But the PF on Carlson defies any explanation. This was a dead ball foul after the play was over. Carlson was flagged simply for extending his arm to make the first-down signal.

The official either mis-signalled, misspoke, or both. Carlson should have been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. IIRC, gestures such as that were a point of emphasis among the officials one or two years ago. Now, as to whether that should really be a penalty is another issue.
DJ | Email | Homepage | 11.18.07 - 11:10 pm | #

Nice job, as always. You're absolutely right about the importance of overcoming that "Here we go again" moment - the personal foul on Anello was another such instance, and I wrote about both of them in my own recap. I really do think that's been the story line all year long: bad things happen, and then tentativeness sets in. Duke, of course, was hardly in a position to make the Irish pay in the way that pretty much every other team this year managed to do, but kudos to the offense for cashing in when the defense swung the momentum back their way.
John | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 12:37 am | #

DJ. if that was a point of emphasis and you feel Carlson should have been flagged for that very tame celebration then any type of celebration should be flagged. Laws celebrated much more vigorously after a sack and wasnt flagged. I believe that official had a talking to by the referee after the call was made, he couldnt wave off the flag but there was more vigourous celebrating done that didnt get flagged. It was poor judgement by the official.
Doug | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 6:49 am | #

Re: The PF call on Carlson. That was the ultimate cheap shot by an ACC official. Why in hell do we always let the visitors bring their own crews?

That call was a deliberate statement by that Southern hick.
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 7:29 am | #

well said. hughes - god bless him.
what a game.
M Jelic | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 7:48 am | #

Yeah, DJ, he was called for unsportsman like conduct. It's a 15 yard personal foul. You are right about what it's called.

However, you are completely wrong that it was deserving of a penalty and that is should have been called. It stands up there as one of the worst calls I haver personally ever seen.
Kyle | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 8:26 am | #

Agree with Doug on the PF on Carlson; he's done the "first down" signal in other games, and he's never been called for unsportsmanlike conduct. What's up with the refs?
Good post . . . nice to see Clausen doing better, Hughes bursting for yards, and the young guys on defense making plays.
GO Irish - Beat the Cardinal!
JB | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 8:42 am | #

That signal was kind of Carlson's 'thing'. I guess he'll never do it again. For the rest of the game, whenever he made a catch, he did the quick "Let's go, fellas" hand clapping thing instead.
Joe Subway | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 9:09 am | #

DJ, I'm just going to pile on here, but you're absolutely wrong.

Georgia celebrating its first TD against Florida merits an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (actually, I think it was two). Carlson signalling first down from his knees does not.

Now, that's not to say that what Carlson did does not fall into the definition of "unsportsmanlike conduct" according to the 2007 rules, which I excerpt below. That rule covers everything under the sun, no matter how innucuous.

http://www.ncaa.org/library/ rule...tball_rules.pdf

But the 2006 rules provided some guidance on when the penalty should be called: "The committee has no intent to discourage spontaneous celebrations with teammates or fans when done in good taste. Enthusiasm is one of football’s great assets."

http://www.ncaa.org/library/ rule...tball_rules.pdf

I don't think that there has been such a sea change in officiating over the past year that the 2006 comment can be cast aside, such that Carlson's genuine, spontaneous celebration (if you can even call it a celebration) merits a 15 yd penalty.

The point is that no one calls unsportsmanlike penalties for what Carlson did.

