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At least there's a bye

Ouch. I haven't reached this level of disgust with the Irish offense since 2004, but Saturday was so unpleasant I also did something I haven't done since 2004 - "turned off" the game in the fourth quarter by leaving early. Beforehand, I had joked that I would be there until the end if the score was anything better than 38-0. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.

So what to say? I was extremely encouraged by the play of the defense, particularly in the first half, as they surrendered only 10 points on long drives (7 came on the 10-yard field) and forced six punts. On the game, USC was held to 5-14 on third downs, with even a fourth-and-short hold in the third. I didn't see too many people out of place -- Darrin Walls made some nice tackles, Laws and Kuntz were making their presence felt on the line, and the whole stadium loved that apparently our defensive looks were good enough on SC's first drive to cause them to take two timeouts (before failing to convert). Thus, for those looking for ongoing signs of improvement on the defense, I believe they were there to see.

The offense was an entirely different story. What a disaster - and how demoralizing must it have been for the defense, which were playing their hearts out, to repeatedly trot back on the field three plays after a fantastic stop? I had a few thoughts, some of which I admit were more frustrated than considered: One, do all the plays the team runs in practice end up in three-and-outs? Because to have under 25% third-down conversion rates, you pretty much have to be trying and well-practiced at it. Two, at least we don't have a quarterback controversy. Anyone thinking Sharpley would seize his chance to be permanent starter by beating the most beatable SC team in recent memory, was quickly disabused of the notion. If Clausen is healthy, he might as well start from here on out, since he is younger and provides at least as good, if not better, chance to move the ball. Three, when did Thomas and Schwapp earn starting RB/FB positions? When we have Allen and Hughes available? Really? As much as I may like Thomas personally, he just hasn't done much to show he should be a starting back, especially when Allen is putting up the averages he is and is running the way he is. It was a bit demoralizing from the beginning for fans not to see our more promising young backs starting. And finally, four: has there ever been better proof of the fact that everything offensive begins with the line? If you have zero push off the line, you won't establish a running game, you won't be able to set up the passing game, and so you'll pretty much go nowhere. There were no penalties on the line except one false start in the fourth, and the protection has improved slightly since Georgia Tech, but their lack of production has been the key to pretty much all of the offensive struggles this year. That's not to say inexperienced receivers, off-target QBs, etc. haven't caused their share of problems, but so much goes back to the line. I really hope that time and experience cause this group to improve. Maybe in time for us to beat Navy ... ?

The very good news is that Saturday's drubbing didn't deter two great new recruits from signing on to next year's class: RB Jonas Gray, a four-star player from Detroit, and WR Michael Floyd from Minnesota, one of the top-ranked players at his position in the country. Said Floyd: "I'm going to help them bring this back and I'm going to get a great degree." Now that's nice to hear! With a class currently ranked #1 for next fall, this Irish fan (along with everyone else!) can continue her ever-stubborn optimism looking forward.

Full post as published by Irish Law on October 24, 2007 (boomark / email).