Perception Versus Reality

touchdown-jesus

Father forgive them, for they know not what they say.

Very few things surprise me these days, but I will have to admit I was surprised by this post that appeared on OwlsDaily.com by a Notre Dame fan who has been trolling that site all summer:

ndfan

That Notre Dame fan could not be more wrong.

“Both defensive end starters?”

Hmm.

Jacob Martin, one of the replacements, has a single digit for a reason. His teammates consider him one of the nine toughest players on the team and they have for the past two years. The other defensive end, Sharif Finch was a starter for the THREE previous years before being injured a  year ago and was the key defensive playmaker in a 2015 win over Penn State. He is also one of the nine toughest players on the team as voted by his 105 teammates.

Funny, I looked very hard for that qualifier in the Notre Dame fan’s post but could not find it.

He just assumes that because Temple lost two DE starters, it will have a dropoff in that area. Sorry to disabuse him of the notion, but it is not happening.

The same can be said for his other incorrect assumptions regarding the rest of the interior defensive line. Freddy Booth-Lloyd was not a starter at nose tackle/DT but certainly logged as much time as the starter, Averee Robinson. Michael Dogbe and Greg Webb were starters, as well as Karamo Dioubate. This line might be better than last year’s group.


In another post, the same
Notre Dame guy says,
“the more I read about
this game the more convinced
I am that it will get ugly early.”

In another post, the same Notre Dame guy says, “the more I read about this game the more convinced I am that it will get ugly early.”

There are no such assumptions from the Temple side, even though the Owls entered the last two bowl games ranked in the Top 25. The only expectation that the Owls bring  is that they will be ready for a street fight and really that’s the only way to approach this one. Respect everyone, fear no one.

What the linebackers lack in experience, they more than make up for in talent. Linebacker coach Andrew Thacker said the two units are so talented, he might run in two sets of starters. We all know the secondary is the strongpoint of the defense. Even the ND fan will admit that.

Of course, the quarterback situation is a bit of a concern but the same could be said for Notre Dame’s starter, Wimbush. Nice QB, with a high pedigree, but the Owls have a guy in Anthony Russo, who was recruited by LSU, and, if he’s beaten out, they will have more than a capable replacement for P.J. Walker.

If perception versus reality is an indicator of how things will go on 9/2/17, I like the Owls’ chances. I really like from a psychological standpoint how this game is shaping up for the Owls. There are a lot of guys who think this game will get ugly on their side and a lot of guys on our side who will be ready to go to war.

As someone whose image is plastered in one Notre Dame end zone once said, “Father Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Or, in this case, say.

Monday: The Final Scrimmage

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12 thoughts on “Perception Versus Reality

  1. Karamo Dioubate is a DE stud .
    I believe he was ranked as a 4 star DE , who turned down offers from Ohio State and Penn State.

  2. no significant injuries going into the ND games means much…, this 2017 team has more overall talent and depth than last year’s team aside from QB…,

    mistake free game from the QB position; and, the ability of CC and the coaching staff to make halftime adjustment will be huge

    MR and staff did a great job at halftime adjustments last year, much better than they did in 2015…,

    • with the running game and the defense, all they need is a game manager at quarterback and not a guy who will put the ball on the ground or up for interceptions. A lot of that thinking will factor into evaluating tomorrow night’s scrimmage. I don’t even see this game as high scoring as the last TU-ND game was (24-20); This might be a 17-16, 14-10, 16-13 type of game.

      • From what I have read I think our defense is capable of scoring some points and our kicking game is solid. Put me in the cautiously optimistic column.

    • For years Paterno simply wanted a qb who could run the offense efficiently and not make mistakes. Other than Kerry Collins his qbs are mostly forgettable. Quick slants and play action passes plus a good running game will make the qb’s job that much easier.

  3. Kelly is on the ropes. His captains clean the locker room according to USA Today. That’s Notre Dumb. A fourth quarter KO to the Owls will signify the beginning of the end for Coach K.

  4. I think Temple is going to put up a heck of a fight in this game. I’ll be curious to see which team is effected more by the coaching changes this offseason.

    I think the first half will be really close, with ND flashing some big play potential but not capitalizing on some opportunities (per usual with the Irish). Temple’s D will give them more fits then most expect, and I think the Owl’s running game allows them to move the ball well.

    At the end of the day, I think the Irish have a few too many playmakers and a big time chip on their shoulder to make up for last year’s let-down, which leads to them pulling out this game. I’ll go with a prediction of 24-14 Irish, with a late TD in the 4th quarter sealing the game.

    Good luck! I’d love to see ND win this game and then Temple to go on to win the AAC.

    • Thanks, bro. Classy post. I’d like to see the Irish lose this game, then win their other 11. Whatever happens, I will be rooting for ND after 9/2.

      • Thanks for the kind words. I’ve been casually reading this blog since the last ND-Temple game, and it’s been a fun way to get an inside look at the program.

        I would absolutely sign up for a year where ND loses this game and wins all the others! Either way, should be a fun game that hopefully serves as a springboard to successful years for each team.

  5. Well, Collins is keeping mum on the QB. Probably to keep ND in the dark about how to prepare, but maybe it won’t matter that much tho. Considering last years results for both teams against Navy, let’s hope it carries thru to this game. I really feel the Owls have a good shot, assuming the shots aren’t in their foot!

    BTW, the pic of Franklin Field in the Inquirer article about Temple’s QB situation leads me to think (once again) that playing there wouldn’t be so bad. It really is a classy looking stadium that Temple could mostly fill and if the Temple stadium really is going to happen, it would be great to get out of the horrible Linc deal for a couple years and put the savings into the new stadium costs. Parking would be an issue tho. Anyway……..

    • CC delivered a key message in the interview.., two QBs will be graded ‘above the line’, so we should anticipate two playing against ND..; and, CC mentioned only one QB by name…..,

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