Yeah, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you, what's going on
Dateline: Flint Lake, IN
While one might think this a random choice, after watching the Packers sh*t the bed against the Cleveland Browns, a story involving shocking vivesections seemed like an appropriately natural progression.
But as he watched a story he knew and had seen before countless times, even having done the "On the Trail of Jack the Ripper" guided tour from London's Tower Underground stop, the plot turned a bit: the inspector's investigation began to grapple with the thought of the murders being not only a two-man job but that the killer might himself have a split personality -- one side good and admirable, one side dark and dangerous.
Jerrence shouted from his couch, "Yes! Just like Notre Dame's football team!"
Quote of the Month
Marcus Freeman, on Sunday's coaches meeting
Oh to be a fly on the wall of that get together. Other than the Jimmy Kimmel - Disney management meeting, Jerrence couldn't think of a more interesting conversation.
There are a lot of reasons Jerrence loved coach Freeman, including his culture building philosophy and his hot wife. But one also appreciated his comfort in embracing confrontation and having those tough conversations with whomever needs it (Exhibit A: the likely "you're not yet ready to be ND's DC" conversation with Mike Mickens).
But this week is really going to put that skill set (and it's efficacy) to the test.
Good luck coach, we're right behind ya.
Word of the Month
So why did he still, continually, go back to the website to read the recriminations his fellow subscribers threw at the football program, even when they win by 26 pts.
He thought it must be the 16 years of institutional Catholic grooming -- Jerrence was like a moth to a flame for self-abuse.
Yet with their hairpin trigger inclinations to assign blame to anything or anyone that didn't go their perceived way, Jerrence considered most of them to be abject cretins.
And Gutless Wonders to boot -- they'd never say anything close to these 'insights' if confronted face-to-face with their targets.
Maturity would have to wait. Much more appealing for Jerrence was the fantasy of seeing a few of them defenestrated as a sign of showing the "pitchfork 'n torch" crowd just what accountability looks like.
Game 3 Thoughts
You better stop!
Look around - here it comes...
Here comes your 19th nervous breakdown.
It seems to me that any 'one off' event tends to, minimally, gets a person's attention.
Like for instance wow, that was really poor defense, didn't see that coming!
A second, repeated performance subsequently becomes cause for some concern and anxiety.
A third time represents a legitimate, alarming, trend...
---------------------------------
With that as a starting point, here's what I think:
And if last week was any indication, maybe the best long passer ND's had since... Clausen?
One underrated aspect no one's talking about: he's consistently making the easy, safe throws.
I think we can all remember QB's past who made one pull-your-hair-out (if, in fact, you had hair) when they couldn't consistently make those same, move-the-sticks completions.
And for that matter, the WR's who we saw making some pretty awesome downfield blocks.
Still, it's hard not to want to call out how special Love and Price are when given even a modest hole to run to.
3. Defense. Often while playing golf with my good friend Al Brunett Pompano Beach, he'd turn to me and say, "Terry, we are... not good."
True dat. While one can safely say the same thing about ND's defense, what to make of it? Offering no solutions whatsoever, I would, humbly, point the finger at the pass rush (or lack thereof) as a root cause. Is it the rush ends (Botelho and Traore) still knocking the dust off? Is it scheme?
Maybe it's about learning a new scheme and requiring, collectively, having a little more patience. (Ha! As if...)
The again, maybe it's also about experience. Without Mills / Cross III / Kizer / Watts up the middle -- all multiple years starters, the lesson might be better athleticism doesn't actually beat better recognition.
So while the freshmen didn't have the same auspicious lock down performances that Ben Morrison and Leonard Moore demonstrated in their inaugural games, they also had their moments.
Give 'em time.
Arkansas is pretty good offensively. Don't be surprised if this game ends up 35-31.
Buddy's Buddy
Let's make this easy -- and no doubt obvious -- about Buddy's Bud this week.
Jadarian Price, come on down.
Sheer stats alone, he would be the likely #1 choice (with all deference to CJ Carr and his breakout performance):
- 9 carries, 74 yards, 3 TD
- 2 kickoff returns, 142 yards, 1 TD
216 total yards
But that's not entirely why Jadarian is The Man this week. One of Buddy's great qualities (and perhaps a subset of last week's referenced unconditional love attribute) was his loyalty.
(outside of Penn St.) and be RB #1 while making a BOATLOAD of money...
...that's a pretty special kid.
The fact is, he's got another year of eligibility after this season.
And while seemingly doubtful he'll stick around for 2026 ('RB longevity' being something of an oxymoron), ya never know.
But in advance of that decision, it's time to recognize him now.
RE-PETE (A shameless, illegal lift of Pete Sampson's weekly mail-bag)
Sports writers are like sportscasters, everyone's got an opinion about 'em and usually based in whether one thinks they're homers (a good thing if they're hyping your team) or they're antagonists, never cutting your team a break.
While some are not, I'm a fan of Pete Sampson. I think he (and Matt Fortuna) sit comfortably in that tricky middle ground of being both insiders and objective.
