The Irish tease but then collapse. They will momentarily deliver only to gag at the most inopportune times. Just when you think they might be onto something, they'll revert to bad habits, do an about-face and fall apart. Ask them to produce 60 minutes of consistent football and they all but recoil at the notion.

For fleeting moments, they're capable of putting on an entertaining show. But, much too often, Notre Dame is more about bad theater than anything else.

They'll suck you into believing that maybe things are on the upswing, only to make you realize that, on some levels, this team is a sham. And you end up cursing yourself for ever having faith in such a fraudulent squad.

Another case of Domer dupe was in evidence Thursday during ND's 18-14 loss to 25-ranked Florida State at the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. As far as the Irish were concerned, they conducted themselves more like chumps than champs.

Per usual, there were flashes of encouragement and spurts of competency but those were more than wiped out by true ineptitude when it mattered most.

What was all the more irksome was that the same sins that had undercut ND's year up to that point, were once again omnipresent. If you didn't know better, you'd swear Brian Kelly is spending a majority of his practice time schooling the Irish on how to keep making the same mistakes over and over.

No surprise here that Tommy Rees again showed all the substance of candy that had been in the sun too long. Against another vaunted defense, he melted into a gooey mess. He bookended his lackluster night with two pitiful interceptions. The first came on ND's initial drive when, from close range, Rees threw into airtight coverage and saw the ball deflected and then picked.

His second giveaway occurred late in the game with the Irish still very much in the hunt and positioned for a legitimate shot to win. But Rees's penchant for the foul up manifested itself for what seemed like the millionth time in 2011.

From the FSU 28-yard-line, Rees made an awful read and then compounded his miscalculation by underthrowing a joke of a pass that Seminole defensive back Terrence Brooks calmly settled under and secured in a most easy fashion. Once more, the Irish were fleeced thanks to Rees.

It's gotten to the point where beating up on Tommy Rees is tantamount to shooting fish in a barrel. Though completely justified, it's becoming just too easy. If Tommy Rees ever starts another game for ND, except in the case of injury to whoever is number one, then Brian Kelly's perverted loyalty to this suspect quarterback will raise serious questions about the coach's sanity.

Looking truly lost at times and with each succeeding game that Rees mismanages, it's becoming all the more obvious that Kelly made a monumental blunder by sticking with the shaky sophomore. To ND's detriment, Kelly buried Dayne Crist before foolishly running him off. In hindsight, if anybody should have gotten chased off the premises, a better candidate would have been the bungling Rees.

Though Rees's fingerprints were all over this deflating setback, plenty of others contributed to the ultimate result.

Turnovers were again a dagger to the heart of the Irish. The Domers deeded three gifts to FSU and ND is simply not a good enough team to overcome such generosity. And while Rees, gee what a surprise, led the way with his two INTs, changeup QB Andrew Hendrix also badly erred when he forced a throw that was pilfered. This damaging pick set up FSU deep in Irish territory and led to a critical touchdown. Though he clearly used poor judgment, we'll cut Hendrix some slack because his experience level is nowhere near that of Rees and, to a certain extent, he was being force-fed.

Though few might even remember it given the more dramatic happenings of this game, a David Ruffer missed field goal loomed large. With a chance to extend the Irish lead to 10-0, Ruffer didn't come close to hitting a 48-yard attempt. Though hardly a chip shot, this was a kick the Irish surely could have used. Ruffer's miss was deflating and created a negative vibe. It was a costly yank.

In 2010, Ruffer was lights out, a veritable sure thing and as dependable as they come. But, a year later, he was spotty and blew some key kicks that undermined ND's chances in multiple games. For some reason, Ruffer no longer possessed the clutch gene.

The offensive didn't exactly distinguish itself either. The FSU defense, reputed to be stout and aggressive, clearly got the better of the Domer interior linemen. The guys upfront weren't very efficient, allowing a disturbing four sacks. Moreover, they were unable to carve out many holes for the ND running backs who rushed for a rather pedestrian 96 yards on 26 carries.

The line's underachieving day culminated when, on ND's last thrust, veteran tackle Trevor Robinson, who should have known better, was caught holding on a first-and-10 inside the red zone. Thus, placed in a tough down and distance scenario, Rees got impatient and tossed the killer interception on the ensuing play that spelled doom for the Irish. This was not a memorable effort from the big uglies down in the trenches..

A recurring theme that played out throughout the ND season was the team's inability to take advantage of prosperity when it presented itself. The Irish were atrocious at maintaining momentum and sustaining leads. Notre Dame never learned how to put the hammer down and step on the gas. The Domers stunk when trying to close out games, particularly those of the marquee variety.

The Champs Bowl was just another painful case in point. After Michael Floyd made like a circus acrobat and secured a spectacular 5-yard scoring grab, the Irish went up 14-0 early in the third quarter. ND was primed to seize control of the proceedings and dictate terms from then on.

So what happens? On the ensuing kickoff, the Irish coverage blows a gasket and FSU's Lamarcus Joyner dashes 77 yards with the return. Suddenly, the pendulum had shifted and the Seminoles were energized. ND allowed the flow and mo to head in another direction in a matter of seconds.

Dustin Hopkins shortly thereafter converted a 42-yard field goal and FSU was on the board. But, more importantly, Florida State now had belief. The Seminoles sensed a turning of the tide and their confidence level began climbing the charts.

Meanwhile, the Irish, having let the 'Noles off the hook, lost their foothold. From that moment on, they started to crumble and did nothing of note on either side of the ball.

And though the defense showed some moxie and hung tough for a time, it gave ground when things reached critical mass. In the second half, coach Bob Diaco's crew tried to hold on but, then it bent, before finally giving way.

Whether they physically tired and wore down, as some have suggested or whether they unwisely departed from a more assertive approach used earlier in the contest, the ND defenders just couldn't finish the job..

Despite the loony pronouncement by Kelly that the Irish had played championship defense throughout the game, nothing could have been further from the truth. When asked to make the big play in the final 30 minutes, the defense faltered and came up short. And this against an offense that was woefully inexperienced upfront and was considered second-rate.

The D had ample opportunities to rise up but instead it fell on its collective face. The Irish defenders got pushed backwards on an 84-yard drive highlighted by a 33-yard diving catch by frosh wideout Rashad Greene that came on a backbreaking third-and-five situation.

And ND's perennially erratic secondary got torched twice for scores, once on a corner route and the other coming right smack dab in the middle of the end zone. And Kelly tries to sell folks on the folly that this is championship caliber stuff. That claim is both laughable and one pretty sick joke.

In assessing responsibility for another Bowl debacle, the offense must shoulder a lion's share of the blame but that doesn't mean that the D was without fault. They had the game right in their mitts but refused to grasp it.

ND's latest defeat only served to magnify areas in which Kelly did an inferior job of management and development. When the superb Floyd was unable to continue late in the game due to a chest injury, the Irish passing game was greatly challenged because it had no other potent option at wideout. Kelly never nurtured another threat from the outside to compliment the talented Floyd. That deficiency hurt the Irish all season long and it's a shortcoming that's totally on Kelly.

And, speaking of Floyd, wasn't that a nifty 41-yard punt return he unleashed. It was a thing of beauty which naturally prompts a question. Given the fact that Floyd was ready, willing and able to perform in this role, why wasn't he used earlier and more frequently as a returner? Because ND's punt return game, if you could even call it that, was so hideous and such an eyesore, wouldn't Floyd's appearance back there have made a world of difference? Again, coach Kelly, the finger must be pointed right in your direction.

So, once more, another game is blown, another opportunity wasted. Oh sure, there were a couple of highlights but, by and large, this was another example of bad theater.