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Dr. Saturday

Sat Sep 13, 2008 7:10 pm EDT

Notre Dame takes them any way it can get them

By Matt Hinton

You make certain trade-offs for what you want in life. If the ends are good, you don't always have to sweat the means. Notre Dame, for example, finally got its self-validating victory against an opponent with a pulse (we think), the first step to exorcising the howling, Navy-loving demons of 2007. Hey, the Irish even hit a couple big plays in the passing game. This is a major step forward.

But it required a barrage of Michigan fumbles to overcome a sloppy effort on defense and cost Charlie Weis use of his left knee in the process. I told you Friday there would be pain.

At least for Notre Dame, for now, it's only physical. Michigan was subtantially better on offense than in either of its first two games, found a go-to offensive threat in Sam McGuffie, and still wasn't close in the fourth quarter.

Official word on Weis: he joins ex-protegé Tom Brady in the Torn ACL and MCL Club, which you can see in all its gruesome detail below. Fair warning: as with Notre Dame football in general the last two years, nothing about it is pretty:

- - -
Photo of Weis via the Associated Press.

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63 Comments

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  1. Mark R
    1. Posted by Mark R Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:44 pm EDT

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    I think you mean Tom Brady. Nd looked much better t
  2. Alaska Hokie
    2. Posted by Alaska Hokie Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:36 pm EDT

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    Michigan helped ND as much as ND helped themselves. Bad break for the blue.
  3. Andrew
    3. Posted by Andrew Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:54 pm EDT

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    Notre Dame "looked much better" in the sense that they weren't literally giving the ball away. Michigan actually looked pretty good on offense when they weren't fumbling, and actually a bit more consistent than ND on O, imo. 7 fumbles (4 lost) and 3 INTs? Almost no way you can win a game doing that.
    In other news - Auburn 3 and MSU 2?? That's worse than the PSU-Iowa score from a few years back!!!
  4. Mark R
    4. Posted by Mark R Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:44 pm EDT

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    it's too bad you wish injury upon someone.
    i actually got cut off from my first statement. nd looked much better than last week. less rust, improved o-line play again, much more confidence. you can say mich gift wrapped those turnovers, but nds defense played a part in forcing them. also, michigan looked better than their previous two games. mcguffie gets through the tiniest crack in the line and stays on his feet like no other. bright future for him. without him, this wouldnt have been a game. michs offense looked like its starting to click. keep threet in and sheridan out. both nd and mich played with a lot of passion and heart-cliche i know- but its much more than i can say about last years nd team. mich will definitely win a good amount of big 10 games this year if they play like that minus the turnovers.
  5. sumthin w
    5. Posted by sumthin w Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:22 pm EDT

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    lol thats funny stuff.
    I dont feel much for the guy tho hes probably in great condition with many people caring for him and he probably is a millionare with the best doctors, he ll recover soon.
  6. GREG K
    6. Posted by GREG K Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:44 pm EDT

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    ND Rules, Sorry Coach That Looks Like It Sucked.
  7. Mario
    7. Posted by Mario Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:57 pm EDT

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    Nasty hit.
  8. Darryl S
    8. Posted by Darryl S Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

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    i laughed...i cried...it was better than cats%21
  9. GoODucks25
    9. Posted by GoODucks25 Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:59 pm EDT

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    This will be the highlight of Notre Dame's season. The team is a joke and still gets the publicity of a top 5 team. Pathetic!
  10. santorini.jones
    10. Posted by santorini.jones Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:04 pm EDT

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    big woop. N.d ball sucks. Use to really get up for their games. Use to go to southbend and stand on the sidelines with my buddy jason Patric(diehard irish fan) Get tanked go to the southy bars. Sleep with the cutey irish chicks.
    Time keeps on slippin slippin slippin....into the fuuuuture!!!!!.
    Anyway. Go Irish!!!
    TERRY II
  11. paradox62
    11. Posted by paradox62 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:37 pm EDT

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    Don't like Weis, but you never like to see anyone get hurt. Saw his interview afterwards though, looked like the percoset was kicking in pretty good!
  12. Varun B
    12. Posted by Varun B Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:21 pm EDT

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    yeah, 1st play when Michigan was receiving = hilarious!!!
  13. katie
    13. Posted by katie Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:19 pm EDT

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    I feel so bad for #90! (the guy that hit his own coach) I mean, if it was UM's coach, his team would thank him, but seriously injuring your own coach must be too bad! As for the playing, ND just looked better- both teams were playing in the same conditions, so you can't blame UMs loss on the weather. They just had slippery hands and didnt run plays that worked to make the best out of the conditions. Then to the person who wanted jo pa to be hurt I don't see how you don't respect him! He has been coaching probably since before you were born, and he has done a heck of a job!
  14. dblt
    14. Posted by dblt Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:47 pm EDT

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    #4 you are a shining example of class. Way to go. Keep up the good work.
  15. BMT
    15. Posted by BMT Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:04 pm EDT

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    Michigan has alot of work to do. Fundementals, wet football or not, need to be better.
  16. Chris W
    16. Posted by Chris W Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:02 pm EDT

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    Thats why when your on the sideline u have to pay attention.
  17. ERob
    17. Posted by ERob Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:56 pm EDT

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    reminds me of my High School football days when he would tell us to knock a player off the field and into the other coach lol
  18. smatty77
    18. Posted by smatty77 Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:28 pm EDT

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    Heads up fat man, gotta be lookin out
  19. peachie
    19. Posted by peachie Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:55 pm EDT

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    haha way to go johnny.
  20. Joseph M
    20. Posted by Joseph M Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:36 pm EDT

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    charlie weis is going to get soooo fat (he already is huge) from not being able to move for about 8 months
  21. RKR
    21. Posted by RKR Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:53 pm EDT

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    dudlydyr wrote: "watching charlie weis aka "the man f.u.p.a." get steamrolled yesterday, almost made me as happy as watching joe pa get trampled last year. the two teams i hate the most...notre dumb and state penn. if charlie's gastric bypass mishap didn't get him, perhaps this injury will ".
    I'm guessing from his response that he was probably a "cheerleader" Mascot or one of the guys that got cut and didnt make didnt make the team. As a player you always go hard and fast but never, never wish injury on your apponent. It has habit of coming back on ya. Even though these were coaches that you described they are still part of the team. Weiss took a pretty good shot and stuck it out till the end.....Hope he has a speedy recovery
  22. DK
    22. Posted by DK Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:56 pm EDT

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    why is everyone involved with this sport fat? the only real football is the one which takes talent, fitness, and class. european footballers are better looking, better paid, and better to listen to then these mono-linguistic chubbers in the nfl
  23. mz ell
    23. Posted by mz ell Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:24 pm EDT

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    Getting happy over watching someone get a bad injury might mean someone has some mental health issues...Seems like it`s better to cheer on our team than wish personal injury on other players or coaches
  24. Shawn S
    24. Posted by Shawn S Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:10 pm EDT

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    #19 He was following the play. The ball was in his sight line moving towards him. The incident that caused him to get his legs taken out was behind the play.
  25. David H
    25. Posted by David H Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

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    Wow I don't see how everyone is such ND haters. Notre Dame IS college football. Maybe thats the reason we get so much publicity. Without Notre Dame, there would be no college football. And I mean that literally. (Knute Rockney (ND Coach) inventing something called "the Forward Pass" ring a bell, anyone? Without which Theodore Roosevelt would have made football illegal) So stop being such haters to a great institution. And get better Charlie

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