The Irish get ready to face the Huskies on the 25th | MikeCC's Blog on Notre Dame Football

Willingham is 0-5 this season with the Huskies

After 6 games last year, the Irish was 1-5, winning only against UCLA without their quarterback. This year, the Irish sits at 4-2 after having surrendered a road game to North Carolina in Chapel Hill after turning the ball over 5 times. Most Irish fans would want to be 5-1 after 6 games, but reality is, at 4-2 and the way UND is playing, progress is definitely an understatement. This is a good week to have a bye week and work on polishing ball protection. Last week, I refused to call the game against North Carolina.

In a game that should be an emotional one next Saturday for the Huskies coach, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will travel to Seattle to face the winningless Huskies and Tyrone Willingham. Willingham, fired from Notre Dame and replaced by Charlie Weis, is on the hot seat and when the news of a coach firing had happened this week, while people thought of Bowden at Clemson, most in Seattle thought that their wish had been granted.

The Irish will win at Seattle and it will happen with the same team that showed up in Chapel Hill, minus the turnovers. The run game was working, the pass from the first series on was working; the Irish just didn't protect the ball and the lesson served this past Saturday on the road, is a priceless one.

Charlie Weis himself, this week, saw a lot of disappointment in the locker room after the game. " The team exepcted to win and you could see on their face they were disappointed...and that's good". And he's right.

The Irish will work this week on their game and enjoy a bye week before a 4 game stretch that all appear to be "winnable". In a month or so, we could be talking about the Irish at 8-2 getting ready to face Syracuse for a 9th win before closing with USC. In a few days, I will highlight what the Irish need to do to dispose of the Huskies.

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October 16, 2008 05:38 PM ET

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Normally one doesn't want a bye week after a tough loss. However, I think this may help ND. It gives the player time to rest, get healed, and get motivated for what will be an emotional game considering the circumstances with Ty. Players can find solice in knowing that without Jimmy's int for a TD, they would have won. But they didn't and I don't like to play the "what if" game. The final is score is just that, final. No excuses. But, it showed the players they can play against the lower tier Top 25 teams. At this point of the season I am happy. Not just because of the record, but because this is a heavy fresh/soph team with no real depth at this time. They are also quicker, much quicker. Last year you could see them get out run on both sides of the ball, not so the case this year. There are still holes on both sides of the ball, but that is to be expected at this point of the transition. Even brighter is on the recruiting front. ND is finally getting 4 and 5 star athletes to take a close look at ND, mainly because they know they will have a chance to play as freshmen. Charlie's achille's heel may actually have benefitted him without knowing it. Look forward to your upcoming analysis Mike!

MrMiyagiJr

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October 17, 2008 12:02 PM ET

I hope your right when you say they will beat Ty Willy's team but ever since Ty went to Washington and ND starting playing them I've always been worried that Ty could pull some kind of coaching out of his *ss and beat ND. I think ND made the right choice in firing him and Weis is the far and away better coach. ND knew the scrutiny they would take but they had the guts to do what need to be done and I' so thankful for that. I was like may others excited about Ty at first , seeing him prowl the sideline with his an air of confidenc but later to come find out it was a "I''m in over my head hear and I have to look confident so people will think I know what I'm doing" look. I hope ND destroys UW and puts this Weis/Willy comparison to bed once and for all.