Notre Dame settles in death of Declan Sullivan

Notre Dame and the state of Indiana have settled on a $42,000 fine for six violations in the death of student videographer Declan Sullivan. Notre Dame was originally fined $77,500 in Sullivan’s death for “knowingly putting its employees in unsafe conditions.”

On October 27, 2010, my job became the most talked about job in collegiate athletics when Sullivan’s hydraulic lift fell in a 53 mph wind gust on a windy day in South Bend. The incident hit close to home for myself and my coworkers, especially since our former head coach, Brian Kelly, was now leading practice at Notre Dame.

Questions came in from my friends and family. “Did that ever happen to you?” “Have you ever been up in winds?” And my parents were bombarded by coworkers and friends saying, “All I could think about was your son.”

Notre Dame said in a statement reported by the Associated Press that it, “appreciates the professionalism that (Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration) officials have demonstrated throughout this process and is pleased to have reached agreement with them on the safety orders.”

The IOSHA report did not identify one person in particular who was responsible for putting students in the lifts on that day. IOSHA reports normally do not place blame on any one.

However, in April, the University issued a report that stated, “Ultimately, because staff never saw winds in excess of 35 mph, the lifts were not grounded. Nonetheless, where any person has a subjective concern for safety, protocols should be strengthened to help ensure that such concerns are addressed, even where objective safety procedures (such as the 35 mph procedure here) are not triggered.”

Also, “Kelly did not think the wind was as severe as Tuesday, nor as severe as the heavy winds

he frequently encountered at Central Michigan, Grand Valley State, Cincinnati, or earlier

practice days at Notre Dame.”

I’m not sure we’ll ever know exactly what happened on that day, but it seems that Notre Dame will try everything they can to make sure this never happens again.

“A spokesman for Sullivan’s parents said the family was satisfied with the settlement, particularly the nationwide safety campaign,” in the AP report. “There can be no better way to remember Declan than to help others avoid future tragedies,” Sullivan's uncle, Mike Miley, wrote by e-mail to the AP. Miley and Notre Dame both said the amount of money Notre Dame was contributing to the memorial was a private matter.”

Is $42,000 enough? Not in my opinion. But it seems that the state and the school are happy with the outcome, which is sad.

-----------------------------------------------

Got any opinions or questions? I’d love to hear them. Leave a comment.

Five days until graduation

With just five days until graduation everyone is beginning to get excited about it. To be honest, I’m not very excited about it yet. But I’ve still got a whole “work” week ahead of me to get fired up about walking across a stage and getting a piece of paper. Here’s a look at the No. 5 moment in the countdown to graduation.

Moment 5: “The day the music died”(December 10th 2009)

As we pulled back onto the campus of the University of Cincinnati on that cold night, REM’s “It’s the end of the world as we know it,” played on the car radio. How apropos.

Hours earlier Brian Kelly walked into the Westin Hotel in downtown Cincinnati flanked by police officers and he simply waved to throngs of TV cameras assembled in the lobby. He wasn’t speaking to the folks who all wanted to know the answer to the simple question, “Why?”

Why are you leaving Cincinnati? Why go to Notre Dame? They didn’t even make a bowl game! This team is on the cusp of finishing third in national polls and is undefeated? Why leave your players before the biggest game in program history?

It was his dream.

“Nobody does it like Notre Dame,” he’d say in a press conference the next day in South Bend, Ind., his new home.

On that night in the Westin Hotel it was simply a nightmare.

The whole city of Cincinnati wanted to know. It was so overwhelming that quarterbacks coach Greg Forest had to put out a tweet: “Please stop calling, texting me I do not know anything.”

He spoke for every one of us sitting in the team’s end of the year banquet that evening. It was so bad I turned my phone off, completely.

Quarterback Tony Pike told reporters that evening, “We listen to the radio and the news just as much as everyone else. It’s probably a little harder on us, because we’re getting the calls from our friends and family, wanting to know what’s really happening. It’s hard, because we don’t know either.”

No one knew that evening except for Brian Kelly.

It was the weirdest night anyone associated with this football program has probably ever had to deal with. It was such a fascinating night that even months later we sat in our team hotel and discussed stories from that evening. Everyone has a different take, everyone saw something differently, and every person has their own interpretation of what happened on that night.

I got to speak to Coach Kelly in the middle of April, ironically enough, about 50 feet away from the spot I last saw him in that hotel lobby. Now, as the head man of the program he’d dreamed of coaching for, he still remembered who I was.

That’s the BK we all remember. Ever so camera friendly, except for one night in December of 2009.

I just hope that never happens again. It was awful, but so memorable, and that’s why the night that Brian Kelly left Cincinnati to become the head coach at Notre Dame is the No. 5 moment on the graduation countdown list.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

If you’ve missed any of the other countdown stories, click the links below:

No. 10- http://adamniemeyer.blogspot.com/2011/06/10-days-until-graduation.html

No. 9- http://adamniemeyer.blogspot.com/2011/06/nine-days-until-graduation.html

No. 8- http://adamniemeyer.blogspot.com/2011/06/eight-days-until-graduation.html

No. 7- http://adamniemeyer.blogspot.com/2011/06/one-week-until-graduation.html

No. 6- http://adamniemeyer.blogspot.com/2011/06/six-days-until-graduation.html

Notre Dame employs video game system to help quarterbacks

Chances are if you’re a fan of college football and you’re around my age you’ve spent more than a few hours playing EA Sports’ NCAA Football on your PlayStation or XBox. I’m certainly guilty of that “crime,” if you will.

Turns out, not only are nerds like me using the video game to have fun and live out the dreams of chasing a Heisman trophy and National Title, but so are the actual athletes themselves.

*If you’ve read this story before, well, it’s because I’ve written it before. If you go to http://web.coachbutchjones.com/Dev/ and click on the “Inside Football” tab and the EA Sports menu, you’ll be able to see how UC’s quarterbacks have been using the system since Brian Kelly was the head man at UC.

Mark Schlabach of ESPN sat down and watched Kelly and his quarterbacks during a spring practice. Not only does Notre Dame employ the EA Sports Play Action Simulator, developed by EA and XOS Digital, the company that supplies film editing equipment to teams like Notre Dame and Cincinnati, but they also use new “helmet cams” mounted on the quarterback’s helmet so Kelly can break down exactly what each of his signal callers sees on each play.

