Lets Get Real KLB November 10, 1999      Point 1. The Irish got beat by the Volunteers 38-14 on Saturday. Yes, this is a fact. It's also virtually a fact that stupid mistakes and lack of execution kept the Irish from being in the game into the fourth quarter. It's a fact that lack of execution can be pinpointed on two things: coaching and talent. It's a fact that Notre Dame's better talent are still young. It's a fact that Beano Cook is probably already dead, and ESPN has mummified him to do commentary on Sportscenter once a week. It's a fact that Gerry DiNardo will be fired at the end of the season, and yes, he deserves to be. Lastly, it might be a fact that Bob Davie will be forced to resign at seasons end, whether he deserves it or not is open to discussion.      But what IS NOT a fact is that neither LSU or Notre Dame are teams lacking in talent. While the DiNardo situation is a joke, he has every bit as much talent as Steve Spurrier, proven by his recruiting classes, and is 2-7, winless in the SEC, Davie's is not as bad. The team is at least mildly competitive, and does have a winning record. Problem is that still won't cut it, not at Notre Dame, and not with the talent he has.  Sure, Holtz's last two recruiting classes (and Davie's first, which was mediocre at best) are still the mainstay of the the Irish starters. None of them were great, but were they really that bad? The answer is no. Lamont Bryant, Jason Ching, Brad Williams, Tony Driver, Kurt Vollers, and Grant Irons. These kids could have gone anywhere. That means FSU, that means UF, that means Nebraska, that means Michigan, that means USC. That means that while they weren't national championship material, they were enough to compete -at any level-.  So when I read $#&% from sportswriters saying something like, "The Irish lost for a basic fundamental reason. The Volunteers had better players and more of them," it annoys me more than a little.  That was courtesy of Bill Gleason. Or a subtitle courtesy of Al Lesar: "Vols' game in fast forward." What?      To give Davie his credit where credit is due (and this is about the only place), he refused to acknowledge a talent gap. "We have enough players. We have enough players that if we would have played a perfect football game, we would have given ourselves an opportunity to win. Our talent level is improving. I don't think it's fair right now to measure our talent vs. Tennessee's talent, just top to bottom. I don't think we're being realistic to say that." Hey, it isn't fair to measure Purdue's talent against Notre Dame's. As Tom Lemming, perhaps the worst of the three big recruiting analysts but still entirely competent pointed out: "Notre Dame did not recruit ONE [current Purdue starter]." Yet somehow the Boilermakers are the top team in Indiana.   None of the above mentioned want to talk about Davie's last two recruiting hauls when talking about talent, which make the Vols last two classes look sub par.  You want speed? The Irish have it, plenty of it. Anybody see Grant Irons chase after Tee Martin? He looks like Levon Kirkland in the open field. Anthony Weaver, who the coaching staff cannot seem to recognize is an end, runs a 4.7 at 265 (with a good knee). The linebackers, from Denman and Boiman and Ferrer, who run like linebackers, to Harrison and Nicks, who have good speed and hit like Mack trucks, to CPA, whose speed and size seems to be freakish. The secondary features Clifford Jefferson, who runs a 4.4, to Deke Cooper, who at 6'3" 220 runs a sub 4.6. The offense? Davie has had at one point this season six skill position players who run 4.4's or better.  This team has speed. This team has talent. And enough of both to compete with anybody. As does LSU. What neither team has is good coaching... News and Views -You have to love the complaints that the Vols are above unbeatens like Virginia Tech and Kansas State in the BCS standings. All I have to say is that it's about time teams are getting rewarded for their schedules. The only decent team Tech has on their schedule is next week with Miami coming in. A team with three losses.  KSU's schedule isn't much better, though they do get a tough test with Nebraska. Point being, the era of the Tom Osborne scheduling is over. -Notre Dame isn't alone in the teams with top caliber talent but mediocre performances category. Besides LSU, USC, Miami, Michigan, Arizona State, and this season UCLA and Ohio State can also lay claim to the title. -Memo to Dallas Cowboy fans: AAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!  Whew, that felt good. -As a side not, congrats to Kyle and Frank on the success of their site. I can remember back just a couple of years ago when I ran into it from a strange link from Yahoo! Keep up the great work guys... Questions? Comments? Think Bob Davie will win the National Championship next year? klb1@keene.edu