Unsportsmanlike Acts
ARTICLE 1. There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct or any act that interferes with orderly game administration on the part of players,
substitutes, coaches, authorized attendants or any other persons subject to the rules, before the game, during the game or between periods.
a. Specifically prohibited acts and conduct include:
1. No player, substitute, coach or other person subject to the rules shall use abusive, threatening or obscene language or gestures, or engage in such acts that provoke ill will or are demeaning to an opponent, to
RULE 9.2 / CONDUCT OF PLAYERS AND OTHERS SUBJECT TO RULES FR-123
game officials or to the image of the game, including but not limited
to:
(a) Pointing the finger(s), hand(s), arm(s) or ball at an opponent, or imitating the slashing of the throat.
(b) Taunting, baiting or ridiculing an opponent verbally.
(c) Inciting an opponent or spectators in any other way, such as simulating the firing of a weapon or placing a hand by the ear to request recognition.
(d) Any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player (or players) attempts to focus attention upon himself (or themselves).
(e) Obviously altering stride as an unopposed runner approaches the opponent’s goal line, or diving into the end zone when unopposed.
(f) Removal of a player’s helmet before he is in the team area (Exceptions: Team, media or injury timeouts; equipment adjustment; through play; between periods; and during a measurement for a first down).
(g) Punching one’s own chest or crossing one’s arms in front of the chest while standing over a prone player.
(h) Going into the stands to interact with spectators, or bowing at the waist after a good play.
2. After a score or any other play, the player in possession immediately must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot.
This prohibits:
(a) Kicking, throwing, spinning or carrying (including off of the field) the ball any distance that requires an official to retrieve it.
(b) Spiking the ball to the ground [Exception: A forward pass to conserve time (Rule 7-3-2-d)].
(c) Throwing the ball high into the air.
(d) Any other unsportsmanlike act or actions that delay the game.
PENALTY—Dead-ball foul. 15 yards [S7, S27] from the succeeding spot. Flagrant offenders, if players or substitutes, shall
FR-124 RULE 9.2 / CONDUCT OF PLAYERS AND OTHERS SUBJECT TO RULES
be disqualified [S47]. If a player or an identified squad member in uniform commits two unsportsmanlike fouls in the same game, he shall be disqualified.
b. Other prohibited acts include:
1. During the game, coaches, substitutes and authorized attendants in the team area shall not be on the field of play or outside the 25-yard
lines without permission from the referee unless legally entering or leaving the field (Exceptions: Rules 1-2-4-g and 3-3-8-c). Team area
personnel who are outside the team area and who have involvement or impact on live-ball play are subject to penalty under Rule 9-1-4-
a.
2. No disqualified person shall enter the field of play or end zones.
3. No person or mascot subject to the rules, except players, officials and eligible substitutes, shall be on the field of play or end zones during
any period without permission from the referee. If a player is injured, attendants may come inbounds to attend him, but they must obtain
recognition from an official.
4. No substitute(s) may enter the field of play or end zones for purposes other than replacing a player(s) or to fill a player vacancy(ies). This
includes demonstrations after any play (A.R. 9-2-1-I).
5. Persons subject to the rules, including bands, shall not create any noise that prohibits a team from hearing its signals (Rule 1-1-6).
DCDomer | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 9:10 am | #

I still say it was a hick call
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 9:41 am | #

Regarding Carlson, was it because his hand was still on the ball? That's the only possible reason the call could be justified.
Big Jim Dwyer | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 9:55 am | #

The PF against Carlson was a grievous, wanton miscarriage of justice. (I am not an attorney, so let me just enjoy speaking in Grisham for a moment.)
Keep in mind that those A.C.C. refs were officiating in their 10th game of the season. So you know these guys have already been exposed to highly disciplined, classy players in programs such as Miami, FSU, Clemson, Va. Tech, and North Carolina. Certainly, players on those teams would never do anything so flagrantly heinous as outwardly indicate that they achieved a first down!! That Carlson's simple little forearm extension was flagged is indicative why ND should henceforth use neutral officiating crews at home. Beating the opponent is hard ebough without the importation of home cooking.
Voice in the Wilderness | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 9:59 am | #

Great write ups about the game.

I love Zibby. Great player, one of my favorites over the last decade.

I understand Weis wanting to do something special for him.......but putting him in at quaterback was a joke. I can see why some Duke players to an offense to it.

Weis should have put Bragg in at that point at QB. And to do something special for Zibby- put him at RB.

This debacle, put ND in bad field position and helped Duke get their TD.

Just my two cents.
PTINDY | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 10:01 am | #

To follow up---

It good to get a win. It was great to see the smiling faces of the players. Good for the seniors to close out at home with a W.

There were alot of positives to take away from this game, and much to build on. Hughes and Clausen were outstanding and played smart. It will be fun to watch Laws on Sundays next year. Hopefully he's still around when the Colts pick, but I doubt it.
PTINDY | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 10:08 am | #

Anon - if I'm not mistaken, this year we changed that policy and we had Big East officials at our home games.

I know that KW finally balled up and changed the policy. one of the few smart things he has done since becoming AD
domer03inbmore | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 10:10 am | #

It's a BS rule if Carlson did violate it. The first-down signal could be construed to be a "choreographed act," but I would say overall the incident points to the need for the NCAA to take over officiating, not leave it to individual conferences.


