MARINA DEL REY MAUALUGA
Greetings from the L.A. Coliseum, people. Sorry for the delay. Technical difficulties (and that's really what they were).
Let's begin with the Quote of the Year, the 2008 team's epitaph that also serves as a classic Yogi-ism, even if it did come out of the mouth of Jimmy Clausen earlier this week: "We've been consistent here and there."
As my buddy asked last night, Isn't that the same as being...inconsistent?
I was driving over to the Coliseum earlier this afternoon with Guest List Markazi and we pondered variations on that quote:
"With me it's always black and white...except when it's gray."
"Am I ambivalent? I'm not sure."
Anyway, from a pregame perspective, it's hard to glimpse this contest as potentially gruesome. You've got a USC defense that allows exactly one touchdown per game and that is 1st in the nation in both pass defense and pass efficiency defense. Add the fact that the Irish are minus one of their two deep threats, Michael Floyd, and you say to yourself, "They'll have to run the ball."
Except that the Irish are 91st nationally rushing the ball.
The only real solution is that Notre Dame will have to play better-and the Trojans worse--than they have all season. It's difficult not to see it as a foregone conclusion. It's like casting Jack Nicholson in a film with a beautiful young actress who is massively insecure and has abandonment issues with her dad. We all know where that story is headed.
Then again, as Dr. Lou said on ESPN earlier today, "That's what's going to make it such an amazing story when Notre Dame wins."
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Beautiful afternoon here in the Southland. Not a cloud in the sky, but the smog is making it difficult to see the "HOLLYWOOD" sign from here in the pressbox.
I'll venture down to the field in a few minutes to check on the Sideline Celebs. Just wanted to get this first post up so you'd know we were all alive.
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Meaningless stat of the night: Since his first high school game at Oaks Christian, Jimmy Clausen is 46-0 all-time in the state of California or versus teams from the Golden State. Recall that Clausen, a sophomore, did not play in last season's 38-0 loss to USC in South Bend.
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Time check:
2:15 p.m. local time: Students are first allowed inside the stadium.
3:15 p.m. USC's football team enters stadium en masse from the top of the peristyle behind the eastern end zone.
4:16 p.m. USC takes the field in uniforms, and a scrum breaks out between both teams just outside the tunnel. At first it just looks like posturing, but then a few players actually get into it. The most pugilistic of the Fighting Irish is Pat Kuntz(whom did you expect? Mike Anello?), who exchanges some serious shoves with Jordan Campbell and Jeff Byers of USC. Even the Irish coaches jaw back and forth with the USC players, most vociferous among them being Brian Polian.
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The Notre Dame Marching Band is here in its entirety for the first time ever. Given the seats they've been allocated, they may not want to return. The Irish are located on the south side of the stadium, lower level, as far east as permittable without just seating them in West Covina. It's the proverbial bird-flipping of complimentary seating. Staring straight ahead from their seats, the Irish band are looking at a point about 30 yards behind the east end zone.
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Conversation I had this morning about the Hardy Boys with a Bayport novice:
Novice: "Which Hardy Boy would you rather be, Frank or Joe?"
Me: "Well, since Joe was the pretty boy, every guy will tell you he'd rather be Frank...even if the answer is Joe."
Novice: "Interesting."
Me: "In fact, that's where the phrase 'May I be Frank?' comes from."
Novice: "Really?"
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I think we are a young team. I don't think Wies should be fired. with the recruting classes we have been getting. It takes time to develop players. and this will be his 3rd class coming in. Thats when thinks start to turn around. We have went though to many coaches! No stubility and ND! I know if i was a recrute i would want to play for the coach that recreuted me! We are young and that is the problem not the coach! I know that next year We will win. Young players make mastakes. Thats Most of the problem right now. Not the Coach!