not saying we are deserving but we won’t drop this week.
Brian M says:
Wow! The ND offense definetly took a breaker in this game and Kizer was just not getting any rhythm at all. If not for the stiff ND D we might not win this one. Receivers just could not shake the WF secondary. Running Kizer too much is not good as he is just one hit away from going down. Kudos to the defense and especially the front 4 and the unstoppable Sheldon Day! Kizer and receivers need to get back in the playbook for next week! GO IRISH!
flirish says:
with this win and the baylor loss and iowa’s close win, I don’t think we will drop this week but with the stanford loss and the lack of style points in the last two games we may not make the playoffs down the stretch. Agree with above; we play down to teams. special teams are once again way below average and the poor pass rush and secondary play is very alarming. Once again, another bad game at the middle linebacker position. Hard to understand how such a talented team can play so lackluster
Gprizz says:
The game may not have looked pretty, but I don’t think we lose these elusive “style points” for our game. We beat a weak opponent by 3 TDs. Look through the top 10 and the only win that could be considered more “style points” is Alabama winning by 25. Osu, Clemson, and Iowa didn’t win better than we did and then Baylor, LSU and Stanford straight up lost. We are a top team in the country even if every win isn’t a dominating blowout. Wake Forest came to play. They executed a solid ball control strategy and their best shot got them a 3 TD defeat against a non-peak performance from the Irish. That’s why we will stay in the top 4 and deserve to be there.
Chuckie says:
A lethargic win, short of a victory. The Demon Deacons did have a moral palliative, though.
KeiVarae left a trail of burnt brakes over the field, possibly due to faulty technique…rather late to shed off the rust.
Great to have the WIN in November even on a precarious cliffhanger.
vracz says:
True but which team, exactly, looks dominant? Oklahoma St., needing Depends after their game with a mediocre Iowa St.? Baylor? Stanford? Even Clemson and Ohio St. struggled. Except for Alabama, every top ten team looked so so.
Dick says:
We had an off game, but there were some positives. No turnovers. Defense penetrated all day. We should stay number 4 because only Baylor could have jumped us. Even with the Stanford loss, they should stay in the top 20.
NDBonecrusher says:
Agree with above-mostly. Definitely a “meh” performance with room for improvement. Not disputing that one bit. But consider the following. Of the top ten teams that won yesterday, only Bama and OSU had greater margins of victory than NDs 21 points. Iowa was down to the wire (awesome game, BTW). And some big losses, too. Also consider that 2nd stringer Adams gave Prosise a rest, and in the process ripped off a classic. So not a terrible day at the office, just not the demolition we all wanted and expected.
This is all mental gymnastics anyway. ND needs to win out. Period. Just like all the other teams in top 25 land. They are in the thick of the conversation. Even with Stan loss I still say they get in with 11-1. And we are well aware of the history of BC to be spoilers. Go Irish Beat Eagles!
NDBonecrusher says:
More perspective: unbeaten at home this year. How many of us would have picked that after the Virginia game?
Rickynd15 says:
Would totally love a 52 to 7 win. But guess what- a 3 touchdown win isn’t shabby either. Does anyone on this board remember when we won by less than a touchdown consistently to these same teams? I do! I love the fact that this team only has one loss thus far and we’re grouching around for style points. “Bleh, I know we won, but I wanted to win by 5 touchdowns, not 3”. Wow.
John Vannie says:
You’re focused on the score, but the fact is the team did not play well. A couple of big plays and Wake’s incompetence at our goal line made the result seem better than it was. Wake was the first team that shut down Will Fuller and was not made to pay for it. If BC or Stanford can do this, ND won’t be in the playoffs.
vracz says:
Yes but BC and Stanford aren’t exactly powerhouses either so let’s not get carried away
Gprizz says:
You can focus on the lackluster play most drives, but I think you’re a little heavy on the glass half-empty. Most games come down to a couple big plays on offense and defense. Yesterday, we made those big offensive scoring plays and stuffed a Wake offense when it mattered most. I can’t remember any 4th down stops in the red zone by our defense this year (maybe just bad memory) but I recall being on the losing end of those decisive plays several times this year.
