Comments on: Determined Irish Drop USC

By: bill all irish

bill all irish — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:11:51 +0000

WE need to use Robert Hughes more-SC wishes we had’nt. I am oldtimer who remembers Ara’s attacks against Texas. Punishing running game combined with mirror defense that shut down wishbone option offense. Hughes relishes this. He gets better with every carry especially late in the game. It is a shame we did not use him more this season. Miami could be a great time to alternate him with Cierre Moore.

By: Jim Kress

Jim Kress — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:57:05 +0000

In reply to terry. "I thought they were toast after Tulsa, I happily concede that I was dead wrong." Me too.

By: DenverJoeIrish

DenverJoeIrish — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:09:37 +0000

I hate my typos….”forth” quarter should be “fourth” quarter. Sorry!

By: DenverJoeIrish

DenverJoeIrish — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:07:46 +0000

To irishhawk50: thanks for the suggestion, I’ll check into it.

To Spider60: I checked into ESPN3.com but it looked like they charged for the game (sort of like pay-per-view), did I miss a way to get around that?

What little I have seen in the recaps, I was highly impressed with Hughes, who sure brought back memories of the grit and fortitude of Jerome Bettis and Marc Edwards. Hughes should be a major factor in BK’s game plan for the bowl game, and I’d love to see an old strategy that Lou Holtz would use in beating down the defensive line all game long, then using a tough back like Bettis to pound away during the forth quarter to seal the victory. Hughes can serve this purpose.

Irish66ND, I saw that 1999 game on TV and loved every moment of it. The cameras would show both sidelines and the ND players and coachesGO IRISH! weren’t wearing any rain gear and they were pumped! Then the cameras would show USC’s sideline and the players were wearing ponchos and other rain gear and they were huddled up in small groups to stay warm. The Irish had both the physical AND mental edge that day and it certainly showed between the hedges (and on the score board!).

GO IRISH!!!

By: PF Steve

PF Steve — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:24:21 +0000

In reply to Dave88. Yet, Todd Blackledge said the replay confirmed the call. That stuff drives me crazy!

By: GraceHall1980

GraceHall1980 — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:30:58 +0000

Good post. Great night for the Irish. It’s great for the football program to get that monkey off it’s back. Now, if we Irish fans could stop “whining” about what “could have been” and leave that to the Trojan fans. And to the latter group’s complaints, all I can say is get over it. ND has as many if not more injuries to significant players. RoJo’s drop is no different than Duval’s slip last year. That’s just the way the ball bounces and one of the things that makes college football so great. And as for the depleted numbers, by my recollection the recruiting limits don’t kick in until this year. Thus, I don’t see how you can seriously blame the “NCAA probation” for the issues that you face in that respect.

By: Irish66ND

Irish66ND — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:00:51 +0000

I remember 1999 when ND beat USC in the rain in South Bend. My brother and I said then that the Southern Cal boys could not handle the cold rain and wind…and they still can’t!

Other thoughts:

. 9-3 was within reach easily this year (Tulsa & Mich. St. should have been wins)
. Hughes looked great in this game, but was correctly pegged as 3rd on the depth chart
. We really NEED Floyd back next year if we want to seriously contend (losing Kamara and Allen will hurt too)
. Rees is in no way the annointed QB of the future or even next year (Crist will be back to contend and so will Hendrix).
. Being completely honest, Utah was way over rated, Army was a joke, and this USC team would’ve had a sub 500 record if they played in the Big Ten or two or three other conferences; so the last three wins; while GREAT, do not truly mean…we’re back…yet.
. Kelly is definitely the man!

By: Spider60

Spider60 — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:57:53 +0000

The game was shown live on ESPN3.com – too bad that that was not widely known. However, the replay can also be seen there…I’ve watched it 3 times!

By: ND Woz

ND Woz — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:16:40 +0000

Go ND Defense!!!! Finally!!! A Good Defensive team! Defense wins championships. Something to build on for next year and this years bowl game. Allowing 16 points off of 4 turnovers in ND territory. WOW. KUDOS to the “D” Hughes deserves to be used much much more. Remember The Bus against Florida in the bowl game. Give Hughes a larger roll. Go Irish

By: PJM '79

PJM '79 — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:37:34 +0000

Let’s be realistic about he defense. USC dropped many passes. They sould have scored on the next-to-last play. It was inexcusable for Smith to fall down as he did. Had USC scored, it would have been another example of ND finding a way to lose. Harrison: keep your feet please. We can’t afford another debacle like the MSU game.

Congrats to Hughes! Inspiring, monster effort. Everyone from ND hopes you have a great bowl game and nothing but success thereafter.