But while the Carlson penalty can be argued, by my count we ended up with five 15-yard unsportsmanlike or roughing penalties in the game. We're not going to beat good teams like that.

This has been a plague since Game 1 this season, when a late hit kept alive an early Ga Tech drive, and Game 2, when a roughing penalty negated early great field position after a Penn State punt. For many years, I have been of the opinion that teams which take a lot of these penalties lack a fundamental sense of discipline. That's something the coaching staff needs to correct.
rays15 | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 10:16 am | #

While I think the Carlson call was cheesy, personally I don't like seeing that kind of stuff. If you don't do it, you won't get called.

Is Weis a better coach now?
captain jack | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 10:24 am | #

I don't think we can say just because of one game Weis is a better coach now. But I think it is fair to say the play calling seemed to be quite strong against the Blue Devils.

Also, Duke may not be a great team, but our fundamentals seemed to be pretty strong and it stood out more here. I think it goes back to Mike's point about confidence. The team seemed to settle down in this game, which helped them play their own game and not forget what they learned in practice. I am really looking forward to this next game against Stanford to see whether that statement proves to be true.

Any comments?
ND17 | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 10:38 am | #

Who cares about the Carlson call? Everybody agrees that it was a bad one (mainly because it was inconsistant with any other call made this year in any game around the country.)

What made me the most happy about this game was Clausen's NEW/IMPROVED ability to see where the blitz was coming from and actually step up into the pocket instead of taking the 7 step drop. I think our O-line did marginally better - the difference maker was Clausen finally stepping into the pocket instead of behind it. It's got me excited to see if he can build off this in his next game.
rbingham'97 | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 10:49 am | #

So what you're saying, Mike, is that there's... hope? Sweet.

The play calling will ALWAYS look good if the plays are successful. Hughes happened to run over a lot of people, thus making the play look like a good call. CW did do the smart thing by keeping Hughes in there, though. However, Paris' drop on 4th and 9 sure didn't do CW any favors. Make that catch, and CW looks smart for going for it. Drop it as such, and people will question the call not to pooch it.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 10:51 am | #

I too was very happy to see the Irish come away with a win at home.....finally. However, it was Duke. It bums me out that we are now getting excited about beating a team that frankly shouldn't even be on the schedule. Furthermore, this week they play a team that upset USC earlier in the year. An SC team that destroyed the Irish at home. I just hope that Charlie can figure this thing out over the off season. Including not losing any recruits!

As for the Carlson call, it's over. It was a silly call, but it happened. Fortunately it didn't effect the outcome of the game, and the Irish still won. Laws rules, I hope he goes to a good team.

Sorry to be a buzzkill.

Go Irish!
The Grouch | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 11:03 am | #

Re: "Why in hell do we always let the visitors bring their own crews?"


Just another reason Kevin White should be fired!
DayBreakBoys | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 11:04 am | #

RE: "The play calling will ALWAYS look good if the plays are successful..."

What other metric would you judge play calling by? As this season shows, understanding your players abilities is the most important aspect of coaching.

For example, you theorize that Charlie's play calling looked good because Hughes was able to garner so many yards after contact.

I would counter that Charlie has come to accept that his line isn't going to open the big holes that would allow Allen to hit the open field and use his speed. So he went with Aldridge and Hughes his backs most able to shrug off a few tackles and pick up 3 yards instead of 1.

You also can't judge a coach's play calling by just looking at few key 3rd or 4th down plays. The lion's share of play calling is not getting into key 3rd and 4th down plays. :)
obediah | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 11:21 am | #

Aren't the booth officials Big East officials when they aren't on the field? I think that's supposed to give ND the refs that are from their conference in every other sport.
erin | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 11:21 am | #

At a new conference back in May CW announced that we wopuld be using Big East officials at the home games this year. The affiliation of the officials was announced on NBC.

the Carlson call was miserable, but it wasn't a function of the officials' conference affiliation.

IMHO that is the only positive thing KW has done in the past few years.
domer03inbmore | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 11:31 am | #

Jimmy Clausen threw some really great passes with a lot of zip on them in this game. Some were dropped. I give him credit. Thus endeth my expert analysis.
Joe Subway | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 11:37 am | #

"This debacle, put ND in bad field position and helped Duke get their TD."

