ND Football Review: Notre Dame Vs Florida State

Well, the 2011 season is over and Notre Dame ends on a downer. This game was pretty much the definition of this season. Turnovers, is definitely the first staple of the Irish this year, followed by inconsistent offensive performances, the lack of a secondary, and the inability to close out games. All of which were on display during the Champs Sports Bowl Thursday night. Lets jump into it and see how the Irish fell apart this time.

One word to describe the first half; defense. Notre Dame held FSU to a three and out on their first drive. The Irish then marched down the field into the red zone...until, once again for the umpteenth time this season, Tommy Rees turned the ball over as he threw an interception in the end zone. It's happened so many times this year, that it did not surprise me. In fact, Notre Dame ranks 1^st in turnovers in the red zone out of all FBS schools. Ouch. But the depression turned to joy as FSU fumbled the ball on their next drive and Zeke Matta picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown. ND 7-0. And that was all the scoring action we would see in the first half. Both defenses were amazing. Notre Dame couldn't move the ball on offense as they switched back and forth between Rees and Andrew Hendrix at QB. FSU's speed on defense was in full force. But the Irish defense was as well. They held the Seminoles scoreless, recorded 4 sacks and did not let FSU convert on third down. Now, granted, the FSU offensive had about 3 freshman players starting, but it was still fun to watch. David Ruffer missed a field goal for the Irish so the score at halftime was still 7-0 ND, though it felt like it should have been 17-0(like so many other games this year).

Zeke Matta picking up the FSU fumble

The second half came out with the ND offense being strong and scoring their final touchdown of the game. The Irish drove down the field and Tommy Rees threw a 5 yard touchdown pass to Michael Floyd. ND 14-0. With Floyd's catch, it made him the first Irish wide receiver in school history to have 100 receptions in a single season. Kudos. Now, one would think that the ND defense has been so dominant that have a two touchdown lead could seal a game like this early, but no. FSU has a great kick return that leads to a Dustin Hopkins 42 yard field goal. ND 14-3. The rest of the third quarter was pretty silent until the Seminoles mounted a drive that led them to the red zone in the final seconds of the quarter.

Michael Floyd fighting for his 5 yard TD catch

The first play of the final quarter was Bert Reed catching an 18 yard touchdown pass from FSU quarterback EJ Manuel. FSU tried a 2 point conversion and failed. ND 14-9. So what comes next? Andrew Hendrix throws an interception not even two minutes after FSU scores. The next play, Manuel throws a 15 yard touchdown pass to Rashad Greene, would had 5 receptions for 99 yards and this touchdown ALL IN THE 4TH QUARTER. Good job Irish secondary. FSU fails another 2 point attempt. FSU 14-15. So in the first two minutes in the 4^th quarter, ND let the Seminoles score two touchdowns and lost the lead just like that. The Irish broke down in every phase of the game, like they have in most of their losses this year. FSU got the ball again and kicked a 29 yard field goal extending their lead to 14-18. In the final minutes of the game, ND was forced to punt but pinned FSU inside their own 5 yardline. This lead to a quick three and out and they had to punt the ball. The punt was TERRIBLE and was aided by a facemask penalty. So the Irish started their final drive on the FSU 28. The last chance to win the game. Great field positions, two timeouts left, Rees throws to the endzone...and gets intercepted again. Wow. He threw it into double coverage to a back up wide receiver. Just great. FSU gets the victory, 14-18.

FSU with the W

Unbelievable. I mean, talk about choke city, AGAIN. I hate how I got so used to seeing this play from the Irish. I'm numb to it as if I had accepted it. I also feel disgust because now we have so many question marks leading into next year. Who will be QB? What will the WR corp look like? What is going to be done with the secondary? The only thing us Irish fans can do is look to the positives. Manti Te'o will be coming back for his senior season. Aaron Lynch is a BEAST. The ND front seven is starting to seem like it could be a major threat. And don't forget about redshirt QB Everett Golson. Based on Rees' play and Hendrix's experience, he could win the starting job in 2012. But alas, back to back 8-5 seasons. Nine wins would have felt really good. But I guess I'll just have to wait till next year. But until then,

GO, IRISH! GO!

