Week 5 Reaction - Golden Overtime!

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of witnessing the first overtime win of the Weis era from the 3rd row.  Let me tell you, the Fighting Irish took that entire stadium on an emotional roller coaster ride for about 4 hours.  Those of us not wearing purple left the stadium excited, relieved, and exhausted. It may have been a sloppy game capped off by an exciting overtime finish, but the bottom line is the Irish won.

Here's a rapid-fire stream of my thoughts and reactions from the Washington game:

• Thank goodness we have Jimmy Clausen.  He is now in serious contention for the Heisman Trophy and he leads the nation in QB rating.  He has placed this team on his shoulders all year.  ND would be 1-4 today if not for Jimmy's golden arm and command of the game.
• Notre Dame's defense continues to frustrate us.  Just when they seem to have a team pinned down, they give up the big play that keeps opposing drives alive.  They must love close games.
• On a positive note, that 10 play goal line stand might be the 2nd greatest in ND history, second to the legendary stand in the "Snow Bowl" of '92 against Penn State.  If Washington scores a TD on that drive, the game would have been out of reach.
• Game ball goes to Golden Tate.  244 yards receiving equals the 2nd most in ND history for any single game.  He gave 100% effort from start to finish, clearly demonstrated when he attempted to dive for the endzone from the 7 yard line in OT.  I don't know if he can fly, but I'll call him superman if he keeps this up.
• Kyle Rudolph is the best tight end in college football.  NFL scouts are drooling over this 6'6" monster.  Luckily he is a true sophomore, so we will keep him for one more year.  The guy catches everything thrown at him.
• Robert Hughes is playing himself into a major role in Charlie's offense.  He is a determined runner with powerful legs.  He may not have breakaway speed, but he is shifty enough to stretch some runs and make people miss in open space.  It's great hearing the crowd roar "Huuuuuuuuuughes" each time he carries the ball.
• The wildcat package has fizzled, mostly because Charlie has gotten too cute with it.  Lets keep that to a minimum Weis.  I was happy that it didn't show up in the second half.
• Tenuta has lost my vote.  In my mind, if anyone on that staff should be on the "hot seat" its him.  If we are going to make the USC game competitive, our defense needs to correct some of these breakdowns in the next 10 days.  He needs to prove he can coach a winning defense at Notre Dame.  They are the 96th ranked defense in the land.  That doesn't cut it.
• Manti Teo is the real deal.  He wasn't perfect against Washington, but the kid is a natural.  I would love to see him make a statement in the next game.  I'm so glad he is wearing a gold helmet rather than surfing with Pete Carroll.
  
• Washington may have lost every game last year, but they proved they were legit when they beat USC a few weeks ago.  This is no slouch team, and Sarkisian has this team on the right track.  Jake Locker is a gamer, and their redzone defense has proven itself all year.

The entertainment factor was certainly present this game, which is why we watch football in the first place, right?  I'm convinced that the Fighting Irish just want to keep us on our toes.  They are 4-1.  They may not be ranked, but if they can capitalize on this off-week and show up hungry October 17th, they might just make a statement against the Trojans.  I'll be in South Bend to ride to rollercoaster again.

Until then, practice well Irish!

Week 5 Reaction - Golden Overtime!