Living on the Edge

The Irish have been living on the edge all season, and they fell yet again towards mediocrity against a very capable Navy Midshipmen team, 23-21. While Jimmy Clausen (72% completion, 454 yards passing), Golden Tate (9 catches, 132 yards), and Michael Floyd (10 catches, 141 yards) all had great days, two turnovers inside the 3 yard line and 2 missed field goals doomed the Irish. A few other key stats:

• Navy had 402 yards total offense . . . including 350 of those on the ground. 
• Navy's fullback position had 200 yards (!) of the total 350 yard rushing day for the Middies
• Navy's passing game was used 3 times for 2 completions totalling 50 yards and 1 touchdown
• Notre Dame had 512 yards total offense
• Notre Dame was 2/6 scoring in the red zone, with 2 turnovers and 2 missed field goals. Score on one of those and the game is ours

That last bullet point really says it all  -  the Irish left 12 points on the field, at a minimum. And 12 points is assuming just 4 field goals, even though likely we'd have scored a TD or two in those 4 missed red zone chances. 

After the game, I was a part of a painful yet interesting debate between myself and my future father/brother in law, trying to determine who was at fault more, the Irish offense or the Irish defense. Of course the correct answer is both. Early in the season, the Irish defense was more at fault, giving the Irish offense zero margin for error. More recently, the Irish offense has sputtered in the red zone, using up even more of the razor thin margin for error delivered by a still inconsistent defense. Saturday, the sum of the two units' performances just wasn't enough. Each side has major issues (Offense - red zone offense, turnovers; Defense - fullbacks running wild for 200 yards (!!) ) - and it's pointless to debate which is the worst. No Notre Dame team can survive a full season with even 1 of these issues lingering, and quite frankly, we are lucky to be 6-3 right now. Saturday we just came up a play short - just like Washington and Boston College did against the Irish. 

Moving on - to use a page out of Lou Holtz's book  -  W.I.N. - "whats important now". For the Irish, W.I.N. is winning at least 2 of the final 3 games, heading to a New Years Day bowl (likely Gator - check my bowl game scenarios post from last week) and trying to keep the Charlie Weis era going. Win 0 or just 1 game of the final 3, and the Irish are looking for a new coach, seeing a slew of transfers, and losing a slew more of recruits. Also, Golden Tate and Jimmy Clausen would most certainly be gone to the NFL early, doubly feeling the loss of Coach Weis. Win all 3 games, and Weis is back on the "warm to lukewarm" coaching seat, just off the current "hot" seat. Simple directions, hard road, with @Pittsburgh (#8 in the country), vs UConn at home, and @Stanford (thrashed Oregon 51-42) remaining. 

Check back for more VaticanSmoke during the middle of the week - I'll explain why I think an 8-4 or 9-3 season, even now, is very possibly not enough to justify the firing of Charlie Weis.