This preview brought to you by a creepy photo of Rudy wearing a White Sox hat. Die. Oh yeah, and fuck ESPN.com for making his chat yesterday viewable only to premium members. Why even bother advertising it?
So I doubt any ND fan is looking forward to the anticipated slaughter in Happy Valley. Penn State looks set to at least contend for the Big Ten title, with veteran quarterback in Ivan Morelli (who still has some critics to respond to) and what looks like another great defensive unit with a strong linebacking core--a year after Paul Posluzny finished. Joe Paterno's pedigree was built on punishing, ground-based football (which really is how the Big Ten gained a reputation in the old school days), and after seeing Tavaris Choice chew up the Irish front line last week, tailback Sean Austin--no, I've never heard of him either--must be relishing the chance for a big rushing day.
Notre Dame faced a good Georgia Tech defense last week and made them look like the '85 Bears--that doesn't bode well for tomorrow. Penn State's D was credited for steamrolling FIU a week ago by putting tremendous pressure up front and destroying the opponent's ability to develop a play. Granted, it was against a team that hasn't won a game for almost two years, but Irish fans know how poorly their offensive line was a week ago.
Call me crazy, but I don't think they'll be that bad again. After six days of reflection, I've come to view the Georgia Tech opener as a game in which the Irish were punched in the mouth, and hard at that. All the mystery and questions in the preseason turned into bedlam and disorientation by the time Demetrius Jones had reached his second fumble of the day. Really, the offense was a clusterfuck, and whatever possible improvement our defense could have had wouldn't have made a difference.
No way I'm brazen enough to predict an Irish victory, but I will predict this: a more consistent offense under Jimmy Clausen, whom I'm sure has been the focal point of this past week of practice, with a stronger passing attack and less focus on the run (which, to many ND fans' dismay, might be a huge bust this year). If you could take away anything from Clausen's cameo last Saturday, it'd be that he looked comfortable both in the huddle and during the play, not doing anything outstanding, but not looking lost or overwhelmed either. Of course we all expect that, but this is still a freshman starting QB, and you can't do much better in that role than Colt McCoy did with Texas a year ago.
So then, I'll trail to the nearest bar with a lot of pride for my team on my chest and in my heart, and just hope for the best--and that Happy Valley doesn't eat us alive.
OSU vs. Akron--There's no need to preview this. The Big Ten Network still sucks.
3 comments:
In communist Deadspin, Ankiel benches YOU!
Mr. Iracane, you dare detest me!!!
(Seriously though, if the Cards play Ankiel tonight, I will be furious, because a guy with connections to HGH is not only playing the game but acting as the driving force behind his team's pennant hopes. If the Cards make the playoffs with Ankiel playing out the season, and Selig puts his hands in his pockets again (which I'm not going to bet against), it'll bring even more shame upon baseball.)
Good post.
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