Making History: A 3rd Heisman???

[Johnny93g]

Irish Illustrated returns. The year is 2015, 10 years since i took over coaching duties for the university of Notre Dame. My 1st season was Chronicled here.

Sense then, I've had several 10 wins seasons, but never a national title. It's not easy playing 4 top 10 teams every season, but i love the challenge....anyway, enough about me, this isnt about me, this dynasty is about Notre Dame's Senior Quarterback, Vishante Flately

Vishante became our starting QB by accident. After Torrey Spinney, a 1 year SR starter graduated, we had no viable QB options on the roster. I set out to find the best QB in America, and Vishante wasnt even on the radar. After my 1st 5 choices turned us down, i turned to Vish, who had loved Notre Dame growing up in Ohio. He commited instantly, and became the starter by default.

His first season became special, and under appreciated by your truly. The team finished 10-3, pretty good with a freshman QB leading the way. Vishante, despite my criticsm, won the Heisman. Thats right, the Freshman won the heisman, not to mention the Davey O'brien award. He was named Offensive player of the year, and a 1st team all-american. I was shocked, he was good, but not that good!!!!!.....36 touchdowns/15 int's.....as a coach, im trying to improve his game, and all i saw were the int's.

Vishante did improve in his sophmore campaign. He improved his QB rating, threw 5 less int's, and led the team to a Sugar Bowl win. A better season then his sohpmore year, but no post season accolades. I think that fueld Vish, as his junior season was memorable.

Vish led us to our best season in years. 12-1, Orange Bowl win vs and unbeaten Pitt team, and a final ranking of #4. Vish put up monster numbers. 4000 yards, 39 td's, and just 8 picks....He won his 2nd Heisman, 2nd Davey O'Brien, and again was a 1st team All-American, and offensive player of the year.

Vish has returned for his Senior season. Vish has returned to complete the trifecta...3 Heisman tropheys.......hopefully a national title too

[Johnny93g]

Off season

Our preseason began with the addition of 20 new freshman to the squad. We were able to sign 4 5-star players, and 8 4-star guys……including Vishante’s new understudy….Stephen Molden, ranked 14th overall, and the #3 QB….We are credited with the 10th best recruiting class, but I couldn’t be happier. We have a great nucleus for the future.

Our 7th year offensive coordinator, Artose Dalby, reccomends a Vertical offense for the team this year. This will be our 4th straight year running this offense, and it suits Vish perfectly. Greg Ingram, our defensive genious, wants a 4-3, like normal. Ingram is beginning his 3rd year with the Irish. His previous 2 seasons produced defensive rankings of 2nd, and 18th.

Our budget was increased by 200,000+ this offseason, which makes it very easy to spread it around. Our recruiting budget is huge, and no one position will be short changed.

Our schedule consists of top ten teams Michigan St, Michigan, USC, and Purdue. We have 4 open slots. Im looking for 1 easy, 2 medium, and 1 difficult game. Everyone i contact agrees to my proposals.

Our Final Schedule looks like this:
Week 1: at #9 Michigan St
Week 2: Indiana
Week 3: at #23 Auburn
Week 4: #1 Michigan
Week 5: #4 USC
Week 6: at Navy
Week 7: at Army
Week 8: Temple
Week 9: at #3 Purdue
Week 10: Bye
Week 11: at #17 Texas
Week 12: Bye
Week 13: #6 Virginia Tech
Week 14: Bye
Week 15: Boston College

Seems tough enough to me….

