It’s gameday Irish fans. Make sure you leave a comment during the day with your score predictions, a limerick, keys to the game or just a Go Irish! Check back in during the game for live game chat with other Irish fans giving their own play-by-play reactions. Below are our keys to the game and a gameday limerick to enjoy.
Keys to the Game – How to tell how the day will go
Today’s game vs. Pitt is a game that the Irish should run away with. If we are who we said we were then the dominance needs to start today. Pitt won’t be a push over but today isn’t about Pitt it is about Notre Dame. So here are our things to watch for in the game that will indicate how things are going.
The Good
- Big plays – The Irish have the talent advantage. It should show in this game
- New plays. If you see new wrinkles in the offense in this game it is a good sign that Kelly feels comfortable
- Another QB package for a 1/2 a series. See the reason above and the fact that the Irish have invested the time in a package in practice – why not use it?
The Bad
- You can tell me who Pitt’s best player is by halftime.
- Pitt has all kinds of time to throw the ball. If ND can create a pass rush it will all fall down from there for Pittsburgh
- Multiple TOs from the offense. Don’t want to force coach’s hand again
Gameday Limerick
Game day limerick time:
“Wake up! it’s time for Pitt,
to be on the bad end of some…stuff.
The Irish freight train is coming,
Rees, Wood, and Floyd’s cylinders humming,
and the defense will have Pitt on a spit.”
Gameday thread
That is below and how good it is up to you! Let’s Go Irish!!
Comments are working this week!!
@LetsGoIrish Gray finally gets it right – what bullshit.
@OC Irish I agree. Gray has been solid…that was one play.
[...] [...]
Go IRISH!!!!!!!!
avatar up Tlud!
I’ll be watching the game in real time at a bar with wireless so …. I should be able to pop in.
Did someone remember to schedule a wake-up call for OC? Don’t want her to miss the first half.
@CT Looks like the Irish O overslept. Sheesh! Make some adjustments…NOW
@CT Okay, that’s better! “My name is Jonas…”
@OC Irish @CT OC we just needed you on board!!! How about that run?
@LetsGoIrish @CT Shake n Bake
Amish – unless Kelly is determined to preserve Golson’s eligibility – he could be effective against the defense this Pitt coach likes to run. His defenses are designed to disrupt the play that was called and cause confusion, though by doing so he can leave himself open to big plays. Crist’s best play last year against Tulsa was a 25 yard scamper. Such defenses are best against immobile QBs. They’re happy to leave a hole in the defense, so long as you are forced to do something other than the play that was called. Kelly needs to take what they give him, and with Rees in the game, this might mean going vertical against single man coverage sooner than usual.
btw – the Golson comment is in response to your point about an alternative QB package for half a series. : – )
@CT You know I like Golson but would like to preserve a year of eligibility. I would prefer to see Hendrix for that reason but if we were 3-0 instead of 1-2 I would probably think differently
I thought I went the way of Lep after last week!
@MichaelWright Love the avatar and we are most certainly on a mission from God.
GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok that is a good sign for today!! Watch a catch
Ok who sold Pitt ND’s first 5 plays script?
Pitt came to play ladies and gents
NICE! A HUGE momentum loss for Pitt
That was a weak ruffing call but we will take it
NIce run. This is not the fast start I was expecting but hopefully this will wake them up and focus them to play
3rd and 1 here…would love to see play-action
eating ribs so I can’t type a bunch right now….almost 2 picks from Rees. He HAS to learn to manage the ball better.
Is it just me or does anyone else feel like ND is playing like you thought Pitt would and vice versa?
DL has been huge for us this year
nice series
I don’t mind Urban…he speaks when he has something to say
Pitt 3 ND 0
nice….need to run the ball to take off the pressure
Not sure how we can’t have a guy that can return a punt for positive yardage…ever
JONAS GRAY!!! Out of NOWHERE!!! 7-3 Irish
Nice play by Flemming.
7-6 Now is our time ND!
Gotta find Effiert and Riddick
I was expecting this movement early. I guess we can take some concession in the fact that Pitt hasn’t allow a score before this game in the first quarter
3
I mean 3 winners to be NC
Ouch….and double ouch
Pitt is better than I thought they would be
They are talking about taking Rees out. Does anyone think that is going to happen?
@notredame_dame I think that Kelly will only do it if his hand is absolutely forced. Tommy has given up his two turnovers a game already so we should be good.
I think he should make the move, but that might be why I have a blog and not employed as a head coach
ND better get it in gear
ND better get it in gear
They just seem off…didn’t expect this today at all.
They just seem off…didn’t expect this today at all.
You gotta stay with Rees right now.
nice!!
OMG! His legs DO work!
That is a very tight space to complete that pass
Now if we could just get his arm working.
I DO like that he is throwing it away more today than just trying to force it in…but there is no flow to this offense…and this is PITT
Running it to the has for the FG. Now kick the thing!
Well at least the snapper isn’t on full scholarship. *arrow through the head*
Catch you guys in the second half. Thanks for the open thread….it has made the game easier to watch than yelling at the screen by myself
Well, my son looked at me and said, “that is the worst half of football ND has played this year.” I agree! Missed tackles (C4, Smith and Motta), Gray still not looking back for the interception, and Tommy not being able to see anything beyond his primary receiver. Not good!
Oh yeah, Go IRISH!!!!!!
Yeah I am with you. I thought Gray had good coverage on that play though.
@LetsGoIrish He had great coverage – that’s why I call BS.
I’m so sick of feeling sick every Saturday.
Effiert should have came back to the ball on that pick.
Let’s hope for a better second half
I’m back. I do like that he have a kicker that can actually put the ball in the endzone!
Fleming is having a good game.
3rd and 21 and they run…a good indication on how the secondary and DL are playing
crap. Stupid automatic first down…..college football gets three things wrong….pass interfering always being 15 yards instead of a spot foul, not having a 5 yard face mask and THAT being called roughing instead of running into the kicker
Lynch is in there
Yeah I guess he wanted everyone to know.
That is 3 coverage sacks this half
If I close my eyes will that keep them from scoring?
Implosion alert.
@OC Irish What are you thoughts on a new QB?
I’m open to at least trying different packages – surely they’ve been practiced.
I think you have to stay with Rees. If you bring in another QB you risk running into WTF territory ….but if Rees throws anther pick we may be there any way.
The QB sneak was one of Charlie’s best plays
Gotta be kidding me. Was that Teo and Louis Nix in coverage.
Ty Willingham just saw that 2-pt conversion and said out loud “Huh, never thought about running a play out of that formation.”
Someone explain to me how that’s roughing when the kicker fell on top of our guy. I don’t think our guy every touched him.
Yeah that is what I said OC. No way that should haven’t been a running into the kicker call.
painful graphic Rees responsible for 9 turnovers
might as well learn to live with it. I think Kelly will only pull Rees when he is ready to do it for good.
This game is painful
Soap Opera writers could learn a lot from watching ND football
The secondary has been awesome today. Gray haters should recognize
They’re canceling all the soaps. I’m close to checking out here.
@OC Irish you need to avatar up by the way
That one is on Motta.
Thanks for the gift.
If we lose this game Kelly is going to have some SERIOUS explaining to do.
NICE!!! Ok here we go.
He just said Crist.
If I was the punter I would make sure to never punt it out of bounds against ND
WTF
My eyes are still closed
YEah like I said we are going to win or lose with Rees this week.
Why didn’t he dump it to Effiert?
Ok now I am not looking
TJ’s look says it all.
TJ’s look says it all.
How can Michael Floyd disappear?
Speechless.
OK need some momentum. DBs have been solid….Pitt QB forces it and we get an INT.
They won’t reverse this.
generous spot there
Praise be!! A punt. Now let’s pray they kick it out of bounds
If Rees doesn’t do it here I bring Crist for the last possession. A TOMA sighting!!!
I am sorry but it is sad that you can’t get the ball in Floyd’s hands…that should have been what you worked on all summer. Did you not believe people would double him?
I am too young for heart problems caused by ND football
I have an idea…throw the ball to Floyd.
Or just do that
I don’t understand how we can’t move Floyd around in the slot, with some motion to try to break the coverage in our advantage. Good catch by Effiert.
I don’t understand how we can’t move Floyd around in the slot, with some motion to try to break the coverage in our advantage. Good catch by Effiert.
Exactly ….get Floyd in the game.
Exactly ….get Floyd in the game.
TD IRISH!!
please don’t throw a fade. Hate the fade here.
