Is 8-4 Better Than 7-5?

If you say Yes, then you have to agree that the Irish have improved over last year and that the Football Program is headed in the right direction?  It sure is a mixed bag and a vexing question with no easy answers.

It appears that Head Coach Brian Kelly cannot escape a quarterback controversy.  Who will start in the Bowl Game?  Will spring training be an open quarterback competition?  It is pretty much assured that Dayne Crist barring any quarterback injuries in the above assumed Bowl Game is finished playing football for Notre Dame.  What about recruit Gunner Kiel on the outside looking in?  He has to be pleased with what he sees as a great opportunity to play for the Irish.  One he did not anticipate when he erred in verbally committing to Indiana early this fall.  I blame Jimmy Clausen.  If Jimmy had not performed his ill-timed jump to the NFL and stuck around to play for Kelly, none of this would have happened.  What if Golden Tate had said, yeah, I’m going to stick around too.

Oh well, this quarterback business will keep all the message boards and media in speculation fodder until the starting quarterback is announced next fall.

Wow.  I never thought I would miss Braxton Cave and Jonas Gray.  Those two injuries hurt more than all the other player injuries combined this year.  Their play against Stanford was sorely missed.

A lot of folks complained about Notre Dame Stadium’s natural grass this year and at times it was pretty bad.  However it played like the 18^th fairway at Augusta National compared to the embarrassment Stanford calls a football field.  Talk about home field advantage.  They knew better than to cut and weave and instead tried to run North and South.  The Irish never did figure that out.

I guess a less than 100% Theo Riddick was better than a 100% George Atkinson III.  George went missing from the Irish backfield.  Kelly had said GAIII and Cam McDaniel would see playing time spelling Cierre Wood.  Riddick looked as if he was still favoring the hamstring injury. 

Looking at Andrew Luck’s statistics and play, I’d say once again, Notre Dame has unintentionally helped a Heisman Trophy Winner clinch the award.

People living in glass houses don’t throw stones.  Although the Irish ran on the field twice this year sporting some unusual uniforms and helmets, at least they didn’t have small, tiny names on the back.  Stanford should start a tradition and save those "All Cardinal" colored uniforms and black helmets for “worthy opponents”.  Maybe someday we will be worthy enough for Stanford to wear them against us.

This being the 12^th and final regularly scheduled game of season last night and listening to all the Kelly bashing, I would have to say the Team let Kelly and his staff down by their play against Stanford.  Sure this year you can talk about some of his decisions at playing which quarterback, throwing some players under the bus after USC, ranting on the sidelines, and refusing to correct the punt return game.  But against Stanford, a lot of players had games they wished they could replay.  If you watched the game you know what I mean.

Well here at Subway Alumni Station, we are the first in yelling:

Go IRISH BEAT FSU.

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