Monday Musings

Should That Have Been ND?
A couple of weeks ago, many thought I should be committed to a mental institution for picking (on a whim and in the 11th-hour) on this website a double-digit Notre Dame victory against USC. While I agree that projecting me to be institutionalized is understandable, I didn’t think the pick was far fetched at the time.

I go by intangibles more than matchups, and my gut was telling me that somewhere this year, USC was ripe for a butt kickin’. That’s why I kept emphasizing “It’s Time” for Notre Dame, because this was an ideal year to make the move and slay the Trojan dragon. If the Irish were going to win, it wasn’t going to be close … because a dam was on the cusp of bursting.

Weis and the Irish missed out on a great opportunity to upset an apparently subpar Trojans team by USC's recent standards.

Back in 1962, non-descript Notre Dame quarterback (the 1964 Heisman winner) and fellow backup Jack Snow (5th in the 1964 Heisman and a first-round pick) watched in frustration while a less-heralded Northwestern passing combination, coached by Ara Parseghian, torched the Irish during a 35-6 victory. Huarte and Snow kept telling each other on the sideline, “That should be us.”

As I watched parts of the USC-Oregon game this past Saturday, a 47-20 Oregon triumph, I kept thinking the same thing: “That should have been Notre Dame beating USC.”

One of the most amazing team stats I’ve seen in 40 years of following college football is USC had not lost a game by more than seven points since a 27-16 defeat at Notre Dame in 2001, Bob Davie’s last year with the Irish and Pete Carroll’s first at Troy.

If any team this year was going to end that, I believed it would be appropriate that it be Notre Dame.

Which brings me to …

Strength Of Schedule
Nothing is as good as it seems and nothing is as bad as it seems. Somewhere in between is reality.

Prior to the 2009 campaign, popular opinion held that the Irish football schedule was “easy.” By mid-season, especially after Purdue upset Ohio State, then all of a sudden the spin became how it was “a gauntlet.”

Once again, reality is somewhere in between. Our take on it all along was that it’s not easy, but it’s definitely “favorable” in that Michigan is still in a reconstructive phase and USC was a little more vulnerable than usual, especially with the game at ND.

Last Saturday was a tough weekend for Irish foes, including Purdue’s 37-0 loss at Wisconsin, USC’s meltdown, Navy falling at home to Temple, Michigan State losing at Minnesota, and even Michigan losing for the fourth time in five games, 38-13 at lowly Illinois (the lone win during that stretch was against Delaware State). That doesn’t make the Irish schedule anymore “easier” than last week. It’s more about not consistently playing up or down to the level of the competition.

Nevertheless, Michigan’s recent swoon makes the 38-34 loss at Ann Arbor particularly frustrating, which brings me to …

Heart Of The Matter
Much glory has been given to this year’s Notre Dame team for its heart and not giving up.

Believe me, I have a healthy respect and admiration for every Notre Dame student-athlete who suits up because he or she already has achieved what a very small percentile in this world can … but shouldn’t heart be an indigenous trait, especially at this level?

Last week when BGI writer Todd Burlage asked Notre Dame running backs coach Tony Alford about his long history with running backs rarely fumbling, he stated: “They’ve done great (protecting the ball), but that’s their job. That’s what they’re supposed to do. I’ve never gone into the meeting room and said, ‘Hey, great job, you didn’t fumble the ball.’ You’re not supposed to fumble the ball.”

We live in a culture where “participation trophies” are given in little league to everyone, or where pros have incentive bonuses in their contracts for “staying in shape.” What next — giving raises to reporters for meeting deadline on their stories?

The past two football season were so bad, there are many Notre Dame fans today are just happy to “stay close,” in games and compliment the heart of the team for doing so. The reality is when you have about a $180,000 scholarship over four years, heart and maximum effort should be the rule, not a pleasant surprise.

We all have our good or bad days in work, relationships, personal issues, health, home life, etc. but we are expected to respond with maturity, dignity and forge ahead.

Notre Dame teams playing with heart and effort is what should be expected, not be heralded or even deemed a pleasant surprise.