Review: Mortal Kombat: Legacy

I just recently watched the web series, Mortal Kombat: Legacy. If you are unfamiliar with MKL, let me get you up to speed. Back in June 2010, director Kevin Tancharoen, made a short film called “Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.” His film showed a more gritty and realistic vision of the Mortal Kombat story. Tancharoen is responsible for great TV series like The Pussy Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll(...wha?). He also directed Fame and the Glee movie. Not really the credentials I would want for a Mortal Kombat reboot. But when you watch MK: Rebirth, you begin to see his vision and the possibility that Mortal Kombat can get rebooted. When I first saw it, I was pumped. It's as if Tancharoen was trying to envision Mortal Kombat in a realistic sense. Kinda like what Christopher Nolan did with The Dark Knight. I then heard about a Mortal Kombat webseries(seriously, I heard about this last week and it started in April '11). It is 9 episodes featuring characters for the MK games and touching on their story. All were written by Tancharoen and are about 11 or 12 minutes long for each episode. Lets go ahead and take a look at the series and see how it holds up.

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth

Episodes 1 & 2: Jax, Sonya and Kano

The first two episodes are about Jax, Sonya Blade and Kano. Basically, Sonya has infiltrated an illegal operation run by Kano. Sonya gets captured and it is up to Jax along with Stryker to plan her rescue along with the termination of Kano's outfit. Our heroes arrive and spring a trap as the Deacon City police unit is ambushed by Kano's cronies. A firefight ensues has Jax and Stryker fight their way to free Sonya. Sonya escapes and our episode's climax shows a martial arts fight between Jax and Kano. Kano attempts to shoots Jax which leads to an accidental grenade detonation. Kano tries to escape but Jax tracks him down and beats the ever loving garbage out of him, damaging Kano's left eye but not after a final explosion in the complex. We segway to Sonya waking up in the hospital to have Stryker tell her that Kano got away and Jax has damaged his back. This is actually a good starting point for a series like this. Start with a classic cop versus dealer and mix in some kung fu. Michael Jai White, who was Spawn and played a gangster in The Dark Knight, makes an excellent Jax. Also to my surprise, Tahmoh Penikett plays as Kurtis Stryker who was the character Helo in Battlestar Galactica. To further that, Sonya Blade is played by Jeri Ryan, Voyager, and did a great job. In fact, all actors did a pretty good job and the viewer can get a sense of what Tancharoen's idea of MK is.

Episode 3: Johnny Cage

Episode 3 show's Tancharoen's perception of Johnny Cage. He's falling out of the limelight and is pitching a new idea to some producers for a new reality show called, “You Got Caged.” It is a bounty hunter show where Cage tracks down criminals and beats the crap out of them. The producers aren't sold on the idea and begin to relay various criticisms to Cage about how his stunts aren't real. But Cage comes up with THE BEST comeback to the hits on his performance. “Of course it's not real, it's a fucking movie!” Johnny reshoots the trailer and is met with the same outcome of denial from the producers. Johnny begins to struggle with the idea that his time in Hollywood is gone. As he exits a set, he overhears the producers pitching his idea to a female actress. How does Cage respond? But punching one of them and laying waste to their security. I liked this episode. Instead of Johnny Cage begin some cheezy martial arts actor(which is how I felt he was portrayed in the game), they show him more as a human being. Extreme emotion and you can actually feel and see his pain as he struggles to be a great Hollywood star.

