Grasping at straws here but there is a huge talent discrepancy between Cincinnati and Georgia yet Cincinnati is hanging with them. We should be able to hang with Alabama and give ourselves a punchers chance.

There was no middle ground when it came to Hawk Harrelson as a play-by-play man for the White Sox games. You either loved the Hawkaroo or you hated him.

He was famous for his Hawkisms like "put it on the board, Yes" for White Sox home runs, "grab some bench" after an opponent struck out, "can of corn" for a pop-up, "duck snort" for a soft flair or blooper hit, etc.

But I came across a Hawkism that I had not heard before. I was reading an article on Charley Finley and Catfish Hunter. In the article they were describing what a great pitcher Hunter was and that one of his attributes was his great control. The article quoted Hawk Harrelson's description of Hunter's great control: “he could dot a gnat’s ass.”

I have to admit that I laughed out loud. Hawk's description was colorful to say the least, but it certainly got the point across.

Like doubling them 40-20 minutes

While I expected it, I did not think it would be as bad as it has turned out to be. This media narrative that being a 20 point underdog somehow proves that ND is not deserving of a berth in the playoffs is ridiculous.

The con: just because Notre Dame is not as good as Alabama does mean that ND is unworthy. I am willing to bet that every single team not named Clemson or Ohio State would be 20 point underdogs to Alabama in this game. Alabama has simply separated itself from every other team in college football other than Clemson.

The pro: quite frankly, the history of Notre Dame in high profile games since Holtz is simply pathetic. When you have lost your last 8 major bowl games with many of them blowouts, you are not going to gain the respect of the media and the college football world until you win one of these games.

Notre Dame simply needs to win one of these high profile games to change the narrative. Unfortunately I do not think this game against Alabama is going to be the one.

Some notable data for today's showdown that would leave the winner one win away from a national title.
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/notre-dame-vs-alabama-countdown-10-to-1

ND will be receiving the kickoff with the game tied at 0-0 and a chance to take the lead.

It’s science.

Lol, says Oklahoma would blow out ND because they beat Florida's jv and freshman team.

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We need all the positive thoughts we can get heading into this matchup with Bama. I've spent the last 12 days coming up with a reason every day for me and my fellow ND friends to be optimistic about our chances (despite all the overwhelming evidence against this being a competitive game). While I won't list them all, I am summarizing my Top 5 reasons, and I invite others to add to the list.

My Top 5, in no particular order:

1. Mac Jones is no Trevor Lawrence. His inability to use his legs plays directly into our defense's strengths. Our front 7 can (and needs to) be ferocious in relation to stopping Harris and making Jones uncomfortable. Jones' passing efficiency drops when he's under pressure. We can take advantage of that.

2. ND is the most complete team on BOTH sides of the ball that Bama will face this season. We're neck and neck with Georgia for the top defense they face, and we're the 3rd highest scoring offense they will face. The 2 other higher scoring offenses they've faced - FL & Ole Miss - have much weaker defenses. The combination on both sides of the ball will be new to Bama. ND is Top 22 in both offense and defense, while Georgia is Top 33 in both, A&M is Top 42 in both, and no other Bama opponent was Top 50 in both. By the way, conversely, Clemson is Top 11 in both while Bama is Top 33 in both, so ND has seen it already.

3. Bama losing All-American C Landon Dickerson is huge. They have yet to play a game this season without him, and to do so against one of the top defenses they'll face will be problematic for them. This is a huge opportunity for ND's defense to be aggressive pushing up the middle and causing disruption, which as previously mentioned in #1, will be an issue for Mac Jones.

4. Bama's #1 deficiency on defense is defending athletic TEs. Well, welcome to TE U! The Top 3 TEs Bama has faced this season put up big numbers: Pitt (FL) - 7/129/1; Yeboah (Ole Miss) - 7/181/2; Wydermeyer (A&M) - 8/82. Mayer and Tremble are the #4 & #6 best TE's individually (statistically speaking) that Bama will face this season. Combined, they're the 2nd best unit Bama will face after Florida's Kyle Pitts. Big opportunity for ND's offense to exploit Bama's defense, put them on their heels, and open up the running game.

