In Part II of this weekend’s “Ask Lou” series, we look at a popular “what if” inquiry.
There is a different series with insider Mike Singer on Fighting Irish recruiting specifically, so this series with questions from our BlueandGold.com message board focuses more on inquiries about the past, present and future.
FightinMike87: There is a moment in every championship season that is always forgotten. There are a few key plays that make the difference in keeping a streak or championship alive, but often one gets overlooked.
For instance, in 2012 the goal-line stands against USC and Stanford, or the long TD by Cierre Wood at Oklahoma overshadow the clutch pass by Tommy Rees to set up the last-second FG against Purdue in the home opener.
Can you provide a key play/moment that is often forgotten amongst fans as the years pass — whether you focus on the 11 national championship seasons or ones that turned out to be make or break for each season under Brian Kelly?
You are so correct on this. One of the most abhorred statements I hear annually in college football is “X team was three or four plays away from 12-0 instead of 8-4, or 9-3 instead of 5-6.” The same often could be said the other way.
First, when the goal-line stand against USC occurred in 2012, that still wasn’t “make or break.” Notre Dame led 22-13, so a touchdown and two-pointer wouldn’t have even tied the game.
That 2012 pass by Rees against Purdue came on third-and-six from his 49-yard line in which he lofted it across his body for a 10-yard gain to John Goodman. The ball was hanging so long in the air I thought it could go for a pick six the other way (the play can be found here at the 16:36 mark). Later in the drive he completed a 20-yarder to Robby Toma to set up the field goal.
There have been four national titles in my lifetime, each that could have “gone the other way” with a play … or four or five.
