SO What? Most physical game ever!!!
Posted 10-09-2008 at 01:25 PM by so44
For fun today, I watched the 1966 game against Michigan State. I have that box set of some classic Notre Dame games. I had never really seen it in game sequence. It was also only the second half. But it had to be the most physical football I have ever seen!
I was surprised at the passing game ND put in place. You wouldn’t expect the first team in the nation, as ND was (if not they were #2) to be risky with the passing game. Add to it that Tom Pagna was the offensive coordinator, and it seems more surprising! But the passing game was pretty effective. Daring too because Coley O’Brien was the back up QB.
O’Brien ran great fake hand offs. It was hard to tell who got the ball. He didn’t look like the second string quarterback. Most of the plays were very simple run left, run right; pass on third down, strategy. But ND was aggressive and moved the ball through the air.
How about the roster?!
Bob Gladieux
Rocky Bleier
Jim Seymour
Pete Duranko
Alan Page
Tom Schoen
Jim Lynch
Nick Eddy and Heisman winner Terry Hanratty were knocked out of the game.
In that second half, Rocky Bleier’s name was called a lot. Bleier carried a lot and seemed to be the favorite pass target. In one play, the pass went over Bleier’s head and he was hit viciously in the upper shoulder and head. He stumbled off the field. He came back on the next play. After the game while getting cleaned up, he noticed he had blood in his urine.
On defense, Tom Schoen had two well-timed interceptions. When the play was active, Schoen seemed sure-footed, quick, aggressive, with a real nose for the football. As soon as the whistle blew, he walked and carried himself like an elderly man who had enough.
Guys like Schoen just seem few and far between, now.
Alan Page rarely had his name called. However, whenever there was a defensive pile up, usually very close to the line of scrimmage, Page was under the pile and the last to get up.
I also need to mention Bubba Smith. God bless the guys on the OL who had to line up against all 6’8”, 295 lbs of him. When Smith got into the three-point stance, his butt was higher than the helmets of the ND guards and tackles. This is not an exaggeration either.
On the second to last play of the game, ND tried a rollout pass. The ND line looked like every play the 2007 line experienced. The floodgates opened. O’Brien had no chance. Then on the final play, O’Brien tucked it and ran forward with the OL bowling over everyone in their path. This game, as it did, should have ended in a tie. If it didn’t end, you would have had to call in someone to blow taps because I think they would have killed each other.
Hopefully that brings some memories back for some who remember it. But, I this game looked so physical and vicious you’d think the players still felt the hits.
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I don’t have much to say about the North Carolina game this weekend. I expect ND will bring the best game they can. Armando Allen was having a decent running game last week, but I believe he got pretty banged up; otherwise he would have racked up more yards by games end. In fact, I’m not sure why Stanford stacked their line like they did and allowed Clausen to pass. But they did and ND won.
I don’t think Butch Davis will do the same. I also think ND will run the ball better. I also think this will be for the ND defensive line what the Purdue game was to the running game. Things will happen for them!
Go Irish!!!
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Comments
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Great Blog!! Anyway we can see if the FG kicker in 66 has any more eligibility?Posted 10-10-2008 at 01:53 PM by Amish Irish
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That's a great essay SO.
They crucified ND and Ara for playing out the last play with a run.
But they never ciriticized Duff for kicking to the Irissh with 90 seconds left on the clock and deep in his own territory.
See, some thing never change.
Same with the firing of Terry Brennan before Christmas of '"58. ND got worse coverage than the Japanese after "THe Rape of Nanking."Posted 10-13-2008 at 08:29 PM by jem5b
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