Ball of confusion
And the band played on...
Dateline: Davenport, IA
When Jerrence's daughters were quite young, he used to make up stories to tell them. The tales could be about almost anything that sprung into his mind -- ponder than for a moment, dear reader -- but quite often it involved their favorite Teletubbies, Laa-Laa & Po, and their unfortunate, freakish, and often violent, deaths.
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| Die, Spawn of Satan, die! |
They were unkillable.
It was a back-and-forth that both sides loved to play (hey, we all bond with our children in different ways). To this day, any archival reference to those garishly colored creatures triggers Jerrence and makes Ryan & Shea laugh.
So, storytelling is a skill that this blogger maintains makes the world go round. Whether you are a screenwriter, a novelist, a financial analyst or a CEO... if you cannot create an interesting, compelling narrative that explains and persuades -- that addresses the 'what', the 'so what' and 'what's next' -- you're fooked. What many people call 'selling' is, in fact, storytelling. Just ask anyone of Irish lineage.
Thank you for attending my Ted Talk.
And which brings us to last Saturday's game. Even by Jerrence's generous standards, that contest's story was (is) unbelievable. Even he couldn't come with a sequence of events that outlandish, although high marks, ND, for getting the viewers' attention early and not letting go.
Just too bad it wasn't against Miami or Texas Tech in a playoff game.
Quote of the Week
Word of the Week
Used in a sentence paragraph: Upon reflection, the first thing Jerrence thought about the game he'd just witnessed was recalling something Billy Bob Thornton's psychotic character said in Season 1 of Fargo -- when a postal worker asks him for I.D. -- he was picking up a package -- and Billy Bob says, "No."
Declaring to that his refusal was asking was "highly irregular," Thornton's Lorne Malvo character responds in a deadpan tonality (as only Billy Bob could do):
"No, 'highly irregular' is the time I found a human foot in a toaster oven. This is just odd."
True dat, Billy Bob. Begging the question, what was the foot doing... wait, don't tell me.
So Jerrence considered it might be a stretch, hyperbole even, to suggest Notre Dame's 1st Quarter represented a phantasmagoria of perfect, improbable sequential plays... but when stuff occurs that hadn't happened in a generation of football play -- or ever...
...that's more than just 'odd.'
Game 11 Thoughts
Man, it's all been forgiven
Swans are a-swimmin'
I'll explain everything to the geeks...
How bizarre was the game?
It defied rationale explanation, -- even the obvious 'one team was really good and one team was really bad' analysis doesn't quite do the absurdity justice -- so I've got no pithy insights. Simply, here's a few of the weirder 'fun facts'...
-- Time of Possession: Syracuse 44 minutes vs. ND 16!
-- ND had more points than passing yards.
-- ND had more points on offense (49) than plays run (39).
-- First team ever in college history to rush for more than 300 yards on less than 25 carries.
-- ND's defense has outscored the starting offenses they've played in back-to-back games.
-- ND's 35 points in the 1st Quarter -- and came about :10 short of 42 points -- had never happened before.
-- And the most ridiculous stat of all, ND went 10-for-10 on PAT's -- which I think puts young Mr. Schmidt in the ND record books! Talk about irony.
Usually I like to put some game highlights here. But it was Senior Day...
Buddy's Buddy
If I was a really good guy, Jalen Stroman would be the hands down, slam dunk Buddy of the week. He played arguably the game of his career, in a substitute role.
Hell, he personally accounted for 12 points alone IN THE FIRST SIX PLAYS OF THE GAME.
Okay maybe he should be a co-recipient...
And granted, ND playing a walk on freshman QB... talk about feeding someone to the lions... hard to feel super impressed about anything accomplished defensively in that context.
Still, those are the types of games where historically ND plays down to the competition, lets 'em hang around for a half then puts 'em away by the middle of the 4th quarter...
Not today, Satan.
And stayed locked in -- even as the 2nd and 3rd stringers flooded the field for the entire 2nd half.
Need we remind you, CFP Committee members, when this same Syracuse team -- minus Steve Angeli -- played Miami in early November (i.e., two weeks ago!), it was scoreless after the 1st quarter, 0-0 with 3 minutes left in the 1st half (!) until a 38-10 final.
Of course, the ultimate Buddy has always been The Stayer Lot Six (missing Our Man Lini)... thanks as always, Jim / Bob/ Jay / Tim / Peter /Jerry!
