CyberZahm

The first half was low scoring, with each team scoring only 7 points. The second was the opposite, with each team putting 21 on the board. In overtime ND had the ball first and settled for a FG, the first of the game. On 4th and very long Michigan State lined up for a tying 46-yard FG of their own, but the holder took the snap, rolled out and threw a TD pass to a wide open receiver.

The comments below obviously reflect the frustration...

...many ask why we weren't prepared for the fake FG. Apparently post game reports say the coach did warn the players but a defender fell down, leading to the wide open pass. Maybe.

Our comments:

BKB

BK BLOWS!

Gabes

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There you have it, gents. Three games.

Relax, Gabes. Lombardi just opened on Braodway. Dan Lauria will be a hot hire after the show runs its' course. Jesus is in the wings...

Ike

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Kelly is a f-ing MORON!! [This became the label for the thread of emails]

The worst game coach in the last two minutes I have ever seen. Last week he let Michigan run 30 seconds off the clock before they went in for a certain score. We could have run at least 4 more plays at the end of the game but didn’t because Kelly doesn’t know 101 about game strategy. This week the only way we can lose is if MSU scores a touch when they are 4th and 14. Does he tell them to look for a fake? Hell no. He’s standing on the sidelines with his finger up his ass. Typical politician, just like his old man. Great sound bites, but can’t get anything done.

Kelly needs to prove he can play with the big boys. Right now he looks like a JV coach taking on the Super Bowl champs. He is a white Tyrone- does all the right things Sunday through Friday, but can’t coach to win in the game on Saturday. He f***ing stinks.

Sobo

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Ike,

If you noticed though, I didn't say "Boo". I still like Kelly, I think, but 1-2 after three games wasn't what I expected. Let's face it, those 10-2 predictions (even my 9-3 prediction) need to be reworked. Having seen what we've seen after three games, those predictions are wet dreams. We haven't even played the really tough games yet. With Stanford, Pitt, Utah, BC, USC, and maybe even Navy left to play, a 6-6 season, or even worse, is a realistic possibility now. It's a good thing we are not in the Big Ten. We'd be a middle of the pack team, at best. Think about it. ND is probably only better than Indiana, Purdue, Illinois and Minnesota. I'd hate to think how we would do in the SEC or PAC 10. Something is wrong in South Bend. I can't believe that Kelly all of a sudden became a poor coach by changing addresses, but he looked like a deer in headlights after that last play last night. I still believe that ND gets it's fair share of 4 and 5 star players, too. For some reason though, something strange seems to be happening between National Signing Day and fall Saturdays in South Bend. I just may go fishing on Saturdays going forward.

Gabes

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Even to someone who earned a degree in the General Program of Liberal Studies, some of the late in the game calls were puzzling. The Irish had moved the ball in the air very effectively through much of the second half, but then got bogged down with the running game at the end. Going for it on 4th down from our side of the 50 was, in hindsight, problematic. The fake kick seemed to come as a complete surprise, which it should have been.

Prep

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I believe the last ND coach to let the clock run out to reach OT earned the appellation, Boob".

--Frank Solich (Terry)

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Boys,

I was in the car and listening on radio to end of game. Nephew Anthony was watching. He believed that the “block in back” call on late punt was bogus, and ND was denied great field position at midfield w/ 44 seconds and a TO. In addition, he offers that the play clock had clearly run to zero prior to MSU running the fake at the end. As I told him, it does not admonish ND from being so unprepared, but curious that none of you referenced either play call and instead have just berated Kelly.

Re: Kelly and timeouts, it seemed that ND was assessed a TO when the clock was already stopped and ND was considering whether or not to accept an MSU penalty in MSU’s final possession before OT. I was shocked at the stupidity of that one… MSU was nice enough to throw incomplete on 3rd and 23, and take a 5 yard penalty on top of that, both stopping the clock and damaging their field position. Very nice of them, I thought…. But still not enough for us to win in regulation, it turns out.

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Not a great start to Kelly's career at ND. I still like the overall product better than the one I saw under Fatso, but the bottom line is winning. I agree with Sobo that both of our losses were winable games, even with Crist missing half of one game and the other being played in a hostile night time environment. We didn't win. There is still MUCH, MUCH work to be done, and starts to statues for Kelly should be put on hold. He could end up being a bust.

Gabes

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Preppie:

Do you think Gabes tried for that pun or just stumbled upon it?

“don’t start the statues of Kelly, he could end up being a bust” ?

A sobering perspective re: our 1-2 record is our schedule to date. Purdue, our one win, was given a stout test yesterday by Ball State, escaping w/ a 24-13 win. Michigan whipped Connecticut opening week… the same Connecticut who was routed by freaking Temple yesterday, 30-16!!! And yesterday, Michigan nipped The Minutemen of Massachusetts by the score of 42-37.