Episodes 4 & 5: Kitana & Mileena

The fourth and fifth episode tell the story of the kingdom of Edenia. A far off realm that has lost 10 straight Mortal Kombat tournaments. Because of this, the evil emperor Shao Kahn, ruler of a place called Outworld, won access to Edenia and took it over. The ruler of Edenia, King Jarrod, was forced to flee by his guards and his wife, Sindel, and his daughter, Kitana, were left in the hands of Shao Kahn. Kahn married Sindel making Kitana his daughter. Kahn knew that Kitana would grow to hate her adoptive father, so he ordered Shang Tsung, his head wizard, to make a clone of Kitana, named Mileena. Mileena was created but Shang Tsung used the blood of Baraka's(Shao Kahn's general) race only making Mileena half Edenian. Both sisters grew up as deadly assassins, trained by their father. They were ordered to kill King Jarrod or any imposter in Edenia. They came to the last one where Kitana found out that King Jarrod was her father. These episodes were...ok, I guess. It is really interesting to watch be cause half of the episodes are animated; very Animatrix like. But the story overall was kind of bland in my opinion. Especially since the acting isn't very well from King Jarrod's part. Very mediocre, very forgettable. This episode starts getting all mystical on our asses. We go from grit and realism to hocus pocus. I hope they can pull it together better in the future.

Episode 6: Raiden

Episode six is by far my favorite. Raiden, the God of Thunder, crashes down to Earth. Unfortunately for him, he crashes on the grounds of a mental institution. He is committed and we get some dialogue from a doctor describing that the patient claims to be a god and needs to be release to fight in a tournament known as Mortal Kombat. The doctor's try for months to break through and do not believe Raiden's story. They go as far as taking a mallet and pick and spiking through his eye socket in an attempt to adjust his thinking. It fails and Raiden is left with little option. He did befriend a fellow inmate named Blue and convinces her to steal the guards keys as he distracts them. Raiden causes a commotion as the guards attempt to taze him, but as Raiden is the God of Thunder, he uses the energy against him. Subdued, Raiden is brought back to a separate room where Blue unlocks the door and enters. She holds the ice pick and Raiden begs, “Please.” She stabs his heart and he erupts in electricity and blue blood. We then cut to Raiden reappearing in a local Chinatown, taking his signature hat from a local merchant as the credits roll. This was an AWESOME depiction of what our society would react with a character like Raiden. It seems pretty accurate. Ryan Robbins played a pretty good committed Raiden but his performance as the Thunder God can't really be judged based on this episode.

Episode 7 & 8: Scorpion & Sub-Zero

The seventh and eighth episode portrays probably the most popular MK characters; Scorpion and Sub-Zero. In these episodes, we get some back story to Scorpion and why he is the way he is. Scorpion, whose real name is Hanzo Hasashi, is a member of the Shirai Ryu clan. Hanzo is a very talented fight and is the deadliest person alive when he uses a Kunai. He has a family; a son and a wife. He is preparing for the arrival of the Shogun when he is summoned being told that the Shogun has arrived early. Hanzo suits up and begins his journey to the castle when he comes across a frozen body in the road. It is the Shogun and Hanzo is encountered by Bi-Han, aka Sub-Zero. The two duke it out and Hanzo is the victor. He hurries home only to find his village slaughtered along with his family. Hanzo is then stabbed by Bi-Han and frozen. It is then revealed that Bi-Han is actually Quan Chi, an Arch-Sorcerer of the Netherrealm. He, along with Shang Tsung, make a bargain with Hanzo and ask him if he would like to be brought back to life to get his revenge. Hanzo agrees and becomes the merciless, Scorpion. I like this episode as well. It is good to see some story revealed on Scorpion's side. I always thought most people in general viewed him as some killing machine with a skull rather than just a man seeking revenge. You really feel his heartbreak, and Ian Anthony Dale's role as Hanzo really makes up for his blasphemy as Kazuya in that stupid Tekken movie.

Episode 9: Cyrax & Sektor

Seriously? I mean, who the fuck cares about these two? I can think of other MK characters to spend money to make an episode about over these fuckin' guys. Basically, Sektor and Cyrax are part of an organization that takes orphans and brainwashes them to do their bidding. Both the orphans are selected to become part of an experiment in which bio-technology is implanted into their bodies, making them the perfect killing machines. The pass the opening tests of beating up cyborgs and are thrown to the hospital tables. Sektor feels that the experiments are necessary while Cyrax feels the opposite and knows that his life is over. The two are converted and are tested against another cyborg in which they overcome and destroy. After viewing the tests, their leader decides to put the human/robots in to mass production to sustain 100% obedience. This was my least favorite episode. I don't give two fucks about Sektor or Cyrax and never really took them seriously as characters in the game. A waste of time, in my opinion.

