Loose Ends

Over the last few weeks, I jotted down about 50 brilliant random notes/thoughts/observations regarding ND football. Unfortunately, you guys get this instead:

Pre-Christmas Bowl Fun

People seem to point to the upcoming Hawaii Bowl as a springboard to next season. In that case, I hope the Irish lose 35-10 as they did to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl prior to the 1988 Championship season.

Speaking of bowl game momentum, does the winner of the UF/Oklahoma BCS Title Game have to face Michigan or West Virginia in order to avenge those all-important respective bowl losses from last January?

Here are a few Bowl Game point spreads Irish fans might find interesting:

• Navy is a 3-point underdog to Wake Forest (Navy defeated Wake 24-17 in October)
• UNC is a PICK ‘EM vs. West Virginia
• Pittsburgh is a 3-point underdog to Oregon State
• BC is a 4-point favorite over Vanderbilt
• MSU is a 7.5-point underdog to Georgia
• USC is a 10-point favorite over Penn State
• And Nevada is a one-point favorite over Maryland. The Irish open the 2009 season at home vs. the Wolfpack on September 5.

Paralysis by Analysis

I don’t know about you guys, but when Coach Weis gave this halftime assessment vs. USC: “Well, what we’re going to have to do is throw a three-step drop, because every time we go to (a) five-step drop he’s under duress. So, what we’re going to have to do is try to run the ball inside, they’ve gone to a soft two-shell…we’re going to have to try to run the ball and throw three-step drops.” … my first thought was: “So you’re saying there’s a chance!”

Tight End U

Last Sunday (December 7), former Irish tight ends Anthony Fasano (Miami) and John Carlson (Seattle) both scored touchdowns: Fasano scored the game’s only touchdown in the Dolphins 10-3 victor over the Bills, while Carlson’s grab gave the underdog Seahawks a 14-3 lead over the visiting Patriots (New England won 24-21).

Carlson has been on a recent tear, catching 8 balls for 69 yards and his 4^th TD of the season vs. the Patriots; a performance on the heels of his 6-catch, 106-yard effort on Thanksgiving Day vs. the Cowboys. Carlson’s next grab will set the Seahawks’ rookie record for receptions by a tight end.  He needs just 29 yards to set the franchise record for receiving yards by (any) tight end and leads the 2008 Seahawks in receptions, (46) receiving yards (525), and touchdown receptions (4).

Fasano also has four receiving TD this season, and has chipped in 26 receptions for 348 yards in 13 games. Fasano still has a chance to play in January with the Dolphins in contention for the AFC East title (currently in a three-way tie at 8-5).

More Recent Irish NFL News:

• Former LB Rocky Boiman (1998-2001) has emerged as a starter in Kansas City, posting 47 tackles, two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection over the last six weeks as a starter.  
• Broncos RT Ryan Harris has started in each of the team’s 13 games this season. The Broncos O-Line has allowed just eight sacks for the year and hasn’t yielded a sack in its last three outings.
• Giants DE Justin Tuck, a candidate for Super Bowl MVP last season, now ranks among the top five defensive linemen in the league
• Packers RB Ryan Grant, though not the superstar he was at this point in 2007, has battled injuries this season and should nonetheless surpass the 1,000 yard rushing mark this Sunday in Jacksonville (he has 980)
• Bengals S Chinedum Ndukwe, singled out last season by none other than Patriots HC Bill Belichick for his play vs. the Patriots as a fill-in LB, emerged as a starter in the Bengals’ defensive backfield this season from Week Three through Week Nine before being sidelined with a foot injury (Ndukwe is expected back in the lineup this weekend)
• DE Victor Abiamari missed the first five games of the season with a broken arm, but has emerged in recent weeks as part of the Eagles D-Line rotation, recording his first career sack in his hometown vs. the Baltimore Ravens in Week Twelve
• Finally, K John Carney (1982-1986) returned for what was supposed to be a fill-in role with the defending Super Bowl Champion Giants until incumbent K Lawrence Tynes returned from injury. Twelve games and 27 converted field goals (in 29 attempts) later; Carney has a chance at his first Super Bowl ring in his 20^th NFL season. Not bad for a guy that missed three game-winning field goals his last season at Notre Dame before hitting the now famous season-ending kick vs. USC at the Coliseum in the final game of the 1986 season. 

Cursed?

From 9/19/87 (Michigan State) through 9/29/90 (Purdue) I attended 23 consecutive Notre Dame games (home and away) without witnessing a loss (they lost, just not when I was in attendance).

Well, the most recent 23-game stretch with me in attendance presents a bit of a contrast, with the Irish coming out on top in just 10 of those 23 contests. I apologize to all ND fans and promise not to go to Ann Arbor next season. There, I’ve done my part…

In somewhat related news, did you know Notre Dame had four (not a misprint, so here you go again – FOUR) rushes of more than 20 yards this season?

• WR Golden Tate on an end around at Michigan State
• RB Armando Allen vs. Purdue
• S/LB Harrison Smith on fake punts vs. Stanford and Washington.

For the sake of comparison, 1-11 Southern Methodist – the lowest ranked rushing team out of the 120 in the FBS – had exactly five rushes in excess of 20 yards this season. Though I’m not sure if any were the result of fake punts by a hybrid linebacker…

Accountability for My Actions

In September, I predicted the following 10 players would be Notre Dame’s 10 Best at the end of the 2008 season: Clausen, Bruton, Young, Hughes, Kamara, B. Smith, Neal, Ian Williams, Mo Crum, and Armando Allen.

Well, if words have no meaning, then I was spot on. Alas…here are my new 10 Best of 2008 (in no particular order):

Golden Tate; Michael Floyd; Kyle McCarthy; David Bruton; Mike Anello; Robert Blanton; Raeshon McNeil; Mike Turkovich; Pat Kuntz; and I’ll leave the 10^th spot open with one game to play…

Next Column – The Basketball Blog and a review of the BU game Saturday Night

Next Week – A video review of the 1994 Cotton Bowl victory over Texas A&M