Yeah, it’s like Madden 64, only, probably a whole heck of a lot better.

I am very familiar with the EA Sports Play Action Simulator, something that we used during the 2009 season where UC ran the table and went 12-0, clinching a second consecutive Big East title and a berth in the Sugar Bowl.

“It’s a good tool to have the night before a game,” Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees told Schlabach. “It’s a good thing to use as a refresher.”

Opponents’ defensive schemes can be programmed into the simulator and, in this case, the Notre Dame offense is installed in the game as well. Before each play, quarterbacks are quizzed on what their pre-snap reads are.

For example, Schlabach noted this instance, which took place in the Notre Dame hotel the night before their Sun Bowl victory over Miami (FL).

“Before taking a snap on a play called “North Squeeze 63 Dolphin,” Rees was asked to identify Miami's pass coverage. His options were: Cover 4, Tampa 2 or 2 Man. After correctly identifying the coverage, Rees had to throw to the correct receiver,” Schlabach noted.

One of the most fun parts about the simulator was the fact that it was in our hands to set up. The UC video staff became very proficient at setting up the games and making sure they worked before guys like Tony Pike, Zach Collaros and Chazz Anderson came into the quarterback meeting room to try it out.

It was fun. Just ask the guys I work with.

--------------------------------------------------

Spring football is winding down in Cincinnati, and the Fifth annual Bearcat Bowl will take place on Saturday. It should be a fun night, so come on out to Nippert Stadium and watch the 2011 Bearcats in action.

Notre Dame bans hydraulic lifts from practices

Notre Dame announced Tuesday that hydraulic lifts, such as the one 20-year-old Declan Sullivan was filming practice from on October 27 when he tragically fell to his death, have been banned by the school.

Instead, the school announced that it will install remote control cameras mounted on 50-foot poles and controlled from a room inside the Notre Dame Athletic Complex. The camera system was designed by XOS Digital—the company that supplies Notre Dame with editing and technical equipment.

Notre Dame spokesman Dennis Brown told the AP that the call was made to XOS in November. “We went to XOS last November and said, ‘Is there any way to eliminate the use of hydraulic lifts?’” he said.

The boxes holding the cameras will be equipped to protect the cameras from rain and wind, and will also have a wiper to clear the lens. The boxes will also be outfitted with the green shamrock logo with Sullivan’s initials inside it—the same logo the Notre Dame team wore on their helmets last season to honor the video worker.

When Notre Dame starts spring practice on March 23rd, the new camera systems will be in place. Works began drilling holes for the camera poles on Tuesday.

The Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) is still investigating what caused the lift to fall on the blustery day in late October where wind gusts were over 50 mph.

This new development is an interesting new twist into the current job I hold, and I have mixed feelings about it.

Coaches are control freaks, and if they don’t get their film on time they are not happy campers. The only people to get that done are people like myself and my co-workers who sit at computers and punch keys to cut the film. It’s quick and efficient.

While I know nothing of the new XOS system, I have worked closely with XOS products over the years (including the three-year reign of Brian Kelly at UC) and they are top-of-the-line products. I’m interested to find out more about how these fiber optic cable camera system works.

On one hand, I’m excited to see Notre Dame step up and make a stand on worker safety, but on the other hand, I worry. How many schools will see these systems as a waste of money?

‘Throw a kid up there, it can’t happen to us,’ they may think. They are wrong.

While many schools will still rely on hydraulic lifts to film practice, at least Notre Dame has made a stance trying to prevent tragedies like Declan Sullivan’s death from occurring to them. It’s a step in the right direction, and I applaud the move by the Irish.
------------------------------------------------
For more on the Sullivan story from ESPN and the AP, click this link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6192497

For one of the best stories I’ve ever seen written in my life, check out Ryan McGee’s “Up in the Wind” story from last year: http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?name=mcgee_ncf_ryan&month=october-2010&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2fblog%3fname%3dmcgee_ncf_ryan%26month%3doctober-2010

If you don’t understand our job, you will after you read McGee’s article.

Urban Meyer steps down: Is college football life and death?

Much to the dismay of Florida Gator football fans across the country, head coach Urban Meyer announced last week that he’s officially stepping down as head coach of the Gators after their bowl game on Jan. 1.

If this sounds familiar, well, it’s because Meyer did this almost a year ago, just before his team hopped on a plane bound for New Orleans. Before playing his alma mater, Cincinnati, in the Sugar Bowl, Meyer announced he would step away from coaching because of health concerns.

He was back coaching the Gators this year.

Meyer cited health concerns again, according to a recent report by the Gainesville Sun. Former Texas defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp will be introduced as Florida head coach tomorrow.

Meyer stepping down because of health concerns might surprise some people, but to me, it’s just a case of a guy actually making a good move. Mark Dantonio (former UC head coach) suffered a heart attack after the Michigan State-Notre Dame game in September. A lot of focus was shifted onto the intense amount of pressure to win faced by college coaches each and every week.

So, is college football a matter of life and death? Some may argue that it isn’t.

Bucky Gleason, sports columnist for The Buffalo News, said, “The greater good would be putting Division I football on trial and examining how many other details are ignored in the pursuit of victory and big business. In a perfect world, college football would be a game for amateurs in pursuit of an education. That's how it was years ago, before it became life and death.”

Gleason was referring to the incident that took place in South Bend, Ind. on October 27 of this year. By now I know you’ve heard the story. Notre Dame student Declan Sullivan was killed when the lift he was filming practice in fell over.

Was it necessary to have practice outside? Is it necessary for coaches to risk lives (sometimes their own) to win football games? Urban Meyer decided it wasn’t, and although it might cost him millions of dollars in earnings, you can’t fault him for wanting to be happy and healthy with his family in the future.

So, kudos to Urban Meyer for making a life saving decision. It was smart. Now, if only all of college football was the same way, everyone would be much happier, and much healthier.

Option offenses make Army-Navy game worth watching

Everyone knows I love the option offense (disclaimer: except when it’s being run against my team). Everyone knows I especially enjoy watching the Navy Midshipmen run their version of the triple option offense. So, today is like a football dream for me. When Army and Navy square off in Philadelphia for the 111th time in their history, I’ll be tuned in.

Even though Navy’s head coach Ken Niumatalolo has been rumored as one hot candidate for coaching vacancies from Minnesota to Vanderbilt, he’ll lead the Middies into the fiercest rivalry matchup in college football today, having beaten Army each time he’s been the head coach.