Overall, I say the webisodes are a solid...ok. Some I like more than others but I do enjoy most of Tancharoen's ideas. I was kind of surprised that we didn't see a short about Liu Kang or Kung Lao(my fav MK character). So, what do all these episodes lead to? Well, it has been announced that Tancharoen's vision will come to life as he will get his shot at a new Mortal Kombat movie sometime in 2013. I really want to see what he can do and how he will pull all the pieces together for his complete idea of Mortal Kombat.

It's The End of Video Game Stores as We Know It, and I Feel Fine

With the somewhat recent disbandment of Hollywood Video along with its sister game store, Game Crazy, I had to analyze how long video game stores, like Gamestop, have until they are shut down all together. What brings me to this subject? Simple. Lousy customer service; at least at my local Gamestop along with some other points. This article will pretty predominately be my own biased opinion and observations but hey, you don't have to read it. I would also like to point out that I will be discussing stores that are solely based on video games. Though I may mention other stores, like Best Buy, that sell electronics, I am focusing on the future of just video game stores(mainly Gamestop).

Lets take a look at how Gamestop is now. Gamestop has pretty much monopolized the public selling of video games. In my town, there are two Gamestops. Their only competition is an independently run store; nothing corporate. How does this little store compete? Well, this leads to my first pet peeve about Gamestop. Some time ago, they stopped selling old school games. If you go to a Gamestop now(at least the ones I have been too), the oldest game you will find are PS2 games. Now, I'm not going to lie. This doesn't really effect Gamestop's sales. In fact, Gamestop is currently doing quite well. This year alone, their market cap is at 3.2 billion dollars with shares currently averaging at about $24 a piece. Not too bad. Gamestop discontinuing their sale of old school games is more of a personal disgust. The way our new age is evolving, I can find out all I want to know about new games from the internet or my X-Box. But if I am interested in purchasing old school Nintendo games, it's not as easy as going to a game store to buy it from their bargain rack because they are not there any more. So what options are left? E-Bay and Amazon are available but who knows what condition the actual product is. Then there's the independent game store. The last hope for face to face interaction. Just one problem though. The prices are RIDICULOUS. Seriously, I go into my local store, look at their price for Final Fantasy VII for the PS1 and they want $34 for it. I got it on E-Bay for $14. Now that old games are not mainstream, the value and distribution are skewered forcing those interested to haggle on the internet, and most of the time, find better deals. So basically there is no hope for any independently run game stores. So in 20 years, your old copy of Fable II could be worth hundreds or next to nothing based on the seller. Companies like Gamestop are out with the old and in with the new. Anything they don't sell is left for the people to fight over like dogs. Games and consoles before the Playstation 2 are only idolized by die hard fans, collectors and in memory, and it is only a matter of time before the PS2 follows the lonely trail. These achievements in technology should be immortalized to all and not just treated like an old toy to be put into a box and forgotten. In my opinion, Gamestop attempted this to woe customer's into the new and exciting instead of the old and the classic. They might as well spit in an envelope and mail it to me.

Luckily for us, game companies along with their fellow console manufacturers have developed ways to keep old games alive. Download them straight to your console. Just cut out the middle man and let game companies just make them available directly to you. One addition now is that you can even download new games off of PSN and X-Box Live. No store necessary. Thus begins my view of video game stores becoming obsolete. Why go to a store when you can purchased the games off your console and just download them? I think we are heading to the new era of downloading EVERYTHING. Think about it. Applications like Netflix, Epix and Hulu eliminate the need for a video store, like Hollywood Video. No one has to go to a store to rent movies, they just pay a monthly fee and watch it at home. No transportation needed, no talking to the employees at the desk; the complete and utter ease of just clicking a button. There are already video game companies like GameFly that allow you to pay a monthly fee and they mail you the games you want to play. Some games you can play right off their website. I do agree that this is pretty lazy but the convenience is too, well, convenient to pass up. Hence why I think video game stores will be extinct. I would totally be on board for a system like this as far as gaming is concerned. Everything available at my fingertips is the way to go.

