I'm somewhat encouraged

[corysold 0]

In a game you spot a top 15 team 14 points in the first three minutes and your QB goes 9-24 with 3 picks, it was still a one score game in the 4th quarter.

 

Of course you have to ask what coaching choices lead to that awful start, but I really think this team is a QB away from being pretty good.

 

I don't think that QB is on the roster, but I'm not sure it is quite as bad as it appears.

[Irish4life 0]

Yep.. Replace Tommy with a decent quarterback and we may be undefeated. I'm like you, i believe this team is just one position away from being pretty damn good.

[Scotty88 0]

In a game you spot a top 15 team 14 points in the first three minutes and your QB goes 9-24 with 3 picks, it was still a one score game in the 4th quarter.

 

Of course you have to ask what coaching choices lead to that awful start, but I really think this team is a QB away from being pretty good.

 

I don't think that QB is on the roster, but I'm not sure it is quite as bad as it appears.

 

I agree with your thinking on this. But there's still something troubling, why can't Kelly figure out how to handle the QB situation at ND? What is the fixation with Rees?

 

Maybe the argument is null if Golson is playing, not sure though.

[irishrb 0]

Ya, say what you want but I will not be encouraged until there is a new QB at ND.....OR until Kelly realizes that their QB sucks and actually redoes the offense knowing this.

[corysold 0]

I agree with your thinking on this. But there's still something troubling, why can't Kelly figure out how to handle the QB situation at ND? What is the fixation with Rees?

 

Maybe the argument is null if Golson is playing, not sure though.

 

Yeah, certainly plenty of questions, but it could just e a numbers game. Not all QBs work out. Maybe Hendrix just isn't that good, who knows.

 

But he should have had Kiel, Golson and Hendrix. You'd think from those three you'd get one.

 

But if you told me that Rees would be 9-24 with 3 picks and a pick 6, I'd have guessed ND would have lost by 28.

[NYNDIRISH723 14]

I had a thread last week that talked about the high turnover on this team. Losing everybody we did and keeping Golson would have been tough but we could have gotten through it with a good year. Once he was suspended everything was made infinitely more difficult to overcome.

[Katzenboyer 0]

I agree with your thinking on this. But there's still something troubling, why can't Kelly figure out how to handle the QB situation at ND? What is the fixation with Rees?

 

Maybe the argument is null if Golson is playing, not sure though.

 

Kelly did have the QB position figured out. His name was Everett Golson. But he cheated on a test, and that was that.

 

And to add to it, the guy who should have been stepping in and taking the minutes transferred to Cincinnati.

 

You have to play the hand you're dealt, and this season, Kelly was dealt an extraordinarily tough one when it comes to the QB position. But you can't say that this is a demonstration of Kelly's inability to "handle" the QB position, can you?

[Katzenboyer 0]

In a game you spot a top 15 team 14 points in the first three minutes and your QB goes 9-24 with 3 picks, it was still a one score game in the 4th quarter.

 

Of course you have to ask what coaching choices lead to that awful start, but I really think this team is a QB away from being pretty good.

 

I don't think that QB is on the roster, but I'm not sure it is quite as bad as it appears.

 

Agreed on all counts. We're being hurt by limited QB play, and it sucks -- but like I said above, this was a hand Kelly was dealt. It was not the result of just **** poor management.

 

I saw a lot that I liked yesterday, the run blocking being #1. We've got some holes, but this team is better than they were last week, and lost to the #14 team yesterday afternoon.

 

Get better next week and get the W, and everyone will feel a lot better, no?

[Phillydomer 0]

To echo what some others are saying: I was also encouraged by yesterday's loss. It's amazing it was as close as it was. In certain respects, I agree that Kelly has handled the QB situation well: he had established Golson as the guy and, if Golson hadn't flaked out, we would be looking at a very different team this year. On the other hand, I do hold Kelly partially responsible for Gunner Kiel deciding to transfer. Anyone who observes our team has to wonder what on earth has led to the exodus of elite young players, either as transfers or defections: Kiel, Neal, Vanderdoes, Lynch, Greenberry, Shepard, etc. I know many of these kids are boneheaded in their own right, but it's become too pervasive to be dismissed as a stroke of bad luck.

[Scotty88 0]

Kelly did have the QB position figured out. His name was Everett Golson. But he cheated on a test, and that was that.

 

And to add to it, the guy who should have been stepping in and taking the minutes transferred to Cincinnati.

 

You have to play the hand you're dealt, and this season, Kelly was dealt an extraordinarily tough one when it comes to the QB position. But you can't say that this is a demonstration of Kelly's inability to "handle" the QB position, can you?

 

Speaking of Cincy, how many QBs did Kelly play at UC and continue to win? He won with guys at UC that were lower rated than Hendrix, Rees, maybe even Montana...he just hasn't gotten the position down since he's been at ND. Handling the position means developing backups, it also means handling guys that may transfer.

 

Not giving up on Kelly, he's just not the QB guru that was advertised...not to this point.

 

He came into the season with a guy he passed on last year (for the most part) and thought the position was solid?

 

Just can't believe that all this talent is uncoachable.

[hawaiiirish 62]

I am NOT at all encouraged by losing the way we did------for those of you that are, expect to be even MORE ENCOURAGED this week---

 

aloha's

[el senor domer 0]

 

Not giving up on Kelly, he's just not the QB guru that was advertised...not to this point.

.

