Hide the  children, Will Yeatman is out and about, and nobody is safe.  Call the FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, call anyone.  The notorious criminal/Notre Dame tight end/lacrosse player has made the area surrounding South Bend a cesspool of crime and violence.  In the end, the university had no choice but to suspend him, thus getting him off the streets.  He was making a mockery out of the laws that govern this country and had to be apprehended, the football field is not made for men like this.

His crimes were too numerous to count.  Guilty of:

1.) DUI

2.) Underage drinking at a college party (having the equivalent of 1 beer)

3.) Looking at a Penthouse magazine before he was 18

Look, I know that Notre Dame tends to take the high road, but their trigger finger on suspensions has to be quicker than any other university.  Rashon Powers-Neal also has a DUI and lost his Senior season.  A DUI is no laughing matter-driving under the influence is one of the most careless and dangerous things one can do.  But kids make mistakes.  I wonder how many people in this country could have been busted for DUI at one point in their lives (It happened to me.)  People get one mistake.  What bothers me is that the university considered drinking at a college party his second mistake.  The kid is in college, and has every right to live the life that most of us did.  He does not need to be held to a higher standard because his is an athlete or because he goes to Notre Dame.

I’m glad Notre Dame does not tolerate kids who would be thugs, and looks for students of high character.  But Will Yeatman is not a thug either, he’s just a kid.

Halfway through the season already, and I was thinking who (so far) is the most valuable player for the Irish.  My answer:

Golden Tate.  Conventional wisdom would give this to Mr. Clausen, but I have never been a fan of being conventional.  Look, Jimmy is putting up numbers that are beyond any expectations.  He is rightly being compared to Brady Quinn-as a Senior.  He is making the offense hum, but not without the help of the electrifying Tate.  Golden is Notre Dame’s biggest threat, and the most explosive player they’ve had since I’ve been watching seriously (Rocket was before my time).  I think there’s been one game this season where he hasn’t had a gain of at least 30 yards.  He is a big play waiting to happen, and I expect it to–every game.  Beside that, his emergence has paved the way for Michael Floyd to be unleashed upon college football (be afraid, be very afraid), and for Kyle Rudolph to show why he will possibly become the next Jeremy Shockey (without that loveable Miami attitude).  Put another way, would Clausen be blossoming if his main guy was David Grimes, George West, Robby Parris, or even Duval Kamara?  No, he wouldn’t.  Golden Tate is fueling Clausen’s growth.  There is nobody else Jimmy would rather be throwing to.

That was a tough one.  I had some brief thoughts about going into seclusion, and beginning to write a blues album in the style of B.B. King.  A Grammy award winning-like compilation of pain and sadness, mostly about a blond- haired tease of a temptress that can throw the ball on a rope and with laser-like precision, only to turn around and give the ball away a play later.  Then, I calmed down and realized that it was only a game, and also because I’m pretty sure you have to become addicted to heroin to be a great blues guy.  Can’t make that kind of commitment.  Anyway, here’s my thoughts:

The Good

Nice to see the offense moving the ball up and down the field.  Lots of yards and nice plays.

I think ND had 8 players touch the ball, either recieving or running.  It is awesome that the coaches and the quarterback have faith to put the ball into so many hands.

I thought the running game was actually going pretty well, both Allen and Aldridge averaged at least 5.0 a carry.

Forever in this category-Golden Tate and Michael Floyd.

Clausen threw for a ton of yards, and he made some ridiculously accurate throws.

Made field goal! I pinched myself hard once to see if I was awake, and then again just because I’m a bit of a masochist.

The Bad

A weak defensive effort.  Big cushions and poor tackling.  If you sit back to avoid the big play, then you had better come up and make the tackle.

Hakeem Nicks toyed with Raeshon McNeil.

Beat by a team led by Cameron Sexton?

I am now sure that given 20 or so carries, any running back with a scholarship (and maybe a few walk ons) could rush for 150 yards or more on ND’s defense.

The running game was working, but the Irish backs didn’t get enough carries. I try not to ever fault play calling, but I hope the coaches consider a little more balance in the future.

When you put so much burden on a quarterback (throwing a lot), he is bound to make some bad throws and reads.  It happened to Jimmy, and (pay attention haters) it also happened to Heisman candidate Chase Daniel in the Mizzou game.

The Ugly

-5 in the turnover margin.  Impossible to win on the road like that.

The ND defensive line gives good effort, but recruiting needs to pick up in that area.  Until Weis can build a deep defensive line that can disrupt an offense, the ceiling for this team is roughly that of the Brady Quinn years.