Actually, PTINDY, it was Travis Thomas touching the ball, and of course fumbling it, that led to Duke's field position --> touchdown. Zibby didn't have much to do with that.
Gabe | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 11:38 am | #

I think Anello didn't know if the Duke guy had picked up the ball or not. It kind of looked like it was rolling around under him and Anello went to hit him to get him off it so they could recover. I'm not saying it was a bad call as Carlson's was, but it wasn't as dumb a play as the announcers were making it out to be.
Animal | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 11:57 am | #

Built to Spill, Jimmy Eat World and The Clash. Nice job, guys.
Juanny | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 12:07 pm | #

Did anyone notice that Wenger was able to correctly snap in the shotgun? Huh, guess he must have used the non-Helium ball they wouldn't let Sullivan use all year.
Thundershaker | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 1:11 pm | #

I saw that Weis is going to bring in people from the Patriots during the off season to help figure it out. It seems like Charlie is saying this season was his bad, do you think the problem has been Weis or personnel?
BP | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 1:13 pm | #

Re: the refs. in the stadium it was announced that the field refs were ACC and the booth refs were Big East.

Re: Stanford beating USC: we are undefeated in the state of California and against teams under .500. So this week is a lock.
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 1:21 pm | #

BP, Weis has been saying all year that it's his fault. It's nice that he's going to get some input and other opinions. Hopefully he'll get everything figured out.

I think it's probably been both Weis and the personnel contributing to the issues. As head coach, Weis has been taking all the blame, and he should. That's his job. But it would be silly to think that every single mistake the players make is directly his fault. So, I'm glad he's taking all the blame because he should, but I don't actually think it's all his fault. Just mostly.

Oh, and congrats on your big win this weekend.
Jade | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 1:34 pm | #

Not only are we undefeated in Cali this year, but Jimmy is undefeated in Cali in his lifetime (at least the last 5 years of it).
Gabe | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 1:54 pm | #

I would be more comfortable if Charlie went to people that know the college game instead of the NFL for advice.

In fact, that has been one of his major problem areas; trying to instill NFL systems and schemes with talented, yet, un-polished teenagers.

I remember reading that Coach Wooden at UCLA on his first practice day would begin by teaching the players how to tie their shoe laces to avoid blisters! Coach Weis needs to learn how to (figuratively) teach his players how to tie their shoe laces.

Also, Weis need to show self-discipline and start working out and controlling his caloric intake, to lead by example. I have a feeling a lot of his players will be in the gym day 'n night during the off-season, and so should Charlie. To lead by example, help his health, and to not be the butt of nation-wide jokesters.
Thomas | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:09 pm | #

"The big question following Notre Dame's victory over Duke is how much of the Irish victory is attributable to improved play and how much is due to weakness of the opponent."

Is that really the BIG question? This is Duke, one of our four "show-up-and" wins at the end of the season. Since those "four" end up being just one, we again need to do what we've been fearing: look in the mirror.

A classic Duke team (guts, little talent or know-how) imploded in the final moments of the first half. Against FAU, we maybe get 3 points, so we are still in very, very deep doo-doo.

To see what "improvment" is all about, watch the Stanfored game. You do recall Stanford, right? The "godawful" team with no talent, and a newbie coach. Watch fore Stanford to line up their people where they are supposed to line up. Then, watch those players do what good high school players do: perform their position duties by exhibiting solid, not flashy technique.

Amazing how Stanford has, like Navy and AFA, built up overnight from their great talent pipeline. Fear not. They have a Michigan rook leading them. We have a very classy "genius."
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:15 pm | #

We haven't lost to Stanford yet, Anon.

Thomas, your post was pretty decent until you started about Charlie losing weight--you might as well bitch about Charlie Jr. on the sidelines etc. Our squad seemed to do fine with Charlie the same size his first two years. Kansas seems to be doing just fine with Mangino. I think we've got more to worry about than that.

I personally love the idea that Weis is going back to New England. First, I'd bet they're going to talk about more than scheming and X's and O's...or at least they damn well should. What I think I like most is that these are people who can tell Charlie where he's f*cking up and what he needs to do to improve--and Charlie won't blow them off. I see Charlie listening very intently.
Tommy O | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:22 pm | #

Does Bill Belichek know anything about developing high school talent into college talent? I hope so, because that is the area that we need the most help in. I like that Charlie will listen to his New England friends, but will they be saying the right things?
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:32 pm | #

T. O. : Actually, I like Charlie Jr on the sidelines. Everyone I know smiles whenever he is given camera time. Great father-son moments. If you and I were in Junior's shoes, we would be out there too.