We absolutely have to play better to beat better teams, but Clemson, Alabama and OSU have won poorly played games against weak opponents.
mrm says:
Completely agree with your assessment. Wake got us into predictable passing situations and then dropped 8 into coverage which doomed any passing success. Tackling and secondary play continue to disappoint. GO IRISH!
rickynd15 says:
Couple thoughts to that point:
1) There were “better teams” ohio state and Clemson that happened to win by lesser margins
2) The score is the score. Both ND and Wake Forest made mistakes and made plays. And we won. By 3 touchdowns.
3) There is something to be said for a motivated Wake Forest team with a bye week to get prepared. Brian Kelly mentioned that the Wake Forest defensive line presented with a completely different look than they had all season.
4) Finally- an ND team “not playing well” in previous years would equal a loss or a narrow victory.
5) Since when is 3 touchdown win worth the level of griping that exists! My goodness.
Mike Coffey says:
Couple thoughts on these thoughts
1) Not every team is going to play perfectly every week. But we’re looking at a couple games this year against mediocre to poor opposition (e.g. Virginia, Temple, and now Wake) where Notre Dame under-performed. When it becomes a trend, it’s worrisome.
2) Two of those three TD’s were scored on two unusual plays. The offense overall yesterday played poorly.
3) I’m really tired about hearing how “motivated” ND opponents are and the whining about bye weeks. ND opponents get motivated, that’s par for the course.
4) I’m also tired about hearing how “this would have been a loss in previous years”, like the fact that previous ND teams played really terribly somehow makes it better.
This is supposed to be a championship-level team, so it’s worrying when we’re not seeing championship-level football.
rickynd15 says:
Championship football by my definition might be defined by the other top 8 teams that are in the mix to be in the championship. The only two teams that Notre Dame doesn’t seem to be on par with at this point might be Alabama and Oklahoma State (if they win out). All of the teams in the top 8 have had their good and bad games but they are all considered to be “championship” caliber. This might not be our best game ever- but boy, I still think ND deserves to consider itself in the top 8 easily.
pjcaulfield says:
Here’s the bottom line on the playoffs. Irish control their own destiny. If they win out, they will be in. Strength of schedule is the key.
Which contenders earned “style points” this weekend other than Alabama and Oklahoma? Certainly not Oklahoma State or Iowa. The Committee understands that both of these teams have played easy schedules and frankly are not very good. While Oklahoma beat Baylor, their strength of schedule is well below ND’s. Add to that the fact that ND and Oklahoma had one common opponent – Texas – and the Irish demolished Texas while Texas beat Oklahoma. There is no way that ND drops out of the top four in the playoff poll this weekend.
Certainly, the game yesterday was frustrating, as the offense left much to be desired. However, the team once again had to overcome adversity, including an injury to C.J. Prosise and Gerry Tillery’s illness, as neither played, and the loss of James Onawualu early in the game with a knee injury. The defense played well overall and the sole Wake Forest touchdown was a gift, courtesy of a terrible roughing the snapper call on Te’Von Coney. It would have been nice to see the Irish get a touchdown on the final drive, but it was obvious that Kelly took his foot off the gas.
At the end of the day, it was a solid win and the march to the playoffs continues.
Johnny U says:
Posted here last week and will repeat the observation…ND defensive backs need to play the ball and stop chasing receivers downfield with back to QB. Hogan at Stanford will complete multiple passes that could be defended if DB’s would play the ball. Such a fundamental of pass defense..yet astonishing deficiency in play.
Sean says:
A lackluster effort, especially on senior day. Refs were awful. Just how far is the Wake coach allowed on the field before he gets a flag. As Hines Ward said, ” the Irish continue to play down to their competition.” Until we play football for 60 minutes, and develop a killer instinct, we will never win a championship.
