The Sunday Afternoon Drive or...
...Why a Bye Week is a Good Thing During the Football Season.
Dateline: Saturday, October 21, 2006, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana...
The I-80 crowd streaming in from the metropolitan Chicagoland area choked the highway with crash cart-wielding ambulances and tow-trucks providing battery start ups. Maybe they should just call it the cardiac corridor. In the space of a measly five days health insurance rates skyrocketed, emergency room visits mulitplied, and CPR course enrollment catipulted to all-time highs in the Chicago/ Northwestern Indiana territory.
I'm just happy the Bears had the weekend off. Outside of monitoring my fantasy football teams, I needed a break from football after Saturday.
My favorite college football team, the Notre Dame fighting Irish gave indigestion and heartburn a good name for most of the afternoon on Saturday even though at one point during this game Brady Quinn became the all-time leading passer in Notre Dame football history and in the process became only the 32nd passer in NCAA history to pass for over 10,000 career yards.
But that isn't the story.
With a little over two minutes to play and Notre Dame trailing 17-13, the offense was forced to go for it on fourth down and short after a third down play was stuffed at the line. But for the first time this season, a Brady Quinn sneak attempt over the center and guards was stopped from gaining the first down, and the ball was turned over on downs to that vaunted UCLA offense, better known as that other offense in Los Angeles, the one with a backup quarterback leading it.
But that isn't the story either.
No the story of the game was Notre Dame keeping it's BCS bowl hopes alive with a clutch last minute victory over that most vaunted of football programs, UCLA, better known as that other team from Los Angeles.
With just over a minute to play and no time-outs, Notre Dame received the football on their own 20 yard line and faced an up-hill 80 yard march against that vaunted UCLA defense, better known as the defense that has been pummelling Brady Quinn into submission all afternoon -- you know, that other defense from Los Angeles.
Three plays, 30+ seconds and countless pump-fakes later, Brady Quinn started the mass hysteria to the 911 switch boards when he found Jeff Smardzija cutting across the middle for a 10 yard gain. But the Shark didn't tie Derrick Mayes as the all-time touchdown reception leader in Notre Dame football history by settling for 10 yards. NO, Smardzija turned 30 yards of YAC (yards after catch) into yack (regurgitation) for that vaunted UCLA fan base, better known as Jeeves' own personal hell. (Sorry, bro, I couldn't resist!) Notre Dame preserved the win with a QB sack in the waining seconds of the game.
But the story is Brady Quinn's personal ascention into ND QB lore along side Johnny Lujack, Joe Montana and Tony Rice...
And my lazy Sunday of watching absolutely no football at all.
I don't know how this fits at all but I'm reminded of a lyric or two from the seminal "Paul Revere" by the Beastie Boys:
And, again, I'm just thankful for the bye week.
Dateline: Saturday, October 21, 2006, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana...
The I-80 crowd streaming in from the metropolitan Chicagoland area choked the highway with crash cart-wielding ambulances and tow-trucks providing battery start ups. Maybe they should just call it the cardiac corridor. In the space of a measly five days health insurance rates skyrocketed, emergency room visits mulitplied, and CPR course enrollment catipulted to all-time highs in the Chicago/ Northwestern Indiana territory.I'm just happy the Bears had the weekend off. Outside of monitoring my fantasy football teams, I needed a break from football after Saturday.
My favorite college football team, the Notre Dame fighting Irish gave indigestion and heartburn a good name for most of the afternoon on Saturday even though at one point during this game Brady Quinn became the all-time leading passer in Notre Dame football history and in the process became only the 32nd passer in NCAA history to pass for over 10,000 career yards.
But that isn't the story.
With a little over two minutes to play and Notre Dame trailing 17-13, the offense was forced to go for it on fourth down and short after a third down play was stuffed at the line. But for the first time this season, a Brady Quinn sneak attempt over the center and guards was stopped from gaining the first down, and the ball was turned over on downs to that vaunted UCLA offense, better known as that other offense in Los Angeles, the one with a backup quarterback leading it.
But that isn't the story either.
No the story of the game was Notre Dame keeping it's BCS bowl hopes alive with a clutch last minute victory over that most vaunted of football programs, UCLA, better known as that other team from Los Angeles.
With just over a minute to play and no time-outs, Notre Dame received the football on their own 20 yard line and faced an up-hill 80 yard march against that vaunted UCLA defense, better known as the defense that has been pummelling Brady Quinn into submission all afternoon -- you know, that other defense from Los Angeles.
Three plays, 30+ seconds and countless pump-fakes later, Brady Quinn started the mass hysteria to the 911 switch boards when he found Jeff Smardzija cutting across the middle for a 10 yard gain. But the Shark didn't tie Derrick Mayes as the all-time touchdown reception leader in Notre Dame football history by settling for 10 yards. NO, Smardzija turned 30 yards of YAC (yards after catch) into yack (regurgitation) for that vaunted UCLA fan base, better known as Jeeves' own personal hell. (Sorry, bro, I couldn't resist!) Notre Dame preserved the win with a QB sack in the waining seconds of the game.
But the story is Brady Quinn's personal ascention into ND QB lore along side Johnny Lujack, Joe Montana and Tony Rice...
And my lazy Sunday of watching absolutely no football at all.
I don't know how this fits at all but I'm reminded of a lyric or two from the seminal "Paul Revere" by the Beastie Boys:His voice was hoarse, his throat was dry he asked me for a sipYeah, I don't get the correlation either, but riding around on a Sunday afternoon on the heels of the second greatest Bears win ever and then the ND comeback win will make random thoughts of greatness pass thru the mind.
He said, "Can I get some?"
I said, "You can't get none!"
And, again, I'm just thankful for the bye week.
posted by jamesmnordbergjr at 11:15 AM
4 Comments:
You were sooo close. Right at the end you had "thru".
Oh, and the B-Boys reference made so very little sense.
Oh, and when people think great Notre Dame quarterbacks, they don't start or end the list with Tony Rice; unless the list is at least a top 25 or maybe 50. Some people still wonder why he didn't follow his older brother (not really) Jerry to NFL glory as a wideout. Or play baseball like his uncle Jim. Or compose songs like his older cousin Tim.
In other words, Johnny Lujack, Joe Montana, and TONY RICE?! Quinn has aleady carved out more history (not to mention future NFL aspirations) than Rice ever will. (I'm allowing for a CFL comeback, see my generosity?)
Tony Rice warrants inclusion on the ND QB list due to a certain undefeated 1988 National Championship. (And the NFL has no place in the conversation.)
And I'm well aware of the Beasties' seemingly questionable reference. So you don't have to fucking repeat my own words.
I said, and I quote: "I don't know how this fits at all but..." as well as: "Yeah, I don't get the correlation either..."
In other words, no shit, Sherlock.
It was purely an incongruous inclusion.
Truthfully the "Paul Revere" reference was cuz my voice was hoarse after screaming at the end of the game!
I believe that USC is clearly the other team from LA. UCLA is the proud owner of 99 national championships (for all sports) so I think that USC deserves to be relegated to other team status.
As long as ND takes care of business, up to the USC game, they'll get a BCS bowl. I'm pretty sure, even with a loss against that other team from LA, they'll still get in, especially if USC is undefeated.
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