The end is here.
Even with the usual heroics from Golden Tate, Jimmy Clausen, and Michael Floyd, a punishing performance by Robert Hughes, and 448 yards of offense, the Irish lose to Stanford. Like many teams before them, the Irish failed to contain Toby Gerhart, who ran for 205 yards on 29 carries for three touchdowns, even adding a touchdown pass of his own.
Even when Jack Swarbrick did his best to refute speculation this evening, reports are coming fast and furious that a decision has already been made on Charlie Weis’ future. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reports that Weis has already cleaned out his office and the next few days will be full or rumors, speculation and hearsay, as reporters race to confirm the official ouster of Charlie Weis.
Here’s what we learned tonight:
1) Notre Dame’s defense cost the Irish this season.
When Robert Hughes was stuffed on a 3rd and short, you could feel the game slipping away from the Irish. The second half started to feel like a tennis match between two power servers, and when the Cardinal broke the Irish offense’s serve, it was a foregone conclusion that Stanford was going to score.
You don’t need stats to back up an argument that Notre Dame’s defense was terrible this season. They struggled in every segment of the game, a toxic mix of an inability to get pressure with down linemen and linebackers unable to stuff the run. Notre Dame’s secondary missed David Bruton’s ball-hawking presence, and for all the credit Kyle McCarthy deserved got this season, he’s a poor Cover 2 safety.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Weis’ demise was his inability to recruit front seven players early. The heralded recruiting class of 2006 had zero impact players, and Notre Dame seemed to stockpile tweener defensive ends in hopes that they’d become Justin Tuck. Morrice Richardson, Kerry Neal and Kallen Wade never developed, and players like John Ryan never became more than marginal reserves.
Weis’ inability to find a suitable defensive coordinator will be the number one reason why he loses his job, and his gamble to bring in Jon Tenuta, a well-respected defensive coach was the one that likely cost him the most. It would’ve been interesting to see what this Notre Dame defense would’ve looked like in a 3-4 base, utilizing the plethora of edge-type players that Notre Dame seems to have, and also giving the defense a better chance to hide their blitzes, something the Irish never did very well this season.
2) Golden Tate is a transcendent player.
Tate went for 205 yards tonight, pushing his receiving yards to an even 1,500 for the season on 93 catches. He’s scored 14 touchdowns in the final 8 games. Those are MONSTER numbers. People that fancy themselves technicians are eager to pick on Tate for some inexact routes and a few head scratching decisions, but why can’t we all just appreciate the incredible season that #23 has had? I understand that the Heisman has now become college football’s version of the MVP, but what does a .500 record have to do with a player’s greatness?
Tonight, ESPN’s announcing team was hellbent on recognizing Toby Gerhart as a legitimate Heisman contender, yet never seemed to mention the wide receiver that matched Gerhart’s numbers on the opposite sideline, doing it in a fraction of the touches from a position that’s much harder to make an impact. In a season where no single player stood alone, I’ve got no idea why Golden Tate isn’t getting more respect from the national media, even if it’s for a .500 team. If Notre Dame pulled that game out tonight, what’s the difference between a five loss Stanford squad and a five loss Notre Dame team?
3) Jack Swarbrick will certainly earn his salary this week.
A friend of mine with very good sources heard from two people in positions to know that both Bob Stoops and Brian Kelly were done deals. That two people with connections deep inside Notre Dame’s athletic department had such conflicting news goes to show you that Swarbrick is truly the man pulling the strings in the athletic department.
We can only take Swarbrick at his word that no decision has been made and no coach has been contacted, but I’d be shocked if a new coach isn’t announced within the week if Weis is out as head coach. The differences between Swarbrick and his predecessor Kevin White are startling, and Notre Dame fans should feel good about the man in charge of the university’s athletics.
4) The Irish football program is at a tipping point.
The decisions that will be made in the coming weeks will determine the fate of the Notre Dame football program. If Charlie Weis is fired, Jimmy Clausen is as good as gone. If Clausen goes, Golden Tate likely follows. Even with weapons like Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph, and Armando Allen, the Notre Dame program could look vastly different with a new coach roaming the sidelines. Add to that equation that the new coach will be running spring practice without Dayne Crist and no true backup quarterback, and spring installation will likely be limited as well.
Nobody knows for sure the thought process of Clausen or Tate, but they’re two players that are fiercely loyal to Charlie Weis. No player is bigger than a football program, especially one as storied as Notre Dame, but the decisions made off the field in the coming weeks, could greatly determine what happens for the next few seasons.
5) Charlie Weis is a great ambassador for Notre Dame.
Whether he’s the coach of Notre Dame’s football program for another season or another week, Charlie Weis was a true ambassador to the school. As Jack Swarbrick mentioned during his interview with the New York Times, the difference between perception and reality for Weis is stark. No coach has taken a larger beating these past few seasons than Weis, and it’s a puzzling dichotomy that has turned Weis into such a polarizing figure.
Watching ESPN’s GameDay this morning, I was touched by the story of Pete Carroll and young Jake Olson. It’s an uplifting story that shows us how important college football is to many of us, and how important Carroll and the Trojans are to a boy fighting insurmountable odds.
After watching that story, I was immediately reminded of a conversation I had in the press box during the USC game. I chatted with a national reporter that had covered college football for years. Her image of Charlie Weis and Pete Carroll, two coaches that both do incredible work in the community outside of football, was so divergent.
I can’t help but think that Notre Dame needs to do a better job letting people see the true head coach. With a school that so obviously understands branding and tradition, they failed Weis for five seasons, allowing him to be a punching bag in both the mainstream media and blogosphere, and rarely letting people get a glimpse of the great humanitarian that has run the football program the right way.
Just looking at the media relations team that USC has put together around Pete Carroll — whether it’s his official website, the cutting edge Heisman campaigns for Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, or the incredibly visible work Carroll does with “A Better LA” and his other charitable work, USC has created an image that promotes its coach and his beliefs.
While Notre Dame has made great strides in the past few years and the Sports Information department is filled with true professionals, they’ve struggled to fight a very real battle with negativity that’s b
eing waged in the media, on
the recruiting path, and in the collective psyches’ of college football fans. Whether you want to believe it or not, that negativity is a large reason why the football program is on shaky ground.
If Charlie Weis loses his job this week, he surely has these last three seasons of mediocre football to blame. But if Notre Dame ever wants to truly win again, it’ll need to be as proactive protecting and managing its head coach as it is with its heralded tradition.
