Everyone was frustrated and disappointment with the way yesterday’s ACC Championship Game unfolded for Notre Dame – including former players. Keivarae Russell, a member of Notre Dame’s 2012 team that got blown out by Alabama for the National Championship, tweeted out his frustrations as a former player who experienced first hand games like yesterday while he wore a Notre Dame jersey.
Russell knows first hand, unlike most of us, what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a game like yesterday. As a true freshman in 2012, Russell started in the National Championship game against Alabama when the Tide rolled over Notre Dame 42-14. Russell was not on the field as a senior when Notre Dame lost to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl after breaking his tibia in the last month of the season, but he was still apart of the program then.
So Russell knows a thing or two about games like yesterday. The fact that he wasn’t able to help the Irish overcome that stignma during his time at Notre Dame isn’t lost on him either. A fan pointed out that he lost games like this too, and this was his response.
On one hand, it’s great to see Notre Dame alum continue to take such pride in the University and the program, but on the other, it’s not the best look for the state of the program when former players are questioning what the remedy is for a program that looks like it’s still not quite ready to crack the elite tier of college football following yesterday’s humbling loss in the ACC Championship Game.
Bad games like yesterday happen. Hell, Clemson did the same exact thing to Alabama just two years ago in the title game. And LSU did the same thing to Clemson last year. The difference for Notre Dame is this is a trend that’s been going on for years that has everyone involved with the program frustrated when it keeps on happening.
It’s not all talent either. There is still a gap there, for sure, but is it a 31 point gap? I don’t think so. It’s a combination of talent, coaching, preparation, and mindset that still has this program in a place where it can win the occasional big game (see November 7), but is also more likely to have a result like the one we saw yesterday.
Keivarae Russell doesn’t have the answer. None of us do. Hopefully, Brian Kelly eventually does though. Kelly will finish his career at Notre Dame after the success he’s had over the last four years, but if he doesn’t eventually win the big one at the end of a season, he’ll leave as Notre Dame’s John Cooper – a coach that had good teams, would win the games he should, but could never get over the hump.
ND is in! Hooray!
The check gets cashed, college football fans get screwed out of the best, most deserving matchups, and the gross corruption known as bigtime college sports rolls on for another year!
ND makes several million dollars in its last 2 games….getting pasted by a combined 60+ points.
Sports!
Am i crazy for wanting see this offense run old school Power I/Wishbone formation? I feel like Tremble, Williams, and Tyree in the backfield would do damage and take pressure off Books happy feet. Mayer and Skoronic would shine on those quick over the middle pops which is what Book is better at than progression reads. And for love of the dome can we get a corner to cover with their head facing the ball.
Oh crap, we’re 4th. Get ready for another embarrassing 4 hours to start the New Year. I used to think that regardless of who was on the Committee, their objective was to keep the ‘independent’ ND out of their ‘private party’. Now, after they watched and enjoyed the ‘beat-down’ by Clemson, the girls just “wanna have (more) fun”.
Over-rated OL? Try- missing two starters for the game geniuses. Let’s take a look at recent NFL drafts, and all around the NFL- former ND alums turned All Pro’s galore. Problem is a QB who has happy feet and can’t throw down field, WRs lacking speed and can’t create space, and RBs who need to learn to pickup blocks.
Consider this, yes he has happy feet, but it could be due in part to knowing the sieve of an OL doesn’t allow him to check down to his 2nd or 3rd options, ever.
And yes, we do have OL Pro Bowlers in the NFL, but they are few and far between and if there are potentially one or two on this team as well, it leaves huge gaps between the two that allow for easy DL/LB penetratIon.
BTW, I prefer the tag Stutter-Step Book.
I can actually hear him, “thr, thr, thr,…run, run, RUN!” Then, “yay, I’m so good.”
Was Book mic’d up for the game?