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Did anybody see what I thought I saw?
The defender fell down.
At least that's what I thought I saw.

Shit happens.

"Worst game coach in the last two minutes I have ever seen"? Strong stuff.

"just like his old man"?

What the hell does that mean?

Andy

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Huh?

In case nobody else has noticed, the team lacks depth. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. My guess is the decision to not punt (which ended up not hurting them) had more to do with a lack of confidence in the defense than anything, and yet they stepped up in the next series. Teo's missed tackle on 3rd and long was HUGE. And he's a fabulous player - blows up just about everything. But they need more than him.

You guys can bitch and moan and second guess all you want. ND has been everybody's bitch since the early 90's. Give Kelly a break.

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Nephew Anthony is right on both counts. But you get that crap on the road, especially against the Big Ten. No excuse WHATSOEVER for Dumb Ass Kelly to not warn the team for a fake. He cost them a win. Period.

Sobo

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Block in the back was a phantom one. Replays clearly showed the man was untouched, but from the perspective of the guy who threw the flag, I'm sure he thought he did.

Michigan State receiver was never "forced" out of bounds as another phantom call.

ND unprepared for the fake? Like I said in an earlier email, I thought the defender just fell down.

As for the time out, clock would have started had they not.

Hard to believe, but I still believe that Kelly knows more about football than some here ....... Some.

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"Worst game coach in the last two minutes I have ever seen"?

Strong stuff.

Can you name a worse one?

"just like his old man"?

What the hell does that mean?

He’s a politician- all talk, no results. He belongs in DC with the rest of the losers.

Sobo

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Blackledge and the play-by-play guy explained both.

Each one thought the illegal block call was questionable, but noted the position of the official tossing the flag likely made it look like the ND player made contact. Just bad luck there.

As for the TO, it was pointed out that the clock was about to start running again, making it [to them] a reasonable call under the circumstances. I forget the rationale, but I was sober, and it made sense, once explained.

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Sobo:

Kelly is back in South Bend, but his jock is still in East Lansing. He doesn't realize that deception is the most effective weapon in football, because his offense has none. A field goal could only have tied us, and was marginal from 46, while only a one in a million fake can beat us. In those circumstances, you defend against losing, and if a 46 yarder ties it, so be it. They miss, we go home. How many did Stanford score last night?

JoeyO

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Plainly, in consecutive games BK has shown a proclivity for taking chances. Leaving 3 points off the board against Michigan before the half arguably cost the Irish big at the end. Last night, going for it on our own 42... well... And ya know, though our guy fell down covering their TE on the TD play... A 47 yard kick was a stretch for their young kicker ... So we maybe should have been in a better anticipatory position.

BUT. it seems that this offense will only get better, especially if Floyd can get his hands to hold onto the ball more consistently

AND. FACE IT... We haven't had great defensive players in 20 years. It CANT be all about a string of bad coaches. Maybe what's wrong in south bend is that notre dame does not get the same athletes as Florida, Texas... Talking depth here, not just starters. Maybe teams like Navy and connecticut. just plain believe they can score 30-40 on notre dame. And they do

MAYBE getting great again is a lot harder than any of us believe it is or should be. Maybe ND is average because ND IS average. On defense we can't stop anyone this year, last year snd for the past 20 years. THAT is a bigger problem right now than BK's couple of brain farts

I still think BK will recruit better players and his coaching will get ND back to playing great again. He's won everywhere he's gone. OF BK fails notre dame really will need to look in the mirror

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I'm not sure, but it looked to me like our guy fell down because he was trying to catch up to someone ten yards behind him, a call for which our defense was completely unprepared, instead focused on a marginal 46 yard field goal that could only tie us. As for Coach Kelly, let's pass judgment in December, though cyberzahm already has.

JoeyO

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Johnny GoodTimes wrote:

"OF BK fails notre dame really will need to look in the mirror"

On this point we agree completely, pal. In my mind, BK was the best available hire for Notre Dame. He wasn't just a successful high school coach, college assistant, or pro assistant, he's been a very, very successful head college coach for many years. Is he, or will he ever be, as good a coach as Ara or Lou? Probably not. There are very few college coaches in the same roll call as those guys. Still, though, this guy is a top notch college head coach. If he can't win at Notre Dame, then it's time to look in the mirror. In any event, it's obvious that the "ND magic" has been missing for going on 20 years now.

Gabes

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Mea Culpa

Guys-

Looks like I wrongly busted BK’s balls for the fake field goal play against MSU. Have read some comments, and re-watched the game, and believe they did give the players a warning about the play. We just had a kid who needed to stay on the TE fall down.

Regardless, don’t feel real good about Stanford. Harbaugh would hang a half a hundred on us in a heartbeat and we have not yet shown we can close out a game. They are the best team we will have faced all year. Can we win? Sure. Will we? Hope so, but not anything to bet on.

Sobo

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