I've been lurking here for a week, posted a little bit last week. One thing I like about this board is y'all (a little southern lingo for ya) encourage rival fans to post. The primary board I normally frequent has a posting policy that "only Bama fans can post" which is ridiculous because we have several barners (Auburn fans) and Tennessee fans who post while acting like they are simply Bama fans with very negative opinions...but we can tell who they are

 

I just wanted to chime in here if you guys don't mind...I see soooo many similarities to what you guys are saying and to how we sounded in 2008-2009. The posts are remarkably similar.

 

Before I forget....I invite all of you to join

 

http://www.secrant.com/rant/b/12/SEC-Football.aspx

 

SEC Rant is the best all-SEC forum out there. It's hosted by an LSU guy but they have the best forum to find out info about all teams in the SEC, smack talk, that kind of thing.

 

In '08-'09 we felt the same way as you do in 2012:

 

"We get no respect"

 

"The media hates us"

 

"Why does USC get all the love?"

 

"We're sick and tired of USC winning all the time" (when they were going for the first 3-peat in CFB history in '05 it made us absolutely sick because we got cheated out of a 3-peat in '66 because of ND and Mich St playing for a tie game when Bama was pre-season #1 and was the ONLY team which ended the season unbeaten with no tied ball games but you were awarded the NC even though Mich State PLAYED FOR THE TIE INSTEAD OF THE WIN. Books have been written about it...."The Missing Ring" is the best one)

 

"The recruits today don't know about our tradition because they weren't born yet"

 

It goes on and on and on......the similarities between what you guys believe and what we believed 4 years ago is amazing. If someone put a gun to my head I'd say 50% of what you believe is accurate *from what I've read in the last week*. Granted, I know I'm taking a teeny, tiny sample and extrapolating it into a macro-opinion but that's all I have to work with today.

 

I'm not sure where to start...

 

First of all, I am sooooo happy that we will face you in the BCSNC game. It's like a dream for me. The classic game. Our games vs ND in the past were always incredible. The '73 game was brutal, perhaps our worse loss ever....2010 Auburn might be worse but we had you guys beat in '73 and Ara made an absolutely brilliant play call, throwing out of his own end zone when that had NEVER been done before and it took us totally by surprise. Such is life...the tickets were going for $2000 back then which translates to too much money nowadays. Bryant even walked to your locker room to congratulate Clements for his outstanding QB play and spoke with your receiver, Robin Webb, who basically won the game with his catch out of the endzone even though it was his only catch in his career up until that point.

 

Dammit to hell.

 

Anyway, moving on....

 

Notes about Bama's season thus far:

 

Our 2011 defense was stastistically the best defensive season we've ever fielded, 2009 was is 2nd. 1992 was perhaps our 3rd best defense but Bama fans still debate it. 1961 might be our best D, with 6 shutouts in the last 7 games, I think. It is a constant debate within Bama fans but it's all in fun.

Our defensive statistics our always a matter of friendly debate on the Bama boards.

 

This year is different though

 

First of all, notes on the Bama/UGA game...

 

Barrett Jones, Outland Trophy winner, played on one leg the entire game vs Georgia. He was on crutches after the Auburn game and he was on crutches again after yesterday. He played hurt for 3 quarters. He won the Outland Trophy last year.

 

Bama has the 3rd youngest team in America. We have 9 seniors. Amazing coaching job by Saban imo.

 

Last year, we lost....our best 3 LB's to the NFL, our best 3 DB's to the NFL, Trent Richardson to the NFL, and our best TE.

 

Every NC caliber team must have some luck in the season and Bama has been fairly lucky from '09-'11. But this is 2012 and our injury luck has changed....

 

THIS YEAR, we lost our best 2 wideouts to injury (Bell, White), Fowler (our true H-Back with great blocking skills) and he was key in short yardage situations, our best DB......we are definitely bit by the injury bug this year... it is probably payback for our past 3 years of being lucky injury-wise. Our best wideout and our 2nd best RB (may be our best) were both playing high school ball last year.

Edited December 3, 201212 yr by Bamaham

good post bamaham, playing bama was my dream match up as well, question for you, has there been any word on the big aussie's injury?

good post bamaham, playing bama was my dream match up as well, question for you, has there been any word on the big aussie's injury?

