My Trip to South Bend: Part II

Admittedly, I made it into Notre Dame Stadium after Notre Dame had scored it's first ten points.  I had made a detour to see the Father William Corby statue outside Corby Hall, which is an exact copy of a statue at the battlefield in Gettysburg (Father Corby was the chaplain of the all- Irish New York regiment in the Civil War).  Ms. SaturdaysOnShea and I made it into the game about mid-way through the first quarter, just in time to be reminded how inept our BC offense can be and how stellar our defense can be.

The biggest talking point from the game seems to be the inaccuracy of Chase Rettig.  Chase threw 20 incompletions over the course of the game, going 18- 38 with one touchdown and, mercifully, no interceptions.  Chase seems skittish in the pocket.  His never settles his feet and doesn't plant his back foot to throw.  Certainly, we are seeing a sophomore slump from Chase, but he seems to be digressing in his abilities as a quarterback over all, something we saw with Dave Shinskie as well.  At the beginning of the season Chase seemed to be the quarterback we had been looking for, showing sophomore mistakes but generally having an upside.  Chase has not gotten any better this season and that's a problem.  He deserves some of the blame, but so do the coaches and so does his O-line.  Personally, I believe that it has been the lack of an effective O-Line this season that has caused many of Chase's woes.  He doesn't set his feet because he's expecting to get hit the moment the ball is snapped.  He is forcing throws because he's used to throwing under pressure.  His passes are off target because he doesn't have or isn't expecting to have enough time for the play to develop.  With better coaching and a better O-Line Chase could be much better, and hopefully we will see a junior jump next year.  That is left to be seen.

Another problem that led to our offensive woes was the use of Bordner.  Although he scored a rushing touchdown to bring the game 10- 7, he was used sparingly and over time, the defense was able to recognize that Bordner in the game meant a running play.  It also disrupted any rhythm that Chase and the offense were getting themselves into.  I do believe that there is a place for Josh Bordner in this offense, but he needs to be used wisely and strategically.  Put Bordner in and have him throw one and run one to keep the defense off balance.  If teams see him coming in, they know that more than likely the ball will be run, not thrown.  If we want to go with a two quarterback system, we need to use that strategy better or not at all. 

The defense played an excellent game.  Although it was clear they schemed against him, Luke managed to become just one tackle shy of tying the all tie BC tackles record.  Our defensive pressure held Notre Dame to just 3 points in the entire second half and were able to force Notre Dame into long yardage situations and turnovers.  Max Holloway's interception could have been a game changer.  BC was down 6 and the interception gave us the ball on the Notre Dame 48.  A few plays later, though, BC could not convert a 3rd and 3. Additionally, the defense was able to effectively shut down Michael Floyd.  More than anything else, this kept us in the game.  The defense allowed Floyd just ten receptions for 92 yards and no touchdowns.  The defense played this game to win and kept fighting to the bitter end. 

BC should have, and could have, won this game.  If a few different things broke a different way, no penalties, better accuracy from Chase, the reviewed calls that went to Notre Dame, I really do think BC would have won.  However, winning teams shouldn't have to rely on "what-ifs" to win.  The fact of the matter is that this was not a very good Notre Dame team.  Losing by just two points means that BC could have just as easily won this game.  Better play calling and better coaching could have made this a very different outcome.  Some people are taking the moral victory out of this one.  BC was a 24.5 point underdog going into South Bend and lost by just two points.  I can't bring myself to take the moral victory when true victory was just as easily attainable.  BC played well but in too many situations left points on the field.  The team played hard and they deserved to win this game, but they have not been given the tools to succeed. 

My Road Trip to South Bend: Part I

The trip to South Bend from Boston has become one of the most lasting traditions at Boston College.  When I was a junior, it was the first time we played Notre Dame at South Bend in three years, yet there was no question that people would be road tripping out.  For my part, this was my first trip out to Indiana for the game.  It was a fun experience, great to see the Notre Dame campus, and even better to see a little bit of America.  That said, the next time I make it out to Notre Dame, I think I'll fly.

My group left Boston around 9PM Thursday and drove through the night to make it to Indiana by noon the next day.  The drive across was fun.  As a New Yorker, I saw parts of my home state I hadn't seen before.  Perhaps most exciting was driving past all the other BC RVs on their way to South Bend.  You'd be driving along 90 West in the middle of Pennsylvania, coming up on another RV and immediately knew who was in it and where they were going.  As the RVs past each other there'd be fist pumps, waves, and thumbs up.  It was a nice little bit of BC camaraderie on the way west.  At each rest stop, too, would be about a half dozen RVs gassing up.  It was fun to have that small bond with all the other BC people heading out to South Bend.

I saw a limited part of South Bend, but what I saw was nice enough.  Notre Dame has a beautiful campus.  The architecture is similar to BC's except all made of brick instead of stone.  The campus is very spread out, which surprised me.  It seemed like all of BC's campus could fit into one quad at Notre Dame.  The Golden Dome dominates the area, much the way that Gasson dominates the area around BC.  Notre Dame was beautiful, a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

The tailgating on Saturday was a blast.  The RVs basically turned into Mods on wheels.  It was great to experience real college football tailgating.  Many BC alums complain about the BC gameday experience and with good cause.  Notre Dame police patrolled the area, but I saw no incidences whatsoever; I can't say the same thing for BC.  Additionally we pulled into the lot at around 10 giving us over five hours to tailgate, which meant that at 3:30 that afternoon, we were some of the last people to leave the tailgating area to head to the stadium.  People had had their fill of tailgating and were ready to go to the game.

