Yet again, I’m up well before the crack of dawn to watch my Irish do battle.  This time, the opponent is the highly annoying Michigan State Spartans, who inevitably put forth their best effort each year when they play the Irish (only to collapse shortly thereafter on their way to yet another disappointing season).

Happily, the Irish enter this game 2-0.  As much as I would love to see ND come out of this one victorious, I’m afraid my money is against that (literally – I put $20 on MSU -9). It’s all going to come down to the MSU running game.  The Spartans have a solid, huge offensive line that will no doubt push the undersized ND defensive line around, making plenty of room for Javon Ringer, the talented Spartan RB.  I suspect the Irish stack the box with a 3-4 and try to get the Spartans to beat them with the pass.  I feel OK about this, as the ND defensive backfield is a strong point on this team, but my guess is the front seven wear down as the game goes on.

My prediction – MSU 42, ND 24.

When I saw DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles make this boneheaded move last night against the Cowboys…

I couldn’t help but be reminded of a similarly stupid move of his from a few years ago during the U.S. Army High School All-American Game.

What a moron!

4:27 AM – Here I am again, up and at ‘em well before the sun has come up to watch the Irish take on one of their mortal rivals.  My dedication is starting to push the limits of sanity.

4:43 AM – Kickoff finally arrives.  Is that the ghost of Lou Holtz stalking the Irish sideline?

4:48 AM – The rain plays its part in helping along a Michigan turnover on a muffed backward pass.  Irish take over at the Michigan 12.  Let’s see how the Irish blow this golden opportunity…

4:51 AM – Touchdown, Irish!  And even the PAT was good.  Asaph Scwhapp paved the way for Hughes to rumble in from the 2.  Did I actually write that Schwapp finished a block?

4:55 AM – Michigan fumbles the kickoff again and super Rudy Mike Anello dives in like a heat-seeking missile to recover for the Irish.

4:57 AM – Clausen to Kumara for another Irish TD!  They connect on the same fade route that they failed at last week, ya know when Kumara was apparently drunk.  This one looked much, much better.  The Michigan defensive back named Trent is getting abused so far this game.

It’s 5 AM and I’m actually happy to be up.  Amazing.

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Well, I had to talk myself back from the ledge a few times, but the Irish managed to pull off a victory today.  Despite high expectations for a blowout, the Irish eeked out a 21-13 win.  Though doubtless happy that we got the win, the performance today proved that the Irish still have a ways to go before they are competing for elite status again.  Before this game, I figured an improved Irish squad (the only way to go was up, right?) stood a pretty good chance of winning seven games and getting invited to a decent bowl game.  Sadly, a four or five win season now appears more realistic.

Positives: Clausen looked very good and stayed vertical throughout (no sacks); Tate was great; Sergio Brown (aka Splurge) was exciting to watch; the Michael Floyd era has begun; Mike Anello is a beast on special teams and a fun story; and Kyle McCarthy was fantastic (15 tackles).

Negatives: No penetration from the defensive line; Brian Smith and Harrison Smith were largely invisible; the defense had more whiffs than Ryan Howard; the placekickers still suck; and the rushing attack was lifeless.

Now I’m off to ESPN Classic to watch what will likely be another mediocre performance as the U.S. men’s national soccer team takes on Cuba in a World Cup qualifying match.

Maybe not all hope is lost?  After the Irish get karmic payback with a borderline fumble at the goalline, ND now finds itself up 14-13 with about ten minutres remaining in the game.  The Irish scoring drive was heavy with Clausen-to-Tate hookups.  That seemed to work.  Maybe we should stick with that?

It’s sad when you have to hold your breath to see if the PAT will be converted, as I inevitably do when the Irish line up for what should be a standard, no-brainer conversion.

Following a phenomenal catch for a TD by SDSU and a missed PAT, the Irish appeared to be gaining some momentum when Armando Allen shot through the line for what was bound to be a 20+ yard gain.  Then he gets lit up and, naturally, the ball pops loose.  SDSU ball.  Momentum now squarely on the side of the Aztecs.  I am officially abandoning all hope for the Irish this year.  This team sucks.  Again.  After today, all of my football focus will rest solely on the Cowboys.  No more early morning wakeups to needlessly subject myself to this torture.

Great play by Kerry Neal to read the screen and pick it off.  Terrible decision by Clausen to throw the fade to Kumara, who is having a terrible game.  He looked drunk on that play.

SDSU has the ball again.  Just completed a ten-yard pass that saw two Irish tacklers whiff.

The Irish defense held but it now appears that they jumped offsides on the punt to give the Aztecs a fresh set of downs.  Oh boy…

In a word – underwhelming.  The defense was on the field way too much.  Too many points were left on the field (fumble, interception off the chest of Kumara, missed FG).  Zero penetration from the defensive line and just one sack from the blitz packages being thrown at a weak SDSU line and a redshirt freshman QB.  Clausen looks good but his receivers get zero yards after the catch.  We keep running to the left when you’ve got beasts Sam Young and Chris Stewart on the right.  We’ve apparently never seen a shuffle pass before.  And the playcalling looks to be uninspired – super conservative and unimaginative.  Why won’t they let Clausen throw over the middle?

The kicking game still needs work.  Maust had some good punts but fumbled a snap and the placekickers still suck (missed a field goal, snuck in an extra point and the kickoffs only go to the 15-yard line).  The only positives were the following: 1) Michael Floyd made his first college catch a TD; 2) Clausen’s arm and decision-making appear much-improved; 3) Kyle Mcarthy and Sergio Brown look great in the secondary; their open-field tackling is superb thus far; 4) Armando Allen has actually broken a few tackles; and 5) We haven’t seen Jimmy sacked once yet.

This doesn’t look good.  OSU was trailing Ohio 7-6 at halftime today and ended up winning 26-14, so there is hope…I guess.

We finally get a sack and a solid punt return from Armando Allen.  Then we have Golden Tate wide open in the end zone and Clausen overthrows him.  Then we fumble the snap on a field goal attempt.  This sucks.

Robert Hughes just fumbled on the 3-yard line of the Irish.  His knee was clearly down prior to the ball being stripped.  What a terrible call.  Yet again, the stars appear to be aligned against the Irish.  At least Jimmy Clausen looks great.  His arm strength and accuracy are much improved over last year.

The Irish are playing what should be an inferior opponent and are being outplayed – again.  54 seconds left in the first quarter and the score is 0-0.  SDSU has picked up every blitz the Irish have sent while the ND line buckled at its first sniff of a rush.  Maurice Crum has had two bone-headed penalties called against him to keep SDSU drives alive.  First quarter just ended scoreless.  What a complete letdown.

It’s that time of year again.  Football is now officially in full swing and I presently find myself, now exactly eight hours from gametime, awaiting the kickoff of the ND football season with the eagerness of a child on Christmas Eve.  I’m downright giddy and the suspense is killing me.  So much so that I will be rising at 4:30 AM Tokyo time on Sunday so I can watch the game live via SlingBox.  Man, I’m a happy camper right now.  Below are a few clips to fire my fellow Irish fans up for the big game.

Let’s….go….Irish!