Collapse or Recovery?

[hawaiiirish]

So that was a disaster of a game in every possible way.....we have seen this type of game before,,, even very recently

Georgia away at Auburn overwhelmed

Ohio state away at Iowa overwhelmed

I call it the cascade effect----bad match up , turnovers, uber emotion from the home team, flat tentative play.....and walla!

Now we saw Ohio state bounce back big time yesterday so the question now is will we be able to do that....

Navy is helpful I guess but Stanford is looking good and we have a rough history out there....

There is nothing we can do about that mess yesterday but will we

RECOVER OR COLLAPSE!?

We have seen Kelly's teams really fade or collapse at the end of a good season.....

Likely we beat navy but LOSSES TO STANFORD and a BOWL loss and that is simply ANOTHER LATE SEASON COLLAPSE!

9-4 finish losing three of our last four would IMO completely undo much of the progress we made this season

But if we can follow Ohio States example and close with Big wins at Stanford and in a good bowl win, ending at 11-2, and middle of the top ten!

That would be complete RECOVERY and a really strong season that even that stinging ugly performance won't be able to wash away

So a strong finish --a strong recovery to 11 wins and a top ten finish---that is SUCCESS by any measure

On the other hand a late season collapse to 9-4 would be Kelly's team living down to our worst expectations....

What will it be?

aloha

[Rocketsan]

I think we beat the ever living sh!t out of Navy next weekend.

[Handsome Jack]

We beat Navy and lose to Stanford.

We beat Indiana in the Virginia Is For Lovers Bowl.

[corysold]

Yeah, the difference between 9-4 and 11-2 is huge. But Stanford isn’t a fast defense. No reason ND won’t be successful vs them.

[goirish83]

I think there is still a lot in front of them. If this team goes 10-2 and makes a new years 6 bowl there are very few fans who expected better. And if they finish 11-2 beating a good team like a tcu or Penn State or Washington in that bowl I will be far from disappointed in this season.

[case29]

They need to go 10-2 now, or this season is a waste. Stanford will be the big game.

[imroc]

Originally Posted by goirish83

I think there is still a lot in front of them. If this team goes 10-2 and makes a new years 6 bowl there are very few fans who expected better. And if they finish 11-2 beating a good team like a tcu or Penn State or Washington in that bowl I will be far from disappointed in this season.

Considering i had seriously low expectations going into this season, the end result you said would be satifying. I just can’t wait for the miami game to become a blur

[Morgandonor]

Collapse....if anyone wants come over I already lit the charcoal for Kelly's hot seat...

[tneun89]

Before the season, I thought somewhere between 9 and 10 wins was the goal given how last season went and all of the offseason changes that took place. It would have been a major accomplishment to go from 4-8 to 9-3/10-2, especially with a first time QB and the remnants of a BVG defense.

I know people say 4-8 should have no bearing on expectations, but it absolutely does. ND should never go 4-8, but they did. BK had a lot of work to do to get ND back where it should always be.

But expectations changed after this team dominated every opponent after Georgia and crushed USC and NC State in back-to-back weeks.

ND needs to finish the regular season 10-2 and win a NY6 Bowl Game to consider it a successful season. Not getting into the CFP sucks, but winning 11 games and winning a major bowl game for the first time in almost 25 years would be a huge accomplishment and a huge step forward. ND would be ranked Top 10, maybe Top 5, to start next season and have a legitimate shot at a National Championship.

[goirish83]

Originally Posted by tneun89

ND needs to finish the regular season 10-2 and win a NY6 Bowl Game to consider it a successful season. Not getting into the CFP sucks, but winning 11 games and winning a major bowl game for the first time in almost 25 years would be a huge accomplishment and a huge step forward. ND would be ranked Top 10, maybe Top 5, to start next season and have a legitimate shot at a National Championship.

I agree with you about this season, I have my concerns about next season though with wimbush at qb

[tneun89]

Originally Posted by goirish83

I agree with you about this season, I have my concerns about next season though with wimbush at qb

It's just amazing how inaccurate he has been this season. I remember reading reports from various sites in fall camp that he had tremendous accuracy and looked in complete control of the offense.

