What’s not to like in a blowout game. Kudos to all the players in one of the best efforts of the year.
Jonas–where were you for past 3 years? wish you had a 5th.
Roby Toma–finally gets playing time and shines.
Lo Wood gets a pic 6–confidence booster going ahead.
Tommy Rees–great game just wish you could move–just a little bit and throw long.
MVP Offense—Toma
MVP Defense–Lo Wood–hey why not.
Oregon just showed ND how to beat Stanford.
Now let’s hang 50 on BC and shut them out.
This is a character game. If ND does not come out blazing then there IS a character problem with the players.
Against Wake–just went thru the motions for 1st half.
Against USC played scared and looked like they knew they would lose–despite new glitzy helmets.
Now they play a forlorn Maryland team that could easily upset them–just play the Pitt defense and run blitz entire game.
I don’t know which team will show up but wearing the green jerseys is a privilege and if they stagger around and not hammer Maryland they will be disgracing all the great players and teams that wore the green before them.
Maryland does have enough to beat them–this is their Bowl game. Randy Edsall brought a half ass UCONN team into ND stadium and won no reason why he can’t do it again.
Recruiting–they need Gunner Kiel. Get the best high school QB and you not only keep the recruits you have but may land a 5 star receiver similar to what Clausen’s commit did to that recruiting class.
So now Prediction. I think ND plays down to Maryland level but Maryland goes pedal to the metal.
ND 24 MARYLAND 17
I, for one, would not have fired Ralph Fridgen as head coach of Maryland–he did pretty well at a school that will never be top tier and he is a grad.
So they hire Randy Edsall(my pick for the ND job) who will just use this as a stepping stone for a bigger job.
Make no mistake Edsall is a good coach and I do not think this will be a walk in the park for ND. Consider 3 games Maryland played this year:
Miami W 32–24
West Virginia L 37–31
Clemson L 56–45
Clemson had to come from behind to win. So this is a classic trap game and if ND starts slow look out for this team can score points.
Still don’t know what to make of the QB deal at ND–with Rees we are surrendering roughly half the field since the long ball not there.
Get Gunner Kiel–should be top priority.
Injuries pile up:
Cave out for the year.
Riddick out with hamstring–replaced by Toma.
Teo and Lynch–ankles?
E. Johnson–ankle?
Next topic Penn State:
Paterno out at end of the year–he’s been there for 50 yrs and is winningest coach at over 400 wins although about half of the wins against
the Youngstown States of the football world.
State College is a small town and like all small towns hard to keep a secret and even harder in the Sports Dept. They must have known Sandusky a pervert yet he still has an office on campus.
I can understand the Grad Asst McQueary not knowing what to do-his word against the Defensive Co-ordinator but I am appalled about Paterno and the rest of the administration. This is child abuse which is a crime. Sandusky should have been banned from the school and the police notified immediately–coverup and Paterno had to have been involved.
ND will play Miami in the SUN BOWL on New Years Eve Dec. 31st 2PM EST televised on CBS.
Both teams have 7-5 records with Miami losing their last 2 games which led to the firing of Randy Shannon. Interim coach is Jeff Stoutland who is the current line coach.
This should be a good match up and don’t think Miami will roll over. They beat Pitt(31-3) Maryland and Georgia Tech(35-10).
The only team both played this year is Pitt and ND squeaked by Pitt 23-17.
Predict a real tough game for ND as Miami is another team with a mobile QB.