5. JOK is the single best defender Bama will have faced this season. Their 2 lowest scoring outputs of the season (Mizzou 38pts & Georgia 41pts) came against defenses with a Butkus Award finalist. And yet, JOK was not just a Butkus Award finalist - he was the winner. He's likely a future Top 15 NFL draft pick, and he will bring a level of versatility to the defense going against this Bama offense that will be a game changer.

Again, let's stay positive in this thread. Might as well! Go Irish!

Watching ACC Network this morning. Luginbill is filling in for Wes Durham and just posted his All Rose Bowl team. Here it is:

Offense:
QB: Mac Jones (ALA)
RB: Najee Harris (ALA)
WR: Davonta Smith (ALA)
WR: John Metchie (ALA)
WR: Javon McKinley (ND)
TE: Michael Mayer (ND)
OT: Liam Eichenberg (ND)
OG: Aaron Banks (ND)
C: Zeke Correll (ND)
OG: Emiyol Eykior (ALA)
OT: AlexLeatherwood (ALA)

Defense:
DE: Christian Baramore (ALA)
DT: Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (ND)
DT: Daylin Hayes (ND)
LB: Christian Harris (ALA)
LB: Dylan Moses (ALA)
LB: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (ND)
CB: Patrick Surtain II (ALA)
S: Kyle Hamilton (ND)
S: Jordan Battle (ALA)
CB: Josh Jobe (ALA)

Was he always such an idiot and I didn’t notice or has the Florida Air just gotten to him? He has made one idiot statement after another all year and didn’t he show up to a press conference in a costume? Now he says his team “could’ve” opted out. Maybe they should have then someone more deserving could have played in the game and done better.

With the exception of the marvelous season our team had, take the rest of 2020, wrap it neatly up with a bow and toss it into the dumpster of forgettable years. My wish to all of you on this board is for a healthy, happy, safe and prosperous 2021. And here is a tip that is guaranteed to make you feel great....do something nice for an unsuspecting someone else. It's amazing how uplifting that is. Now let's go out and beat BAMA!

I say stuff the box and try and prevent Harris! He scares me more than any of them! Put it on our corners and Hamilton to step up. They have the ability I believe. Even if we give up a big one better than getting gashed all day!!

What’s everybody munching and drinking on today

Click Here for the gameday package

Date: Jan. 1, 2021
Site: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN
Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame’s IMG affiliates.
Series Facts: Notre Dame leads 5-2, but lost the last meeting 42-14 in the BCS National Championship Game in Miami on Jan. 7, 2013.
Head coaches: Alabama — Nick Saban (168-23, 14th season); Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (102-38, 11th season).

Tyrion Lannister for Georgia put up 24 against Bama. If Book is as good as some on here think he is, than ND should have no issues scoring.

Story: https://notredame.rivals.com/news/q...the-day-before-facing-alabama-in-the-playoffs

My heart says Notre Dame 38-35

My head says Bama 47-14

I’m going with my heart in this one, Notre Dame takes the upset!



What say you?

My profile on Rees and why he got here so fast:

Story from Todd Burlage

I will probably shed some tears for this badass team. Go Irish!

Sources indicated to FootballScoop that Kelly already has been tentatively working to set up potential interviews with one or more Southeastern Conference coaches, and other external candidates in the mix, per sources, include North Carolina’s Jay Bateman and Cincinnati’s Marcus Freeman, among others.

Brian Kelly outlines plans moving forward to find replacement for Clark Lea.
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/notre-dame-requirements-for-next-defensive-coordinator

I read it was 5 on a site and Clemson 845. Anybody know exact kickoff time?

Great video. Although I’m struggling to see a path for victory, these kids deserve this chance and earned the right to be in this playoff.

Regardless of the outcome, GO IRISH!

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