"We" Have Already Won

Visited the FDR Museum in New York State yesterday and was struck by the passion of a couple federal employees for the Irish.  One National Park Ranger must have used the word "we" five times when describing what ND has to do tonight to win.  I was reminded of the reach and depth of the ND Nation and am guessing the ABC broadcast will do quite well tonight.  Unfortunately we probably have to listen to Brent Musberger babble on about how great the Sooners are all game.

Almost no one believes the Irish will win tonight BUT everyone believes the Irish COULD win tonight and that alone is a victory of sorts.  Can you say Relevant?  Here are my keys to the game.

1.  Run the ball!  We need to establish the run game even if it takes some time to do so.  This will allow the defense to rest and keep the Sooner offense off the field.  Looks like Atkinson is out tonight so Wood and Riddick will have to carry the load.  

2.  Golson must play well.  We saw about the best we can expect from Tommy last week.  We need Golson to keep plays alive with his feet, run a couple of times and complete enough passes to get a high point total.  We need to score more than 20 in this game.

3.  Defensive backfield will be tested.  Oklahoma has good receivers and a good QB.  We need to put pressure on the pocket and make a few plays in the pass game to keep OK off balance.

4.  The Hype.  From what I have read, Oklahoma fans hate ND more than we hate USC.  Seems they are still scarred by ND wins in the 50s and 60s.  Go figure.  Throw in NDs BCS prospects, out latest "return to glory", and the national hype and you have a lot of drama in Norman.  The Sooners may use this to come out super pumped or possibly (I hope) over stressed.  ND band will be there to keep the Irish spirit up.

Either way I am hoping this will be a game to remember and certainly will set the tone for the remainder of the season.  We really have played well all season and I expect we will again tonight.  We can win if everything goes our way, but that would be rather unusual.

ND 24, Oklahoma 30

GO IRISH!