Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/899989
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 20, 2017 5 FAN FORUM A SPIRIT THAT ENDURES This is my first fan letter, but I wanted to tell you that I have fol- lowed Notre Dame football since I was 9 years old. I have known a few people in my life who are graduates of Notre Dame, but I didn't see a live football game until 1999. I began listening to games on the radio and never missed one if I could help it. The first TV game I saw was probably 1956. I have missed very few games on radio and TV, and an- ticipating the upcoming games — I subscribe to Blue & Gold Illustrated — is more of a delight now that I am 86 years old. What has always impressed me is the school spirit that each player, and indeed each graduate that I know, shows for his/her school. Each of them would do anything they could for their beloved alma mater. I was a high school physical edu- cation teacher and coached football as well as most sports during my 30 years. I had to miss a few games on TV during that time because of my own schedule, but always kept up with the information. I was so touched the Wake Forest weekend when I saw Josh Adams' mother at the game with #33 on her coat. The fans of ND have always im- pressed me, and I know that the par- ents of the players are so proud and, just as Josh Adams' mother, wear their sons' numbers in their hearts for life. Thank you for continuing to make this now "old man" look forward to the fall, and to once again read about and see a Notre Dame football game. Paul E. Duvall Denver Mr. Duvall, our thanks go to you for so many years of support for our publica- tion. May you enjoy many more. FLUTIE FAN Doug Flutie has taken some hits from Irish fans in the past couple of seasons for perceived bias against Notre Dame. As a Notre Dame alumnus and fan for 70 years, I disagree. Flutie is objective, not a biased Notre Dame fan, but a sportscaster who maintains neutrality and ap- parently irritates Irish true believers when he calls them as he sees them. In recent weeks, he has begun to acknowledge the team's strengths and superior play, as an objective sportscaster should. I don't want a homer calling the games. I prefer a knowledgeable commentator who calls them as he sees them. J.T O'Reilly, ND '61 Via the Internet While Notre Dame remained No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings entering the Nov. 11 game at No. 7 Miami, what was espe- cially interesting is the top four teams that week were not overly reliant on the quarterbacks hav- ing to carry the passing load. Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell put together data of what the starting quarterbacks on the top four teams achieved — as runners and passers — in overall produc- tion. Notre Dame junior Brandon Wimbush, who has two more seasons of eligibility in 2018-19, stacked up quite favorably. Only Power Five opponents were used in com- piling the numbers, meaning that Wimbush's numbers in the wins over Temple and Miami (Ohio) were not included in these stats: Notre Dame's Wimbush —246.7 yards of total offense per game, 17 touchdowns and one inter- ception (six games) Alabama's Jalen Hurts — 198.4 yards, 11 TD and one INT (seven games) Georgia's Jake Fromm — 176.9 yards, 11 TD and four INT (seven games) Clemson's Kelly Bryant — 251.0 yards, 14 TD and four INT (eight games) FW Coach: Bryan, I am tired of you being rea- sonable. Let's all just complain without any data! If Wimbush had Kevin Stepherson for the first four games, his numbers would be even better. Conclusion: Wimbush is good, especially for a first-time starter. IrishMel: In college you don't have to be a great passer — look at Tim Tebow — you just have to be effective. Wimbush is very much that. Irishflu92: I'm quite surprised by those stats. I really thought that Hurts and Fromm would have higher yardage numbers, Hurts more so on the ground. BigSteve79: And the scary part for Notre Dame opponents will come when the receivers stop dropping those deep balls he throws, adding in some nice "chunk" plays which are even more destabilizing to their defenses than his runs. SBFletch: What I find most interesting in this day and age of slinging the football around in college football is that the top four teams in the College Football Playoff standings are all very run heavy. None of the four ask the quarterback to carry an overwhelming load. Coincidence? CharlestonIrish25: I think the point is that there's been a lot of consternation over Bran- don Wimbush's development as a passer, but he actually stacks up just fine with the other top 4 QBs. In years past, that probably wouldn't be good enough for Notre Dame, because so much was on the QB's shoulders. This year is a little differ- ent, though. No one's going to call for him to be an All-American, but he's not a weakness, either. FROM THE WEBSITE BE HEARD! Send your letters to: Letters Blue & Gold Illustrated P. O. Box 1007, Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com Irish junior Brandon Wimbush's numbers against Power Five competition compare favorably to other quarterbacks of College Football Playoff contenders. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA