athletes to beat them. The defense was ridiculous. The offense was weak on the ground as it has been. I wish we'd utilize QB runs and Lenzy sweeps so much more. What it comes down to it the best game I've seen coached under Kelly was the win against LSU. The game plan, according to our OLine, was to "kick a little ass." That kind of a no mistake, hard-ass, tougher than you type team wins. And with a running QB and the speedy WR sweeps is impossible to stop. And we have the personnel to do it. It beats up the other team, grinds the clock, rests the defense, and, as Lou Holtz said, it's easy. Drives me freaking crazy that Kelly coached that game, saw how easy it was and had success, and went back to throwing the ball so much. Our OLine is weak and soft not so much because they are weak, but because they don't have that smash mouth mentality that says we're lining up and we are going to smash you in the mouth for the next 60 minutes...and beat you up and be tougher than you. And then you get into a Michigan game in a monsoon and you need to be that type of team and you can't do it because you haven't been that. And we spend the rest of the season rationalizing why one bad game shouldn't disqualify us from getting into a good bowl game.
In the end, our OLine has never been dominant. Certainly not as dominant as it could have and should have been, even when we had Nelson. Our defense has at times been tough, but our OLine spends too much time pass blocking and absorbing hits than beating the shit out of the opponents DLine. In the end, the team that beats the other team up and beats the other team down and doesn't make mistakes will win. And that's what you have to do and that's what you have to focus on. And that's not the type of football ND chooses to play. I guess I'm going in circles, and maybe I'm off-base on some of this stuff...I don't know...but I just find it all very frustrating.
I support them and have even through all the horrendously bad times, and will continue to do so because I've done it so long that it is a part of me. But boy is it frustrating.
that game was a shit show...score was 3-0 at half, LSU was ahead for most of the second half, and we only won off a once in a lifetime one handed circus catch by Boykin with like a minute remaining.
Add to that, this was an LSU team that was 3rd place on their side of the SEC, finished 9-4 and ranked 18th...we didn't beat this mediocre team off great coaching, we beat them off great individual effort.
Kelly's best coaching performance came last year vs Clemson (no joke) ...that was the most ready we've ever come out vs an elite opponent and quite honestly, we were playing toe to toe with the best team in many many years until Julian Love got injured. THAT (despite the final outcome) was Kelly's best coaching effort since he's been in South Bend.
Unfortunately that’s what you get when you perform like that...
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that was the attitude that BK had before the game. His attitude led to the defeat.
"lets wait until they make mistakes" while took it to ND.
Shit happens.
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Miami was Wimbush.
Book stepped in and looked awful but the game was already over...in part because the OL was totally Mind-F’d.
your throat when you can't stop it.