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| The regular season's final Stayer tailgate: a tradition like no other. |
RE-PETE (A shameless, illegal lift of Pete Sampson's weekly mail-bag)
So, courtesy (I think) of James Flaherty III, Esq., I got to meet one of my ND heroes this past weekend at the tailgate.
No, not Art Best (who, sadly, died in 2014).
Rather, The Athletic's very own Pete Sampson whose introduction allowed me to not only profess my sincere esteem for his blog / podcast work but also confess my consistent plagiarizing of his work.
Thankfully, he took it like a champ. What a guy.
So, I don't want to say I'm feeling bulletproof but I think he gave me a legally binding, non-verbal smirk -- in front of witnesses -- and knowing Indiana IP Law like I do...
In any event, I'm a big believer in culture: pop culture, corporate culture, ethnic culture... and it occurs to me that one of the reasons so many football programs are so enamored with Marcus Freeman, be it college or professional, is not his schematic expertise (sorry, Charlie Weis) but rather, his ability to actually establish a high character-based culture that endures even with the typical turnover of college graduating classes -- and rocket-fueled by the new NIL / transfer portal chaos. Here's Pete Sampson's take:
Too many programs throw around “culture” as some kind of trade secret. It’s more basic than that. It’s an ability to get a locker room and a program to pull toward one end goal, no matter the transfer portal or name, image and likeness implications. Notre Dame has that going for it across the board. Even with Jeremiyah Love’s Heisman campaign activated — Freeman blessed the running back striking the pose after his final touch — Love still seems to get almost as much joy watching Notre Dame’s other backs make plays as he does making his own.
“Obviously a lot of people like to talk about me doing lots of great things, but I love to see my teammates go out there and have success,” Love said. “That’s what really moves my heart. It’s not very easy to move me, so I love seeing those guys have success.”
What comes in the CFP will be different, which Notre Dame learned last season, duct-taping the team together through injuries, including Love’s meniscus that limited him during most of the postseason. Viliamu-Asa goes down, Faraimo steps up. The Irish have been going without wide receiver Jaden Greathouse almost all season, with Will Pauling filling the void. The offensive line has made the best of a bad injury situation.
No one is feeling sorry for Notre Dame. Injuries are part of the sport. Either develop enough depth to withstand them or enjoy the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Freeman opted for the former, assembling enough talent to make the Irish durable and assimilating it within the program, no matter the role.
“Nothing’s handed to you,” Jalen Stroman said. “This team is everything to me. You can go from offense to defense to special teams, punters, long snappers, everybody loves each other. It’s just a great bond on this team.
“I’ve never had that in my life. It just feels good to be a part of it. It feels great just to be with these boys. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Source: The Athletic
November 23, 2025
Cocktail of the Week
One might think that choosing a Cormac McCarthy-inspired novel as the basis of this week's cocktail selection would be a counter intuitive selection.
The game was, by all accounts, a giggle fest from start to finish.
Mr. McCarthy's novels, decidedly, are not.
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| The maestro, with his fans |
Granted, in the more limited milieu that is tailgate mixology, he is a bit of a one trick pony but boy oh boy, what a trick:
Turning a classic breakfast cocktail into a full blown meal with all the goodies he throws into said drink.
As the Millennials or Gen Z (who can tell them a part anymore) are fond of saying, "We appreciate you."
So, Cormac McCarthy Meets Peter Behrens. How's that Syracuse game-level weird?
__________
BLOODY MARY-IDIAN
Blood Meridian
by Cormac McCarthy (1985)
A book in the anti-western genre, this nihilistic and bloody novel takes place on the American frontier.
As the reader follows a protagonist known as "the kid," a tale of bloodshed and violence unfolds to reveal the horrors of the early Americas.
After such a bleak trip through time, reward yourself with a modern twist on a classic drink to ease the pain.
Yield: 1 serving
-- 1½ oz. vodka
-- 3 oz. tomato juice
-- ½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
-- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
-- 1 dash hot sauce (adjust to taste)
-- celery salt and black pepper, to taste
-- celery stalk, lemon wedge, and olives, for garnish
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1. Fill a shaker with ice cubes.
2. Add the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, celery salt, and black pepper to the shaker.
3. Shake the ingredients well to combine and chill.
4. Strain the mixture into an ice-filled highball glass.
5. Garnish with the celery stalk, lemon wedge, and olives.
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 W Soooiiieeee!