Starting Lineup, and game 1 coming tomorrow

[Johnny93g]

2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Offense

QB- #12 SR Vishante Flately- The best player in college football, and the star of this story. Vish is 3000+ yards and 13 TD passes short of setting all time marks. Vish is a senior, and I’m expecting him to lead us to a national title

HB- #32 JR J.J. Hatch- JJ will be the starting halfback for the 1st time in his career. He spent the last 2 years backing up Notre Dame all-time leading rusher Duriel Izzo, and hopefully learned from him. Our scouts rate JJ 71/82 right now. JJ has run for 484 yards on 110 carries during his 1st 2 years

FB- #36 SR Pierce Shehee- This 5th year senior is a 2nd year starter. Last year, Pierce showed he is capable of running for 40 yards a game. He is a good run blocker, and a local Indiana boy. Our coaches feel he’s a 61/67, but i'm much more confident in him then that would suggest

SE- #80 JR Arland Younger- Arland has started sense he stepped on campus, but hasn’t lived up to expectations. His numbers are good when he plays, but he is injured far too often. Although he’s played in 21 games, he only finished about half of them. The kid has a lot of talent (75/85), and should go over 1200 yards if healthy

FL- #82 SO Delbert Fenderson- Delbert transferred from the University of Minnesota last season, and after sitting out a full year, he’s raring to go. Delbert didn’t play a down for the Gophers as a freshman, and I don’t know why. He’s a 73/83 right now; he’s the best route runner on the team, won’t get hurt, and works extremely hard. He should be a All-American one day, and with Vish throwing the ball, should get to 1000 yards

TE- #83 SR Galen Semple- 4th year starter, Galen is coming off a 42 catch season, which included 6 TD’s. He’s an all around good player, solid blocker, who doesn’t hurt the running game. Semple is the least spectacular player on offense. He’s a blue collar type player….works for whatever he gets

LT- #77 SO Sonny Wellman- Sonny is a sophomore who never saw the field as a freshman. He seriously considered transferring, but decided to stay when he learned he was penciled into the LT spot….He kept that spot with an impressive spring, and we are confident he will excel. 67/80.

LG- #68 SR Pep Schulters- Pep is our best lineman. He is a 4th year starter, and a local product (not many good Indiana recruits). Pep is the offensive line leader. He’s allowed just 6 sacks in the previous 3 seasons.

C- #61 SR Torrin Howton- This 3 year backup is hasn’t seen much playing time, but this year is his. He’s rated as a 70/77, but is a great pass blocker. SR lineman can win games at this level, and his 309lbs frame won’t hurt.

RG- #65 JR Rian Biekert- This is the oline’s weakspot. Rian will share time with freshman Jonathon Connell. Both are rated 58 currently, with Connell having a better upside. Biekert will be the long snapper

RT- #72 SR Gabriel Sheppard- 321lbs 5th year senior gets his 2nd chance to start, after a 5 game stint as a sophomore. He’s nothing to rave about, but will get the job done

[Johnny93g]

2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Defense

LDE- #93 JR Dan Hundon- Dan has started his first 2 years on campus, compiling 16 sacks over that span. 13 of those came last year. He’s a 71/78, and at 65, very difficult to block.

DT- #97 SR Kelly Dubose- 4th year starter doesn’t make a lot of plays, as he’s usually double-teamed. He opens up rushing lanes for his teammates. He’s managed 11 sacks, 16 hurries, and forced 6 fumbles in his 3 seasons.

DT- #90 SO Kevin Golden- Kevin has a nice upside, which is why i’m starting him. 68/77. He has a chance to be very good. He has a mean streak, which we like on the dline. He will share time with Rueben Coia, a JR who had 8 sacks last year.

RDE- #96 JR Rashad Schneck- 14 sacks in his previous 2 seasons. I can’t ignore that production. He’s an excellent pass rusher, uses his speed well. 72/82.

