Also how can anyone say Boise payed at a higher level in their first game….they had like 11 penalties that really hurt them. Fortunately they have an experienced QB with the moxy to lead them on the final drive.

We executed really well for a game one. Crist looked better than a lot of 3rd year starters. I loved the focus as ‘lapses’ have been part of the problem at ND for so many years.

Now, interesting thing is I thought many of the same things after Chuck’s first game. I think the bar needs to be set at more than just one game or even one season success. The bar needs to be set at sustained success and I think Kelly gets that.

The suddenly resurgent SkunkBears will test us to be sure. I have seen every MI ND game played since Holtz was hired and been to a few in person including the hated 17-17 tie. I don’t mean to say we don’t play hard against MI but every time we beat them it is because they do wacky/stupid stuff and beat themselves. That will be the key Saturday. If we just play sound, error free football like we did against Purdue then we will beat them because they will do something bone headed and give the game away……they have a complex where we are concered and it will be on full display this year.

The thing you gotta love about Kelly is he has probably seen it all as far as exotic schemes. I say this because places like Div II do more unconventional things and that is where Kelly cooked his ‘exotic’ offense. So they will have a good gameplan to limit D-Rob. So what he had his first good game against bottom 1/2 compittion….lets see what he does this week…..if he tears us up then I will shut up but I think not.

ND 33 MI 25

Purdue was a much more fundamentally sound team than Nevada was last year. And you had both offense and defense operating under new systems. Last year they had been in those systems before. Purdue made few mistakes also, and I can see them causing some trouble in the Big 11(12). The fact that our fundamentals were better than any I have seen since Lou, answers my biggest question. If that continues, the future will be bright, no matter what happens the next two weeks, or for that matter the season. Sound football will eventually get us back.

Now, I am excited that we won the game — and that we won the game by more than a touchdown. But, when I watched Boise/Va Tech last night, I saw two teams that look better than we do at this stage of the season. We don’t need to be where these two teams are to have significant improvement.

Michigan, I believe, will be quicker and more difficult to defend. Our guys up front — the big three — are going to have their hands full. And, the linebackers are going to have to get at the QB when he scrambles. But, assuming that they continue to improve (these guys have really only been running the system for four weeks), I feel great about Michigan next week. It’s an opportunity to pick up a big win.

I really missed JC’s fade…it looked like a rainbow unlike Crist who throws a rocket to the corner and over the head of everyone – it will come but I miss that throw and I’m sure Floyd misses it right now also. GO IRISH!!!