 

No injury word yet on Jessie Williams... the press conference is tomorrow at 11 and that's when we hear about injuries. He came back into the game though so...

after watching your SEC Champ game

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VJg2zJoYxE[/ame]

 

I respect your offensive line tremendously

your backs are very good

wideouts like you said are getting thin

 

I think your defense is very young for a Saban team.

 

D line is just OK

was struck by how small your linebackers looked

Corners are pretty good, not elite

 

28 is just not like a Saban Bama team.

 

I think ND can run on you.

 

mobile qb gave you fits

 

if we stop your run like we do everybody else, your in trouble IHMO

I saw him come back in, didn't look the same, our RG is gonna have his hands full with him, dude's a beast

Welcome Bama,

Should be a classic. I think it comes down to your Oline, that is scary good. If they give McCarron time, it could be a long day for the Irish, but I think our DE's can put some pressure on the QB. Your RB's look like a cross b/w bulls and men. Very scary as well. Anyway, should be a quite a game.

after watching your SEC Champ game

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VJg2zJoYxE

 

I respect your offensive line tremendously

your backs are very good

wideouts like you said are getting thin

 

I think your defense is very young for a Saban team.

 

D line is just OK

was struck by how small your linebackers looked

Corners are pretty good, not elite

 

28 is just not like a Saban Bama team.

 

I think ND can run on you.

 

mobile qb gave you fits

 

if we stop your run like we do everybody else, your in trouble IHMO

 

I'm worried about our safeties....that's our biggest weakness.

I think this game comes down to who can run on who. Our quarterback is a bit more elusive. Bama's secondary is scary good. This game will be a classic. Irish still a bit underrated and still improving.

Safeties?? Looked solid and fast to me!

Welcome.... I've ghosted SECRant a few times... a couple decent threads in there... but more of the same everywhere else... love comments calling our schedule weak

Again, welcome Bamaham!

 

Bama is a running team and we are the #1 run defense in the country. You guys have not seen anyone like us all year, not even Georgia. I do not believe you guys will be able to run on us very effectively BUT you guys have a decent QB that can pass. Not extraordinary but good. I do think we'll be able to run AND pass on you. My only worry with your team is pass protection. Can our front 7 get pressure on your QB? Yes, our strength is our front 7 but I think your OL will give your QB enough time to check down. I hope I am overestimating your OL but it worries me. This is where we miss a true game changing pass rusher we had in Lynch. Yes Tuitt is extraordinary but elite teams can slow him down just a bit.

 

This game, to me, comes down to good pass coverage by us, stop your running and pressure your QB. If we can do those 3 things, Notre Dame wins this game. I am positive Kelly and Golson can produce points. I really do believe Bama is an very good team but they haven't faced anyone the caliber of our defense and "defense wins Championships". Going to be a great game regardless and IF Bama pulls it out I will not be disappointed in this team. The only way I'll be really disappointed is if it's a blowout in Bama's favor which I really don't believe will happen! Can't wait!

I'm worried about our safeties....that's our biggest weakness.

 

quite a compliment to your coaches and team when your defense looks human(still very good) and still tops in scoring D.. I just don't see that top 5 SEC stud on your D is he there no disrespect meant, see 3 first round o-lineman I think..

With respect to not having seen a defense like ours yet this year, I would pick out the LSU defense as one that compares well to ND's defense.

 

quick time out. Did I just say that? Holy shit this has been an awesome year.

 

Anyway, that game was a slugfest. I truly think ND's D is equal to or even better than LSU's D and I am damn certain ND's O in week 12 is better than LSU's O was when they played Alabama. At no point will I ever get so comfortable with a matchup against Bama that I think ND will win going away but if there has ever been a team in my lifetime that could gut out a win against a team like Alabama, it's this one. They don't get rattled, they play very physically, and they'll be well-recovered from any nagging injuries come gametime.

 

Glad to have you aboard Bahaham and thank you for your insights and perspective!

