EMBARRASSING LOSS SENDS SCARY MESSAGE
Those that feared Notre Dame might be in for a long season had their suspicions aroused if not confirmed the Saturday before last.
If the effort that the Irish put forth against Georgia Tech is any indication of what lies ahead, then 2007 could become a downright disaster. Domer fans may soon take to wearing bags over their heads if Charlie Weis and crew don't man up quickly and sort out the mess that was displayed at ND Stadium before a stunned and shocked home crowd.
The football that ND played went beyond bad. It was ugly. It was dismal. But more to the point, it was embarrassing. And this versus an opponent that while solid and tenacious, is far from being a juggernaut. With all due respect, the Yellow Jackets ain't exactly all that.
So where does that leave the Irish? For the time being, in the toilet and circling the bowl. At first glance, life without the likes of Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija and Darius Walker looks absolutely frightful. A condemned prisoner might have a brighter future.
Against Tech, the Irish sprung leaks in virtually every critical department. Their offense was a complete no-show. Starting qb Demetrius Jones appeared shaky and worse, suffered from butterfingers. His backup Evan Sharpley, held onto the ball far too long, far too often and took seven sacks.
With an offensive line that resembled a sieve, the running game was non-existent. It got stuffed like a prized turkey. It's hard to recall a time when an Irish offense was so inept. Tech defenders, with eyes bugged out like saucers, licked their lips and brought the house. Totally at a loss and with no Plan B to turn to, ND was helpless to stop the Yellow Jackets' attacking scheme.
Defensively, things weren't much better. The much heralded Corwin Brown era began with a thud. Tech's Tashard Choice ran wild and pounded out 196 yards on the ground while scoring a pair of touchdowns. If Brown is suppose to be a step up from his predecessor Rick Minter, it sure wasn't in evidence on opening day. The Irish defense was porous and vulnerable, just as it has been for what seems like a decade.
Though the Domers were clearly an unknown because of a multitude of changes on both sides of the ball, an air of optimism surrounded the team heading into to the season. After the debacle that took place on the field, that optimism seems to have been sorely misplaced.
The ill-prepared Domers were beaten at every turn and don't look now but under Weis' direction, ND has been hammered and bludgeoned in their last three games dating back to last year. As of late, Irish football has borne a disturbing facsimile to the horrors that marked the waning days of the Ty Willingham regime.
It's hard to imagine ND being able to regroup quickly enough to spring an upset Saturday night against 15th-ranked Penn State. Expecting that much improvement in one week's time seems unrealistic and highly unlikely. There don't figure to be too many Irish smiles being flashed in Happy Valley. The way the Irish are going, a trip to Death Valley might have had more appeal.
While probably not operating out of a sense of panic but perhaps feeling some degree of urgency, Weis has elected to hand the keys over to celebrated frosh qb Jimmy Clausen. In mop-up duty versus Tech, Clausen was poised and workmanlike, completing 4 of 6 for 34 yards.
With his elbow problems apparently behind him, Clausen will now take center stage in a pressure packed atmosphere, hoping to put some zip and fire into a team that's floundering. It's a heady task but it's exactly the kind of challenge Clausen envisioned since he signed on with the Irish. The glamour boy's first appointment with destiny as an ND starter is fast approaching.
But asking Clausen to win in his starting debut is probably requesting too much. If he can just help the Irish be competitive and respectable, that would be a step in the right direction.
Because after being thoroughly dismantled by Tech, almost anything would be an improvement!