Brian Kelly will never win a championship because he can’t recruit the 5 stars players needed to overtake teams like Ohio State, Alabama or Clemson. The guy they need to hire is Urban Meyer. End of story
It doesn’t matter who the coach is. ND isn’t going to be able to offer a large of the best players because they demand an actual student.
Anyone who doesn’t understand this has a very shallow understanding of the school. Urban recruited a kid who said I didn’t come to OSU to play school for christ sake.
The reality is the top programs are closer to JV teams for the NFL than college teams. Notre Dame is NEVER going to ascend to that level of football again.
ChrisJ: you’re kidding right? Notre Dame is probably the most conservative school in the US outside of Libery. We invited irredeemably corrupt Bill bar on campus to puke out his dumb elitist BS. The university President participated in a White House super spreader event honoring Amy Covid Barrett. Every game looks like the army navy game complete with military jet flyover’s.
Ah, I see what you did there with her name Jerry.
Shouldn’t there be at least ‘some’ connection between Coney and COVID for the pun to have meaning? So, since there is none, kindly tell us what you “see” in his entry.
During this Season, considering how much you loved Will’s performance as Ron Burgundy, shouldn’t you adopt the screen name ‘Elf’? In fact, your year long one-liners are rather elfin-like.
Besides, I can’t help it but, when I read your brief entries, I can’t get out of my mind that Ron rhymes with moron.
Ron the Moron would also be appropriate. You choose.
Well until the O L and D L. Become the toughest S O Bs. In college football and start dominating the opposition team these games will not stop happening we have no chance against Clemson and Alabama until this starts
These things happen to good teams and programs once in while but N D has more than their share something that might change this is for every O L andD L player to a man to become the meanest S O B s. Every time they take the field in practice and games between now and Jan 1. It may sound crude but let’s face it you have to dominate the line of scrimmage to play with the likes of Al. Clemson and O S. We didn’t come close to that after the first quarter SAturday!!
Russell states facts and will probably get “cancelled” from ND nation. Sound familiar Libtards?
K. Russell is spot on and is with the rest of true ND fans expressing his frustration with the latest BK and Co. debacle.
Democraps and Republi-cons, two sides of the same “cancel culture” coin!
“Cancel culture” or cancel the election? Which is it?
Wait! I didn’t think it was over until DonTheCon decided it was over!
Clemson – ND II will not be official until Agent Orange says so, despite the numbers.
That’s the #ReTrumpliconcultists mantra, right?
Thank you Mr President for saving college football!
Well I guess that dashes Book’s Heisman hopes. Too bad, and so deserving.
But the truth is, uniformly sorry performance, top to bottom. OL’s 6 sacks allowed, looked to be on crutches, not braces. Best in the country, you kidding me? Sieve is the word that comes to mind.
DB’s, not a one game letdown. This has been an all-year problem. Either we allow them all to transfer, or maybe we get a better position coach in there. I’ve seen it all year, allow the catch, then hit ’em. Do you ever see anyone other than #14 look for the ball in the air? What happened to “they are all so talented, we’re gonna let them play”?
Book? Are you kidding me? Graduate already. What’s worse is that for the rest of our ND-FB watching lives, we are gonna hear how he’s the winningest QB in ND’s history. Quite a feat for a guy who himself, could not trust his arm on passes in the air of over 10 yds. Here’s a thought, after he’s not drafted at all, he comes back to ND to coach. What a troika, Power-less, Ree-ks and now Book-ish. To me the highest level any attained was ‘mediocre’!
So much more in the way of poor performance…no rush, no separation…apparently no preparation.
We did have one good spot in the entire game. That when, our season long MVP, #23, knocked their LB #47and his grinning face on his back. Beautiful sight.
Committee, please do not further our embarrassment, drop us to 6th behind TA&M, and Cincy. Will be eternally grateful.
The ND OL has been over-rated for years, going back to HH coaching (?) these bums.
Put in Clemson’s front 7 starters and these fat pieces of …. couldn’t block to save their lives!