Eddie George is the epitome of jealousy and of being misinformed.
Check out this clip from Rivals...
Eddie George says Notre Dame will win.
The other knucklehead, Jason King, in this clip says that since Stafon Johnson has been out with his injury that C.J. Gable has carried the majority of the work load...
Really??
What game was King watching? I loved how George thought that SC's defense was strong but not as strong as last year. Interesting...
So Eddie, what part of USC's defense is not as strong as last year?
Hmmm...Maybe Eddie should read this for a little night reading to bone up on Saturday's match-up.
The recognition part may yet require name tags. But notice has been served that losing four NFL-drafted linebackers doesn't necessarily predict doom. At least not at USC, which ranks No. 6 nationally in total defense, allowing 238.6 yards per game and thus little room for doubt.
That has set up a fascinating dynamic for Saturday, when No. 25 Notre Dame's prolific offense meets, by far, the most potent defense it has seen. Almost literally in the middle are a group of linebackers more anonymous yet no less productive than their decorated predecessors.
"I don't know how to explain us," said junior Michael Morgan, who has 9 1/2 tackles for loss. "I guess we're ... I don't know, smart, I guess. Smart and hard workers."
Said Galippo: "The biggest thing to me, especially with our front seven, is the fact that we're really just a bunch of no-name guys. There's no 'watch list' guys or anything. We're just out there and working hard and playing disciplined football."
Jimmy Clausen is going to channel his inner Butch Cassidy..."Who are those guys?"
I mean come on Eddie George has never picked USC to win any of these games. He even had to conjure up the tradition of Touchdown Jesus and that SC lost to UW while ND beat UW...with a cough-missed call-cough at the goal line.
Anyway...
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Here is Chuck's Presser earlier today...
These guys are desperate for this win. This will be the make or break game for Weis. If he wins he ride the win for decades if he doesn't...
The players seem to believe that this is their year...
"We believe" was written in chalk Tuesday on the walkway leading up to the building that houses Notre Dame’s football offices.
Coach Charlie Weis thinks his players believe, too. The 25th-ranked Fighting Irish believe they are going to beat No. 6 USC on Saturday.
"I don’t know if that’s always been the case," said Weis, who is 0-4 against the Trojans. "They understand the talent level of who they’re going against, but I’d say this is probably the first time since I’ve been here where the players really believe they’re going to win. They might be in the minority but they certainly believe that."
Here is another take from Blue and Gold.com.
Whatever...wish in one hand and crap in the other, which one fills up first???
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ND is pulling out all the stops with the list of recruits they bringing in...
No fewer than 10 members of the ESPNU 150 will be in attendance. That doesn't count 11 of the 15 prospects already committed to the Irish who will be in the stands, or the 11 elite juniors scheduled to attend on unofficial visits.
Three of the senior visitors are committed to other schools but open to switching -- free safety Corey Cooper of Maywood, Ill. (Illinois); wide receiver Tai-ler Jones of Gainesville, Ga. (Stanford) and free safety Devon Carrington of Chandler, Ariz. (Stanford).
Five of the blue-chip seniors are involved in a recruiting tug-of-war between ND and the Trojans, including the highest-rated prospect of the whole bunch, ESPNU No. 4 Seantrel Henderson.
Henderson is a 6-foot-8, 330-pound offensive tackle from Cretin-Derham Hall High in St. Paul, Minn. -- the same school that produced Floyd. In fact, Henderson dropped the Irish earlier in the recruiting process, but those in recruiting circles credit Floyd with getting ND back in the mix.
"Seantrel and I are real close," Floyd said earlier in the fall. "That's just how it is. I'm working on him -- we're working on him -- to come here. He's a cool guy and a lot like me, kind of a goofball who gets the job done in school. The guy can play. That's how it is."
As usual the Domers will get theirs but it is not like Chuck is great at coaching them up with his Decided Schematic Advantage.
(((((((((((((((((((((YAWN))))))))))))))))))
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Here is a nice write-up from the Trojan Empire on the USC-ND rivalry...
When the Trojans and Irish collide this weekend, there are two obvious rewards at stake. One is the jeweled shillelagh, which has been the trophy of the series since 1952. The other is the bragging right that comes with it. But there are many other repercussions that stem from this great rivalry. Some are immediate, while others take time to surface.
One obvious result is the national championship. With 22 titles between the two schools, the most of any rivalry, the path of a champion often leads to staring a nemesis in the eyes before pushing aside the obstacle. But punishments and rewards for wins and losses go far beyond titles. They may not have the shine of a champion, but are equally relevant in the shadows of victory.
2001- Pete Carroll agreed to take over the head coaching duties of a failing USC football program. In doing so, he threw himself into a college football pressure cooker, and dove head first into rivalry. The coach failed in his opening attempt, with the Irish scoring a 27-16 victory in South Bend. Already feeling the heat of a 2-4 start, Carroll dropped another game, and this time to a bitter rival. Lynch mobs were forming, and the local press was publishing the "mistake" of USC’s hire. Carroll and his Trojans bounced back from defeat, winning the remainder of the regular season games, including a victory over UCLA. In his nine year tenur, Carroll has never been under fire as he was in the moments following his loss to Notre Dame. He’s never faced a repeat of that harsh criticism, and since that day, he’s never lost to the Irish.
2002- In Carroll’s second season, USC was a top-ten program hosting the 12th ranked Irish in a regular season finale. Neither team played for a national championship trophy, but another piece of hardware was won on this day. Carson Palmer passed for 425 yards and 4 touchdowns, as USC cruised to 44-13 victory. Beneath the bright lights, and on the national stage, the senior quarterback threw for the most yards ever by a Notre Dame opponent. In doing so, he secured enough votes to become Southern California’s fifth Heisman Trophy winner, and the first hurler to accomplish the feat.
Anthony does some fine writing...