Now, there is some personal bitterness(if you haven't figured it out already) I have against Gamestop. Their customer service, also known as whoever answers the phone or the person behind the counter. I'm positive this is probably only at the Gamestop I have visited the most, but for fuck's sake, is it lousy! Here are some examples. Ever time I go there, which is very rare, I always get stuck behind the customer that is talking his head off with Gamestop employee. They go on and on about some random game and I'm left waiting. By the time I have plotted both their deaths, it is my turn to make my purchase. At the time of the purchase, I find myself greatly offended as the employee DOESN'T SAY A GOD DAMN WORD TO ME. He just looked at what I wanted, typed in his computer, THEN just tells me the total. What the fuck?! You can have a 10 minute conversation about Little Big Planet but you can't say “Hello” to me?! I thought it could be an isolated incident but it repetitively happens to me all the damn time. Also, they like to leave people standing at the counter and do other stuff instead of help them. As if watching them type and move boxes is the best thing since sliced bread. They are lazy, unhelpful and I sometimes have to ask the same question like three times for them to understand. Example two; I asked an employee if my X-Box 360 mic would work on an arcade stick I bought and if not, did I need a certain component for it. Judging by the dumbfounded look on his face, I had to explain what an arcade stick was. I had to dumb it down like this, “You know the controls on an arcade cabinet? It's like that but it sits on your lap.” He then followed with an obnoxious, “Oooooooooh.” And then told me that he didn't even know. Limited product knowledge; I don't even think they know how embarrassing they appeared. Finally, THE STUPID BITCH THAT ANSWERS THEIR FUCKING PHONE! Jesus FUCK, I hate her! Here's the story; I called her and asked, “Do you have any copies of Batman: Arkam City Collector's Edition?” She replies with a query, “Did you preorder it?” I say, “No.” Then she retorts, “Well, we would have one for you if you did.” A SIMPLE YES OR FUCKING NO WOULD HAVE SUFFICED. Holy crap, if I wanted to listen to smartass comments, I would have called Jowski! These people are the complete definition of lazy as if they think that customers aren't going to go any where else for it. Oh, and I did get Arkam City from fucking Best Buy. Customer lost. Congrats, Gamestop.

Finally, their sales along with their “oh so amazing” DLC. First off, their DLC is SHIT! I'll use Arkam City as an example. Preorder AC from Gamestop and you get a new Challenge Map! Whoopty fucking do! Preorder AC at Best Buy and YOU GET FUCKING ROBIN. YOU GET AN ENTIRE NEW CHARACTER. Their DLC can't even compete with stores that don't even specialize in just video games. Now granted, Robin can only be played in the Challenge Maps which are fucking stupid in Arkam City, but that is besides the point. I would rather have a whole new character than just some dumb map. Now to their bogus “sales.” On Black Friday this year, Gamestop had some special bundle packs for the 360 and PS3. It came with the console and some games for $250 total. Not bad. Except that Best Buy had the EXACT deal for $200. $50 less than a store that ONLY SELLS VIDEO GAMES. What the fuck is up with that?! Video game stores are supposed to get the best deals when it comes to fucking video games. What is wrong with this picture?

In closing, Gamestop and pretty much all video game stores in general are going to be going the way of the dodo. Consoles will eventually switch everything to online and the game companies will be able to sell them the way they want with out the middle man. All content will be right at our feet and we won't have to worry about bad customer service, shit sales and head scratching DLC. We will just pay over the internet and get our games and content without hassle. I for one, CAN NOT FUCKING WAIT. I'm going to give this ten years and then it will either be happening or it will be close to it. I mean, it's already starting now. We just have to wait.