Wimbush was a borderline 5 star and a New Jersey State Champion. He comes across really well in interviews and seems like true leader. I can't wrap my head around how he looked like a deer in the headlights last night. I really thought he had improved each of the last three weeks. Last night was shocking.

[goirish83]

Originally Posted by tneun89

It's just amazing how inaccurate he has been this season. I remember reading reports from various sites in fall camp that he had tremendous accuracy and looked in complete control of the offense.

Wimbush was a borderline 5 star and a New Jersey State Champion. He comes across really well in interviews and seems like true leader. I can't wrap my head around how he looked like a deer in the headlights last night. I really thought he had improved each of the last three weeks. Last night was shocking.

Agree, and the question becomes is he capable of more or is he just not good enough to take this team to the next level

[imroc]

Originally Posted by goirish83

Agree, and the question becomes is he capable of more or is he just not good enough to take this team to the next level

His recent press conf says his perspective of the college qb vs hi school is basically no comparison.

[Officer Tim McCarthy]

Despite Saturday's colossal bedsh!tt!ng, we somehow landed at #9.

Nothing about our last 6 quarters of play indicate we're a top ten team,but hey, win our next two and we're in a big boy bowl for one last shot to embarrass ourselves yet again on the big stage.

The silver lining to a loss at Stanford (which currently seems like the most likely outcome) is that we might be able to avoid that aforementioned bowl bashing.

[Jersey Irish]

Originally Posted by hawaiiirish

So that was a disaster of a game in every possible way.....we have seen this type of game before,,, even very recently

Georgia away at Auburn overwhelmed

Ohio state away at Iowa overwhelmed

I call it the cascade effect----bad match up , turnovers, uber emotion from the home team, flat tentative play.....and walla!

Now we saw Ohio state bounce back big time yesterday so the question now is will we be able to do that....

Navy is helpful I guess but Stanford is looking good and we have a rough history out there....

There is nothing we can do about that mess yesterday but will we

RECOVER OR COLLAPSE!?

We have seen Kelly's teams really fade or collapse at the end of a good season.....

Likely we beat navy but LOSSES TO STANFORD and a BOWL loss and that is simply ANOTHER LATE SEASON COLLAPSE!

9-4 finish losing three of our last four would IMO completely undo much of the progress we made this season

But if we can follow Ohio States example and close with Big wins at Stanford and in a good bowl win, ending at 11-2, and middle of the top ten!

That would be complete RECOVERY and a really strong season that even that stinging ugly performance won't be able to wash away

So a strong finish --a strong recovery to 11 wins and a top ten finish---that is SUCCESS by any measure

On the other hand a late season collapse to 9-4 would be Kelly's team living down to our worst expectations....

What will it be?

aloha

As usual, spot on analysis, Hawaii!
Can;t see this team carry this bad loss with them after they way they played previous to it. ND is not that bad nor is Miami that good. 4 turnovers to none will do that. Navy will be pesky but ND should wear them down and Stanford will be a challenge but certainly not nearly a team that is speedier like Georgia and Miami

[dangeruss]

ND maybe out of the playoffs but their is still a lot to play for. finish the season 10-2 and win a January bowl game....i'll take a 11-2 season any day.

against navy I say lineup in the I-formation and run down hill on them and let out your anger.

[GreensboroGoldenDomer]

Like most have said, win out, get to a major Bowl game and show you can beat a top team, do that and you saved the season.

Don't, and we are who they say we are

[imroc]

10 wins & a jan bowl (HAVE to win) would be a major turnaround imo

[case29]

Originally Posted by GreensboroGoldenDomer

Like most have said, win out, get to a major Bowl game and show you can beat a top team, do that and you saved the season.

Don't, and we are who they say we are

DomerDomain.com

[goirish83]

Originally Posted by GreensboroGoldenDomer

Like most have said, win out, get to a major Bowl game and show you can beat a top team, do that and you saved the season.

Don't, and we are who they say we are

Yup exactly right