Also, I did not mind seeing Zibby run the offense for a while, which some people on this blog took the wrong way.

If the weight comment was too harsh, that was not the intent. Charlie wants to address everything, and I thought that issue became eligible, sort of like a lineman lining up in a tackle eligible position. Imagine the ND players working out side by side with CW. It would be great. No offense.
Thomas | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:33 pm | #

I'd like to comment on the alarming issue that is Armando Allen's lack of vision. On kickoffs and handoffs he routinely just sprints as fast as he can to no where, often times running into his own blockers or a group of tacklers. It was so much more evident when Hughes came in. Hughes has half the speed of Allen but the vision of a season pro.

Can vision be taught? I'm afraid not...correct me if I'm wrong. Patience, yes, but vision...that's innate.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:54 pm | #

Thomas

How would that be "great". Coaches, coach...players, play!

Players workout and practice to prepare for games...coaches study, scheme and install game plans.

I'd prefer a coach that worries about blocking assignments over counting calories!

Yes, it might make after-school special.
Love the articles | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:55 pm | #

I've kind of always wondered if that was part of Charlie's problem. Brady Quinn was so far along when he got here it was easy to tudor him. Sometimes I wonder if he's just too used to motivating pro guys with a paycheck. It's easier to motivate someone when you can yank away their lively hood so easily, but college kids get a free ride for 4 years no matter what. Yell and scream at them all you want, if they aren't buying what you're selling then what?

I hope he puts it together, I have a soft spot for ND.

And thanks for the congrats, It's always nice shutting Mike Hart up.
BP | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:57 pm | #

er....Yes, it might make a nice after-school special.
Love the articles | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:57 pm | #

And a very "classy" anonymous.
Cheap Cigars | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 2:58 pm | #

A few things to note about CW going back to New England:

1) Belichick knows Charlie and if there is one guy who wouldn't be afraid to lay into Weis, it's him. Second, the guy's father was a longtime assistant at Navy so I am sure he knows how to squeeze the most juice out of any type of player. In fact, his earliest NE teams weren't the most talented all the time on the field, but they won big games.

2) The great Bill himself struggled and was fired as the Browns head coach so the guy knows what it is like to endure tough times and find the resolve to bounce back and win.

3) I'd rather have Charlie go somewhere where he can be completely open then say another CFB coach where he and Weis will be more guarded in their discussions.
PM | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 3:16 pm | #

Here's some NFL advice: hire a new cameraman.
Mattw | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 3:26 pm | #

PTINDY, it was not Zibby at QB that led to the Duke TD. It was the Travis Thomas fumble, and I submit that was an equally likely outcome no matter who was at QB.
Mr. Wednesday | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 4:54 pm | #

Regarding officials, it's standard practice everywhere for the visiting team to bring the officials for the game. The change starting this year is that we bring Big East officials to our away games, instead of Integer officials as we have used in the past.
Mr. Wednesday | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 4:56 pm | #

Clausen had a blatant grounding call that was not called shortly after the Carlson penalty, so I think they gave us a make up call.
PM | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 4:59 pm | #

i have no problem with Charlie's son standing on the sidelines. However, during the Duke game it looked to me that he had a set of coaches headphones on. That was disconcering to say the least. I shudder to think of reasons why this could be. Did anyone else see that? Like me, did u wonder who was on the other end? That said, I'd take Jr. frontbutt over Latina anyday of the week and twice on Sundays.
jdubbs | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 5:06 pm | #

@ Grouch:

I too was very happy to see the Irish come away with a win at home.....finally. However, it was Duke. It bums me out that we are now getting excited about beating a team that frankly shouldn't even be on the schedule.

Why exactly shouldn't they be on the schedule? I know Duke is bad, but they did hang with several pretty good opponents this year. Beating them 28-7 - and it could have been a MUCH larger margin than that if not for the PF on Carlson, the drop by Parris, the false start by Olsen, the fumble by Thomas (I know that all but one of these were ND's own stupid fault, but still) - isn't exactly a meaningless accomplishment. Obviously, though, next week's game will be a much more useful measure.
John | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 5:09 pm | #

@ jdubbs:

That's been the case all year long - he has a wristband on too. He can only listen to the headset, and can't talk into it: it's a way for him to be with his dad, to follow what's going on, and to learn about the game from the inside. Annoying? Maybe. But hardly something to "shudder" at.
John | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 5:11 pm | #

as long as Charlie Jr can't speak on the thing, and there isn't some headset limit that his counts against, I don't see what the big deal is.