SLB- #49 JR Chance Hickman- Chance is a 3rd year starter, who has all the tools to go pro. He doesn’t miss tackles, is an excellent blitzer, and has a 92 yard int return for TD to his credit

OLB- #50 SO Reche Sidle- Reche was my prize recruit last season, and though he had a sub-par year, just 32 tackles, his long term outlook is extremely positive. 68/83. He should become the leader of the defense next season after the man your about to meet graduates

MLB- #57 SR Junior McIlhenny- Came to ND to play with his older brother, ND all time leading tackler John McIlhenny. Junior needs about 80 tackles to break that record. He’s the best player, and leader of the defense. His instincts are off the map good. Will be in the running for some major awards

CB- #35 FR Bobby Mudd- #10 recruit in the nation starts from day 1. We have no CB depth this year, so an injury would be devastating. Our coaches think he is a 3 year player, who should rival the last CB to start as a freshman at ND. R-Kal VanEeghen who picked 9 passes off as a freshman

CB #43 SO Freeman Birk- Highly touted last season, he and Mudd make up an extremely young CB duo. He’s a 68/83

SS- #31 FR Donny Molden- Forced into the starting spot by our lack of depth in this position. Top 100 recruit, who will be pretty good. He needs to be good now…58/79

FS- #44 SR Hayden Flanagan- Secondary leader. Great coverman. Doesn’t make many mistakes at all. Forced 7 turnovers in his 3 seasons.

[Johnny93g]

Week 1 Preview: #9 Michigan St. Spartans (0-0)

Michigan St is led by junior RB Omari Wells. Wells rushed for 1493 yards last season, and caught 38 balls. Our scouts rate him a 75/87, with breakaway speed. He isn’t very strong and likes to stay away from the inside. Sophomore quarterback RC McCaffrey will make his 1st career start today. McCaffrey is a pocket passer, with a strong and accurate arm. He completed 5 of 6 passes last season, with his lone incompletion being an int. The right side of the Spartans offensive line is weak, and is where we must attack. Our young secondary will have their hands full with state receiver Mathias Wegert, who has caught for over 900 yards in his previous 2 seasons.

Star linebacker Javor Ayodele is the only defender i'm really worried about. State is pretty weak in the secondary, and I don’t see their defensive line getting through to Vish.

[Johnny93g]

#9 Michigan St. Spartans (0-0) vs. #14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-0)
vs.
Live from Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mi
Today’s Key Matchup: ND QB Vishante Flately vs the MSU secondary
MSU is favored by 4

1st quarter
• Vish’s first pass is a 23 yard gain to freshman receiver William Cipa
• Howard Guman, MSU DE sacks Vish for the 1st time this season
• Flately hits Younger for 25 yards on a 3rd and 21
• Flately throws a 15 yard TD pass to Younger….7-0 Irish….Vish is 5/5, 89 yards, 1 TD on the 1st drive
• RC MaCaffery does his best Vish impression, going perfect on State’s first drive…..completes a 15 yard TD pass…..7-7
• Our offensive line is crumbling, Vish goes down for the 3rd time early
• Vish saves another drive with a 24 yard pass to Semple on 3rd and long
• Pierce Shehee runs the ball to the 1 before Vish hits Fenderson for a 1 yard TD pass….14-7 Irish
• State concentrates on the ground game, and moves the ball to our 30 as the quarter ends…..

2nd quarter
• States drive stalls at the 2 after a goal line stand……they settle for a FG….
• He hold on the FG attempt….Spartans get another chance to punch it in
• Our mistakes costs us the lead…Spartans score….14-14
• A 3rd and 2 run comes short, with the ball at midfield, I risk it….Vishes pass misses the receiver by 5 yards…we turn it over
• Fortunately for us, State goes 3 and out
• JJ Hatch quietly passes 50 yards rushing in the first half on a 13 yard gain near midfield
• Our drive stalls at the 20, and Nolan Chaney connects on a 37 yard FG…17-14 Irish
• State marches right back at us….dismantling our defense, which I though could handle them.
• McCaffery throws his 2nd TD pass…..21-17 Spartans
• We get the ball with 1:29 left…4 plays, 30 seconds, and a 42 yard pass to Semple, the ball is at the Spartan 25, with time to get it into the endzone
• 3rd and goal from the 9 with 2 seconds left….I take another chance, and go for the TD
• Vish is sacked…..21-17 at the half…Last season, we made these plays