Brian says:
I disagree with all the comments regarding lacking style. But for a super crazy roughing the snapper call, our defense just pitched a shutout. How is it that talking heads are talking about Ok State’s comeback win over another 3-7 team while ND pitches a virtual shutout and all anyone can say is that it lacked style? How about those goal line stands? Yes, WF put up decent yards, but no real big or clutch plays.
Does anyone really doubt that up 21-0 at the half, Kelly could have continued to pour it on rather than go into game manager mode? It may not make for as nice a score but it does ice the games.
I saw 3 negatives. One, Russell continued to get burned. Two, it seemed Fuller couldn’t get open and Kizer wasted way too many plays unsuccessfully targeting Brown. Three, Elmer got eaten alive out there a couple of plays.
Terry G says:
I didn’t bother watching more than 4-5 plays. Been an ND fan my whole life, but you can’t waste your time watching a spiritless team. Minus the 98-yd run, ND had 184 total yards, and we want them to compete in the championship playoff? How will you compete with BAMA and an Ohio State team whose coach is a master at preparing his team for bowl games for which he has weeks to prep? What will BK do differently this year to the 2013 BAMA championship where his team played on their heels, taking no risks even though they were seriously overmatched? And btw, the offense full of weapons that can NEVER evolve into anything effective or consistent with an identity, or any creativity in strategy or play-calling; the next two games will be interesting, but a potential playoff game will be another testimony to a heartless team that won’t step up to the occasion.
Big Gun says:
This.
Fitz says:
No reason to think we’ll drop from 4. and yes, we had a crappy game. But without Procise in there my gosh, we’re talking about an all freshmen backfield. and still somehow they managed to rip off the longest play in ND history. Considering the amount of major injuries I cant even believe we’re 9-1 right now with a playoff prayer. It’s a testament to the amount of depth and talent back on the South Bend campus. And to a talented and I think underrated coach and coaching staff who gets more flak than they deserve. Times are looking up for Notre Dame football again. Enjoy
PC says:
I’ve said this before the last rankings came out—We do not control our own destiny by winning out. Saturday nights results should have painted a clearer picture for everyone. Stanford’s loss is quite damaging and Temple didnt help either. If Ok St finishes undefeated they are in and it wont be close. They will always reward an undefeated power 5 team over a 1 loss team. Secondly, if Oklahoma wins out which would include beating OK St then they will get in. I admit this one will sting more because we have a common opponent in which we beat handily and they lost too but it was early enough in the year and the committee is going to look at the overall strength of their schedule as a little better and also appease the Big 12 after getting left out last year. It doesnt help us that its Oklahoma and Bob Stoops so they also have significant name recognition. I think we get in over the other 1 loss Big 12 teams but undefeated OK st and 1 loss Oklahoma will emerge ahead of us. At this point our best shot might be chaos in the Big Ten with Ohio St beating Mich St but then losing to Michigan. That could set up a 2 loss Michigan team vs Iowa in the title game. Amazing that our playoff hopes might come down to rooting for Michigan.
Brian says:
Can’t see OK getting in ahead of ND. SOS favors ND, not even counting the TX game, where head to head matchup is a pretty strong ND argument. OK has only beat 1 team this year who has clinched a winning season. OK has only beat 1 team with 7+ wins right now. Even including TCU and OK St (should OK win out) and if ND should also win out, ND still has the better SOS based on opponent’s records.
The Big 12 is just a weak conference this and will not have a win over a single ranked team out of conference between the lot of them. And while a conference championship should give most teams a lift, that’s because they play a conference championship – the Big 12 doesn’t.
If OK St goes undefeated, I could see them edging out ND possibly, but with the SOS’s being what they are, I think OK St is the last hope for the Big 12, unless ND loses to either BC or at Stanford.
Bob says:
Not really sure how you could keep Oklahoma State out of the playoff and behind Notre Dame if its beats Baylor and Oklahoma, which would give the Cowboys three wins over top 12 teams — and I’m a Notre Dame fan saying this.
