This ND team will go down as underachievers in my view and the poor bowl game performance was the icing on the bad cake of football 2011. The simple analysis is that you cannot turn it over 3 times to even an average team and expect to win. At the same time we had the opportunity to win or put away the game and refused to do it. It was actually a pretty lousy game for both teams.
The offense was so dismal that our two TDs came on a fumble recovery and a circus catch by Floyd that probably should have been another Rees interception. Our QB play is holding us back and losing ball games, time for Kelly to coach up one of these guys in time for prime time next fall. I expect Rees to be #3 in the depth chart, in fact he may never take another snap at ND. How Kelly gave up so quick on Crist and put the team in the spot to live or die with Rees this year seems weird. The best guy for the job spent the fall on the bench. Take away HALF of our turnovers and we have 3-4 more wins; simply have to address that.
Yes, the D had a couple breakdowns in the second half but I cannot complain about giving up 18 points; we should have been able to score 20. The changing of QBs, some strange play calling and trying to move it on a good defense combined for a lousy day on Offense. No rhythm at any point in the day except the first drive of each half. Momentum was non-existent.
Like the Colonel, I feel much worse about the team right now than I did a year ago. We need another good recruiting year and to improve in many facets of the game. Penalties, turnovers and special teams would be good places to start.
Bowl pageantry notes: FSU has a very fine band and pretty classy fans. One gets tired of "the chop" pretty quick, but the best solution to that problem is to give them less to chop about. At the pre-game battle of the bands, the FSU band played a very cool warmup song with some great lower brass and bass drum Indian themes. They have a very good sound. The ND band looked and sounded great before and during the game and had the more popular half time show. The band was quite busy with appearances and performances on this trip; with the exception of one quarter of football they seemed to have a really good time.
First sellout in Champs bowl history; 68,000+ attended the game on a beautiful evening. Traffic around the reserved parking lots was a nightmare; theta clearly do not know how to handle big crowds.
So now we move on to the season of hope and look ahead to 2012. I do not think Kelly is any kind of lovable savior anymore. I do think he will build the program over time while modernizing it with a bunch of things that may be needed but that I do not particularly like. Those few aggravations will be a small price to pay if we can see a team that plays it best more often; win or lose. We have to stop beating ourselves.
GO IRISH! BEAT NAVY!
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My biggest disappointment this year has not been in the team itself but rather in the coaching, specifically Kelly. Perhaps the reason our players have played like zombies is they are not at all inspired, rather they seem dispirited. Who wouldn't be? Thinking back on the year, every time a player made an error, the camera would feature Kelly cursing him out on the sidelines. No matter how big or small the infraction, there was an explosion from the coach.
I have an Irish temper too, but there's a time and place to vent at people. The sidelines of a very public, very watched university team is a poor place to do it.
If our players continue to perform below expectations, that's where I'd be looking for change. Just what I see from my position here in CNY. Happy New Year, everyone!
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