So when he harbors discomfort, as I think he's manifesting this week, I tend to pay attention.
-----------------------------------
Can the Irish win without Leonard Moore?
It’s hard to replace an All-American-level corner, even if that’s exactly what Leonard Moore did.
As a freshman, Moore subbed in for Benjamin Morrison at midseason and basically matched the future second-round pick in terms of coverage. The season went so well that Moore was named national defensive freshman of the year, opposite Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith on offense. But the Irish secondary has struggled since Moore suffered that ankle sprain early against Texas A&M, which sidelined him for Purdue. It’s not clear whether Moore will play at Arkansas. He’s listed as questionable on Notre Dame’s injury report, although nickel DeVonta Smith, who hasn’t played since Miami, has been upgraded to probable.
Without Moore, Notre Dame reshuffled its secondary, bumping Christian Gray to the boundary to replace Moore, then filling Gray’s spot in the field with freshman Mark Zackery. Freshman Dallas Golden took over at nickel and made his first career interception. If the Irish don’t have Moore, that lineup might look much the same this weekend, just with Smith and Golden rotating at nickel.
“It’s not like they don’t know what they’re doing, but how do we continue to get them into zone coverage defense to play with the clarity that it takes to cover up open gaps and open space when you play zone,” Freeman said. “And then man coverage, we gotta be able to use the proper technique.
“You can’t use the excuse that Leonard’s not out there and DeVonta and guys that have experience. The guys we put out there, we believe, are good enough to execute what we call.”
That’s debatable, at least statistically. The Irish have allowed 300 yards passing twice in Ash’s three games as defensive coordinator. Notre Dame gave up that much through the air just once in three seasons under Al Golden.
Source: The Athletic
September 26, 2025
Cocktail of the Month
I must admit sometimes Jerrence thinks himself pret-ty clever... it doesn't occur often... but this week's blog would be one of those times, like when he feels he can knit together a bunch of disparate content that's thematically consistent with the blog's overall insight.
So for all those graduates -- and I don't want to single out a specific major -- who couldn't find O'Shaughnessy Hall if they were lead up to the front door and haven't yet grasped a theme, the thread this week has to do with duality: good vs. evil, strong vs. weak, or in the ]case of ND's offense and defense, excellence vs. incompetent...
And what better book to demonstrate that than...
The Picture of Dorian Grey Goose
"The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde (1891)
This wish leads Dorian down a path of amorality, deceit, exploitation and cruelty... you know, the fun stuff. His portrait takes all this abuse and becomes grotesque and unrecognizable.
We sometimes think photos of ourselves look nothing like us -- but this is intense. Redemption comes to Dorian only through destroying his own portrait and thus killing himself.
Why not pair this Oscar Wilde classic with a decadent take on the martini? Indulge your vices.
Yield: 1 serving
1/4 oz. dry vermouth
l1/4 oz absinthe, for washing
blue cheese stuffed olive, for garnish
1. Chill a martini glass by placing it in the freezer while you prepare the cocktail.
2. Fill a separate mixing glass with ice cubes to chill the vodka and dry vermouth.
3. Pour the vodka and dry vermouth into the ice-filled mixing glass. (You can choose to stir or shake the mixture, depending on your preference.)
4. Discard the ice from the mixing glass.
5. Pour the absinthe into the chilled martini glass. Coat the interior by swirling the glass, then discard the excess.
6. Strain the chilled vodka and dry vermouth mixture into the glass.
7. Skewer a blue cheese-stuffed olive on a cocktail pick, and place in the martini as a garnish.
Source: The Turn of the Screwdriver
50 Dark & Twisted Literary Cocktails
By Iphigenia Jones
Schedule 2025
August
31 @Miami L
September
13 Texas A&M L
20 Purdue W Corrigan brother reunion!
27 @Arkansas Soooiiieeee!
October
4 Boise St. Alumni Hall Reunion weekend, Union Pier MI
11 NC State
18 USC "Lincoln, We Hardly Knew Ye" (wussy)
November
1 @BC
9 Navy
16 @Pitt
23 Syracuse
29 @Stanford
December
19-20 PLAYOFF GAME!
Wager 2025
We're prayin' for it all day and fightin' for it all night.
Give us just one victory; it will be all right...
Wins | ND Equivalence | Domer |
12  The Joker | "Do I really look like a guy with a plan?" ----- Ledger's Joker is mercurial, charismatic and a complete psychopath. Utterly unforgettable. Just as a Notre Dame undefeated, on-their-way-to-a-national championship-season would be. |
|
11  Otto | "Don't call me stupid!" ----- Ex-CIA operative Otto lives at the intersection of dangerous and moronic. An 'Otto season' for ND would be a rollercoaster -- a lot of fun with youth at some key positions, and likely more than it's fair share of 'that wasn't very clever' moments. | Gutsch , Sloane Daryl Jim S. Peter Tim TedBill Jim B Pat B George Alex, Feif Garrett Spit the Elder |
10  | "That's a bingo!" ----- Jew hunter Landa -- equal parts chillingly pathological and pragmatic, this character would probably represent a 10-win regular season that might make you sick to your stomach but ultimately pretty satisfied. | Jerrence, Mike C, Tim C. Mark U. Jerry P. Jerry C. Mike B. Brian W. Jim T. Mike G, Bose Jerry W Lini, Randy Greg Kyle W. |
9  RP McMurphy | "I'm a goddamn marvel of modern science." ----- What's the residual emotion from Cuckoo's Nest? Sadness. RP, a guy who sees things clearly but can't get out of his own way. When it doesn't end well, one is left thinking what could've been. Like a 9-win season.