Brian says:
Bob, you’re probably right about an undefeated OK St being in. I was more on about a 1 loss B12 team, especially OK, as compared to a 1 loss ND.
PC says:
The only other possible but unlikely scenerios for ND reaching the playoff: Florida St beating Florida then Florida beating Alabama in the SEC title game. Clemson losing in the ACC title game to UNC who might need to have a second loss before that game or they might jump ND.
Jackson says:
We won by 21 and Wake’s only TD was after we stopped them, and then they got a phantom roughing the snapper call. Was that the same drive that the Wake receiver held Cole Luke down and avoided an interception? I forget.
We held out our star running back due to concussion symptoms. We would’ve held the ball for more time, except our TD drives were 1/2 minute, 0 secs (interception), and 1.5 minutes.
This game was never in doubt, and we relaxed a bit. It was an easy win. I’m not complaining. Okla St. should’ve lost. They’re down 17. Iowa almost lost, Michigan should’ve lost. LSU and Stanford lost. We won easily.
It was a fine day at the office. I’m not complaining.
pjcaulfield says:
Great observation about the offensive pass interference penalty that was not called on the receiver who had both hands on Cole Luke’s shoulders and held him down so he could not jump. The coverage was excellent. And I believe it was the same drive that led to the very tainted touchdown by Wake.
Mike Coffey says:
I think you’re wrong on both counts
NDBonecrusher says:
You said it, Coffey. Certainly not invincible, but “stinks”? At this point in the season, no 9-win teams stink by any criteria that you wish to use. Even with injuries at key positions, they are a couple snaps away from 10-0 and an even higher ranking. I do not see a 4+ touchdown swing from what Vegas predicts. Paul you are certainly entitled to your opinion as we all are, but respectfully, please let me know what you are drinking so I can stay far, far away.
Pc says:
Brian–I like your optimism and really hope I’m
Pc says:
Wrong but don’t see it. We still need some help. It’s far from impossible but far from a lock.
Terry says:
Look at the schedule, who’s ND’s best win . . . USC? They were out of Clemson game for 3+ quarters, and then made the mistake of going for 2 with 14 1/2 minutes left. When they went for 2, they had a low % bullet pass on a hurricane wet day, and then they ran a QB draw at the middle of a dominant Clemson line in the 2nd 2 point conversion attempt. What really GOOD teams has BK faced in his tenure? BAMA and Clemson. Was he prepared for either game? NOOOOO! I actually don’t think Clemson is that dominant, because if they play OSU or BAMA in the playoff they will get overpowered. That said this team really doesn’t deserve the playoff bid.
PC says:
Terry- Based on the “who they played argument” the committee cant be overly excited by anyone really- maybe Clemson. Ohio St hasnt played anyone yet and looked mediocre against pretty average opponents. Alabama has looked great of late but does still have an L to a 3 loss Ole’ Miss team who may end up with at least 4 losses. Iowa — please their schedule is awful and they struggle to beat the decent teams on it. Mich St lost to 6 loss Nebraska. Florida has looked terrible and their 1 loss isnt looking as good now. LSU may end up with 4 losses before its said and done. As we sit here today why wouldn’t you rank ND in the top 4? The Big 12 has an awful overall SOS in general but I fear Bob Stoops campaigning will be out in full force and he will try and portray the Big 12, as the SEC, in that beating each other proves how good the conference is when in fact they mostly play no D and aren’t challenged nearly enough OOC. When ND’s schedule is all said and done they could have wins over the PAC12 champ and runner up. Navy could win their conference and make a major bowl and Pittsburgh could also still play for an ACC title. However, my main argument has and will remain that OK ST if they go undefeated will jump them and it appears more and more likely that a 1 loss Sooners team will as well.
