By Staff
I wore my Notre Dame sweatshirt with pride on Wednesday evening, thinking that maybe, just maybe, the Irish would finally come home with a Bowl game win.
Although quite a few people said it was going to be a blow out in LSU's favor, there were still a lot of us who thought "No way. It's Notre Dame's time to shine."
WHOOPS!
Not only did I know it was over after the first touchdown was scored, but just by watching the way the Irish played spoiled my night completely. The plays were horrible, the leadership was horrible and Notre Dame flat out looked like an inexperienced high school football team.
I watched the game with a few friends. Only about three of us were Notre Dame fans, so anytime the Irish made even a good play, we cheered and basically got laughed at. In the back of our minds, we all knew it was pretty much over anyway. I watched only 10 minutes of the second half and ignored the rest of the game.
It's a shame the Irish had to go out like that. Especially with all of the hype surrounding the game. Someone brought up a very good point here at work yesterday about how much Notre Dame was highlighted before, during and after the game. I guess I didn't pay that much attention until something was said. Almost the entire pre-game was focused on Notre Dame, and during the game, they mostly talked about the Irish. Very little was said about LSU. Why was that? Because Notre Dame is so well known and carries a strong fan following in every single state. Not that they are the only college team to do so, Notre Dame just carries a higher following than LSU and most other college teams.
So, all of this hype, anticipation and what do the Irish get? What they deserved if you ask me. They played horribly. Not the way you would expect a team to play in a Bowl game. That should bring out the best in a team, not the worst.
JaMarcus Russell, LSU's quarterback, thoroughly outplayed Brady Quinn, who completed just 15 of 35 passes for 148 yards for his worst showing since a 140-yard performance against Michigan in the second game of his junior season.
Ouch! Probably not the way he wanted end his college career. The draft should be interesting, especially as much as he has been slammed in the final few weeks of the season.
If all of this isn't bad enough, the Irish found out they now hold a new record – but not one to brag about. With its ninth straight bowl loss, Notre Dame now holds the record for most bowl game losses in NCAA history, breaking a tie with South Carolina and West Virginia. The Irish haven't won a bowl since the 1994 Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M. Notre Dame was then coached by Lou Holtz.
That's a plaque I would not hang on my wall.
I think it's time for a serious change in Notre Dame football. This is a school rich in football history and probably one of – if not the – best recognized and followed schools on the field. What was supposed to be an outstanding season for the Irish turned into a head scratcher and left so many people wondering what happened.
I don't want to point fingers and start putting the blame on certain individuals, but I was not impressed with the leadership of the team this season.
We'll see what next season brings for Notre Dame football, but I am not too excited for it. I will still cheer on the Irish no matter what and hope that one day, they can finally claim a Bowl game title. Until then, Irish fans will have to continue to patiently wait again.