So tell me, was the Notre Dame offensive display on Saturday a brief hiccup of scoring magic, or the first hint of a burgeoning offensive powerhouse?  I have no idea, but I do know that the answer to that question lies within the collective will of this team.  One of movie lands’ greatest leaders,  John Connor, said something like this, “The future is not set,  There is no fate but what we make.” (In the movie this quote causes the overly-buff and somewhat scary Sarah Connor to try and kill an engineer, but keep reading to see what I mean!)

Charlie Weis echoed this sentiment in his post game press conference when he said something like “now you gotta show you can keep doing it, can’t do this one week, and then go out and lay an egg the next.”  The Irish players must use this experience to learn and continue growing.  Then, and only then, will this offense begin to cause fear in any opponent. Just a good showing against Purdue won’t do it, but some impressive performances against teams like North Carolina might.

What this means:

The offensive line has to keep playing better (and with the same fire), Clausen must make even better throws and decisions, and the Tate-Floyd combo must continue scaring the whits out of defensive coordinators.  Also, some more of Armando Allen proving that his vision seeing running lanes is far better than Wash Out’s is while flying a jet in Hot Shots! is key.

If the Irish can do these things, then the Purdue game was not a brief moment, but rather a building block.  And this means that what is to come is what Irish fans have been waiting for.

Game 4 already?  And the Irish match last seasons win total already?  Unbelievable on both counts (sometimes I think about 3-9 and don’t believe it really happened).  Best game for the Irish offense since Brady Quinn was under center.  On to my thoughts-

The Good

What a game for Armando Allen.  He ran hard.  He ran fast.  And he ran far.

The  offensive line.  The smashed and bashed Purdue in the 2nd half.  Guys like Chris Stewart were blocking defensive lineman 7 yards down field.  It was great to see Stewart pump his fist and get rowdy after getting the running game rolling, and you could tell the lineman had demolition on their minds.

The continuing maturation of Jimmy Clausen.  He hit receivers for the big play, and he checked down when he had to.  He avoided pressure and didn’t even throw a pick.  He’s gonna have a 20+ touchdown season.

Robert Blanton and Harrison Smith.  2 guys that track the ball like Jack Bauer tracks terrosits with nuclear bombs.  Jack then proceeds by decorating bodies with bullet holes or snapping a neck, but Blanton is a little more humane and just takes an int for the pick 6.

Michael Floyd with his first 100 yard game.  Perhaps Julio Jones and A.J. Green have a little more hype-but I like my chances with Floyd.

A made field goal!

In general just the number of young guys that are on the field and making plays for this team.

The Bad

Sloppy tackling for the defense throughout most of the game.  Giving up a lot of yards to Purdue.

A slow start and yet another missed field goal.

Are the Irish lineman growing as run blockers, or was this just a case of the Purdue run defense being really bad?

Still can’t get all the way to the quarterback.

The defense needs to recognize that 3rd down is their chance to get off the field and sip on some Gatorade.

The Ugly

Poor Duval Kamara and his customary dropped pass seem to have a permanent residence in this category.

Joe Tiller and his assistant coach trying to out-mustache each other.

5 feet and 6 inches.  New Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers (all 5′6″ of him) made the USC defensive front his personal playground to the tune of 186 rushing yards and 2tds in the Beavers’ upset win.  The little dynamo ran right up the middle on USC and there was nothing Rey Maualuga or anyone else could do about it.  It was a slap in the face to all the amusement parks signs you used to fear as a kid (you must be this tall to ride), that stopped you from riding the Magnum, and sent your ass to the Smurf Ride.  No more.  Rodgers proved that little people can do what they want, and it has made me wonder if the world will ever be the same.  Introducing…

The new and improved uber recruit–the under 5′8″,190lb, can barely bench press the bar, harder to find in a crowd than Waldo, running back.  Power teams, take notice.  Rodgers used his diminutive stature and vision to run for more yards on USC than the visitors traveled in their flight to Oregon.  His quickness and strength were superb, but it was also as if he had stealth technology because the Trojan linebackers wouldn’t have found him with radar.  (Was it an advanced uniform prototype?  And you thought the Ducks’ weight-reducing unis were state of the art.)  The few times they did locate him, the defense tried to tackle him as if he was as big as Shaquille O’Neal. Wasn’t going to work.

The only downside to the emergence of the mouse-sized running back?

The beloved big backs, aka the Jerome Bettis and Beanie Wells types will go the way of the dinosaur.

Recruiter:  I see you are incredibly strong and surprisingly fast.  I see that the sudden impact of your stiff arm has caused several hearts to explode upon contact, and that linebackers are afraid to tackle you.  But you see that little guy over there, well maybe you can’t see him-that large t-shirt covers him up a bit, but yeah…I’m gonna take my chances with him.

A new world order, big men beware.