3rd quarter
• We finally break into the State backfield…Kelly Dubose gets the sack
• A holding call negates a 3rd and long incompletion by State, giving them a 1st down…defense is letting us down right now
• Michigan State decides to take a risk, going for a 4th and 2 from our 36…
• The pass is picked off by Junior McIlhenny….Irish ball!!!!!
• We do nothing and punt
• State drives and kicks a FG…24-17 Spartans
• Risk #3….we drive to the State 30..Fenderson catches a 3rd down pass a yard shy of the 1st down…we need TD’s, not long FG attempts…it’s a yard…lets go for it
• Hatch gets the yard…Barely…1st down
• The risk pays off…Vish finds Fenderson in the endzone….TD….24-24
• Defense forces 3 straight incomplete passes to end the quarter…..

4th quarter
• We start at our 44…great field position
• Vish gets sacked twice, the line is really playing awful…Vish is running for his life…we punt
• State drives like there is no defense on the field…..easy 19 yard TD run for Wells….31-24 Spartans
• Fenderson blows his route, Vish pass is intercepted deep in Spartan territory
• Spartans take 3 minutes off the clock and punt….Irish ball on the 20, 5:13 remain
• 3 and out and we punt….not good
• State drives to our 29, and misses a 47 yard FG which could have sealed the victory….1:37 left…Irish ball on the 28
• 1st down…Vish to Leonard….Incomplete
• 2nd down….Vish to Younger…complete for 2
• 3rd and 8…..time violation
• 3rd and 13…Vish to Leonard….8 yards
• 4th and 5…complete for 12 yards….50 seconds left
• 1st and 10 from the 45…..Vish to Semple…34 yards…timeout
• 39 seconds left
• 1st and 10 from the 21…..Vish to Younger….TOUCHDOWN!!!!IRISH….21 yards!!!
• Down by 1, I decide to go for 2….I’ve had a lot of success running a certain play near opponents goaline…..Risk #4
• 2 yard pass to Hatch is GOOD!!!!!....32-31 Irish….22 seconds remain
• Kickoff and a pass run out the clock….IRISH WIN!!!!

Final Score: Michigan St. 31, Notre Dame 32

Wow, that was exciting….can’t believe our defense play so horribly, but I’m happy that I finally took a chance, and we were rewarded for it. Vish goes 31/44, 385 yards….4 td’s, 1 int….wow…….nice start to the season. Junior McIlhenny had 11 tackles, while Chance Hickman led the team with 14….box score in the morning

[Johnny93g]

unfortunatly, when i exited the game last night, it did not give me an option to save, so this game has been lost. Too bad has i was very happy with the results, it was a great game. I'll resim, and post the boxscore next

[Johnny93g]

[Johnny93g]

Week 2: Indiana Hoosiers (0-0)

IU obviously is supposed to be an easy win, that’s why we are playing this game. We are 2-0 vs. Indiana during my coaching reign. Peerless Granbury quarterbacks the Hoosiers, and is a 1st year starter. He doesn’t have great tools, but makes great decisions. The Hoosiers start a junior who’s yet to take a snap at running back. Bruno Bedford looks like he would make a better QB then a HB. Their offensive line is young and talented. It is the strength of the offense.

Defensively, the Hoosiers have a hand full of players that may be something someday, but overall, they don’t really scare me. The depth is awful, any injuries will bury them. Linebacker Tre Redden leads the way. He recorded 71 tackles last season

[Johnny93g]

Indiana Hoosiers (0-0) vs. #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0)
vs.
Live from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, In
Today’s Key Matchup: Hoosiers secondary vs. Irish WR Arland Younger
Irish favoured by 29

Injury note: Notre Dame will be missing starting DT Kelly Dubose. Kelly suffered a knee injury against state, and is questionable for today. I will rest him.

