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Opting out is what cowards do. Not particularly happy with the result (or the offensive play calling) but you don’t sit that game out. Ever.

Hey, IU had a breakout season. Just bad luck that the QB went down. Let’s hope that sort of season becomes the norm instead of the aberration. But come on ... comparing them to ND in terms of the “treatment” they “should” have gotten? You’re fast eroding your credibility.

The week ended in fury of games... This past Monday... Linton beat Terre Haute North in OT 64-63. For those who keep up with this match up will know how well TH North plays against the Miners... and how poorly the Miners have performed(not coaching... but the Miners have shot poorly, while TH North seems to shoot lights out). First there is the coaching match up. Woefle probably knows every set the Miners run. He also has teams that are well disciplined enough to slow it down when they have a lead. For a large part of the game, it was a typical TH North/Linton matchup. Hale was struggling from the field, but rather than shoot himself out of a slump... he kept the ball moving. Joey Hart played well enough to keep it close until Hale caught fire late. Some missed free throws hurt TH North late. Both teams looked like wear and tear was playing a factor. Carpenter played great defense on Hale, but he looked like he was hobbling. Walters, Pyne, and Hale all seemed to be in need of a break. Good news is Hart looked good. That night North Central played TH North close... losing by 5... 60-55. That score made me a little concerned about the match up with the Miners. Last Tuesday... North Daviess beats South Knox... 42-36. WRV lost to North Posey 50-35 and lost to Tecumseh 66-63. It is hard to read into scores, but a 3 point loss to Tecumseh looks like a respectable loss against an average or above 1A team. There will be some winnable games in GCI next week for WRV... maybe not their first game... but games in the consolation bracket. Linton defeats North Central 68-52. The first half was the Joey Hart show... he probably had 15-20 points. He cooled off a little in the 2nd half. The Miners looked a little more beat up. The second half was very physical... the Miners weren't as hot... the T-Birds hit some shots. I think they got it within single digits at one point. NC is gritty and played hard... I don't think they can beat the top teams at next week's GCI, but they could give them a good game. Last Wednesday... Linton lost in OT to Kouts 40-35. This game worried me on a lot of levels. First, Kouts is an outstanding team. Their top 4 guys (two sets of twins) are really good. They also love to get up and down. They move the ball with the pass very well. Although their top 4 guys score 90% of their points... they move the ball well. Second, the Miners shot awful all week... not a good thing for a team known for offense (the Miners have some good defenders, but their team defense is inconsistent). Outside of a Joey Hart... nobody seemed to be hitting shots... even the easy ones. Third, the Miners seemed to be more and more beat up as the week went along. Not great for a team that plays 6 guys a lot... another a little bit... and an 8th guy even less. The 9-12 guys are usually Sophomores... and probably a year away from that type of game/tournament. As for the actual game, the Miners slowed it down. It was a good test for the Miners to grind out a game... I doubt Kouts can win a 1A title without at least a team or two taking the air out of the ball. Either way... a good game for all teams involved.

Thanks. That is definitely caught behind the LOS as most screen passes are. No chance for OPI on a play like this. It's possible a deep official would flag blocking downfield on a play like this because he has no idea where the ball is caught. He will check with the LOS officials and ask them where the ball was touched. That's why you see officials to huddle after a play. Each person is providing facts that build to the determination of what needs to be ruled or different officials have completely different angles on the same play. Angles are often much more important than distance.

What is going on in the bowl games this year? This wasn’t the only game that saw multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, guys squaring off, I mean, it’s crazy. You’ve got multiple guys opting out for whatever reasons (don’t get me started on that), and on the other end of the spectrum, guys in an all out brawl at the end of a totally meaningless game. I don’t get it.

GTFO. They were a paper tiger. 6-1 with no significant wins. A mid tier SEC team.

Usually it's football on band violence ...

I posted about the stalled drive. Imsc, the officials bungled that one. His middle name is Moses, for those of you keeping score at home. 😉

What you know as spearing is targeting in NCAA. That was an easy call on video but tougher to get in person as quickly as it happened and how it happened. The back judge is probably the only one would see the helmet contact and he's more focused on blocks in front of the runner at that point. The wings wouldn't have an angle and the umpire is straight lined from the other side and don't see the proximity of the defender's helmet. If the defender keeps his head up there is no foul there. The NCAA keeps that foul and keeps it punitive with the ejection because they still want to see that behavior change. Overall I believe the data has shown it has improved. This kind of hit is much more dangerous for the player initiating the hit than the one receiving the hit. Neck injuries and concussions are very common when using the crown of your helmet.

