Notre Dame suffered a humbling 38-3 loss at the hands of USC Saturday night. Aside from the beating on the scoreboard, the Irish suffered a couple of key injuries along the way.
Mike Anello suffered what looked to be a serious leg injury trying to cover a punt. Anello was carted off the field with his leg in an air brace which suggests it was not a minor injury. Anello has been, hands down, the special teams MVP of the season and had an eye popping 22 tackles on special teams appearances alone this season. Notre Dame ranked #1 in the country in kick return coverage this season in large part because of Anello.
Armando Allen went down with a knee injury at the end of the first half and didn’t return to the game. Allen was replaced by James Aldridge in the second half and Aldridge did OK in his absence with 58 yards on 12 carries.
Darius Fleming was injured as well and was seen on the sidelines with his arm in a sling during the 2nd half. Fleming played quite a bit against USC and looked pretty good at times. He played wth a lot of heart and emotion – especially when he helmet popped off and he still kept pursuing the ball callier.
We’ll find out the availability of all three for any potential bowl game once the team gets back to South Bend most likely.
With the potentially disastrous economy of 2009 and 2010, ND might see a dramatic drop in ticket sales. A minimum of 350,000 people will lose their jobs next year. Potentially up to 2 million. Is Notre Dame or any of these high priced programs going to be able to charge $1200 to several thousand per season ticket and expect people to pay for a team that does anything but provide the highest level of entertainment? ND may not sell out next year. And I’ll bet 1 month’s pay check they won’t sell out in 2010 with a Weis coached team that doesn’t figure in the National Championship picture.
It’s ALL about dollar signs and ND will NOT throw away money on Weis despite his record of the past four seasons. Just wait…
Mike is out 2-4 months with a broken Tibia.
How low can things possibly sink? yesterday’s debacle against USC was another horrific ND performance as the Irish didn’t even get a first down until late in the third quarter. In garbage time,in the 4th Q, with SC playing their reserves, ND was still unable to move the ball. Let’s face it, ND can’t do anything right…they can’t block or tackle, they make numerous mental errors, their special teams are unproductive and overall their is no passion, intensity or will to win demonstrated. I admit, my hopes for ths team have hit rock bottom. Do you know what the definition of insanity is? It is simply repeating the same actions over and over again and expecting different results. ND has to change, and change swiftly in “leaps and bounds”
I am very frustrated and at my “wit’s end” about this whole crappy situation.I hope we don’t accept a Bowl invitation. What’s the point of being embarassed once again and losing a record 12th bowl in a row?..ND should just cut its losses, by just saying “no” to any cheesy Bowl invitation.
Why am I a ND fan? First and foremost, I am a catholic, and ND is a catholic school. That’s what intially attracted me as a fan over 30 years ago. I also like the tradition and the fact that ND has the NBC TV contract. That is way cool, but I am concerned that NBC will cancell their contract due to ND’s ability to win. I am the kind of fan that gets excited when a ND alumni is mentioned in a NFL game, and look forward to the player introductions at the beginning of each game (on Sunday and Monday night football), just to hear them say “Jerome Bettis, RB, Notre Dame”or “Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame” I am waiting for the time when I hear a ND alumni bellow: “The Notre Dame University”.
What can ND do rectify this insanity? If they dropped down to Division 2, it might improve their competitive chances. At this point, My son’s high school football team could probably give them a pretty good run for their money. It’s all about the fundamentals. They need to establish a running game, give their QB adequate pass protection and be able to pressure the opposing QB on defense. Pretty simple stuff, but woefully lacking for the 2008 season.
They need to recruit better. it’s all about getting athletes with speed, size and strength coulped with a good head on their shoulders. If they have good heads, they will make the right decisions and will possess a uncompormising work ethic.
It’s strange, that being a USC alumni, I actually root against my alma mater when playing ND. That shows just how powerful the ND mystique is. Two other points before I quit my ranting…. (1) ND got the shaft about 15 years ago when they lost to BC by a field goal in the last seconds and ultimately lost the National championship lost as a consequence (2) the heartbreaker against USC three years ago, losing again in the last 3 seconds, that too was a screw job and a game ND should of won.There is nothing more frustrating than having a game locked up and then giving it away on the last play of the game.
What about CW? I have no clue! He does not block or tackle so I guess he gets way too much credit when ND wins and too much criticism when they lose.
Bottom line: If I am this pessimistic, it could be a sign, that there is a good chance the program is at a turning point, and ND has no where to go but up..Let’s hope so.