By
Chris Martin
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Well, since the Arizona football team had the weekend off, I am supposed to get creative and write a funny and interesting column on something with national importance.
I got to thinking about what happened this weekend.
Olympics? Nah. The NFL? Been done. Oh wait - what about Notre Dame football?
People either love or hate the Golden Domers. I happen to do both.
I love Fighting Irish football as much as the next Catholic boy, but, Lord, do I hate head coach Bob Davie.
Davie is by far the most horrendous coach in college football - bar none.
His list of mishaps and blunders is as long and distinguished as the number of Democratic contributors waiting to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom
Against Nebraska, Davie had N.D. playing scared and gave away the game to No. 1 Nebraska by running the last 90 seconds off the clock instead of going for the win.
Everyone in America knew they weren't going to win in OT against the top-ranked Huskers, a team that could probably beat half the teams in the NFL.
A little lesson to all aspiring coaches - play to win. Davie seemed to forget that rule when the Fighting Irish were playing the Cornhuskers.
Seemingly content with just competing with the Huskers, the coach could only watch in disbelief as his team was dismantled in overtime by Nebraska.
If poor clock-management were just a one-time thing, I'd be willing to forgive the young coach. For Bob Davie, however, late-game blunders are becoming pathological. Call it Domer's Disease.
Saturday's loss to Michigan State was another example of Davie's ineptitude.
To make matters worse, Davie's call to run a full-house blitz on a fourth-and-10 with 90 seconds left against the Spartans was just plain dumb.
This was by far the most idiotic call I have ever seen! Why blitz the strong safety and linebackers, leaving the cornerbacks isolated against the quick slant?
Was he trying to lose the game?
Some people have said that Davie was playing to win when he decided to run an all-out blitz.
Wrong, playing to win would be to run a prevent defense instead of calling a risky set that resulted in a 68-yard scoring strike from Spartan QB Jeff Smoker to WR Herb Haygood.
Notre Dame had the lead, MSU was way out of field goal range - why risk giving up the big play?
The Notre Dame alumni have been scratching their heads for the past two seasons over Davie's moves. The time for action is now.
Do you remember Davie's clock management miscues against Michigan and Purdue last season?
If not, let's just say Davie should read an instruction manual on how to work a watch because he cost N.D. two huge victories against ranked opponents.
The athletic department needs to stop giving this guy second chance after second chance and get rid of him. Send him back to some smallish school in a nothing conference where he can spend the rest of his days underachieving.
This is the most storied football university in the country and to see the program crumble is painful.
I know Terry Bowden doesn't plan on sitting in the broadcasting booth for much longer. He just needs the right job opening.
Get ready, Terry. There should be one opening up in South Bend, Ind. very soon if the athletic department has any guts.