In fact, the last time Army beat Navy was 2001. But, Niumatalolo isn’t taking Army lightly. “This is a new year, a new team,” he said. “They’re bowl eligible. We know they’re much better. Their seniors want to go out on top, too, so anytime we play a service academy, you throw out your record, you throw out anything prior to that game and just get ready for the [game]. That’s all that’s going to matter.”

Navy will be led by senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who, at the beginning of the year, was a darkhorse candidate for the Heisman trophy, and fullback Alexander Teich. Army counters with sophomore Trent Steelman at quarterback. Steelman is good, but doesn’t quite have the explosiveness that Dobbs has employed the past two seasons under center in Annapolis.

If you can find a better quarterback suited to run Navy’s triple-option offense, call me and let me know. Ricky Dobbs is the X-factor in this game, but over the past season and a half he has been slowed by injuries. If Dobbs is too injured to go in this game, his backup Kriss Proctor will fill in. Proctor started against Central Michigan and ran 20 times for 201 yards and one touchdown.

There’s no question Army has improved and will give Navy a run for their money, but in the end (and I know I’m horribly biased) I think Navy will pull this one out. Dobbs and Teich torched the Notre Dame Fighting Irish earlier this year (in a game I predicted when my former head coach took the job in South Bend 365 calendar days ago) and there’s no reason they won’t bring their ‘A’ game today to Philadelphia.

Look for Navy to Represent the Sea (a modified phrase you may have heard before) and beat Army for the 10th consecutive time.

I’ll be tuned in. Will you?

Navy defeats Notre Dame 35-17

In my weekly preview of Big East football (located below this post) I noted that Navy’s lone chance of defeating Notre Dame, and my previous head coach at Cincinnati, Brian Kelly, would be to hop out early on the poor schemes of Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, get ahead of the Irish, and hold on for dear life.

As it turns out, they wouldn’t even have to hold on that tightly.

Navy, a team that had lost 43 straight games before 2007 to Notre Dame, has now won 3 of their last 4 against the Irish. I don’t want to gloat, but I could have called this one. Unfortunately my faith in Navy’s defense was low yesterday. But the Midshipmen held up on all ends in the 35-17 win.

“You get what you deserve,” said Kelly. “We got beat today. Navy was the better football team today.”

ESPN.com’s Brian Bennett, who reports on the Big East and Notre Dame, made some great points about the game yesterday. “Of course, not all the talent was available, as receivers Michael Floyd and Theo Riddick didn’t play. That certainly didn't help. But neither of those guys play defense; neither did Notre Dame, for that matter.”

Ouch. It seems to be a common theme for Brian Kelly coached teams. Look at the second half of the 2009 season in Cincinnati. Teams like Connecticut, West Virginia and Pittsburgh ran, ran and ran some more on the UC defense. Luckily, Kelly’s brilliant play-calling and offensive genius was able to make up for the lack of defensive play.

Maybe Kelly should think about building defense before his high powered offense? Or maybe not. On Notre Dame’s first drive, the Irish employed a balanced, methodical approach, taking time and slowly driving down the field on the Middies. Then, on fourth and goal from inside the one, quarterback Dayne Crist was stoned on a sneak attempt.

“We outman 'em by 70 pounds on an average up front,” Kelly said. “If you can't get a foot on the one-half yard line, you get what you deserve.” Navy responded by going 99 yards and scoring on a 31-yard touchdown pass (one of only two passes Navy threw on the day—both passes were completed).

Kelly also, “My hat goes off to coach Ken [Niumatalolo] and his staff. We had no answer for them today.”

Well, that beats the heck out of what one Notre Dame coach said about Navy after losing in 2009.

Post game last year, Ken Niumatalolo, Navy’s head man, said, “I think the one thing that helped us, and I really hope this doesn't come across wrong, but I think the thing that helped us this year was last year because we knew that they'd line up the same way.”

Then-Irish defensive coordinator Corwin Brown replied, “I thought it was very disappointing what the Navy coach said after the game. He didn't want something to be misconstrued, then he said it regarding how we prepared and what we prepared to do.”

At least Kelly is man enough to know what he needs to fix. And, if I may interject some opinion here, I believe firmly that it starts on defense. Get rid of Bob Diaco, consider switching to a 4-3 scheme, and then, maybe then, you’ll beat teams you’re supposed to beat.

The only thing Notre Dame can take away from this week’s loss to the Naval Academy is that they’ve given Army—who runs a similar triple option attack—a blueprint on how to defeat their defense.

Navy is now 5-2 and Notre Dame is 4-4. As Kieran Darcy of ESPN’s New York sector wrote after the game yesterday, “Notre Dame still leads the overall series with Navy by a lopsided record of 71-12-1. But on this day, Notre Dame wasn't in the United States Naval Academy's league.”

Trust me Notre Dame fans, it will all get better with Kelly running the show. I know this for a fact. But it doesn’t stop me from reveling in the win by my second favorite team yesterday.

Big East football schedules: Week 6-“Opening Week”

Week six is the beginning of the Big East title chase as four Big East schools begin their quest to knock off the Cincinnati Bearcats and become Big East champions.

But it’s also the first Big East test for the two-time defending Big East coach of the year—Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly, who welcomes to South Bend the last Big East team he faced, Pittsburgh. I know Jake is itching to talk about his two favorite teams, so here’s the schedule.

Week 6 Big East Schedule
Fri Oct 8-Rutgers vs Connecticut
Sat., Oct 9-USF vs Syracuse
Oct 9-Louisville vs Memphis
Oct 9-Cincinnati vs Miami (OH)
Oct 9-Pittsburgh at Notre Dame
Oct 9-West Virginia vs UNLV

AN: I can already hear the call, “Live from Notre Dame Stadium, fulfilling a lifelong dream, this is WPTS Sports Director Jake Meyer.” Does that sound accurate to you?

JM: Yeah, that’s about right. I’m really looking forward to calling this game and can’t wait for Saturday. This is a very interesting matchup of two of the biggest underachievers in college football so far this year. The Panthers have won the last two meetings between these teams, including a four-overtime win at Notre Dame Stadium in 2008. Pitt’s struggles have been much documented in this forum, and they will face another tough test this week.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame has is still a work in progress. There’s some serious growing pains going on in South Bend as QB Dayne Crist’s play has been inconsistent so far as he learns Brian Kelly’s offense. However, Crist is a very capable passer and has some tremendous targets to throw to in wideouts Michael Floyd, Theo Riddick and T.J. Jones as well as maybe the best tight end in the country in Elder alumnus Kyle Rudolph.