1st quarter
• We take not one, not two, but 3 potential drive killing penalties on the opening drive
• Vish makes 3 long third down passes to keep the drive going
• Vish completes an 11 yard pass to Fenderson, for the TD…7-0 Irish
• Grandberry throws behind his receiver. Freeman Birk picks the pass off, returning it 19 yards to the IU 16
• Next play, Vish hits Younger in the endzone. 14-0
• Indiana drive 55 yards down the field, but run out of gas, and force a punt, pinning us at our 2
• Penalties kill us again, this time we cant overcome them….we punt
• Another penalty helps IU get into the redzone….Their 31 yard field goal is blocked by Henri Gesser
• 14-0 after a quarter

2nd quarter
• Penalty negates a 1st down conversion, we punt
• Bobby Mudd strips IU receiver Je’rod Poppinga….Rashad Schneck recovers it….Irish ball
• The turnover gets us a field goal…17-0 Irish
• JJ Hatch is taking advantage of our pass first offense, catching defense off guard…hits the 50 yard mark on his 7th carry
• IU is taking away the long pass…Vish is completing everything under the coverage, long drive.
• 14 play/ 68 yard drive is capped off with a 1 yard TD pass, which is called back cuz of holding…FG makes it 20-0
• IU uses the run in the last 2 minutes of the half…..Grandberry then throws a bomb WR Cannon, who is dropped at our 2…
• Grandberry is sacked by Schnek, who also manages to strip the ball….Dan Hundon jumps on it, keeps his balance, and rumbles 92 yards for the score….27-0

3rd quarter
• Reche Sidle opens the 2nd half picking off a Grandberry pass at midfield
• Penalties force us to punt…our discipline is awful
• IU goes back to the ground game, which eats us up….they score their 1st TD….27-7
• JJ Hatch fumbles our 1st play on the next drive away…IU with a chance to get right back in this thing
• They stall, and kick the 3 pointer….27-10
• WOW…..Vish is sacked, then picked at our 38….falling apart maybe?
• IU continues to chip away with another FG…27-13

4th Quarter
• Vish is sacked again….we cant do a damn thing
• Finally, a nice play…15 yards to Fenderson for the 1st down…..CALLED BACK FOR HOLDING!!!!!
• We punt, and I scream at the whole damn offense
• We force a 3 and out…Vish will know drive us for a TD….I can feel it
• Vish throws an interception, which gets called back for holding….so lucky….at this point, he’s close to being benched
• Vish is picked again on the next play…it counts this time…..Vish is benched for the next series
• IU, feeling time is running out, goes for a 4th and 1
• Pass is incomplete
• College debut for Irish QB Steven Molden
• His first pass is a 3rd down completion for 14 yards to Younger
• 3 plays later….30 yards to Younger for the TD…34-13
• Grandberry goes down to a injury, backup Torry McMichael enters the game…he’s not good
• They punt, and Vish returns.
• 4 completions later, Vish has his 3rd TD pass of the game….41-13 Irish
• Junior McIlhenny picks off a McMichael pass with under 2 remaining….we will run the clock out

Final: Indiana 13, Notre Dame 41

Well, we played great in the 1st half, and totally let the Hoosiers back into the game in the 2nd half. Vish had a bad game. This really hurts his heisman chances. Int's in 2 games will not get it done. He needs to improve, ecspecially in the 2nd half. Im very worried about him right now, ill be working him pretty hard in practise this week

[Johnny93g]

Vishante played bad. His number's look decent, but they arent heisman numbers, and thats what we are shooting for. He needs to improve quickly, if he wants to make history. Defenses seem to be trying to stop the long ball. So Vishante will have to learn to throw the short pass, and ill have to call for more runs. JJ Hatch is a good RB, i need to take advantage of that

[Johnny93g]

Week 3: #18 Auburn Tigers (2-0)