ND Football Preview: Notre Dame Vs. Florida State

On December 29^th, Notre Dame will face Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Florida. I'm pretty excited about this game. ND and FSU have some history which includes their 1993 match up dubbed “Game of the Century.” The #1 ranked Seminoles came in to South Bend against the #2 ranked Fighting Irish. Notre Dame won 31-24 making them the #1 team in the nation. It was really special for me because that was the very first Notre Dame game I've ever been too(thanks, Dad!). This year is a little different. Both teams are coming off some disappointing regular seasons which saw both teams finish with 8-4 records. ND was 1-3 against ranked opponents this year while FSU didn't fair any better coming up 0-2(Oklahoma and Clemson). The Irish suffered a defeat to open the season against South Florida as the Seminoles dropped two losses to ACC teams Wake Forest(which ND beat) and Virginia. This looks to be a good match up between two teams that are stuck in limbo and are trying to scratch their way back to former glory. Lets break down Notre Dame versus Florida State.

Offense

Notre Dame

Will Tommy Rees or Andrew Hendrix have a better performance?

Well, the ends with what it began with. Quarterback controversy. Coach Kelly has already stated that Tommy Rees will get the start but that we will see plenty of Andrew Hendrix in the mix. I'm sure it will be a duel that we will see all through the offseason into next year. Personally, I think Rees deserves the start but I'd rather see Hendrix take more snaps. I feel Andrew Hendrix play style completes the Spread offense. Plus, with Jonas Gray out, this can actually help the run game instead of leaving it all to Cierre Wood. The Irish offensive line will have to preform and protect much better than they did in their latest loss to Stanford. They gave up too many sacks and FSU defense is as ferocious as they come. Blocking and pocket protection will have to be key. Back to Cierre Wood, this guy needs to bulk up. I'm sick and tired of seeing him fall down after the first hit or become too tired after only a few carries. He'll need to be the workhorse in the run game since Rees is going to start(though to Wood's credit, he did rush for 1,000+ yards this year). Now, Theo Riddick was put back into the RB spot to fill in for Jonas Gray. We didn't see too much use for him there in the Stanford game but we saw him catch a lot of passes out of the backfield. Makes you wonder if maybe they will switch him to RB for the 2012 season. Michael Floyd and Tyler Eifert will need to play their best. The Seminoles boast one of the best scoring defenses in college football so Floyd and Eifert will have to work their hardest to get open and complete receptions. Funny that ND's biggest issue this year was turnovers and we have to close the 2011 season against the best scoring defense. It will be taxing for the Irish offense.

Florida State

Florida State QB EJ Manuel

Seminole QB EJ Manuel has had his issues this year. He has struggled with injuries and hasn't really been that accurate, though he has not thrown an interception in his last 4 games. His dual threat capability should be respected but he has not been very productive rushing the ball. In fact, FSU has had major issues running the ball this year as they are the 99^th ranked team in country in rushing. Florida State's chances on offense are not slim though. It depends on which Notre Dame defense shows up to play. FSU will need to abuse their team speed and overcome the very weak corners the Irish have. If the offensive line can protect Manuel and open up some running lanes, they should be solid. The Notre Dame defense hasn't been that great at rushing the passer so the Seminole passing game should be pretty good against the Irish's struggling secondary. If the Noles can throw the ball mixed with some option plays and probably some draw plays, they can be very successful. But this is up to the FSU offensive line that can't really seem to open any holes for their running backs. Notre Dame will force EJ Manuel to beat them with his arm but if he can't do that then it will a long day for the FSU offense.

Edge: Notre Dame

Defense

Notre Dame

Aaron Lynch and the Irish D will have to play their best to slow down FSU

Ugh. I hate talking about the ND defense. Not the front seven but the secondary. Seriously, how long has the Notre Dame secondary been the biggest question mark on the defense? Like, ten years or so? Florida State may not have a big name receiver but they have great speed. This will hurt the ND corners, big time. RJ Blanton and Gary Gray will be on their heels all game. But the major focus needs to be on the Notre Dame pass rush. Now, Aaron Lynch has had a great year as a freshman but the Irish front seven will need to be ruthless in this game. Pressure on EJ Manuel will be key. They will need to force mistakes and make him throw the ball. All while praying that maybe the corners are in a good enough position to at least knock the ball down. FSU struggles in the run game so the Irish will need to stuff their poor running attack. I think this can get done with Lynch, Te'o, Nix, and Tuitt. This game will be depended on how ND can defend the pass and control a dual threat QB like EJ Manuel. Also, the entire defense will need to play their best since the Seminoles have great team speed. I see the ND defense fighting all game long like they have this season against any quality opponent.