Pitt’s defense is facing its fifth straight opponent who runs some variation on the spread offense and Pitt has struggled to stop the short passing of these teams. The onus in this game will be on Pitt’s secondary, namely cornerback Antwaun Reed and Ricky Gary, with the latter struggling mightily at times. One interesting position of note is the weakside linebacker position, where strong safety Dom DeCicco will get the start for the second straight week.

DeCicco’s presence should provide a boost to a linebacker corps that has struggled in coverage against spread teams and has trouble running with the wide receivers they are often forced to cover. Pitt’s run defense has been solid, but their ineffective pass defense makes it hard for the defense to get off the field. Look for Pitt to try to pressure Crist with Jabaal Sheard into making poor throws.

Defensively, Notre Dame has improved over last season and is a better unit than they are given credit for. The Fighting Irish held a lackluster Boston College offense to 13 points last week, six of which came after the Irish turned it over deep in their own territory. ND’s defense is led by sophomore inside linebacker Manti Te’o, who recorded 21 tackles in a loss to Stanford two weeks ago. Pitt may struggle to run the ball against the Irish defense, despite the presence of your favorite coordinator Bob Diaco and his 3-4 scheme. If Pitt can’t run the ball, Pitt will not win this game. Tino Sunseri has struggled mightily at times, but has also shown flashes of potential. However, at this point, he is not ready to carry the offensive load for Pitt, especially given the shaky pass protection Pitt’s offensive line has provided him.

Since I’m calling the game, I won’t make a prediction on the winner (you know, that whole journalistic integrity thing), but I will give two key matchups. First, it’s Dayne Crist versus the Pitt secondary. Can Pitt cover well enough to break up ND’s passing game? Second, it’s Dion Lewis, who returns after missing last week with an injury, and Ray Graham, who rushed for 277 yards in Lewis’ place last week. Pitt has to get those two guys going early.

Adam, how do you think your Bearcats will fare in the Battle for the Victory Bell?

AN: All in all, it was a little rough for UC last year in Oxford, but there were two shining stars in the Battle for the Victory Bell in ’09. Armon Binns had a coming out party, leading UC with five catches for 83 yards and one score, and Jacob Ramsey became only the second player to rush for over 100 yards in the Brian Kelly era. Ramsey rushed for 103 and three scores on the day, and became the first Bearcat since Butler Benton rushed for 100 plus against SEMO in 2007.

The Battle for the Victory Bell is UC’s first rivalry game of the year, and Butch Jones has made it a point that one of the program’s goals is to, “Beat our rivals.” I have a feeling that only Miami grad Ben Roethlisberger could help the Redhawks in this matchup, and even then it’d be tough for UC to lose.

However, Miami played it close with Florida in week one, and although they got demolished by Gary Pinkel’s Mizzou Tigers two weeks back, they could be a dangerous team. Just not as dangerous because UC will be able to use a loud and raucous crowd to gang up on Miami.

Which game other than the Pitt/ND game do you have circled on your calendar Jake?

JM: Well, it’s not a great schedule in the Big East this week, but the best game on the slat is that Rutgers-UConn game. UConn had very high preseason expectations which have been dampened somewhat after an opening week loss at Michigan. Meanwhile, Rutgers is struggling despite its powder puff schedule, losing at home last week to Tulane. Ouch. Both teams need a win to open conference play. I think UConn wins.

AN: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m definitely going to tune in to the Panthers and Fighting Irish. As intriguing as Rutgers and UConn could be on a Friday evening, nothing will be better than seeing Dion Lewis make Bob Diaco look silly again. On national TV, too.

Pitt’s power rushing attack made the 3-4 scheme Diaco uses look like Swiss cheese at Heinz Field in early December last year, as we all can attest to. As long as the grass isn’t too high (and with Kelly calling the shots with an uptempo offense, I doubt it will be) at Notre Dame stadium, Lewis and Ray Graham should have a field day. Even though Pitt has struggled this year, and Notre Dame’s defense has looked OK, I’m standing by that statement.

I liked Brian Kelly, but watching the Panthers run rampant on the Fighting Irish in 2010 will be a highlight worth replaying over and over and over again. Hopefully that will happen.

All eyes on strength and conditioning coaches in summer heat

“Nobody does it like Notre Dame”—Brian Kelly Dec. 11, 2009

When fans sit down and watch college football they think about the head coach leading their team onto the field and the offensive and defensive coordinators who call the plays, but they rarely consider the men who get their favorite athletes in shape—the strength and conditioning staff.

However, ESPN and ESPN.com have featured many stories this week on strength and conditioning staffs across the country, shedding light on the men who put in long hours over the summer to condition football players into the athletes who take the field in early September.

In May, Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com beat ESPN to the punch and wrote about a few different strength coaches, including Pittsburgh’s Buddy Morris. Strength coaches have the most access to players over the year, especially during the summer when position coaches can’t have much contact with players.

“While the bond between a player and a strength coach can be strong, there may be no closer relationships on a coaching staff than the one between a head coach and his strength coach,” Dienhart wrote. “While other members of a staff often are looking to move to a ‘better’ program or to become a head coach, a strength coach already is at the top of his profession and often remains glued with the head coach.”

And no head coach/strength coach combo may be tighter than Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly and Paul Longo. ESPN.com’s Pat Forde ventured to South Bend to watch Longo’s work in progress.

For three years I got to see Longo’s work in progress as he conditioned UC football players. And his relationship with Kelly, along with his demanding style, made UC one of the best teams in the Big East. “You’ve got two small-college grunts running the thing who would rather compete than do anything,” Longo told Forde of his relationship with Kelly.

Longo and Kelly (shown above) have been working together since 2004. (Cincinnati Enquirer photo)

And Longo’s relationships with players are what he considers the best part of the job. “In the offseason, the strength coaches are pretty much the only coaches we interact with,” said star Notre Dame tight end, and former Elder Panther, Kyle Rudolph.

Longo mentioned that, “I could do this forever. It’s never work.” He also used some of Kelly’s words when he mentioned to Forde after the first Notre Dame workout of the summer that the team has one coat of paint and there are many more to go.

“It used to be that it almost was a boutique thing if you had a strength coach, a luxury,” Kelly said. “It’s now become a leadership position. The strength and conditioning coordinator is on parallel with the offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator.

“Really, he brings a different perspective than the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator or position coach. They sometimes only see what their units are doing. He sees the 105 [players on the roster] like I do as a head coach. I can talk to him about the whole program.”

And Longo just started earning his pay in the summer months. One source informed me he is making over $400,000 a year, and he might be a more important coach than the new head man himself.

Notre Dame fans will get their first chance to see Longo and Kelly’s work in early September. If their work at Cincinnati is any indication of what is to come in South Bend, Notre Dame fans shouldn’t be too worried.

The spotlight is on Brian Kelly at Notre Dame: Will he succeed?

I came across a few good articles about Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame football program last weekend. The only reason these pieces jumped out at me was because of a few things Brian Kelly had mentioned in the articles.

First thing is first, I have written numerous times about how the way BK left here wasn’t exactly the best way to pull it off, and it’s tough for me to harbor any ill feelings toward him. But I know come October 23rd I’ll be rooting hard against him, and for the Naval Academy. And Dave Curtis of the Sporting News noted, “The goal is to win national championships and graduate NFL draft picks/Nobel Prize candidates (though these days, beating Navy and USC would suffice).” See, I’m not the only one thinking it.

I still remember the first time I met Brian Kelly. He walked into the video office and introduced himself to me. He made sure to get the background on me, and noted that I shouldn’t wear so much Elder purple anymore. He was glad to see my Bearcat shirt on.

In three years I grew to know the ins and outs of the Brian Kelly way—the five minute periods for practice that never went longer than two hours. The constant pressure to get everything right, and his occasional smart aleck remarks that kept us laughing.

Enough of the personal narrative, let’s get down to business.

Now that he’s in South Bend, the pressure is on him to elevate the school he grew up rooting for back to national prominence. He’s starting by cutting all ties to the previous regime. “Everybody looks at Notre Dame and assumes it's special,” Kelly told Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun Times.

“I'm still defining 'special.' It's about team, team, team. I'm trying to get it to where they understand this is about Notre Dame, your teammates, your family and then yourself. I think they had it flipped the other way. It started with 'me,' and Notre Dame was at the other end.”

Kelly noted too that the previous Notre Dame coaching staff often promoted an NFL future to recruits, which was alluring, but the former UC Bearcats head man says he knows what it take to win at this level, and that’s what’s important right now. “[Weis] had great credibility to do that,” he said in an SI.com story. “I can't pitch that because I don't have that background. Mine is, 'I know how to get you to a BCS game.’”

Brian Kelly received much of the credit for guiding UC to the Allstate Sugar Bowl in January, but he left for Notre Dame before the game, leaving a sour taste in many Bearcat fans' mouths

And as someone who has attended two BCS games partly because of Brian Kelly, it’s tough to argue with that fact. But Coach Kelly made a comment that made me think about the way he left Cincinnati. He said this about the kids he’s now coaching in South Bend: “My impression, in the short amount of time I've been here, is that guys were playing for themselves,” he told SI.com. “‘Selfishness’ and ‘entitlement’ are two words that would be apropos.”

The first BCS Bowl BK and UC went to in 2008, the 75th Orange Bowl, didn't go as planned. UC lost to Virginia Tech 20-7

To be fair, wasn’t Kelly’s departure from Cincinnati about selfishness and entitlement? I loved Brian Kelly, and I loved the way he ran his football program while here in the Queen City, but the way he left town made a bad impression on a lot of people.

I’m sure this won’t be the last time I write about BK, and knowing a lot of the coaches who are up there, I’m sure I’ll pay attention to the Fighting Irish, but the question is, can I root for them? I know on at least one occasion I won’t be. Go Navy.

Spring football update: Notre Dame

Apparently, as a Catholic kid I’m supposed to like and root for Notre Dame. Apparently I don’t fit the bill.

I am by no means a fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program, and I never have been, but when the head coach of the team you’ve worked for since you began college leaves to go coach there, it’s tough to not pay attention to the happenings in South Bend.

Brian Kelly's departure for Notre Dame made many Cincinnati fans angry (Cincinnati Enquirer photo)

Earlier today ESPN.com Big East (and Notre Dame) blogger Brian Bennett posted a Q and A with Notre Dame offensive coordinator Charlie Molnar. Molnar talked about the struggles the Irish have had installing a new offensive system.

Ex-head coach Charlie Weis favored a pro style attack whereas new head man Brian Kelly loves to air the ball out. Molnar coached wide receivers at Cincinnati, so the offensive attack is nothing new, but his position is.

“We didn’t keep anything,” Molnar told Bennett. “We didn’t even ask what the previous staff did. We’re putting in our system. And of course with coach Kelly, we’re always looking to evolve the offense based on our personnel and based on things that occurred to us the previous season, and we’re always adjusting.”

This idea is contrary to the one Kelly and his staff instituted when they came to Cincinnati before the inaugural International Bowl in 2007. Kelly put some of his plays in, but tried to retain some of the previous regime’s schemes. He won the trust of players. But, Molnar says don’t expect the same this season.

“The 2010 Notre Dame offense will not look like the 2009 Cincinnati offense. There will be some evolving going on here,” he said.

But evolution doesn’t mean Molnar won’t compare some of his current players to guys he coached in Cincinnati. “Michael Floyd is a special player and very, very similar to Armon Binns, who we had at Cincinnati,” he said. “Both are big, physical players who can go up over a DB to get the football.”

Binns (wearing 80) was a consistent producer for the Bearcats last season. Notre Dame's Michael Floyd could see the same success as Binns under Molnar's tutelage (Cincinnati Enquirer photo)

At Cincinnati, Molnar was just one piece of a puzzle that led the Bearcats to two consecutive Big East titles and BCS Bowl berths. Now, he feels he has a better job.

“I really feel like I’ve got the best assistant’s job in the country,” he said.

The pressure will be on Molnar and Kelly to put together an offensive system that works, something that has eluded Notre Dame the past few years. After all, that’ just one reason Molnar has the best job in the country.

UC loses two athletes in two different sports

For Cincinnati Bearcat sports fans the past two days have brought news of departures—one expected and the other somewhat stunning.

On Tuesday UC football head coach Butch Jones announced that Demetrius Jones was no longer with the football program that gave him a second chance. One day later freshman basketball player Lance Stephenson decided he would declare himself eligible for the NBA draft.

Jones, who was the number two rated dual threat quarterback nationally in 2006 (Who was number one? Tim Tebow, who made Jones and the UC defense look silly in the 2010 Sugar Bowl) when he graduated from Morgan Park High School in Chicago, signed to play football for Charlie Weis and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He got the call to start against Georgia Tech to open the 2007 season.

It was a memorable debut for Irish fans, who hoped to see the newest star recruit lead the Irish back to their glory. Instead, Jones was sacked once and he fumbled the ball twice. He didn’t even make it to halftime under center, and he decided to transfer to Cincinnati.

He sat out the 2007 season due to transfer rules and shoulder surgery, and never got much of a chance to see the field for Brian Kelly’s Bearcats. He took one snap as the quarterback, a run of five yards against Louisville in 2008. Last season he made the move to the defensive side of the ball, totaling 36 tackles and one interception in ten games, mostly as a backup linebacker.

Jones shakes hands with Brian Kelly after UC beat Fresno State in September of 2009 (Cincinnati Enquirer)

“I would just say that we have certain expectations that we live by,” UC head coach Butch Jones told Bill Koch of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “It starts with academics and going to class. The only thing I’ll say is that he’s made a decision and he’s moving on. I wish him the best in his endeavors.”

Jones’s journey from one of the top programs in America to a rising program made headlines, and for good reason. Jones didn’t expect to move to linebacker last season, but with Tony Pike at quarterback, there wasn’t much room for Jones behind the center.

Jones got one snap for UC at quarterback. This five yard gain in 2008 at Louisville was his lone chance (Getty Images)

Would Jones have been better suited to sit back and wait for Brian Kelly at Notre Dame? Since Jones couldn’t be reached for comment, we don’t know yet, but it is an interesting idea to bat around. If Jones redshirted one year and let Jimmy Clausen run the Irish offense, maybe, just maybe, Jones would have had some time to learn and compete.

But Jones has something that no player in the Irish program has, BCS experience. We’ll see what Jones decides to do next.

Meanwhile, Lance Stephenson was assumed to be a “one and done” player from the time he signed at UC last July. Even after he told the media he’d be back for another year in March, Stephenson saw NBA dollars and ran. UC head coach Mick Cronin couldn’t argue with Stephenson’s decision.

Cronin said, “His personal circumstances dictate that he try to continue his development in the NBA while he’s getting paid. He’s going to get that opportunity to do it while alleviating the (financial) pressure on his family.”

While I don’t follow the UC basketball program as passionately as some people do, I really wished Lance Stephenson could have stayed. However, if someone called me tomorrow and guaranteed me I’d make a million bucks next year, I’d probably skip out on school too.

“You can always go back to college,” one person told me last night. Tough to argue with that.

For UC fans of basketball and football, the past two days may have brought rough news, but after two straight Big East titles on the gridiron the loss of Jones won’t be too much to overcome for Butch Jones and his staff.

Butch Jones isn't worried about losing Demetrius Jones (Cincinnati Enquirer)

For Cronin, a freshman who was redshirted this season provides hope that the next season will be another season of improvement in Clifton. “We didn’t spend three years recruiting Lance, he said. “And we didn’t build our team around Lance. He was a piece we added to the puzzle for last year. We had already recruited Sean Kilpatrick and he’s a really good player. He’s going to be great for this program.”
-
Tomorrow I’ll take a few moments to look back at the April weekend in 2009 that brought Mark Martin his first win in nearly four years. Get ready, it’s going to be fun. Have a great Thursday, thanks for reading…

Deaths remind Cincinnati’s West Side how fragile life really is

Sometimes as journalist there’s just a story you hope you never have to cover. Friday evening was one of those nights. What started off as a normal Friday evening quickly turned into a somber night of newsgathering at Fox 19 as we learned bit by bit about the death of Matt James.
James, who was only 17, was one of the top football recruits in all the land, and signed in February to play football with Brian Kelly in South Bend, Ind., a move that seemed logical since Kelly recruited James at Cincinnati before leaving for Notre Dame.

James’s story has been widely publicized since Friday evening. ESPN’s SportsCenter ran a story on James yesterday and a short package even appeared on Good Morning America about his tragic death.

It’s a story that still shocks me, even as details still slowly file their way in. James was a great kid, described as a “huge teddy bear” by numerous faculty, staff and coaches at St. Xavier. Kyle Bedinghaus, a classmate of James’s, told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “It’s hard to believe it happened. You hear it happens all the time, but when it’s someone you know, it’s scary.”

It goes beyond football too. Sure most Cincinnati Bearcat fans were unhappy that James picked Notre Dame over UC, but when I heard the news, football became irrelevant.

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly told Bill Koch of the Cincinnati Enquirer, “I really haven’t thought about how it affects the team. It’s more of a big-picture thing about how precious each day is and to take advantage of the great opportunities that you have…In my 20 years (of coaching) I’ve lost players to tragic events and I’ve had to give eulogies. This one is different because of his age and the suddenness of it. This one hits me a little differently.”

Kelly considered James the top recruit he got in his first class at Notre Dame (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Kerry Coombs, UC defensive backs coach, was also shaken by the news, saying on Saturday, “You get to know a kid and his family, sit down at their table with them … it just doesn’t get any worse than this, to see a young life lost. Matt was more than a great player. He was a challenging conversationalist. He would talk about things unrelated to football. Even when he made the decision to pick Notre Dame, he called me straight up and was a man about it. And that's not easy.”

Coombs, the Cincinnati area recruiter at UC, was heavily involved in courting James (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Perhaps the most difficult thing to think about is how quickly lives were altered. One week ago Matt James was sitting in classes at St. Xavier, planning a vacation with some friends to Florida, and thinking about his future as a football star at Notre Dame. Now, everything has changed.

Everything.

Also this weekend, 12-year-old Jared Douglas, a student at St. Bernard Elementary School in Taylor Creek was found dead after an accident. According to reports, Douglas had gone to get some firewood on an ATV and when he didn’t return in a timely fashion, his family went looking for him.

While the situations are completely different, the sting of the tragic death of Douglas makes me think about the fragility of life. It was only a decade ago I was twelve, traipsing around the backyards of neighbors, playing every sport imaginable (and even more). I enjoyed it.

Likewise, it’s easy to remember the events of high school. It’s easy to remember feeling fantastic about myself and my friends as we planned our futures—both exciting and scary.

For the families and friends of James and Jared Douglas, their deaths will not be easy to grieve about. For those of us who may not have known one or both of the young men, their deaths should serve as a reminder that life shouldn’t be taken for granted. Life isn’t as easy and carefree as we assume it to be from time to time. Life isn’t a game.

Even though I hate to force faith and religion on anyone, I will close with my favorite Bible verse, and one that might memorialize both of these young men who have grown up in Catholic grade schools.

Ecclesiastes 3 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
--------------------------------------
Hopefully this week gives me some time to write a few fun pieces. I’ll look back at what happened in Phoenix last April as well as anything else that comes to my mind. In the far off future there will be an opportunity to write about what one of my most frequent readers called, “the greatest moment of my life.” More on that when the time comes.

Enjoy your first day of baseball. Go Marlins!

Odds and Ends on March 29th

Over the past week UC students had a break from classes and school work, and today that all changes. The ten-week spring quarter has begun and it’s back to work for college students here in Cincinnati, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to neglect my thoughts here. So for some tidbits of fun, here’s a few thoughts to get rolling for spring.

Moeller basketball ends up short in state title game
The Moeller Crusaders ran through the GCL South and the Cincinnati region before heading to the state semi finals on Friday evening. They faced Mentor in the final four game and withstood a state record for three point attempts. In overtime the Crusaders pulled away and clinched a spot in the state finals, defeating the Cardinals 66-59.

I had a seat courtside for that game as well as the state championship game the next evening where Moeller took on the Massillon Jackson Polar Bears. Jackson led 20-15 at halftime and opened the game up with a 24-5 advantage in the third quarter. Jackson won the game handily 57-34, denying Moeller the chance to win its fourth state title since 1999.

Through my current internship at Fox 19 in Cincinnati I got to witness both games, and from my vantage point nothing was more awesome than watching high school basketball up close and personal. The men of Moeller gave it their all, and even in winding up just a little short, they showed true heart and a spirit that made me proud to support a fellow GCL South school.

Check out this fun story on the Moeller cheering section, which exemplifies the spirit of an all-male cheering section, like any other GCL South school: http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/20100328/SPT01/3280308/Moeller+students+give+team+an+extra+lift

Almost Heaven, Indianapolis?
West Virginia is headed to the Final Four—the real one—in Indianapolis this upcoming weekend, and who would have picked that? While the popular picks for the national title were Kansas and Kentucky, my unconventional wisdom went with fellow Big East member West Virginia and former UC head coach Bob Huggins.

Turns out it could help my mom win her pool as only we have West Virginia cutting down the nets one week from today, but a WVU loss on Saturday evening could put us in second or third place. I’ll take my odd picks, and the bragging rights that come with picking a national champ.

Rainy days in Martinsville
Rain canceled yesterday’s running of the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 in Martinsville, Va., pushing the start of the race to this afternoon, a few minutes past midday. Tons of storylines to follow at NASCAR’s shortest track, so tune in if you have the time.

Mark Martin paced practice on Saturday morning, and he starts 16th today in Martinsville. Will he visit Victory Lane and bring home a grandfather clock? (NASCAR.com photo)

Spring football starts across the nation
UC got kicked off under new head coach Butch Jones two weeks ago before taking the last week off, and the two-time defending Big East champs will re-fire their engines tomorrow morning. The spring has brought a completely new style of practice to Nippert Stadium, but it’s just as intense as it was under the previous regime.

And part of the previous regime, most notably head coach Brian Kelly, got kicked off in South Bend last week. Kelly’s uptempo, energetic style of offense and practice surprised some Notre Dame players. It’s something the players at Cincinnati are used to, but at Notre Dame it’s all new, and it’s going to take some time for players to get used to everything.

While the head coach at UC, Kelly ran very high paced practices, a practice he has brought with him to Notre Dame (Photo from Twitter.com; Tom Gelehter)

One of Notre Dame’s opponents this season got kicking this morning in Annapolis, Md. Ken Niumatalolo and the Naval Academy Midshipmen got the ball rolling on spring practices with one of the most underrated players in all of America leading the charge under center, junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs. The Georgia native led the Middies to a huge win in the Texas Bowl last season 35-13 over Missouri, and captured ten wins for the Academy.

David Fox of Rivals.com says that Dobbs, “could end up being the academy’s top QB since Roger Staubach.” Pretty high praise for the best throwing Naval Academy quarterback in years. Dobbs’s threat to run and throw will keep defensive coordinators guessing all season long. It’ll be fun to watch Navy take on former UC defensive coordinator Bob Diaco when Notre Dame and Navy meet up on October 23 in East Rutherford, N.J.

I know who I’ll be rooting for.

More personal odds and ends
The girl’s basketball season is reaching its conclusion and although we’ve only won one game this season we’re trying to make some progress toward getting better for next season. As girls basketball winds down boys volleyball begins and I begin my fourth stint as an official.

I got to officiate two matches yesterday and although the kids seem to change from year to year very little changes at each school. It’s fun to think back to when I was a young kid running around the gym at St. William, learning all the skills necessary to become a decent volleyball player and have a little fun too.

The Beatles and I agree today, “How I long for Yesterday…”

Have a good one today, and stay dry if you’re stuck in the rain.

UC bye week news and notes

The 10-0 Cincinnati Bearcats will take one week off from football this week, at least from playing a game. For the first time in school history (a phrase that has been used a lot the past three seasons in the Queen City) the ‘Cats won their first ten games. Ranked #5 in all three major polls (AP, Coaches, BCS) the Bearcats are now positioning themselves for an important showdown with Pittsburgh on December 5th.

But, next Friday the ‘Cats take on the Illinois Fighting Illini at noon. Enjoy your turkey and NFL on Thursday, wake up insanely early and get your Christmas shopping done on Friday, and then come home and enjoy some real good football from Nippert Stadium.

Here’s some other news and notes on the UC football team and program as we move through the bye week.

1. UC committed to Kelly? Yes…
The University of Cincinnati’s board of trustees yesterday announced that the university would be borrowing money for the Jefferson Avenue Athletic Complex. According to yesterday’s Cincinnati Enquirer report, “Under the financial plan prepared for trustees, UC would borrow $9.7 million and raise $2.1 million to build the fields this year. The bulk of the fund-raising would happen in 2012-13, when it would receive $5.2 million, and the entire project would be paid off by 2015.”