Knee jerk reaction - it looks bad. But like most knee jerk reactions, it's best to think about it before opening the gripe hole.
obediah | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 5:38 pm | #

I feel better. I knew there was some part of the story I wasn't getting. I just have nightmares of Jr. becoming an albatross around the neck the way Jay Paterno has been for Joe Paterno. History of Nd coaches stays says I will never have to worry. Jr. couldn't possibly come on staff until Charlie's 14-15 year.
jdubbs | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 5:45 pm | #

Re: Charlie going back to NE to visit with people there to help evaluate some of ND's problems.

I think it is important to note what Charlie himself said about it in one of his presser's, which is that he'd be going back there to get a little humility. For someone who is often perceived as being just as smug and arrogant as his mentor, it's nice of him to admit that he doesn't have all the answers. He should work with whoever he is most likely to listen to when they point out his shortcomings.

I think the point is well taken, however, about whether or not the Pats staff will be very helpful in helping Charlie learn to develop young talent, but CW never said he would only be meeting with those guys. It will be interesting to see how much these meetings of the minds will be reported on.
Reno | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 5:50 pm | #

Did anybody hear Madden and Michaels talking last night about how the Pats run their practices at full speed? I imagine they're not full-CONTACT, but in any case there are lessons to be learned there ...
John | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 5:56 pm | #

Re: Carlson's penalty by ACC officials.

WHere were the officials from in the BC game that requested a review of the spot and called a questionable holding penalty on the play that overturned a touchdown late in Q4 to put Irish within a score to go ahead? Was it BE or ACC?

WHy don't we use some small conference officials to cultivate neutrality at first and allegiance to ND in the long term? I remember a quote from some blog spot after the BC game that stated a personal friend who was an ACC official (but not one in the BC/ND game) indicated there is a lot of pressure on these conference officials because of the BCS $ involved to lean in the direction of the conference if discretion allows.

Wouldn't surprise me.....
PZ | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 6:41 pm | #

On another note, the fun that has been the Fall of 2007 continues...Brey & the boys just lost another heartbreaker to Georgia Tech to basically relegate us to the NIT unless we have a miraculous BE conference record...
Tony Spilotro | Email | Homepage | 11.19.07 - 8:51 pm | #

"I'd like to comment on the alarming issue that is Armando Allen's lack of vision." - Felipe

I noticed this, too. I sat in the end zone and almost every time AA got the ball I thought, boy if he would have turned that a little wider or hit this hole instead of that it would have been a TD. He's got the speed to pick up some yardage, but he needs to see down the field and avoid tacklers. Of course, this is easy to say from the stands.
Gabe | Email | Homepage | 11.20.07 - 8:56 am | #

I agree with an earlier post that you can't teach vision. (By the way, this is in response to AA comments) However, we don't know what he sees. As a freshman, one of the obstacles you face is the transition to the speed of the game. HS players with elite speed run too high and often don't have to set up a block in order to break one. I believe he will continue to develop as he gets more opportunities.

Most encouraging sign is that we now have a stable of backs that will push and compete with each other for playing time. Hughes(who has looked outstanding every opportunity he has gotten), Aldridge, Allen, and hopefully Gray next season. If Irish can land Jon Baldwin or Gerell Robinson (Wrs) than you could also see Golden tate back there. When ND offense was dominant they always had 3-4 tough talented kids sharing the rock.
jdubbs | Email | Homepage | 11.20.07 - 11:54 am | #

Can vision be taught? I'm afraid not...correct me if I'm wrong. Patience, yes, but vision...that's innate.

Felipe
Vusion can be taught but is never or rarely taught in football. A lot of Olympic athletes use equiptment like strob lights and other high tech things to have good peripheral vision and to "slow down" the optical stimulus. It would be nice if Charlie and his bunch would get ahead of the curve and use what is available.
GB | Email | Homepage | 11.20.07 - 7:47 pm | #

GB,
That's pretty sweet. Kinda like the smart bomb of athletic training.
jdubbs | Email | Homepage | 11.21.07 - 1:06 am | #

Actually, That's "vision" and "strobe".
We just have to start bombing, jdubbs.
GB | Email | Homepage | 11.21.07 - 8:26 am | #