No matter the record, the Boston College game is always one worth circling on the calendar. (Which leads me to an aside, does anybody actually know someone that circles a date on a calendar? Does anyone actually print out a football calendar? I’m a bookmark kind of guy, and by mid-August, I’ve pretty much got the games memorized. Anyway...)
Getting back to the subject at hand, the No. 4 Irish have a chance to get back to playing dominant football this weekend when they head to Chestnut Hill to take on the putrid Eagles of Boston College, who most likely feel like this game is their Super Bowl. The Irish are heavy favorites, but that didn’t stop Pitt from almost ruining Notre Dame’s season, and the Eagles have the chance to do the same thing, something that would salvage the season for B.C. fans everywhere, though it might not save Frank Spaziani’s job.
Before we get there, I took the time to ask the Subway Domer about the 9-0 Fighting Irish in this week’s IBG. For my answers (in Haiku form), check out the Subway Domer’s website. You can also get answers from the guys at HLS and Josh over at Strong & True.
Onward.
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1. What’s your take away from the Pitt game? An embarrassing slip up for a team that’s supposed to be top three in the country? Or one of those narrow victories the best teams in the country pull off?
A little bit of both depending on how much much is in your glass, and how quickly you drank it. In a lot of ways, the fans and the media were writing off Pitt before the game got under way. We all basically ignored the fact that this has been a very CLOSE game for quite a few years now and really, there was evidence to suggest that it would be again.
So, yes it was a little embarrassing because of the expectations that were given for the game, but at the same time the Irish were coming off of a huge win that obviously took a toll on the team. Championship teams find ways to win on their worst days. Notre Dame did just that.
2. What do you take from the defenses struggles against Ray Graham? Flu bug? Advanced scouting? Cold sweats thinking about USC?
I think a lot of their struggles are based in the previous answer. Sometimes you just play a little flat after those big wins and when a guy of Graham’s caliber comes along, you could pay the price. Having said that, Graham had a couple of HUGE runs that if took away, provide the normal stats that this defense allows. A mental error or two or three erased and it could have been a lot different. It wasn’t, and that should provide some teachings as to how they handle the rest of the season. The flu was definitely a factor, but not nearly as much as the mental errors causing physical mistakes.
3. Why have the Irish struggled at home this year?
Most of these games have been against teams that you play EVERY year. So, you can look at them as “conference” games. When you look around the country, these types of games can and will give teams fits- even if the home team is a lot better than their opponent. BYU is the lone exception and that was following an emotional and physical win over Stanford.
Another factor is just everything that comes along with playing at home. Tickets, appearances, the “comfort zone”, and just the different mentalities involved. Add all of that together and throw in the home team’s lack of dominance (or any indication of such) and you have a recipe for OMGZ THIS GAME IS SO CLOSE SON!
It may take a few more years to get this team back on track at home, but at least we are talking about WINNING these close games, and not losing them.