Reese saves his job for another week on that drive, for better or for worse
It’s on you, D
It’s on you, D
Lets see #19 in there.
Jackson may not be a great starter but he is a heck of a special teams player
Our DL is $$$
I would rather see Pitt run the clock a bit so I don’t have to see us go into prevent offense
Exactly …make a play!
Would still like to see the pass rush in there
Thank you coach
jail break
Keep Lynch in the game!!
Agreed you got to keep Lynch in there
NO WAY…how was he not in the grasp??
coverage has been good all day. put your pass rushers in there and rush them. Let the LB drop in coverage
Knee down….liking the idea of 4th and 25…they may punt
even with 1 time out they have to punt
@OC Irish are you still with us?
Yes…heart palpitations and all
Tuitt is in at Nose
Sweet!
Love it! Nice play Carlo
Run the ball please
Run the ball please
Answered prayers
Kudos to whoever decided to challenge
If the Purdue game goes like this I might have to swear
Pitt is going to get the football back but I am not feeling that same doom as I did with Michigan
I think they should go for it here.
I think they should go for it here.
They just can’t finish. For cripes sake
With a punt you gain what exactly? Let the clock run to 1 and then get the first down and go home.
Even if they don’t make it, I like our chances. Urban if we put we will most certainly kick it in the endzone.
I am behind Kelly on this one
I kick it.
I still would have kicked it…make them drive the field.
For ND fans that is called the victory formation
A win is a win is a win!
A win is a win is a win!
Whew! Go Irish!
Whew! Go Irish!
Ooooogly.
Kelly LOVES Rees…maybe to our detriment.
Kelly LOVES Rees…maybe to our detriment.
“He showed why he is our starting QB” Yeah coach for 1 drive against a crappy Pittsburgh team….stay positive….stay positive…
“He showed why he is our starting QB” Yeah coach for 1 drive against a crappy Pittsburgh team….stay positive….stay positive…
Thanks for the open thread. Go Irish!
I think he has to say that stuff though – he just doesn’t have his guy ready yet.
I am not convinced in any way the Rees is the guy now or in the future.
I am not sure it is about Kelly’s “love” for Rees. I just really don’t believe that Crist gives us anything additional. Thankfully on the final drive he was a least hitting second and third options. Where was that earlier. Plus the final two passes on the TD drive were both borderline. The difference was his quick delivery and decisiveness. I am still very disappointed in the missed tackles AND Gray not looking for the pick. GO IRISH!!!!
The wireless at the Bar was out of commission.
That was as ugly a ND victory as I think I have ever seen.
I don’t think you pull Rees with his history of come from behind drives where you are within one score. It’s kinda like not pulling some pitchers who get themselves into a jam with base runners, but who have a history of getting out of their own jams.
I think the big difference with pulling Crist is that we were down by 16 and he had not scored yet.
That said – I would tee up Golson for some action against Purdue and see how he does.
The main advantage that Rees seems to have over Crist is his management of the run game. He is also more decisive with his throws – as Tlud mentions, but at this point that may be offset by TOs. I think they are probably a coin flip. Golson had the potential to destroy that Pitt defense – obliterate it. The big worry with a freshman like that is probably TOs, but how can the TO situation possibly get any worse?
Urban Meyer won a NC using different QBs for different situations (Tebow a freshman at the time). I just can’t believe we don’t have packages with Hendrix or Golson ready to go at this point.
@OC Irish
My guess is that running game has been very good, which was Tebow’s primary purpose. Also, unfortunately I think the schemes are so different, and you are not only assessing the experience at the QB, but also with the experience that all the frontline players have with the Rees/Crist scheme vs. what I imagine would be Golson/Hendrix.
Also, Kelly would be essentially handing control of the offense over to Golson. It would not be about play calling with him – it would be about his skills and ability to make plays. He’s simply not going to do that in a tight game. I think it will be a combination of seeing Golson in action against a weaker team and gaining confidence in him, followed by a situation where Rees is not getting it done and you switch out to Golson without feeling like you are putting the game at risk.
We need it, badly!
On the interception to Eifert, I know they said Rees was late with the throw, but it seemed Eifert just stood there. Was it simply an excellent defensive play? Was it all on Tommy or should Eifert have seen the corner coming? Regardless, Eifert had a great game.