The weekly good, bad, and ugly is starting to feel like a death march, but we’ll solider on into a much needed Thanksgiving week. (What will Notre Dame fans be thankful for this year?)
But before we get to that, let’s look back at the latest heart-breaking loss for the Irish. Without further ado, here’s the good, bad, and ugly from Notre Dame’s 33-30 double overtime loss to the Connecticut Huskies.
THE GOOD
When the Yankees won their first World Series since 2000, the popular nickname bandied about for Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettite was the “Core 4.” Well the Irish’s Core 4 of Jimmy Clausen, Armando Allen, Golden Tate, and Michael Floyd certainly played excellent games. Allen, Tate, and Floyd all went over the 100 yard mark, and Clausen threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, adding a third score on the ground. While the final score is all that matters, these four offensive stalwarts put up massive numbers, and Golden Tate is certainly deserving of an invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, even if the Irish finish at .500.
The Irish also got gutty performances from Ben Turk and David Ruffer. Turk rallied after a woeful stretch and launched 5 great punts, averaging 47 yards a kick. And Ruffer’s story could be one of legend if it weren’t for the swoon of the Irish. Kicking in the dorm leagues last year, Ruffer not only took over kickoff duties, but has filled in more than capably after Nick Tausch went down with a leg injury. Ruffer has made every kick since trotting onto the field, and nailed a clutch 37 yard field goal in overtime that could’ve been a game winner if the defense held the Huskies.
THE BAD
Where to start? The Irish gave up 100 yard games to Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon, and were incapable of stopping an offense that was thoroughly one-dimensional. Worse yet, was the personal foul by Sergio Brown. Long one of my favorites, Brown has had a terrible two game stretch, missing several key tackles against Pitt, and committing the inexplicable penalty that jump-started the hibernating UConn offense.
The kick coverage groups were also woeful. Usually held back by subpar kicking, both the punt and kick cover teams gave up big returns, one going for a touchdown the other going for 31 big yards. Honorable mention goes to Notre Dame’s red zone offense, once again only getting three touchdowns in six tries, a percentage that is just not good enough when push came to shove.
THE UGLY
Reality. Notre Dame’s coaching staff most likely spent their last Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. After 8 games, even with two disappointing close losses, the Irish were sitting at 6-2, and still had BCS aspirations. Three games later, the Irish are 6-5, and will be heavy underdogs at Stanford.
As Charlie Weis said in his press conference yesterday, “I’m the head football coach. Who else is responsible? Ultimately it falls on my shoulders.”
Expect the curtain to fall for a last time on the Weis era next Saturday at Stanford.
