[Lefty Noob]

Okay, Notre Dame fans, by now you're no doubt sick of hearing about the struggles of the 0-3 Fighting Irish, about how they've yet to score an offensive touchdown, about how bad the offensive line is and all that. So put that aside for now and tell me: how do they beat the undefeated Michigan State Spartans this week?

[EmpireWF]

...in their dreams.

But seriously, the Spartans can't overlook the winless Irish and pass them off as easily beatable. The Irish, if they have any pride, will be playing as tough a game as they can. How they start out next week will go along way in helping the young kids grow.

[PVtrojans]

the only way they are going to beat them is by spreading them out and hitting allen on screens and carlson on post routes down the middle and airing it out long in the first plays of the game.also they need to find a way to give the O-line some confidence. also trickery. lots of tech plays. they need to take advantage of play action and get lots of T.O.P. that way that new and improved defense doesnt get so tired that they end up giving up big plays.

[azrael492]

I don't see any way for them to win this week either, but don't worry. They still have navy and Duke on the schedule.

[bleugold]

If Weiss meant it when he said they will start over from scratch then his goal can't be to beat Michigan State but to get good enough to start winning games down the line. Michigan State comes too soon and is too good. They have a great coach, possibly better than Charlie, who is beginning to look more like a great Pro Coordinator than a great college head coach. It is way different evaluating the talents of and teaching kids (with a 20 hour limitation) than grown men. The Peters Principle may have been at work. You never know that it has applied until it has applied. That is the sad thing. It happens all the time when coaches go the other direction.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Okay, Notre Dame fans, by now you're no doubt sick of hearing about the struggles of the 0-3 Fighting Irish, about how they've yet to score an offensive touchdown, about how bad the offensive line is and all that. So put that aside for now and tell me: how do they beat the undefeated Michigan State Spartans this week?

By challenging them to an SAT Exam contest???...

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by bleugold

If Weiss meant it when he said they will start over from scratch then his goal can't be to beat Michigan State but to get good enough to start winning games down the line. Michigan State comes too soon and is too good. They have a great coach, possibly better than Charlie, who is beginning to look more like a great Pro Coordinator than a great college head coach. It is way different evaluating the talents of and teaching kids (with a 20 hour limitation) than grown men. The Peters Principle may have been at work. You never know that it has applied until it has applied. That is the sad thing. It happens all the time when coaches go the other direction.

Welcome aboard, bleugold, thanks thanks for joining us. I don't think Weis has much of a choice other than starting from scratch, because clearly what they've been doing and the way they've been doing it just isn't working. He desperately needs to bring in a new offensive line coach - even ESPN's Mark May, a former lineman himself, was able to diagnose what was wrong with the line during the game and described possible fixes during halftime. If he can see it, but the Irish coaches can't, then something is seriously wrong with the Irish coaches.

[bleugold]

Thanks,

Glen Mason is a great offensive line coach. And he's available. Charlie ought to give him a call.

This argument that Ty Willingham left the cupboard dry is very weak. I read the other day that Ohio State has very few juniors and seniors starting right now and they are 3-0 thanks to the early departures for the NFL among other things. Charlie has been recruiting for 2+ years though the first was a bit abbreviated (hence the "+"). But, if Tressel can win with basically three years worth of recruits, why can't Charlie?

I think Weis simply doesn't understand the job of a college head coach and that this is the root cause of Notre Dame's problems. And he doesn't understand the implications of the 20 hours a week rule. You can't install a blizzard of offensive schemes in the time allowed.

Another thing that worries me is that Weis, as offensive coordinator, would have been the guy who benefited from the Patriots' stealing defensive signals. There is some question as to how much the Patriots benefited but if they did, it would have made Charlie look like a genius when, perhaps, he isn't.

[bears9]

CLuassen will throw atleast 300 yards in a 38-7 Irish win

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by bleugold

Thanks,

Glen Mason is a great offensive line coach. And he's available. Charlie ought to give him a call.

Sounds good to me. Call somebody. ANYBODY!

But, if Tressel can win with basically three years worth of recruits, why can't Charlie?

Well, I believe Tressel is a better coach than Weis. But any way you look at it, he's had more time in the college game than the ex-Pats coordinator has, what with his recruiting connections from his days at Youngstown State. That could well have something to do with it.

I think Weis simply doesn't understand the job of a college head coach and that this is the root cause of Notre Dame's problems. And he doesn't understand the implications of the 20 hours a week rule. You can't install a blizzard of offensive schemes in the time allowed.

Excellent point. Maybe he needs to trim down the playbook and ease them along a little more.

Another thing that worries me is that Weis, as offensive coordinator, would have been the guy who benefited from the Patriots' stealing defensive signals. There is some question as to how much the Patriots benefited but if they did, it would have made Charlie look like a genius when, perhaps, he isn't.

Maybe, maybe not. It's only speculation, but I guess it's possible. Any way you look at it, the Patriots offense doesn't look to have missed a beat without him, while Notre Dame's offense has struggled. Even if he wasn't aided by the signals, it might have been a case of him getting the credit for what the personnel accomplished, and would've accomplished, with or without him.

[Lefty Noob]

Interesting stat in regards to this game, courtesy of the AP:
"the Irish have been outscored 23-7 in the first quarter, while the Spartans have outscored opponents 28-0."

Struggling Notre Dame seeks spark against Michigan State - NCAA Football - Yahoo! Sports

[vincesanity82]

starting to get ugly, michigan st. just scored which makes it 31-14..

[Lefty Noob]

Hey, at least the Irish scored on offense and kept it close, right? A young team needs to take baby steps.

[Lefty Noob]

Michigan State leads 31-14 with about 12 minutes left to play. Brian Hoyer has thrown 4 TD passes for the Spartans.

[vincesanity82]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Michigan State leads 31-14 with about 12 minutes left to play. Brian Hoyer has thrown 4 TD passes for the Spartans.

Hoyer has been impressive..spartans will be 4-0..