Terry says:
My argument is not so much that one team clearly deserves it, but I think Baylor and Oklahoma are better than USC. However, losing to Texas, or even coming close to them is pretty bad, as in the case of OK and OKSt. That said, it’s like, take your pick of the choice cannon fodder for BAMA and OSU. Btw, OSU did the same thing last year, they barely got by, even had one loss, but when it came for the playoff games, THEY DOMINATED! The credit going to a coach who knows how to recruit and knows how to prepare his team. That said, the standards at ND don’t allow them to get all the same recruits OSU and BAMA get, but you can at least inspire them to play spirited football and give them the right plan of attack and prepare them to execute and win. Lou did it, but BK hasn’t proved he can get a BIG win, (I’m not talking Standford) and travelling down to Death Valley and not having your team mentally and psychologically ready against Clemson for 3 quarters was a big no-no.
PC says:
I’m so tired of the BK cant coach argument and I hate defending people I dont know personally this much but this narrative is beyond frustrating. Let’s take a look at the 3 biggest games in the BK ERA they lost.We wont even talk about the 2012 season when apparently none of the first 12 games where big! Clemson- Not sure what BK was supposed to do to help the receivers catch the ball that day and not turn it over every other possession. As for the Defense the fact that they gave up a few scores early and then basically nothing there after should speak highly to their in game adjustments to me. If they dont make the playoff are we to look back on the Clemson game and blame him for Will Fuller, Corey Robinson and Tori Hunter’s incredibly bad games and crucial drops. Or maybe we should blame him for Chris Brown, CJ Prossise, and the kick off returner fumbling? Also the previous big game he coached in before that are we to blame him that the refs decided to call a BS penalty that literally cost them the game in Tallahassee? A team btw that did make the Final 4. And finally the game he gets most killed for–Nat title game— Is there anyone alive out there that thought they were even close to matching up with Ala Freekin Bama— Alabama had third string players that were better then some of our starters. We had a freshmen QB, Tommy Rees, and a few pros on that team compared to about 2 dozen on Bama.To make it to that game was an absolutely incredible job. I hated being blown but in the BK ERA those are his 3 big losses. And as I have debated on here before his recruiting speaks for itself. He is building a much deeper and more talented team which will position ND to be in the conversation every year which is all anyone could ever ask for.
Terry G says:
One BIG win against a great team please?! Can’t name one . . .? How about Ozzie Osbourne, turf and a megatron, disgraceful! And we found out FSU wasn’t that good, getting ripped by Oregon. Plus, dropped passes in Noah’s Ark torrential downpour, surprising?
pjcaulfield says:
Well said.
flirish says:
even if OK state runs the table their schedule is still very week. TCU is highly over rated and so is Baylor. please refer to their out of conference schedule for the last two years. Either of those teams undefeated don’t deserve a spot just based on the fact their their entire schedule is a four team round robin tournament with OK and OK state. None of those teams except OK have a defense.
ND is more deserving than all 4 teams if they win out. With that said I do agree that Kelly is not a great coach in big games, and road games. But even with a coach who has lots of flaws they still this year deserve to be in if they win out
Terry says:
Nothing worse than seeing OK go to the championship game and get dominated those past couple of times they went. They did beat a beleaguered BAMA team two years ago, but I do think ND deserves it based on their narrow loss to Clemson, at Death Valley. The Big 12 needs better non-conference games to be taken seriously. I am still waiting for ND to come out swinging against a great team, the last time we saw that was vs. USC in 2005. A win against a top 5 team would be ‘SO NICE’ as Trump likes to say.
pjcaulfield says:
Really??!! Not a chance.
NDBonecrusher says:
And there you have it. #4 again. If that is not enough to light a fire under these coaches and players asses, I don’t know what could possibly do the trick. Win Irish Win!
Terry says:
The Fighting Irish going out and starting to fight from the first blow of the whistle is necessary for their next big game. The poor special teams is a sign that the team lacks the intensity and attention to detail. The reality is, college football seems to have only 2-3 teams that can compete at the highest level; look at FSU and Oregon collapsing in the playoff last year.