R. Rich Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 From ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski: ATLANTA -- The best thing you can say about Notre Dame's game against Georgia Tech is that it's over. And if the Fighting Irish don't figure how to play more like the No. 2-ranked team in the country rather than something from the Also Receiving Votes agate, then they can pucker up and kiss the Holy Trinity of college football goodbye. We're speaking, of course, of the national championship, the Heisman Trophy, and Lee Corso wearing your mascot's headgear near Cardinals Stadium come Jan. 8. Notre Dame remains in the team picture for all three, but only because ND's 14-10 victory came in the first week of the season, not the last. Charlie Weis and the Irish walked away with a win in Atlanta.No one said beating Georgia Tech would be easy. The spread -- if you believe the Vegas wiseguys -- was 6½ points. Factoring in the road game, opening-season jitters and Tech's defense, you figured on something a little closer. But nobody, at least nobody outside the Land of a Thousand Peachtree Streets, figured on this sort of Notre Dame performance. There's no nice way to say it: for the first 30 minutes of this game, Tech turned ND into a bumblin' wreck. The Yellow Jackets left bee stings all over the Fighting Irish's ranking, quarterback Brady Quinn's Heisman hype, and coach Charlie Weis' reputation as an offensive mastermind. Tech led, 10-7, and had a first-half shutout until Quinn scored on a quarterback draw with 11 seconds remaining and no timeouts left. It was the lowest first-half point total during Weis' 13-game tenure and it produced the usual panic from visiting Golden Domers. Part of the nervousness was because of Jon Tenuta's defensive scheme and his Tech players' pedal-to-the-metal mentality. And part of it was because the Fighting Irish were suffering from casual-itis. "I almost felt like we were too relaxed at that time," said Quinn. Interesting. Weis read his team's body language the other way. He interpreted the Irish's play as a bit too tight, perhaps even forced at times. The Irish couldn't run the ball. Quinn didn't look anything like your preseason Heisman front-runner. And Tech's defense kept putting ND in make-a-wish third-down situations. It was a mess. So Weis walked into the locker room at halftime and offered a counseling session. The only thing missing was a calming chorus of "Kumbaya." "Hey, fellas," he told his players, "it's 10-7. You're not down by three scores. It's a three-point game. Fellas, relax. Relax. It's OK." OK is the proper word to describe Notre Dame's night at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Irish won, which is never a bad thing, but don't look for too many highlights of this one on the 2006 team DVD. Yeah, the numbers were respectable (Notre Dame had more first downs, more rushing yards, more passing yards, more total yards, more pass completions, more return yardage, more time of possession, more third-down conversions and, the biggie -- more points), but the victory felt a little on the shaky side. "There is no such thing as a bad W," said Weis. True, but Weis was the first to mention that "we didn't have our best showing." The offense was the main offender. The Irish's balance (40 runs, 38 passes) was a postgame stat that Weis loved, as well as Darius Walker's 99 rushing yards, Rema McKnight's 108 receiving yards and Quinn's call on the QB draw near the end of the first half. But Quinn wasn't in the mood for back pats. Brady Quinn passed for 246 yards and rushed for a score. "We're [in] no way pleased with our performance, especially myself," said Quinn, who finished with respectable totals (23 of 38 for 246 yards and that one rushing TD). Weis said Quinn was under duress by Tech's blitzes in the early going. Quinn, as usual, said he was to blame. Asked if he could have envisioned a scenario where it took the Irish 29 minutes and 49 seconds to reach the end zone, Quinn shook his head. "I would have thought you were crazy," he said. "I didn't think it would take us that long to score. I'm sure tomorrow is going to be a tough film session." Not for the Notre Dame defense, it won't. A little more than nine months ago, the Irish were busy giving up 617 yards and 34 points in a lopsided loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Weis and the Irish couldn't swing a leprechaun without hitting somebody who wanted to discuss those 617 yards. Friday evening, at the team hotel, Weis addressed the Irish and reminded them there was a reason why they were ranked second in the country. It wasn't because Associated Press voters loved blue and gold. It was because Notre Dame was damn good, and that included the ND defense. Quinn knew it. A season ago the first-team Irish offense usually moved the ball against the first-team Irish defense. But in the weeks leading up to Saturday's opener at Tech, Quinn and the offense struggled to score against the Irish D. "Man, what's going on?" Quinn said to himself during fall camp. "Is it us?" Nope. "It was them getting that much better," said Quinn of the ND defense. Notre Dame held the Yellow Jackets to those 10 points and 259 total yards. The amazing Calvin Johnson caught seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, but that was about it for Tech offensive highlights. "Six hundred and 17 yards," said Weis. "If I hear that one more time I'm going to vomit." No ralph bags were needed here Saturday evening, but that doesn't mean there isn't work to be done. Penn State arrives in South Bend this week, followed by Michigan the following week. Then comes a trip to Michigan State. Fun. "Tomorrow I'll be a constructive-criticism machine," said Weis. That makes sense. After all, Notre Dame was good enough to win, and inconsistent enough to create doubt. For now, we'll give them a pass. But just for now. They did look pretty bad in one sense, but they also showed that they can win ugly, so that's got to count for something. To be a champion, you should not only be able to win the impressive ones, you should be able to gut out games when you just look like crap. "That school" did just that last night. Their defense did turn in a solid performance in the second half, so there's hope. Now, they did get some help from a rather odd playcalling strategy by Tech (they spent waaaay too much time running QB draws in the attempt to set up the big play to Johnson and never really even challenged a secondary they were beating up in the first half; other teams won't make the same mistake), but the fact is that they kept Johnson from taking over, even when he could have late in the game. I still believe they'll need a better and more consistent effort from their defense (especially the secondary) the rest of the way. They'll also need their O line to give Quinn the kind of time he had late in the game. Their first half performance was pitiful. I'm sure Weis knows now that he has a work in progress (in terms of a national title) as opposed to a ready for prime time squad. Good thing is that champions have developed w/in a season, so they have a lot of time to right the wrongs. For now though, they probably should chill w/ the national title talk and the Brady Quinn Hypeman hype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Whats wrong with this picture... Calvin johnson through 2 quarters - 5 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD Calvin johnson through 4 quarters - 7 catches, 111 yards, 1 TD 2 for 16 in the second half? wtf? (aside from his catch that the golden domed ref decided wasnt one) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Rich Posted September 3, 2006 Author Share Posted September 3, 2006 Whats wrong with this picture... Calvin johnson through 2 quarters - 5 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD Calvin johnson through 4 quarters - 7 catches, 111 yards, 1 TD 2 for 16 in the second half? wtf? (aside from his catch that the golden domed ref decided wasnt one) 760502[/snapback] Now, to be fair, they did rush the passer much better in the second half. That definitely made it tougher to keep going to Johnson. That said, Tech just stopped looking downfield, even when they had the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Whats wrong with this picture... Calvin johnson through 2 quarters - 5 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD Calvin johnson through 4 quarters - 7 catches, 111 yards, 1 TD 2 for 16 in the second half? wtf? (aside from his catch that the golden domed ref decided wasnt one) 760502[/snapback] ND put two guys on C Johnson in the 2nd half. With that being said, they needed to find a way to get the playmaker the ball. Quinn was running for his life the entire night. Tough to throw the long ball when you have someone in your face every play. Did you see the ref get hit by a water bottle on the "helmet to helmet" call? I had to rewind my DVR and watch it again. Tis... tis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Fortunately I got home late from dinner and missed the first 25 minutes of the game. I understand they were pretty brutal. Starting with the TD drive at the end of the first half, I thought they did a good job overall of moving the ball. Part of it certainly was Tech not being able to keep the level of intensity up on the pass rush for the whole game. I also liked most of the play calling, focusing on Walker who ran very well in the second half (although why he wasn't in the game on the final series I have no idea). Quinn had some nice throws in big spots. Based on the way they moved the ball, they could have and should have score more than 14 points. The first down drop inside the ten and the two missed FG hurt there. Overall the WRs looked good and made a couple nice catches on the long throws that were basically up for grabs (btw -- this is why I'm not 100% sold on Quinn as an NFL QB. He's picked up a lot of stats the past few years via jump balls won by Stovall/McKnight/Samardzija). The defense appears much improved from last year. I agree that the Tech play calling should have focused more on Johnson, but ND did do a good job of getting pressure in the second half to keep the QB from setting up in the pocket. They might have caught a break with the overruled catch by Johnson on Tech's last drive (not sure what the Bert Emmanuel rule is in college), but in the end 10 points including a 2d half shutout is pretty good. Overall, I'm willing to dismiss the slow start on first game jitters, but clearly they'll need a better effort when they go against "That Other School" from Pennsylvania. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartshan-83 Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 Sorry to join the party so late. Watched the game with some old roomates down in DC. Like dumbasses, we shaved our heads into mohawks like Tommy Z...now I look like I just went through chemo....no offense meant. So the game was whatever. Not at all what I was hoping for out of the offense, and a hell of lot more than I expected from the defense. The o-line sure looked shaky for having so much experience and one highly touted recruit. It's basically the same line as last year give or take so I expect Weis will get their heads right for Penn State. CJ did his thing, but I thought he was basically held in check. How sick was that hit Ndukwe laid on him the 1st half? I thought he caught everything.... Darius looked really good and the best part of the night was the re-emergence of Rhema McKnight. He was our best WR last year before the injury and he is going to shoot up the All-America boards this year...just watch. Bottom line, not the start I was looking for, but at no point in time did I think we were in trouble. Lost a few bills on the over/under bet (over 44.5 after a teaser?? come on that was money in the bank) but I am happy with a gritty win. This was by no means and easy game and fans of other teams in the top 10 sound retarded if they think we don't belong up there because we didnt blow out some 1-AA team at home. Going into G-Tech at night was no easy way to begin a season and I am very pleased to be 1-0. Bring on PSU...I've been waiting for this rivalry to come back for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 Lost a few bills on the over/under bet (over 44.5 after a teaser?? come on that was money in the bank) but I am happy with a gritty win. 761524[/snapback] I was on that too. Teased ND down to -1 and teased over down to 44. I didn't catch most of the game, but I was shocked when I saw the score. I thought it would be closer than the spread (ND by 7 or 8) but I thought for sure some points would get thrown up. Oh well, I guess that's why 70% of teasers lose... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartshan-83 Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 I was on that too. Teased ND down to -1 and teased over down to 44. I didn't catch most of the game, but I was shocked when I saw the score. I thought it would be closer than the spread (ND by 7 or 8) but I thought for sure some points would get thrown up. Oh well, I guess that's why 70% of teasers lose... 761562[/snapback] Bro teasers and parlays are the end of me. I see those big payouts and lose sight of what I'm doing. The best way to make money betting (in my experience) is to just pick one game that you are the most confident about and have the sac to put a lot down on it. It's when you start to get cute that the money disappears real quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Rich Posted September 5, 2006 Author Share Posted September 5, 2006 Bring on PSU...I've been waiting for this rivalry to come back for a long time. 761524[/snapback] Not longer than I have. I was in college when they last played in '92, and I vividly remember watching that crap. Damn you, Reggie Brooks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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