Announcing Our Presence with Authority

Boy am I glad I predicted a win! (Sorry, Godfather).

I told you I had been feeling the W since Thursday morning. And you know when I really felt good? On the Sooners’ first drive. When the OU center chose to shotgun snap while Landry Jones was still dancing around calling his audible, I just felt that the karma was going to go the Irish’s way all game. And I was right. We got the close/controversial calls (Hello offensive holding on an apparent OU touchdown). They made the stupid plays (hello offensive interference in the end zone on another OU TD attempt). One of the local sportswriters noted that three of the referees had Irish surnames. Whatever it takes, man.

My two keys to the victory (other than the running game) came through. We kept OU out of the end zone but for one TD, and we won the turnover battle, albeit by a slim 1-0 margin. And we only had one penalty. That, my friends, is great execution on the road. Especially against a Top 10 opponent.

And it was fun to see Facebook light up a little bit during/after the game. And not just by our fellow grads. Several of my non-ND grad FB friends had some unsolicited nice things to say about our boys in blue (well, white, with blue trim). And, while we’re on color schemes, note to Coach Kelly: NO GREEN JERSEYS!

The game certainly could have gone the other way; this was no rout. But we did what we needed to ensure that didn’t happen. And when OU scored their one TD, we answered right back, quickly, with the 50+ yard pass being the highlight. Don was right; EG did show what he’s made of. And we’ve got three-plus seasons of improvement to look forward to.

Question: what’s one of my most favorite weekend activities? Listening to “Trojan Brunch” on the radio the Sunday after a USC loss! I know I was supposed to root for them to win out until our game, but as Arizona started coming back, I couldn’t help it, I had to root for the Wildcats. Now this Saturday, we DO all have to root for the Trojans to beat Oregon. And for LSU to beat Alabama. The Tide and the Ducks have to play on the road against tough opponents. Hopefully USC will treat this as a grudge game and give Oregon their all. But, this team has a lot less heart than projected pre-season. If Oregon starts to get a lead, the “Men” of Troy will fold. Not so LSU; hopefully they’ll use the home field advantage wisely.

Of course, the Irish need to take care of business against a mediocre Pitt team. More about that later in the week, but I’m guessing the home crowd is going to be wild after this last win, and this team does not seem like the 8-0 press will get to their heads. I’d enjoy a laugher for a change, though.

This feels really good, people, I gotta tell you. Here’s to 4 more wins on the way to perhaps the BCS Championship game. Can it be real? I am not here to predict a November swoon, that’s for sure.

GO IRISH!!! BEAT PANTHERS!!!

The Colonel