I have a question for you my friend....in that SEC championship game Georgia looked like the worst tackling teams in the country...did Georgia play poorly or are those backs really that good....I have to say that the front seven and tackling are notre dame's biggest strengths and they don't miss many tackles...that Georgia game goes much differently if they could of limited the yards after contact

This is going to be a 4-quarter slug-fest and the games to watch to know exactly how its going to go down are LSU-Bama (btw, what the hell kind of TACKLING was that by UGa in the game? SEC or not, that was some embarassing arm tackling and grabbing instead of sound tackles....the one thing ND's secondary and LBs do extremely well this year is tackle in space) and ND-Stanford. Both games were close, hard fought and physical and instructive for what the BCSNCG is going to look like...

 

The difference will be ND will NOT play prevent D to allow McCarron to walk down the field in the final minute...ND gets in trouble if they give up big plays or get caught on the PA, Jackson and Russell need to be drilled daily on maintaining assignment integrity on the edges. Look up the stats on how many TD drives longer than 60 yards the Irish gave up this year...its a real eye opener...of course, the defense has only surrendered 9 TDs TOTAL in 12 games...another eye opener!

 

Notre Dame 21

Alabama 20

 

Halftime - Alabama 14 Notre Dame 7

start of the 4th - Alabama 17 Notre Dame 7

 

Key play to start 4th = Te'o interception on deflected ball - Kapron Lewis-Moore with the tip, run back to the 'Bama red zone...next play = TD pass to Eiffert in the corner on a perfect fade....ND pulls to within 17-14 and EVERYONE in America is going nuts...the game's ratings started off through the roof and as word spreads that the game is close and its looking like a classic finish, the suits at ESPN hyperventilate and pass out, thus missing one of the greatest finishes in history!

 

After a Bama FG makes it 20-14 Tide, Golson starts his own Notre Dame legend for jersey #5 (to rival Montana's #3 and Te'o's own #5 forever more!!!)...a classic drive ensues, with Golson going 5-6 for 55 yards and 3 key first downs (2 by pass, 1 by run) and sets up... The Winning Score = Everett Golson 10-12-yard TD run off a scramble with under 2 minutes to play (replay confirms the call on the field that the ball hits the pylon). As half of America is passe out in glee and exhaustion, its followed by one last ND Defensive stand and a Tuitt/Shembo combo sack of McCarron as time expires to wrap up the dream season..

 

Should it actually go down that way, people will remember this Notre Dame team forever...wins over Michigan, Oklahoma, Miami, Stanford, USC and Alabama...I don't care who you are or from what era of football, the scalps on ND's 2012 team's wall are as impressive as anyone in a long, long time...

 

Now...whether or not it actually goes down this way or not is debatable for the next 34 days...but I have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, and it sure as hell looked a lot like that!!!

 

Go Irish!!

Beat Bama!!!

As long as you're not one of those delusional loons who call into the Finebaum show, you're welcome to post here.

Out of the 2 teams, Bama is the one I wanted. I think Georgia would be an easier win for ND but I didn't want any excuses at the end of the year over who should be champion. I say bring your best, we will bring our best, and let the chips fall where they may. I have a feeling that we will be seeing each other over the next couple of years in championship games.

As long as you're not one of those delusional loons who call into the Finebaum show, you're welcome to post here.

 

What the heck were you doing at 4:25 am Central? Hopefully not still finishing the race.

 

How did it go? Did you break 2:00? Did you beat Paul Ryan?

Bamaham, it's a pleasure having you here. SO excited about our game.

 

Bama has obviously played a tough schedule (#3 in the nation http://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/ranking/strength-of-schedule-by-team), and beaten some very strong teams. The Tide are VERY good at wearing other teams down and knocking them out by the time the 4th quarter comes around.

 

This, however, is exactly ND's M.O. I think that if Bama wants to win, they need the lead going into the 4th quarter. The Irish don't get worn down emotionally or physically the way your other opponents have. In addition, they don't make horrific end-of-game play calls/execution the way LSU and Georgia did. If it's close or ND has the lead in the last few minutes, I think the Irish have a better chance than your previous foes.

 

All this said, I won't be a bit surprised if Alabama does indeed have and keep the lead from the start of the 4th onward. Looking forward to every minute of this game!

