The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans Saturday afternoon in South Bend.
Notre Dame (4-1) currently has a seven-game losing streak to USC (4-1) and they have been humiliated by the Trojans in their last two contests by a combined score of 76-3.
“I think that our university really, really could use this win,” Notre Dame Head Coach Charlie Weis said in the understatement of this millennium.
The portly Weis, 53, who was given $40 million and a five-year contract to coach the Irish, has been roundly criticized for the ineptitude he has displayed on the sidelines since he was hired by Notre Dame in 2004.
Weis, whose Irish are currently ranked #25 in the nation, lost a school record 15 games over a span of two seasons in 2007 and 2008 and he has been defeated in his last six consecutive contests against top-10 teams.
“USC is one of the best teams in the country,” Weis acknowledged. “They’ve beaten us seven times in a row. Some of them have been ugly. So I think winning this week would do wonders for my spirits. But it wouldn’t just be my spirits; it would be everyone affiliated with Notre Dame.”
The Trojans are presently the #6 ranked team in the country and they are 10.5 point favorites to again slaughter the Irish this weekend.
If Notre Dame somehow manages to trump USC and improve their record to 5-1, they will skyrocket in the upcoming polls.
On the flipside, if Notre Dame again succumbs to the Trojans and descend to 4-2, Weis and the Irish can ill afford to lose another game for the remainder of this regular season.
Considering that Notre Dame has been afforded with a uniquely easy schedule this year, it would be unacceptable for Weis to allow his team to squander three games before the bowl season even begins.
Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen is the one player who can most ensure that the Irish complete their 2009 campaign with fewer than three defeats.
Clausen, 22, leads the nation in passing efficiency and he has thrown for 12 touchdowns and 1,544 yards to date.
At this juncture, Clausen deserves to be awarded the Heisman Trophy as much as anyone else on the collegiate gridiron.
“I think he’s had a heck of a year,” Weis said of his much-ballyhooed 2007 recruit. “I mean, you look at what he’s done through these first five games, there couldn’t be anyone in the country playing better than him.”
Saturday Clausen will encounter a Trojan defense that has not conceded a scoring pass to date through five games.
“He (Clausen) is going against the best defense that he’s seen all year long,” Weis said. “He’ll be judged by what he does against USC.”
If Clausen is able to dissect the Trojans defense, it is a virtual guarantee that he will forgo his senior year and declare himself eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft in the spring.
“It feels great this year knowing that whenever we get the ball, we can make plays,” said Clausen. “If we don’t score, we at least get three points.”
Life at Notre Dame hasn’t always been quite so rosy for the former star signal-caller at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California.
Clausen, who never lost a football game he started in his prep career (42-0) and also holds California state records for career touchdowns (146), was an absolute mid-air collision in his first two seasons behind center for the Irish.
“It’s different coming from high school into college,” admitted Clausen, who was named the “Offensive Player of the Year” by the USA Today as a senior in high school in 2006.
“You think you’re good and you think you can step right in and play, but it’s just something that’s extremely tough and something I’ve had to work on to get to this point. It’s taken me two, three years to get to this point, and I’m just handling myself like I did when I was a veteran in high school. I know everything now; I know the offense. I know how to handle myself on the field, off the field, and handle my teammates and be a leader and a captain of the team. It’s just something I’ve had to evolve into being here at Notre Dame.”
Clausen has evolved to such a degree that it is feasible that the Irish, despite their porous defense, could beat USC this weekend in an offensive shootout.
A Notre Dame victory over USC would elate Weis on both a professional and personal level.
It was recently revealed by Weis that a malignant and worthless scumbag who cheers for USC sent him a hat that reads, “USC owns Notre Dame.”
The “present” was accompanied by a note that mocked Weis’ daughter, Hannah, who suffers from global development delays.
“With the cap came a letter from somebody with a very derogatory comment towards my daughter. So until we win a game, I’ll hold onto that cap,” said Weis, who added that the hat is prominently displayed in his office.
“When we’ve won a game, that cap won’t be around anymore. It’s kind of a refresher for me, and rather than share the derogatory comment, I’d like to just keep that private.”
The individual who sent Weis that message should be tarred and feathered in front of Touchdown Jesus.
Sadly, such a circumstance likely won’t occur.
“This year, I think our players believe they are going to win,” said Weis.
However, an Irish trouncing of the Trojans would suffice just fine instead.
The Miami Dolphins physically outmuscled the New York Jets and earned a 31-27 victory Monday night at Land Shark Stadium in Florida.
“First off, it was a complete embarrassment by our defense and by me,” said Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan to the New York Daily News. “Obviously, we need to prepare better. I didn’t have the defense prepared the way they should have been, and I take full responsibility for that.”
Ryan, whose hyped defense surrendered a total of 151 yards rushing and allowed Miami to score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone, was not finished expressing his utter disgust.
“I’ve been involved in some bad defensive performances, but I’ve never been involved in one as bad as this.”
The Jets (3-2) once top-ranked defense was porous on an evening when their offense showed signs of growth and maturation.
“The offense was fantastic,” Ryan said. “Every time they put it back on our (defense’s) shoulders we didn’t come through. I’m at a loss for words.”
Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (12-24, 172 yards) had a solid performance and he was able to develop an instant rapport with newly acquired wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
“I felt comfortable,” said Sanchez, 22, who connected with Edwards five times for 64 yards and a touchdown. “I wanted to be smart with the football and I think I did that. After having three picks last week, I didn’t have any tonight.”
Edwards, 26, the third overall selection by the Cleveland Browns in the 2005 NFL Draft, is by most accounts a living hemorrhoid.
However, the former University of Michigan star and 2007 Pro Bowler has tremendous talent and he could prove to be an extraordinary weapon for Gang Green.
“I never saw anybody catch the ball like that,” Sanchez gushed about Edwards.
Edwards has an opportunity to become as valuable to the Jets as Randy Moss is to the New England Patriots.
On the flipside, the native of the gorgeous city of Detroit could fracture the Jets franchise in a manner similar to how Terrell Owens ruptured the Philadelphia Eagles’ and the Dallas Cowboys’ organizations.
“It was a proving-it game for me,” said Edwards, the winner of the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2004. “I wanted to prove that I’m a team guy and I’m the guy they thought I was.”
There is no dispute that the Jets defense molested the pooch last night.
Nevertheless, the Jets have a very good defensive nucleus and they faltered against the Dolphins gimmicky “Wildcat” offense that has tortured much of the league for more than a year now.
More often than not, the Jets defense will flourish on the gridiron.
If the Jets can continue to evolve on the offensive side of the football, they will be an extremely difficult team to defeat.
“We will be a dangerous offense,” predicted Edwards.
Ultimately, the Jets season will be determined by the play of their underachieving offensive line and struggling running back tandem of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington.
If the Jets line and featured backs perform to the peak of their capabilities, they will absolutely fly henceforth.
If those components continue to underperform, the Jets will crash into the swamps of Jersey.
Undefeated welterweight boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather visited the New York Jets practice facility Thursday at Florham Park, N.J.
The Jets invited Mayweather to their practice and he arrived with a slew of his flunkies before he addressed the team.
The main advice Mayweather offered the Jets was to not allow their loss last Sunday to the Saints in New Orleans to hinder their preparation for Monday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
“This is my first time coming to an NFL training camp,” said Mayweather, 32, the winner of six world boxing championships in five different weight classes. “I’ve bet enough money on them.”
Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) endorsed the trade the Jets made this week to acquire disgruntled wide receiver Braylon Edwards from the Cleveland Browns and he predicted that Gang Green are legitimate contenders to win the Super Bowl this year.
“They’ve made a couple of good trades, and if Braylon Edwards and (Mark) Sanchez can get good chemistry, they’ve got the potential to make it to the Super Bowl.”
Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan and Mayweather became fast friends once they were formally introduced to each other.
“Yeah, he’s cool! I like that coach, man,” Mayweather said of Ryan, 46. “He’s the coolest NFL coach I’ve ever met.”
Ryan, who has been outspoken of his love for fighting, remarked about Mayweather’s size versus his skills.
“You always just imagine guys being really big,” said Ryan, a former defensive end at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. “When you look at him, you’re like, ‘Oh, please. I’ll whip that dude.’ Then, he’s like bam! And you wake up missing. That guy can punch you in the face 20 times before you ever thought about punching him.”
Ryan, as brash a talker as there is, still couldn’t resist his urge to mock Mayweather’s tiny frame.
Mayweather, who was named the Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year in 1998 and 2007, stands 5-foot-7.5 inches tall and he weighs less than 150 pounds.
Ryan measures 6-foot-4 inches tall and he recently admitted that his weight has ballooned to 340 pounds since the Jets hired him to coach their franchise last January.
“There are so many great Italian restaurants in New Jersey,” joked Ryan.
Despite his massive girth, Ryan claimed he is a portrait of good health.
“The thing that gets me is, my cholesterol is fine, my blood pressure is fine. I am a genetic freak, I guess.”
This past summer, Ryan and Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder exchanged a series of verbal jabs.
“I don’t know this Channing Crowder,” Ryan conceded. “But all I know is that he’s all tatted up so I need to be nervous about him. The only thing I can say is, I’ve walked over tougher guys going to a fight than Channing Crowder.”
When informed of Ryan’s remarks, Crowder went on the offensive.
“He says that he’d take care of me if he was younger?” asked Crowder, 25, who starred for the University of Florida football team. “I’d have beat the hell out of that big old joker. Come on now.”
There is no dispute that Crowder is a physical specimen and it is hard to imagine that Ryan could currently beat him in a street fight.
However, it is fascinating to ponder who would win a street fight between Ryan and Mayweather.
Mayweather is a world-class pugilist for the ages.
Ryan is a football coach in seemingly horrible physical condition.
Still, Ryan is nearly a foot taller than Mayweather and he outweighs the “Pretty Boy” by approximately 200 pounds.
If Mayweather was able to avoid Ryan’s charges, he could land a series of blows and stun the Jets leader.
While disoriented, Mayweather would have the propensity to connect with powerful blows that could conceivably render Ryan unconscious.