Notre Dame has a great stadium.  You really can feel the history when you walk in.  The experience in the stadium, though, felt a little gimmicky.  They trotted out the band Chicago at half time and then announced that Jon Bon Jovi was there and was directing the band, or something like that.  It seemed odd at best and the announcement about Bon Jovi sent inquisitive looks all around.

I only met a few Notre Dame fans, most were nice and polite, but not overly so, I'd put them somewhere between Clemson fans and Maryland fans.  My group did end up sitting next to a handful of Notre Dame fans who, as it turned out, were from the same town in Ohio as Bobby Swigert.  The result was by the end of the game, we had a bunch of 40 or 50-something men decked out in Notre Dame gear cheering for BC as hard as we were.

Not much went on after the game.  Most people left immediately afterward.  Some made their way to the Wal-Mart parking lot, but it seemed that most BC people slept for a little while and immediately hit the road.  My group stayed and let the following morning around 8 getting back to Boston around 11:30.  The trip to Notre Dame was a great one.  The memories were great and I couldn't have asked for a better time.  Overall, the experience was a good one.  There were nice people, a good time, and what ended up being a pretty exciting game.  I'm already looking forward to my next trip out to South Bend

Five Keys to Beating Notre Dame

Any other coach and I would give us a fighting chance in this one.  Even if Jags or Tom O'Brien were 3-7 entering this match up I might give us a chance.  But I just don't think Spaz will get it done this weekend.  I expect Brian Kelly to have his ND team chomping at the bit for this one.  I also expect him to have his offense go from 0 to 60 on the first play from scrimmage and not to let up on the gas until the game is over.  I'm sorry to be such a Debbie Downer (Sullen Saturdays?), but Brian Kelly is the type to go for the throat in this game.  That all said, this is also the second most important game on the schedule for Gene and Spaz (after NC State).  Gene especially realizes that many alumni would be fine with a 1-11 season, as long as that one win came against Notre Dame.  Additionally, we know that crazy things can happen in rivalry games and that BC often wins this game when it really has no business winning it.

I am not convinced that Notre Dame is that good of a team either.  My prejudices notwithstanding, they have drubbed the service academies of this world, but have been challenged by tougher competition.  Are they better than us?  Yes, definitely.  But that doesn't mean that we can't keep it closer than the current BC +24.5 line.  I'm not sure that we'll pull a W out of South Bend, but I'm also not sure that we will get massacred as many are expecting.

Five Keys to Beating Notre Dame:

1. Create Turnovers- One of the talking points about Notre Dame this year has been there abysmal turnover margin and the fact that they've lost every game where they lose the turnover battle.  I do think that our defense can create turnovers and that will be key to winning.  As I said, I expect Kelly to have his offense firing on all cylinders.  If we create turnovers and slow them down a bit and have them thinking of South Florida, USC, and Michigan we may have a chance.  It should be noted, however, that two years ago BC won the turnover battle in South Bend, but still came up short.

2. Hold onto the ball- We have had difficulty with turnovers ourselves this season, but more importantly turning it over in the red zone.  Against FSU, Finch fumbled close the goal line when the game was still within reach.  Two years ago, Montel fumbled on the Notre Dame 1 on what could have been a game winning score.  Protecting the ball ourselves, especially in those red zone situations will be huge.

3. Shut Down Floyd- Michael Floyd has 922 yards over 10 games this season.  Damn impressive.  However, it also means ND's offense is vulnerable if Floyd can be contained.  Their next leading receiver has just 589 yards over 10 games.  Michael Floyd is the key to this offense.  In 2008 BC had no problem containing Golden Tate.  Containing Michael Floyd can cause struggles for Notre Dame.

4. Make the most out of our two quarterbacks-  Let me first state that I am not of fan of flip-flopping Rettig and Bordner throughout the game.  I think it has the potential to disrupt and already weak offense.  That said, the last two games have shown that utilizing Bordner in the right situations can throw off opposing defenses.  Rettig should be given the majority of snaps and be allowed to conduct the offense, but bringing in Bordner on short yardage situations or to throw the defense off balance could give us an offensive edge.

5. Play up the rivalry- A few years ago, Jags made the point to his team that nearly all of them had not been actively recruited by Notre Dame, giving the team a chip on its shoulder.  BC teams generally already have a chip on their shoulder, but none more so than when we play Notre Dame.  This game is just as important for the players as it is for the fans and alumni.  In the past BC has stepped up to the plate in this game and taken it to the Irish.  I hope that Spaz and the staff have played up the rivarly this week and have the team extra motivated to go in and win in South Bend.  Motivated individuals can do amazing things in the right situations.  This game could be one of those situations for BC.

I will be in attendance in South Bend for the game.  It is the first time I am making it out there and am looking forward to taking it all in.  Since I am leaving Boston tonight, this may be my last opportunity to post before the game.  I will do my best to stay in contact on twitter, but can't make any promises.  I wish everyone making the trip out to South Bend safe travels.  See you all in Indiana.