 

I thought he came in as an offensive guru....not that our offense is setting the world on fire or anything.

 

just my 2 cents......we all need to be patient and quit being like Chicken Little!

[piratey 6]

I don't know if I consider Oklahoma to be a legitimate top 15 team though...

[corysold 0]

I don't know if I consider Oklahoma to be a legitimate top 15 team though...

 

Yeah, but the more I watch, the more I think college football just must suck in general. Take out the best 6-7 SEC teams and can you find 10 other teams better than Oklahoma?

 

Oregon. Sure.

Ohio St? Maybe.

Clemson. Perhaps.

Stanford. Sure.

Louisville? No.

FSU? Probably.

UCLA. Maybe.

Maybe Washington?

Any other Big 10 team? No.

Any other ACC team? No.

 

I am starting to accept that though I think ND is pretty crappy, they aren't as crappy as I think they are relative to the rest of the crappy teams around college football.

[Bergy79 0]

Yeah, but the more I watch, the more I think college football just must suck in general. Take out the best 6-7 SEC teams and can you find 10 other teams better than Oklahoma?

 

Oregon. Sure.

Ohio St? Maybe.

Clemson. Perhaps.

Stanford. Sure.

Louisville? No.

FSU? Probably.

UCLA. Maybe.

Maybe Washington?

Any other Big 10 team? No.

Any other ACC team? No.

 

I am starting to accept that though I think ND is pretty crappy, they aren't as crappy as I think they are relative to the rest of the crappy teams around college football.

 

That's a lot of crappy, just like our production every Saturday!

[Rockets Revenge 0]

Yeah, but the more I watch, the more I think college football just must suck in general. Take out the best 6-7 SEC teams and can you find 10 other teams better than Oklahoma?

 

Oregon. Sure.

Ohio St? Maybe.

Clemson. Perhaps.

Stanford. Sure.

Louisville? No.

FSU? Probably.

UCLA. Maybe.

Maybe Washington?

Any other Big 10 team? No.

Any other ACC team? No.

 

I am starting to accept that though I think ND is pretty crappy, they aren't as crappy as I think they are relative to the rest of the crappy teams around college football.

 

I think the top 7 teams you listed would beat Oklahoma and Washington probaly would if they played at home.

 

Clemson beat Georgia and looked like the better team doing it. Since then Georgia has beat USCar & LSU in the SEC.

 

Louisville toyed with Florida in the bowl game last year. Yeah, I know its a new year, but Louisville is better this year and they have a pretty good QB that would pick OU apart.

 

So if you put those 7 and the top 5 or 6 from the SEC ahead of OU then they are about the 12th or 13th best team in the nation.

 

OU looked faster, more physical, and better prepared than ND. Based of there performance so far I would put ND somewhere in the 25-30 range which is about where they are.

[piratey 6]

I think the top 7 teams you listed would beat Oklahoma and Washington probaly would if they played at home.

 

Clemson beat Georgia and looked like the better team doing it. Since then Georgia has beat USCar & LSU in the SEC.

 

Louisville toyed with Florida in the bowl game last year. Yeah, I know its a new year, but Louisville is better this year and they have a pretty good QB that would pick OU apart.

 

So if you put those 7 and the top 5 or 6 from the SEC ahead of OU then they are about the 12th or 13th best team in the nation.

 

OU looked faster, more physical, and better prepared than ND. Based of there performance so far I would put ND somewhere in the 25-30 range which is about where they are.

 

You could have pulled Pat Dillingham out of mouth balls and he would have beaten Oklahoma this weekend. We lost by 14 points in a game that featured Turnover Tommy throwing up all over himself in the first three minutes leading to a 14-0 lead and then instead of going into the half 14-10, Tommy shats himself in the red zone(AGAIN!) and OU flips the field and scores a TD. We outplayed them this weekend, if not for Rees.

[LasVegasIrish 0]

The defense needs to force more turnovers. Plain and simple. With Tommy Rees as bad as he is, the defense needs to step up. I don't think it is because the defense is slow (although I wouldn't consider it fast either). Last year, the defense had a knack of coming up with a big play when they needed it. I see it every week, we barely ever put pressure on the quarterback, but when we do it seems like good things happen. It might be partially luck with the turnovers, but without them Tommy Rees will not be able to win us football games against better opponents. The OU game proved it. First series, Tommy gets hit while throwing and the ball is floating in the air long enough for linebacker to grab it and run it in for a touchdown. The INT may have been luck (right place right time), but it was caused my pressure. The second two INT's were on Rees however.

[Rockets Revenge 0]

You could have pulled Pat Dillingham out of mouth balls and he would have beaten Oklahoma this weekend. We lost by 14 points in a game that featured Turnover Tommy throwing up all over himself in the first three minutes leading to a 14-0 lead and then instead of going into the half 14-10, Tommy shats himself in the red zone(AGAIN!) and OU flips the field and scores a TD. We outplayed them this weekend, if not for Rees.

 

The first TO was on our all-american left tackle not Tommy. The second one was equal parts Tommy & TJ (it hit his hands!!). The third TO was ALL Tommy.

 

Any of the top 7 teams you listed and probably even Washington would have posted more than 21 points on OU. Additionally, a top 15 defense doesn't give up 28 points like ND did on Saturday. While Tommy was the leading contributer to the loss, the play-calling, secondary, ST's, LB's, and Pass blocking all played leading roles.