Rockne's Roundtable

So let me get this straight. Urban Meyer, with a team that turned the ball over 16 times in 4 losses and having a mediocre QB starting, would be in a BCS game? Mind you, this is a guy that went 7-5 in his last season at Florida with 3 or 4 top 5 recruiting classes in his time as coach.

You seem to be a guy that knows everything about....well everything. Tell me how Meyer does this? Is it Crist leading? Rees? Hendrix? Could Meyer keep Jonas from fumbling against South Florida? What about actually covering against Michigan. Does Meyer keep players from slipping on every 3 plays against Stanford.

I dont think you're an idiot, I just think you like stirring the pot, Its sad, because you werent this guy on Rivals. Its sad to see what your e-persona has become.

You don't know what a good team really looks like do you? It's OK, there hasn't been one in ND for a while. But watch a few other teams and come back and let us know what is missing.

I like your style.

A Fans and a Coach's expectations are two different things.

+1 nuff said!

Your turn bologna.

You did not address all his questions specifically, but unlike what you did with the original post, I'll give you partial credit for at least reading it, so I will answer yours. I would have, regardless.

So, did we underachieve? By what measure? Pre-season polls? Vegas over-under? Sorry, those don't cut it with me. They are based on assumptions. For example, going into 2010, some of that would have been based on Dayne Crist living up to his 5-star billing. And staying healthy, because, Lord knows, there was no one ready to step in. Wrong on both counts. So, I prefer to use 20-20 hindsight. 2010? Underachieved and overachieved. How about that? Had no business losing to Navy or Tulsa like we did. Had no business running the table the last four with a totally raw Freshman quarterback, who no one wants to see play as an experienced Sophomore. 2011? Here, I'll break it down into my horseplayer categories: ability or accomplishment. As for accomplishment, underachieved. The record should be better than 8-4. The first two games should have been won, and it's on the players and coaches that they weren't. Bonehead mistakes that weren't the coaches fault, and any number of adjustments that the staff could have made that would have won the games. Ability? About what I expected, neither under nor over. The team performed at a 10-2 level. The major disappointments were the first halves vs. Stanford and USC. Positives were not stubbing their toes against lesser opponents after the first two games, a nice win vs. MSU, and domination of service academies who had been thorns in our sides for too many years. Overall, I felt the team performed at a level that I would have expected, realizing that we pretty much reached the ceiling at the quarterback position, pending development of others.

So, your question does not lend itself to a simple yes or no answer in my eyes. If you were expecting one from me, you probably haven't been reading many of my posts, and frankly, I don't blame you if you haven't.

The point wasnt whether or not they were prepared for games, it was execution. If you want to go back to South Florida, they absolutely marched down the field, then Gray fumbled. Another trip, a hold on Floyd negated another TD. Then Crist thows a bad pick in the end zone after yet another drive.

Michigan. March downfield, Wood fumble. Another drive, bad pick by Rees. Another drive. Rees fumble

USC. Not their best outing, but driving to tie the game. Crist fumble returned for td. Game over.

I have a friend that has this dumb opinion that all turnovers are a result of coaching, and I want to punch a midget when I realize how clueless he is, but at what point are people going to start blaming players for bad execution, and not the coaches. Take away those plays I listed and they 11-1, 10-2 at the worst. They are this BCS team that you seem to think they arent close to. So tell me, what would Urban have done about players fumbling and throwing mind numbing picks?

Ill hang up and listen

Losing to Alabama nearly killed him. Losing to Florida St made his ass quit. Playing USC might make his heart explode.

Loud Noises!!!

+1.