Nevertheless, it is more likely that the enormous Ryan would absorb Mayweather’s punches and continue to stalk his vastly smaller prey.
In all likelihood, Ryan would eventually capture Mayweather and bludgeon the native of Michigan to a pulp.
It is easy to envision a scene eerily reminiscent of the one in the movie Bloodsport when the little scrapper that fought like a monkey ultimately had his back broken by the much larger Asian mixed martial artist.
Mayweather was asked whether football or boxing was a tougher sport.
“They’re both very, very brutal contact sports,” answered Mayweather.
Upon being told of Mayweather’s response, Ryan quipped, “He doesn’t get hit very often, so what does he know about contact?”
In this intriguing fantasy matchup, Ryan would “get hit very often.”
However, by the time cops arrived on the scene, Ryan would be standing and Mayweather would be laying bloodied in the fetal position.
Rex Ryan’s “walked over tougher guys going to a fight than” Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
Mayweather should begin to practice screaming the word “matte” in order to ensure his survival in this dangerous encounter.
Former junior welterweight champion Roger “Black Mamba” Mayweather had a warrant issued for his arrest last week after he failed to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court to face charges of battery and coercion.
Mayweather, 48, who held two major world titles in two different weight classes, is accused of attacking Melissa St. Vil, a female boxer he once trained, last August.
Mayweather (59-13, 35 KOs) is alleged to have struck Vil several times in her ribs before he maliciously choked her at an apartment that he owns and was renting out.
According to police reports, the uncle of boxing superstar Floyd “Money” Mayweather strangled Vil with such violent force that she coughed-up blood when authorities arrived at the crime scene.
At this moment, there is no word on Mayweather’s whereabouts.
“Black Mamba” was once asked how he attained his ring nickname and he stated:
“It’s funny because I wanted a boxing name that wouldn’t be common to most people. One day I was flipping through the channels and I came upon this channel showing different reptiles, and they were showing the black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the world. I loved the way the mamba attacked so quietly, but when he hit you he just hit you one time and the poison was in you. That reminded me of myself right there.”
Despite the significant evidence levied against him, Mayweather is innocent until he is found guilty in a court of law.
Nevertheless, Mayweather has already painted himself as a yellow coward for missing the court date that he was assigned to attend.
At this stage in his life, “Black Mamba” no longer even resembles “one of the deadliest” fighters in the world.
However, if the charges against Mayweather are verified, “Black Mamba” is a dangerous man who should not be permitted to walk in the midst of other law abiding citizens.
If Mayweather is found guilty of this crime, he needs to spend ample time in a “Sin City” prison cell.
Showtime’s Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament will begin this Saturday night when WBC champion Carl Froch defends his title against Andre Dirrell in Nottingham, England, and Jermain Taylor faces “King” Arthur Abraham in Berlin, Germany.
On November 21, the two remaining participants in the scheduled 18-month campaign to crown a new 168-pound super middleweight champion, Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KOs) and Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KOs), are set to battle in Oakland, California.
It was reportedly a complicated and difficult task to get five promoters to agree to, and accept the terms of, the tournament format.
“To find common ground between two promoters is a challenge,” Showtime Senior Vice President Ken Hershman told CNNSI.com. “To find it among five is an insane challenge.”
The terms of the tournament ensure that all boxers will fight three times.
The competitors will earn two points if they win a match, including a bonus point if the fight ends in a knockout, and one point if a contest is declared a draw.
“I really believe this is good for boxing,” said Dirrell’s promoter, Gary Shaw. “One of the good things about mixed martial arts is that when someone loses, it’s no big deal. They go onto the next big fight. That doesn’t happen in boxing. I think this tournament solves some of that because no one is eliminated right away.”
Froch (25-0, 20 KOs), who was born in Nottingham, can anticipate a tough fight with Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs) when the two square-off this weekend in his native land.
Froch, 32, is an unorthodox fighter and his style will prove to be troublesome for Dirrell, 26.
Dirrell, who captured the middleweight bronze gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, is absolutely a spectacular talent in the ring.
Unfortunately for Dirrell, he is likely too green at this stage in his career to defeat a seasoned professional like Froch in front of his legions of supporters.
Dirrell may win many battles and rounds.
But, ultimately, Froch will win the war and preserve his unblemished record.
In Saturday’s second affair, Arkansas native Jermain Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KOs) will struggle mightily versus undefeated IBF Middleweight World Champion and Armenian-German, Abraham (30-0, 24 KOs).
Abraham is a badass who is capable of absorbing tremendous punishment in the ring.
The “King” will scrap Taylor in front of a decidedly pro-Abraham audience.
However, expect Taylor, 31, to eventually overwhelm Abraham, 29, and prevail in a matchup that will certainly be a rugged contest.
“There were about 300 obstacles,” said Hershman about making this tournament finally come to fruition.
“Everyone has their own business interests.”
No matter how many “obstacles” were actually involved in these negotiations, boxing has established a plan that is in the best “interests” of their fans.
That alone is a victory for pugilism and hopefully a precursor of good things to come from the sport in the future.
R-I-P-C-N-G-N-S-P