| |
8  | "I don't know who I am. Or where I'm going. None of it." ------ An apt summary of an 8-win ND season. A lot of difficult questions ultimately unanswered. Still, the Bourne trilogy rocks and JB is The Man. | |
7  | "I'm thinking I'm back..." ----- For many, ND winning only 7 games would be akin to someone shooting their dog -- and requiring appropriate payback. And like with John Wick, rationale requiring very few words of explanation. | |
6  | "Are you not entertained!" ------Probably not, if ND only won six games... but that's not the point here: it probably says a lot about me that the final ranked character is the most moral, selfless one of the bunch. | |
Sports Imitating Art.
 | ||||
| |
Schadenfreude of the Week.
Taking this, now, week by week, we're going to call this "climb the ladder' time -- denoting ND's painstaking ascension back up the rankings -- that not only requires the Irish to win out but for several teams in from of them to lose, preferably repeatedly.
Teams you never gave a thought about where one simply says that you wish it didn't have to be that way... nothing personal, just business.
1. Illinois. Heretofore the 9th ranked team in the country, I was actually cheering for the Illini, driven by what a tool I think Indiana's coach is. Alas... 63-10. Ugh.
2. Utah. Not a great week for the state -- their 16th ranked university gets spanked by Texas Tech AND they their resident patron saint of Indie film, Robert Redford.
3. South Carolina. Other than Clemson (see below) -- and possibly us (!), has any team had their dreams dashed more quickly than the Gamecocks?
At least you have a bye this coming week (and Clemson after that).
5. Clemson. If you're still feeling 'glass half empty' about your 2025 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, think about Dabo's crew and know that things could be worse.
Just not yet.
Terry's Tools.
 |
| The few, the proud... |
In the spirit of full disclosure, I've been a little distracted of late.
There's been the 3x back and forth to Colorado.
The visit to see mom in Iowa with the brothers.
Some house guests.
And while there has been no shortage of tools in the real world (see Carr, Brendan), I haven't been paying attention as close as I should within the sports realm.
But one candidate did jump out recently -- and a repeat offender that's never a surprise.
-------------------------------------------------
1) USC. Kudos to The Independent podcast that Pete Sampson and Matt Fortuna host for this tidbit which I'm taking on faith as factual and not just rumor...
 |
| "Think ND'll bite? Not a chance in hell." |
"At last, some movement," you cry!
Well not so fast. What the two aforementioned writers reported was this: SC offered only a two year extension with one of the games (presumably ND's 'home' game) to be played in Mexico City. To be aired on Netflix.
As one can imagine, neither ND or NBC (who has the Big 10 TV rights in addition to ND home games) was thrilled with that proposal.
The word 'disingenuous' springs to mind.
Name of the Week
 |
Spoiler alert -- it's highly, highly likely you will hear this name on Saturday. Quite possibly a lot.
Through four games, this senior WR via the transfer portal -- shocker! -- already has 24 receptions for 324 yards (80 yds./game) and 3 TD's.
You think he isn't salivating about the defense he's going up against this weekend? Let us hope Leonard Moore can play...
But I digress -- this is all about the name.
First of all, the apostrophe is a nice touch. I'd imagine the parents were maybe big New Testament fans and when the baby came, dad said, "He is the Alpha and the Omega..." whereby mom replied, "Well he certainly ain't The Beginning with this uterus... this pregnancy was rough."
Okay, fine, he'll be the end, The Omega.
O'Mega Blake
Trivia!
Q. 1. Which famous songwriter pledged to be faithful to his wife in his biggest hit, only to record a song written by his mistress that became his other greatest hit?
A) Kris Kristofferson
B) Johnny Cash
C) Glen Campbell
D) Willie Nelson
------
Final Thoughts
So hanging with my brothers in Iowa last week, family reminiscing inevitably occurs at some point.
I was six years old.
And school wasn't across the street. In fact, it was over half a mile away, in a relatively urban environment.
Now the cynic (which is to say any of my brothers) might say "What's the big deal?! She had three other sons..."
Losing Jerrence would certainly qualify as 'an acceptable loss'... and after all, only six, he'd barely established any substantive family roots to speak of.
But I say, nay! It was the ultimate act of pure FAITH, albeit one borne out a mother's desperation knowing her other children represented far bigger challenges -- a virtue Notre Dame fans need to now embrace.
BELIEVE!
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