Auburn has started this season with a 49-23 win at East Carolina, and a 24-17 win over Syracuse. The Tigers are ranked in the 30’s in both offense and defense. They only have 7 seniors on their roster, so this team should be a title contender next season. QB is not a position of strength. Sophomore Edd Seals is just a 57/63. His job is to not lose games. So far, he hasn’t. The Tigers are a run first, run second, pass if you have to team. They have 3 extremely talented RB’s. Kern Geason starts, and has 188 yards so far. Dalton Milligan has 164 yards as a backup. And even though Lenzie Chaffey has yet to play this year, he avereged 4.6 ypc last season as a freshman. All three of these guys can be superstars. The offensive line is dominant. Terence Gurley and Kassim Dyal man the left side of the line, and maybe the best left side in college football

Defensively, the team is a little thin. Their 2 best players play the same safety position, and rarely see the field together. It is extremely difficult to run up the middle on these guys, as junior’s Pate and Butkus are big and talented. Auburn’s linebackers are not good tacklers, so the short zone, middle of the field is where we need to attack.

[Johnny93g]

#18 Auburn Tigers (2-0) vs. #10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0)

vs.
Live from Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Al
Today’s Key Matchup: Irish receiver Arland Younger vs. the Tiger Secondary
Irish favoured by 7

Injury note: DT Kelly Dubose remains out with an injured knee

1st quarter
• We come out defending the run hard, but penalties kill their first drive
• Flately starts off throwing the ball….doesn’t work well and we punt
• It takes tell our 3rd possession to record a 1st down…Flately looks….well…flat so far
• The oline is breaking down…..Hatch is getting hit behind the line, and with the ball inside the 10, Flately is sacked twice, forcing a 3rd and goal from the 24…
• Nolan Chaney kicks a FG….3-0 Irish
• Uneventful 1st quarter ends with the score 3-0

2nd quarter
• With good field position, but outside our kickers range…I go for a 4th and 6…..A 1 yard gain doesn’t do it…turnover
• Next play, Tiger WR I.M. Gay takes a screen pass for 63 yards….7-3 Tigers
• Another 4th down, this time 1 yard to go, and I’m going for it….
• 1 yard is good enough this time….1st down
• Flately gets picked inside the 20…..sigh….I’ve never seen him play worse then the start of this season
• Tigers move the ball easily, in the air and on the ground…score another 7…14-3 Tigers
• Flately looks awful again...we punt…Flately will sit out remainder of the half
• We force a punt, and Molden comes in to perform a 2 minute drill
• Molden moves us into the Red Zone, and gets picked….

3rd Quarter
• Flately returns…1st pass….45 yards to Fenderson….ball at the Tiger 10…need a TD
• Flately is sacked, but then hits Galen Semple for the 15 yard score….14-10 Tigers
• Auburn turns to the pass, which gets them close enough to hit another FG…17-10 Tigers
• Flately is back to sucking…overthrows on 3 straight plays
• Flately misses his 4th and 5th straight passes…but JJ Hatch runs the ball to FG position….Chaney misses….still 17-10 Tigers
• Gay catches a TD pass…24-10 Tigers

4th quarter
• We go 3 and out….Auburn then waste a lot of timing driving for a FG…..27-10 Tigers
• Each team goes 3 and out
• Flately finally does some good….throwing a TD pass to JJ Hatch….time is running out however…..27-17 Tigers
• Auburn goes 3 and out, and drops the clock to under 3 minutes…..
• Flately hits a 50 yard bomb….2 plays later, he hits Younger for a TD…..27-24 Tigers
• 57 seconds remain…onside kick time
• WE RECOVER THE KICK!!!!!!
• Flately takes a sack on 1st down
• 2nd down, incomplete
• Flately floats it out to Leonard…HE’S GOT IT….HE’S GONE!!!!...TOUCHDOWN IRISH!!!!...31-27
• 30 seconds remain….I hope we don’t screw this up
• Auburn has 23 seconds from their 29
• 1st down…Donny Molden intercepts the pass…IRISH WIN!!!!!