So this means that the indoor “bubble” will be ready to go for next season. It’ll keep me covered when it rains and when it gets cold. Oh, and make no bones about it, this move was more than just an initiative to help the school. The Cincinnati Enquirer also stated later on that, “the fields are a critical factor in UC’s strategy to retain football coach Brian Kelly.”

With sold-out games and a growing fanbase, UC is attempting to capitalize and build something that will keep Brian Kelly in Cincinnati

Notre Dame already has an indoor facility. Brian Kelly’s name has come up as a prime candidate for the Notre Dame job if much beleaguered head man Charlie Weis was to get fired this season

2. So what does BK think about Notre Dame?
Kelly says he’s flattered that he’s being considered for the job, but it doesn’t change how his team prepares week to week day to day. “As far as the rumors go, our kids really don't pay much attention to them, because I don’t” Kelly said. “I don't get distracted. We're humbled that our name is being associated with programs, but we don't really spend much time thinking about it. Our kids have become immune to it, as I have.”

Will Brian Kelly be leading UC next season? That's the million dollar question right now

It’s gotten to the point that I should just wear a shirt that says, “I don’t know,” on it and every time someone asks me about Kelly to ND, I should point at the shirt. Here’s an interesting thought about the Notre Dame job…What about Jim Harbaugh from Stanford? He can beat USC (as evidenced this past Saturday). I’m just suggesting it.

3. Running game needs to pick up steam
This week the UC offensive staff is working on beefing up the running game, which was a staple of the offense (in fact some would consider it was the only offense) under former Head Coach Mark Dantonio. Since Kelly has gotten to UC he has often talked about getting better on the ground. In the spring of 2008 he focused on short yardage situations. This spring he did the same. Now, with a bye week, Kelly and Offensive Coordinator/Offensive line coach Jeff Quinn are scheming ways to get the Bearcats to be more proficient on the ground.

“We’re spending quite a bit of time on some of the things we need to continue to work on, especially running the football,” Kelly said. “That’s going to be the secret to success in November and December. We still have some things to iron out.”

Isaiah Pead racked up 175 yards against West Virginia on Friday night

Kelly talked more about his practice schedule. Take note of what he says. “It’s so important that you really emphasize relative to practice that it’s quality not quantity,” Kelly said. “We’ve backed off our practices quite a bit. We’ve talked to the kids about giving us 1½ hours of locked-in focus. The word we’ve used is purposeful. You’ve got to have a purpose when you go out to practice.”

So far this year the Bearcats have produced quality and quantity on gamedays. Practice really does make perfect.

4. The UC defense should work hard on defending run
It’s no secret that UC has had a tough time defending the power running attack over the past few weeks. Both UConn and West Virginia ran for over 200 yards a piece on the Bearcats defense—which up to this point in the season had been quite strong. UC held prominent Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rogers to 73 yards rushing in game three.

UC's defense has had no trouble sacking quarterbacks. Here, Ricardo Matthews sacks West Virginia's Jarret Brown. UC is 5th in the nation in sacks, tied with USC

But, UConn’s Jordan Todman ran for 162 and West Virginia ran for 202 yards as a team against the ‘Cats last Friday evening. The more lingering problem for UC is that Pittsburgh is a power running team. They will line up, “Big Ten style”, as I call it, and pound it up the middle with freshman sensation Dion Lewis.

Lewis has run for 1291 yards this season, with an average of 5.8 yards per rush, and 13 touchdowns. Did I mention the kid is a true freshman? Only three times this season Lewis has been held to under 100 yards rushing (Navy, NC State, and Louisville). Perhaps those games hold the keys to stopping the best runner in the Big East this season.

Now, some will argue that the nation’s leading rusher, Ryan Matthews of Fresno State, also had a great day against the UC defense. Those are the same people who would forget that UC’s plan that day was to limit the big play ability of Matthews. Kelly’s plan that day was to play a lot of cover two, as he stated after the game, to give Marcus Barnett (the wideout turned cornerback for that game) some help in pass defense.

5. Big East replay catching grief for “questionable calls”
On Friday night in the West Virginia-UC game, the Bearcats faced first and goal from the one yard line. Zach Collaros turned and handed the ball off to Isaiah Pead, who dove forward for the endzone. He lost the ball, West Virginia recovered it, and the play was, of course, reviewed by the video replay booth.

It was determined by the booth that Pead stretched the ball across the goal line and therefore scored before he lost the ball. (This picture below, courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, is as close a view as I could get my hands on…for now)

Let’s not forget that John McDaid and crew were officiating this game. McDaid might be the worst official in the Big East conference, and maybe the nation. Every time we get him, I cringe. McDaid had the UC/USF showdown in mid-October, the Pittsburgh loss (their only one this year) at NC State, and last season he had the Backyard Brawl between Pitt and WVU, plus the UC game one week later in Hawaii (one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever witnessed).

Maybe the Big East shouldn’t be worrying about their replay booth, and be more worried about who the man is on the field making the calls.

West Virginia fans note that they “lost the game” on this call. Brian Bennett, Big East blogger for ESPN.com, who was in attendance at the game, wrote, “Did those calls decide the game? No. I generally believe that one call, unless it's at the very end, should not be blamed for a loss. Teams have many opportunities to make up for such calls, and indeed, West Virginia got stopped on a fourth down deep in Cincinnati territory in the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers should only point fingers at themselves.”

But he wasn’t done there. Later on he wrote, “As to whether the Mountaineers would have won, my feeling is: score more points. West Virginia would have had the ball on its own 1. Who knows if Cincinnati makes a stop, gets the ball back and scores before halftime? Or maybe not. In the end, the Mountaineers had the ball inside the 30 and got stopped on fourth down. They lost by three. So they had plenty of chances after the call to win the game.”

Not too much to argue there folks. A lot of football left and WVU just couldn’t get it done in the second half. Call me myopic, but I agree with Bennett, and not just because it went for my team.
-------------------------------------------------
Hope you’ve enjoyed some insight. I’ve gotta get back to homework, but later this week I hope to post a few thoughts on one of the most influential teachers I’ve had at UC, and possibly a little piece on why I love NASCAR so very much.

Have a good Wednesday all.