October
4 Boise St. W Alumni Hall Reunion weekend, Union Pier MI
11 NC State W
18 USC W "Lincoln, We Hardly Knew Ye" (wussy)
November
1 @BC W
9 Navy W
16 @Pitt W
23 Syracuse W Final 2025 regular season tailgate
29 @Stanford
December
19-20 PLAYOFF GAME!
Wager 2025
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. |
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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.
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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
The Martyrdom of St. Peter, by Gaspar de Crayer, 1664-69
Schadenfreude of the Week
1) As long as we take care of business against Stanford, we're in. Just a question of the final seeding.
2) Not so sure. We still need a few games to go our way.
And what would those games be? Let's throw out a couple:
-- Mississsippi St. surprising a distracted Ole Miss would be a great start to the weekend.
-- Ohio State smoking Michigan would be good on a few different levels.
-- Auburn beating Alabama is probably too much to ask for, but a girl can dream.
-- LSU shocking Oklahoma would be icing on the cake.
-- Texas A&M beating Texas still seems key.
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| Some personal news: I am anti-science now. |
FWIW, the nightmare scenario seems to involve #10 Alabama reaching / winning the SEC Championship game vs. #3 Texas A&M... the Tide would likely rise ahead of the Irish but the Aggies would not fall behind.
Meanwhile, if #5 Texas Tech loses to #11 BYU in the Big 12 championship, the Cougars would earn an auto-bid and the committee would have a choice to make between two-loss Texas Tech and two-loss Notre Dame.
Finally, if #18 Michigan beats #1 Ohio State AGAIN... that could complicate things further.
-----------------------------------------------
Re last week... when the top 14 ranked teams all win, there's not a whole lot to celebrate. And yet, a humble offering...
1. Georgia Tech. There's a few reasons why the Yellowjacket's is cause for celebration, starting a) it knocks them out of an ACC conference championship game (and any playoff contention) and b) it gives Pitt significant motivation to win next week against Miami -- a game being played at Pitt with anticipated 30F temps at game time.
Let's hope the Weenie Boy South Beach guys show up in their arctic tundra wear...
2. USC. I know the conventional wisdom was that we needed SC to lose but admit it, you didn't really mind seeing them 'spit the bit' again, did you?
And coach Lanning, tell us how you really feel...
Terry's Tools
Anyone who has ever witnessed an ugly inheritance fight, either firsthand or from a distance, can probbaly tell you there was one accelerant to the battle: money.
Money has the ability to turn people into something... different.
So it's not surprising that as the season gets down to the short strokes, most institutions -- be it universities or their athletic departments -- are not thinking about Marcus Freeman's "team glory" concept.
It's about the Benjamins. And making the playoffs means a whole lot of 'em, be it for the school, their coaches and the players who get 'em there. (I've omitted the referees though I have an uncomfortable feeling some of them are wading in that revenue stream.)
So if anyone is wondering why the vitriol toward ND has been amped up, follow the money.
Hey, those coaches' buyouts don't fund themselves.
-------------------------------------------------
Which leads us to...
1) Lane. Like Madonna, Prince and Jerrence, the soon-to-be ex head coach of Ole Miss requires only one name.
This year's "leader in the clubhouse" for the Brian Kelly "Playoffs Schmayoffs -- I'm Outta Here" award.
I gotta say, as big of a tool as he was early in his career (and maybe he still is, I haven't paid that much attention to him), the chaos he's creating now is only by virtue of the system he's working in.
If you think Marcus Freeman's agent isn't getting calls about possible interest and 'what would it take, $-wise, to consider' you're more naive than I am.
Which would put you at granddaughter Sloane-level gullibility.
Name of the Week
Sometime a nickname is just so good, it doesn't even matter if anyone actually calls them by it.
Like Crash. Or Wrong Way. Or The Dim One.
You kinda hope they do because it shows that synapses are still firing in the originator's head... and a sense of humor likely similarly exists in the recipient's.
And when there's genuine affection between the two parties mixed into the moniker, well, it just doesn't get any better.
Steve 'Peatnut Butter' Angeli
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| Welcome back. |
Trivia
Q. What song represented the last collaboration between these two band partners and is roundly considered their best?
A) "Hey Jude" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)
B) "Sound of Silence" (Paul Simon / Art Garfunkel)
C) "Comfortably Numb" (Roger Waters / David Gilmore)
D) "Hotel California" (Don Henley / Glenn Frey)
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(Last blog's answer: Like A Rolling Stone was voted the #1 song of all time by Rolling Stone.
Final Thoughts
Another great tailgate season behind us... Happy Thanksgiving, all!
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