Florida State

Florida State DE Brandon Jenkins

The Seminoles are 4^th in scoring defense. They only give up an average of 15.2 points per game. They've had 36 sacks this season as well. They are very fast and very relentless. Their biggest threat is defense end Brandon Jenkins. He has recorded 13 sacks this year and will poses a problem for Rees and Hendrix. The key for FSU to be successful is to stop the run and double cover #3. I think the FSU defense can have a great game actually. ND is without Jonas Gray so their defense against the run should be easier. If they apply enough pressure to the ND quarterbacks and force them to make mistakes, which is the theme for ND this year, FSU can cruise defensively. But if they let Michael Floyd get open a few times, they will pay dearly. Expect the Seminole defense to try and shut down the run early and make ND throw the ball to win.

Edge: Florida State

I think this is going to be a really aggressive and somewhat low scoring game. I think the FSU defense will cause many problems for the Irish offense but I think with FSU's lack of a running game, the Irish defense can force them into a battle of field position. But lets just lay it out in blunt terms. If the Irish don't turn the ball over, they will win. Plain and simple. If they make mistakes, expect FSU to capitalize and crush Notre Dame. Ok, with that out of the way, I think this will be a defensive show case and whichever defense gives up a little first will probably win the game for their team. Expect many three and out drives for both teams and probably some field goals. Notre Dame has no punt return game but has one of the best punt coverage teams, so punt distance will be crucial. I am really hoping for ND to finish with 9 wins and have a better record than last year but this game could go either way. Since it can, here is my final score prediction:

Notre Dame 17

Florida State 16

GO, IRISH! GO!!

ND Football Review: Notre Dame Vs. Stanford

I'd like replace my usual review with an e-mail I sent to Stanford University's Ray M. Purpur, the Deputy Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation and Joel Ahern, the Sports Turf Manager.

Dear Mr. Purpur & Mr. Ahern,

Congratulations to you and Stanford University for your recent defeat of the University of Notre Dame last Saturday night. I am an Irish fan myself and you should be proud of your victory and your Heisman Trophy candidate, Andrew Luck. Now that the formalities are out of the way, I heard that your university is thinking about using artificial turf in Stanford Stadium. Yeah, you think? I'm not doubting the talent and hard work of the Stanford football team but how can you expect other schools to compete on the poor excuse of, what you call, a field? Last Saturday night, players were sliding left and right, entire plays, coverages and blocking schemes were RUINED do the absolute, God awful condition of the grass. It wasn't even raining. How can you be satisfied with that? It's not only an inconvenience for your opponents but for your team as well.

Do us all a favor and go with artificial ANYTHING next year so the fans don't have to suffer watching Stanford and any team you play, the straight up EMBARRASSMENT that is known as Stanford Stadium. Watching last Saturday's game was like watching children play in mud. Please do SOMETHING about this and fix your field!

P.S.

GO IRISH!

As you can see, my salt levels are high. The Irish end the regular season at 8-4 and are on their way to play in the Champs Sports Bowl(opponent is unknown as of right now). They will play a team from the ACC(again) more than likely. So what did we have going into the postseason? Well, another QB controversy. Andrew Hendrix showed what he could do in the 28-14 loss to the Cardinal while Tommy Rees seemed to slip a little bit at the end of the season. It will be exciting to see who ND starts going into the bowl game. I'm very excited to see Hendrix again. The way he runs the ball is a big plus to the spread offense I was surprised the way he could rifle the ball as well. This will probably be a wonder even after this season going into next year. But first, the Champs Sports Bowl. But until then,

GO, IRISH! GO!