And you never thought you’d be more shocked than watching Appalachian State beat Michigan.
How about Notre Dame free-falling into your favorite homecoming opponent? How about Notre Dame one loss from its worst start in history? How about Notre Dame a 12-1/2-point underdog to an unranked opponent — at home?
Oh, this is too easy, isn’t it, Domers? While you all go into hibernation until it’s safe to unleash your unmatched arrogance, let’s take a look at how you’ve become the laughingstock of college football. After all, you just lost to the previous laughingstock of college football, Michigan, 38-0.
In his third year, coach Charlie Weis has gone from helping New England win three Super Bowl crowns as offensive coordinator and making Notre Dame football matter again to just some Notre Dame alum with a whistle.
However, this isn’t all his fault. While it’s easy to send apologies to Tyrone Willingham — and I was pulling for his Washington Huskies to beat Ohio State — keep in mind one thing. Willingham’s last two recruiting classes, now juniors and seniors, were awful.
“They were MAC-conference types,” said Tom Lemming, ‘s recruiting guru based in Schaumburg, Ill. “They’re paying the price.”
Only 16 players remain from those two classes. However, 11 of them are starting, plus the long snapper and punter, which tells you something about Weis’ recruiting classes. Lemming ranked Weis’ past two classes seventh and fifth nationally, yet, including the limited class he signed after his late hire in 2005, what has he reaped from his own signees in three years?
One touchdown. That’s it.
“They’ve got no playmaker at tailback or wide receiver,” Lemming said. “(Freshman quarterback Jimmy) Clausen will be good. (Halfback) Armando Allen was nationally recruited, but he hasn’t exploded onto the scene.”
Exploded? How about the entire offense has self-destructed. Forget the fact that Notre Dame hasn’t scored an offensive touchdown and is last nationally with 115 yards a game. The next worse is a zip code away, at 180.3 by Florida International, owner of the nation’s longest losing streak (15 games).
The 0-3 Irish haven’t even reached the black in net rushing, standing last at minus-4.7 yards a game. That thanks to a nation-leading 23 sacks. Notre Dame, never having to worry about the stat before, does not list a school record for sacks allowed. But past media guides indicate it’s 33 allowed in 1999. Keep up the pace, and they’ll break the record in Game 5.
Analyze it any way you want and it all comes down to coaching. Weis may have assembled his staff too quickly after his Patriots won the 2005 Super Bowl in early February. He didn’t even meet the staff until their first meeting that winter.
He missed with defensive coordinator Rick Minter, who was fired last year. Under offensive line coach John Latina, the Irish have gone from 31st to 85th to 119th in sacks allowed. However, Latina is a respected veteran whom Steve Spurrier tried to hire for his first South Carolina staff in 2005.
But this year Weis also hired former Irish quarterback Ron Powlus as quarterbacks coach. Powlus never had coached before. New defensive coordinator Corwin Brown, only in his seventh year of coaching, never had been a coordinator before.
To his credit, Weis is taking responsibility. He is a class act. His opening pass from his 1-yard-line at Washington to honor a dying Irish fan’s wish in 2005 and walking into the USC locker room to congratulate the Trojans after that painful loss two weeks later remain part of Irish lore.
Still, Weis’ arrogance, his belief he can outthink any simpleton college coach, has put Notre Dame on the verge of its first 0-4 start in history. He tried a gimmick offense that backfired in the opener against Georgia Tech.
Weis is going back to basics. This week he had full-contact practices. No scout team, and starters vs. starters. However, the big question running up and down the Notre Dame subway is whether he has lost his team. Friday’s last-minute defection to Northern Illinois by backup quarterback Demetrius Jones wasn’t as startling as the whispers that captain Travis Thomas knew about it all along and never told Weis.
And if it’s true Weis lied to Jones about getting a chance to start, as Jones claimed, then how much will Weis’ future word ever hold?
Lemming ranks the 2008 class commitments, including top quarterback Dayne Crist of Sherman Oaks, Calif., No. 1 in the nation. But Michigan State, revived and alive at 3-0, visits South Bend not only as a big favorite but as the nation’s co-leader in sacks.
Alas, Weis has a long way to go to live up to the Domers’ early comparisons to the likes of Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine and Lou Holtz. How did those five do in their third seasons?
A combined 50-2-1.
