ONE MORE COMPARISON

T-SHIRT MANIA

If someone really wanted to make some quick cash (you, for instance; or even me), they'd be selling underground T-shirts at Notre Dame exploiting the school's three, as Charlie Weis describes them, "cult figures".

Here are a few ideas we've had:

1. A "Charlie's Angels" t-shirt with an iconic silhouette of the three in action (we're not doing a T-shirt of such, but look for a design on this site soon).
2. A shirt that reads "TOMOHAWK", with the first three letters in one color (say, blue) and the last six in another (gold, perhaps).
3. A parody of the iconic "Jaws" movie poster with a certain wide receiver rushing toward the surface where a football, as opposed to a female swimmer, bobs unsuspectingly.

As it stands, there have been few such T-shirts around campus so far this autumn, though our friend Ken Fowler, a junior here, informs us that the ladies of Lyons Hall are now pedaling a T-shirt that reads:

"MY QUARTERBACK IS HOTTER THAN YOURS"

WHY IRISH FANS SHOULD WORRY

Three extremely troubling stats for Notre Dame fans, especially considering the fact that four of the starters on the offensive lines are seniors with plenty of experience and the fifth is Mighty Sam Young:

1. The Irish rank 113 in the nation in 3rd-down conversions (15 of 55, or 27%)
2. The Irish rank 108th in rushing.
3. Only three teams have been penalized more this season, and most penalties are accrued by the O-line.

WHY IRISH FANS SHOULD RELAX

While most BCS teams have just finished their non-conference (read: "easy") schedules, the Irish have just completed the most difficult third of their season. Notre Dame's schedule to date is ranked toughest in the nation, and with 4-0 Purdue visiting on Saturday, it will not diminish that much.
However, the Boilermakers have allowed nearly 29 point per game this season, and that's against the likes of a I-AA school (Indiana State), two MAC teams (Miami and Ball State) and 2-2 Minnesota.

Also, the running game should improve this Saturday for two reasons:

1. Chances are that Notre Dame will not be down by at least 17 points after the first 20 minutes as they have been in the previous two games.
2. Injured freshman tailback James Aldridge, who has been in school here since last January, has been given 100% clearance to practice this week. Aldridge isn't the answer--Darius Walker has seen few real holes and, by the way, is now ND's all-time leader in receptions among running backs--but at 6'1", 215 pounds, Aldridge adds a new dimension to the Irish attack.

BIG PICTURE

I am still trying to get my mind around the logic of the Michigan State players who rushed to midfield after Saturday's loss to preserve the integrity of the "S". Running back Javon Ringer, who played a hellacious game (5.4 yards per carry, one 26-yard TD catch) admitted that he and a couple of teammates stood guard around the "S" in case any Irish players attempted to defame it by planting a flag there.
Hearing that made me sad, and it also helped me realize the chasm that exists between, well, myself and Ringer. If I'm a Michigan State player, and I've just allowed a visiting team to stage a three-touchdown comeback in the final eight minutes on my turf, well, that's more defamation than any planted flag can cause.
The game is the issue; not the turf war.
Also, why does your victory have to equal someone else's shame? Ringer, who planted the flag at Notre Dame Stadium last September, felt the compulsion to diss the Irish after the win last season.
Here is a photo from the South Bend Tribune's sports section after last Saturday's game. Here's how two Notre Dame players (needing no introduction) celebrated:

http://southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?CATEGORY=SPORTS

It's the difference between hostility and joy.
I'm not even attempting to make the "Stay classy, San Diego" versus the "Bleep you, San Diego" argument. Ringer seemed like a nice enough guy, and certainly he was feeling down after the loss, so I never asked him why he'd be preoccupied with flag-planting defense after the real war had just been fought. But I really am curious.

BUCKEYES, HAWKEYES

Two quick items:

1. Iowa, which hosts Ohio State on Saturday night, is 0-7-1 against No. 1 teams in its history. Yes, the Hawkeyes stomped the Buckeyes at Nile Kinnick Stadium 33-7 two years ago, but these are very different stakes.

2. Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith had a great answer when asked how come tailback Antonio Pittman, who averages 112.5 yards per game rushing, does not receive more attention from the media: "I don't have the pen, so I'm not writing the stories."