Notre Dame Proves They Are Number One
Last night at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish proved they belong in the BCS Championship Game by defeating the the University of Southern California 22-13. The score was not indicative of how close this game was as Notre Dame dominated the game. The only thing that kept it close was Notre Dame's inability to close the deal several times down in the red zone, which they will need to do against either Alabama or Georgia.
What we saw last night , and for that matter all season long, is a team that relies on its defense to stop their opponent and an offense that can pound away at their opposition to close the game out. That's what happened last night. Up 16-10, the Irish offense ran the ball down the Trojans' throats with Theo Riddick being the main man. Notre Dame had to settle for a field goal and took the lead 19-10. USC was not ready to quit as a long pass to Marquise Lee brought the ball down to the ND 2 yard line. After 2 pass interference calls, USC tried running the ball 3 times and 3 times the Notre Dame defense denied them from scoring. Then an incomplete pass ended it for USC. The Irish took the ball on their own one yard line and Riddick rushed for 15 yards and got them out of harm's way. The game was over.
Defense wins championships and Notre Dame's is arguably one of the best in the land. The offense can be punishing and Everett Golson has developed into a good quarterback. They have the ingredients of a championship team and on January 7th we'll find out if they can close the deal.
Wake Up The Echoes
Tonight the number one team in the nation, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, will take on an old rival to ensure their first trip to the BCS Championship Game. A year ago, many around the nation were proclaiming that this storied football program would never reach the heights achieved by Lou Holtz, Ara Parseghian, Frank Leahy and Knute Rockne. Well, this current edition of the Irish have other ideas.
Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis all tried to restore the luster of the Golden Dome but to no avail. But Brian Kelly, a winner at every place he has coached, is 60 minutes away from "shaking down the thunder from the sky." This game against USC will not be easy. Interestingly enough, the last time Notre Dame visited Los Angeles they won 20-16 as Matt Barkley was injured. It was the Irish's first victory over the Trojans since October 20, 2001 at South Bend. Similarly to 2010, Barkley is out for tonight's game forcing USC to start a redshirt freshman, Max Wittek. This will be Wittek's first college start and the brash freshman has proclaimed that the Trojans are going to win this game.
Notre Dame is like the Yankees: you either love them or you hate them. The haters are already saying that the Irish don't deserve to play for the national title. That they should have lost to Pittsburgh. That Stanford should have won their game against the Irish. To the haters I say: sour grapes!! As a Notre Dame fan, I kept on waiting for the wheels to fall off. When they visited Norman, Oklahoma I expected the Sooners to roll. That didn't happen. When the Pitt game was going into overtime, I had a sick feeling that they were going to blow it like they have in the recent past. Even entering the game against Boston College, I was nervous. But this team is different than those in the recent past.
College football is better when traditional powers like Notre Dame are contending for a title. The Irish have a national following. A victory tonight will most certainly ensure that this year's BCS title game will be the most watched in history all because this private school from South Bend, Indiana will be playing in it. It will certainly be watched more than if two SEC teams are playing in Miami on January 7, 2013. Here's hoping that whether "the odds be great or small, old Notre Dame will win over all."
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