Notre Dame doesn't need 10 five star guys like the other teams have. They just need a game breaking QB and WR. They are on the brink. I like Ian Book, but he was really nothing more than a very good qb capable of leading the cast surrounding him. His quality of play represents a team in the top ten, not that of a national champion. Outstanding career for a 3-star though.

I can’t emphasize enough to the non-officials out there: when you see the crew huddle like that, it is NOT a sign of uncertainty. It is good crew communication and mechanics. Plays are sometimes like puzzles. They have to be put together one piece at a time.

Tyler Buchner, IMO, is The Chosen One who will lead us to the promised land. https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2021/tyler-buchner-207639 I agree that in the last 4 yrs. or so, the Irish have closed the gap. They finally have a defense that can play. Their o-line is the best in the country. Solid skill position players ... except for a game-changer at the QB position. If he lives up to his billing, this kid could be the one.

Demolish is a good word to use if you are describing the first half of the first quarter. That's just 1/8 of the the game. What I saw was a Notre Dame team that fought hard and held Alabama to their lowest scoring output of the season. But the media wont mention that, it doesn't fit their narrative. I also saw a ND touchdown get called back on the same drive that stalled at the 10 yard line. I saw a missed field goal opportunity. I'm seeing a score that could potentially have been 31-24. But what fun is that? It's easier to just say that ND got "demolished" and did not belong...............even though the first ten games of the season suggest otherwise. Here's the thing. The only teams that are remembered year after year are the teams that make the playoffs. ND will go down as a team that had an opportunity to play for a national title for the third time in nine years. That's once every three years. Not bad for a program that does things right and continues to put the student in front of the athlete. Notre Dame is relevant on a national scale, they will be remembered in 2020, and they'll be back next year. Unfortunately, that will bother some.

18 days. Guess DE was wrong.... AGAIN.

The only ones that mattered were ben and luke. Tyler was a scrub.

I thought I read that he is the back up cup holder to Coach Saban. Now that guy has the BEST gig in college football. Been there for years. Follows Saban around. Gets rings. Gets paid. Nice. Maybe when he retires, JGJ will rise up to head cup holder. I jest. I jest. Silly things like that guy shadowing Saban for years, Patterson’s personal water girl every year. Kirby’s and Venables personal get back/ belt holder coach, Brian Kelly Xanax dispenser Coach, etc all make shake my head.

Glad I didn't take your advice.

https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-defense-policy-bills-85656704ad9ae1f9cf202ee76d7a14fd More "rah-rah yay WAR!" claptrap from Congress.

I’m not going to put too much stock in any ticket sales (or lack thereof) this year. The hodgepodge structure of different schools, different counties, etc having different rules has caused most fans to just wait until next year. Just this basketball season, we had to turn in the name of which parent was going to attend a game 2 days in advance. The next week my wife used our parent ticket only to find out the school was selling tickets at the gate. And we have a son playing. I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be as a grandparent, uncle, or just casual fan. So I’m not going to judge 2020-21 for anything but this year.

How about instead we make college football what it really was intended to be, and let the NFL do what the other major sports have had to do: create and fund their own minor league system? Right now, the colleges are just a training ground for the pros. Or, if you will, a great big combine or audition.

I will now reveal my plan to fix college football. It’s really very simple. The problem with college football is that the concept of the “student athlete” went by the wayside quite a while ago. There are places now where the football players have about as much in common with the other students as I do with Chief Justice Roberts: We’re both lawyers from Indiana, but the similarity pretty much ends there. But how can we put the “student” back in “student athlete?” It’s so simple. Make college football success include success as a student. How? Henceforth, all conference championships, post-season bowls, playoff participation, etc., will be awarded according to “College Football Rating, derived by the application of “Bobref’s Formula.” The formula is: CFR = GW x GSR. A team’s College Football Rating (CFR) is equal to the product of games won and NCAA Graduation Success Rate. For example, this season, ND has won 10 games. Their latest GSR for the football program is 97%. This gives them a College Football Rating of 9.7. By comparison, for example, Alabama’s CFR is 8.25, Clemson’s is 7.5, and Ohio State’s is a lowly 4.68, since they’ve only played 6 games. Problem solved. FTFY. No need to thank me.

OK - It is now official - President-Elect Joe Biden. Even though SF will never be convinced he garnered as many votes as they say he did. I mean - who believes that (legally) he got more votes than the grand poopa - BHO? SF is wondering how long he will be President past inauguration.