Bama, appreciate you coming in here and being disrespectful. Don't want to paint with a broad brush here, but going into some other forums I don't see ND posters get much respect. You'll be welcomed here if you talk football and don't just crap on other teams.

 

I'll echo what some people have said here and say that ND's front 7 will surprise you. They will be just as good/better than LSU and Georgia's -- a lot of the kids on our line are four- and five-star recruits who come from the South.

 

I also want to distance myself a bit from some of the above posters saying that Bama won't be able to run on ND. I just don't think that we can chalk that one up in ND's favor. Is it possible? Yes. But Bama has a tremendous offensive line, and the game will be won or lost in the trenches.

 

The team that can establish the run and control the line of scrimmage will win (duh). As an ND fan, I'm very confident in our bunch, but as a college football fan, I see how Bama imposes their will on other football teams. It could go either way. I hope it's a great game and the Irish get the victory, but it will be a slugfest of the highest order. I can't wait.

What the heck were you doing at 4:25 am Central? Hopefully not still finishing the race.

 

How did it go? Did you break 2:00? Did you beat Paul Ryan?

 

Vegas, man. Time doesn't exist here.

 

I was around 2:30, which is a bummer. But I had to take a couple bathroom stops and Elvis impersonators take FOREVER to get their affairs in order at the port-a-potty.

Again, welcome Bamaham!

 

Bama is a running team and we are the #1 run defense in the country. You guys have not seen anyone like us all year, not even Georgia. I do not believe you guys will be able to run on us very effectively BUT you guys have a decent QB that can pass. Not extraordinary but good. I do think we'll be able to run AND pass on you. My only worry with your team is pass protection. Can our front 7 get pressure on your QB? Yes, our strength is our front 7 but I think your OL will give your QB enough time to check down. I hope I am overestimating your OL but it worries me. This is where we miss a true game changing pass rusher we had in Lynch. Yes Tuitt is extraordinary but elite teams can slow him down just a bit.

 

This game, to me, comes down to good pass coverage by us, stop your running and pressure your QB. If we can do those 3 things, Notre Dame wins this game. I am positive Kelly and Golson can produce points. I really do believe Bama is an very good team but they haven't faced anyone the caliber of our defense and "defense wins Championships". Going to be a great game regardless and IF Bama pulls it out I will not be disappointed in this team. The only way I'll be really disappointed is if it's a blowout in Bama's favor which I really don't believe will happen! Can't wait!

 

Not to split hairs because we are close enough statistically to call it even but actually we have the #1 rush defense. You guys are #4. Just for fun here are the offensive rankings of our opponents.

 

Navy -- 6th

Purdue -- 60th

Mich State -- 74th

Michigan -- 39th

Miami -- 84th

Stanford -- 51st

BYU -- 63rd

Oklahoma -- 61st

Pitt -- 91st

Boston College -- 119th

Wake Forest -- 116th

USC -- 69th

 

average of all teams = #69

 

Michigan #39

WKU #41

Arkansas #105

Ole Miss #55

Tennessee #63

Texas A&M #13

LSU #44

Georgia #42

FAU #108

Western Carolina N/A (FCS Division)

Missouri #88

auburn #79

Miss. St. #85

 

average of all teams = #55

 

We all know what they say about statistics though. One thing I'd like to find out is what the numbers don't show. For example in our offensive and defensive stats, what you can't tell is that our starters on both sides of the ball were pulled out halfway through the 3rd qtr in 10 of our games. By the time the clock hit 0:00 in 10 of our games we had 3rd and 4th string guys in there so many of the yards and TD's against us came in garbage time. Saban hates to run the score up once the game is out of hand so he takes his foot off the gas when the 2nd team goes in. Other than aTm, LSU, and Georgia I'm not sure if we threw more than a couple dozen passes in the 4th qtr ALL YEAR. Our OL is our strength. It wasn't as apparent vs Georgia because our Outland Trophy winner was playing on one leg. He'll be in a boot on crutches for a couple more weeks.

 

I'm thinking this will be a "Game of the Century" type deal (seems like we have one of those every year :_) I expect it to be much closer than Vegas leads us to believe.