Buster was a middling fighter who nobody today would even remember if he hadn’t “shocked the world” as a huge underdog against Tyson. He won some fights before the Tyson fight? Big deal. He was not a great fighter. There is a reason he was a 42-1 dog for the Tyson fight, and a reason he tanked after it. I don’t question that he trained hard and was inspired for the fight. But you have to acknowledge that part of the result was Tyson not taking Buster seriously as an opponent. Buster Douglas should NOT be the model for this ND team. Kelly would be an idiot to frame this as ND/Buster v Clemson/Tyson. That message says “they are better than you, but if you really try hard and believe you can shock the world.” Screw that. The message needs to be “they aren’t better than you, and it won’t be a miracle when you win.” I mean, what do you tell your players after they beat Clemson if you use Buster as your template? “Okay, Busters, you did it! Now let’s get ready for Holyfield/Bama.”
ND earned its way into this playoff. Playing into the narrative that they are outclassed by the likes of Clemson, but could win a “David v Goliath” victory is the exact wrong way to go. Buster Douglas’s surprising and inspirational win over Tyson makes for a great story. But if Kelly plans to use it as motivation for this team, then I hope Clark Lea kicks his ass and stops him. The 2018 Irish ain’t no Busters.