Final: Auburn 27, Notre Dame 31

[Johnny93g]

Well that was a lucky comeback....I was pretty upset at the way the whole team had played....Then suddenly....BAM...27-17...then BAM....27-24....then BAM...31-27....I'm sure some Irish fans turned off the tv before that comeback. This was the 1st onside kick we have recovered in during my tenure. Vishante saved his best for last. His numbers arent heisman quality, but his comeback was.....USC and Michigan coming up...we need to be much better

[Johnny93g]

Week 4: #1 Michigan Wolverines (2-0)

Michigan hasn’t won any tough games this season, but they were ranked #1 in the preseason, and have done nothing to lose it. Infact, they were lucky to beat Wake Forest last week, needing overtime to edge the Deacons out 33-30…

The offense is ranked 36th in the country. Tyson Ernst, 1st year sophomore starter is going to be special. He’ll be very good this season, but won’t be counted on to win games. He is very smart, and doesn’t make mistakes. RB Duce Crumpler ran for almost 1400 yards as a freshman, and is averaging 170 yards a game this season. There a lot of controversy in Ann Arbor…68/71 senior center, a 3 year starter has been benched, and hasn’t played a down this season. Instead Seth Rochester, a 55/84 has started both games. He hasn’t exactly played well, allowing 3 sacks.

Defense is ranked 25th…..The defensive line is weaker then I expected, but the LB crew and secondary make up for that. Jessie Raiola, Michigan’s MLB, is a run stopper who makes plays….His ability to read plays, and make tackle’s is unmatched in college football…He will be a top 5 NFL draft pick…..

[Johnny93g]

#1 Michigan Wolverines (2-0) vs. #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0)
vs.
Live from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, In
Today’s Key Matchup: Wolverines front 7 vs. Irish RB JJ Hatch
Notre Dame is favoured by 2

Injury note: DT Kelly Dubose remains out with an injured knee. Vishante Flately will need to look like his heisman self for us to have a chance

1st quarter
• Michigan returns the opening kick 65 yards…..great field position
• It takes them 3 minutes to punch it in…7-0 Wolverines
• Vish gets sacked on a 3rd down, and we punt our 1st possession away
• Stoney Pietrosante returns the punt 84 yards for a TD….14-0 Wolverines….wow…way to come out strong
• JJ Hatch gets going…brings us to the 29…..FG attempt is good….14-3 Wolverines
• Duce Crumpler runs over our whole defense again….fortunately, we sack Ernst on 3rd and goal…forcing a FG….17-3 Wolverines
• I am already sensing the urgency to score…so I decide to go for a 4th and 9 at midfield…the pass is high….turnover

2nd quarter
• Hayden Flanigan, playing in zone coverage deflects the pass up to himself, and runs 16 yards the other way…Huge play…Irish ball
• It takes us 6 plays, but Antwon Panifil, my future star RB records his 1st career Touchdown…..17-10 Wolverines
• Michigan goes 85 yards with ease to score their 3rd TD…24-10 Wolverines
• We stall at midfield, and send the Wolverines back to their 2 yard line….must stop them here
• We do after 1 first down…..Irish start with wonderful field position…ball at the 41 of Michigan
• We go down to the 3, where we have a 4th down decision….I decide to take the points, as we will still be within striking distance….24-13 Wolverines
• Dan Hundon gets into the Michigan backfield, sacking Tyson Ernst, for a loss of 12…we get the ball back with 1:06 remaining in the half
• Backfires…..Flately throws a pick returned for a TD…31-13 Wolverines

3rd quarter
• We strike quickly in the 2nd half….8 plays, 2 and a half minutes….31-20 Wolverines…Flately with the TD pass
• Defense steps up and forces a quick punt…we now must go 97 yards
• We end up going 80 yards instead……to the Michigan 17….2 big passes to Galen Semple, and Arland Younger….FG is good…31-23 Wolverines
• Michigan stalls at our 36….and punt it to our 12….88 yards to go…still 4 minutes remain in the quarter
• Final play of the quarter….Flately hits big play Bradie Leonard for a 39 yard TD…..2 point conversion is no good......31-29 Wolverines

4th quarter
• OMG….another huge return for Michigan…down to my 15…..
• Touchdown Michigan…the return ruined my momentum…..38-29 Wolverines
• Flately is fighting like a champ know…making some huge plays….moving the ball well
• OMG….Flately hit Leonard who fumbled at the Michigan 2….Wolverine ball…DAMN!!!!!
• Michigan goes 3 and out, but still…that hurts
• 2 25 yard passes by Flately have us at the 3…
• Holding moves us back 10, but Flately hits Younger from 13 out for the TD….38-36 Wolverines with 6:30 left….Flately with 462 yards passing so far
• Michigan gets a big play to move the ball to mid field, then punt….4:33 left, we take over at our 23
• 1st Down from the Irish 23: incomplete
• 2nd Down: 26 yards to Arland Younger
• 1st Down from the Irish 49: Flately sacked for a loss of 5
• 2nd and 15: Semple drops it….
• 3rd and 15: 16 yards to Delbert Fenderson
• 1st and 10 from the Wolverine 40: incomplete
• 2nd and 10: incomplete
• 3rd and 10: 11 yards to JJ Hatch
• 1st and 10 from the Wolverine 29: Holding on the Irish
• 1st and 20: 14 yards to Tiki Ofodile
• 2nd and 6: Hatch runs for 6….Shehee takes an unnecessary roughing penalty…just awful….
• 3rd and 15: Sacked for loss of 5….cant kick the field goal now
• 4th and 20…1:37 left: incomplete pass to Ofodile……FLAG!!!!...HOLDING ON MICHIGAN
• 1st and 10 from the 29: incomplete
• 2nd and 10: complete to Semple for 0
• 3rd and 10: intercepted…wow….

Final: Michigan 38, Notre Dame 36

[nol]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

Next play, Tiger WR I.M. Gay takes a screen pass for 63 yards….7-3 Tigers

The joy of computer-generated names

[Johnny93g]

Wow, what a tough loss...We lost this game because of special teams. They scored 21 points directly off of special teams plays. Take that away, and we outplayed the #1 team in the country. Vishante played great. This was a heisman performance. He put the team on his back, and almost won it. The final interception wasnt Vishante's fault. It was tipped up by the reciever. I almost ran a simple run play, but i was scared of a holding call, which had happend on a previous run. I also wasnt sold on my FG kicker making the 45+ yard kick. Overall, a tough loss...#2 USC is next

[Johnny93g]

Week 5: #2 USC Trojans (4-0)

USC’s offense is ranked 14th in the country. 4th year senior start EJ Colclough has a lot of talent, but seems to have one major problem….turnovers. in his 1st 3 seasons, he threw 40 interceptions…..that’s not good…..4 passes have been picked this year…..RB Abdual Branch is a 2nd year starters whose averaging over 100 yards per game on the ground. The oline isn’t as strong as I though it would be. JC transfer Marcel Saffold was the #1 WR available during the summer. Marcel chose USC over the Irish, which adds a bit of inspiration for us. Marcel has been great. 529 yards in 4 games.

Defensively, USC is average…..Safety Elijah Barlow is in his 1st season starting, despite being the #1 overall recruit 4 years ago. He’s on pace for 100+ tackles. Richard Harrell gets a sack per game. The big weakness is at cornerback. USC has 4 freshman sharing time, and all are bad players right now. We will pass a lot against this group, and if they can shut down a Heisman QB, then they’ll deserve to win. I don’t think they can