Dayne Crist Leaving Notre Dame

Dayne Crist lost two seasons to injury at Notre Dame. He also lost playing time to back-ups Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix. Now he’s going somewhere to regain the luster he once had when he arrived as a highly regarded quarterback recruit.

Crist asked for and was granted a release from Notre Dame.

The school confirmed the big-armed, 6-foot-4, 235-pound Crist met with Irish coach Brian Kelly on Friday to pursue the release. Crist will graduate this month with one year of eligibility remaining, rendering him eligible to play instantly anywhere he goes.

“Dayne and I had a good conversation Friday and I have granted him permission to speak to other schools,” Kelly said. “Dayne has been a valuable member of our team the last two years and if he feels he needs to look for a better situation then I think we owe that to him.”

All that means is that Crist will be following the Russell Wilson plan. Ironically Wisconsin ia one of the schools listed along with San Diego State and Utah. The Badgers will be looking for a replacement for Wilson after he used the NCAA rule that allowed him to play immediately after transferring from North Carolina State.

Maybe Crist can regain some of the five star status he had before he arrived at Notre Dame.   

Nate Montana Busted For DUI

Nate Montana, son of Joe, has been flying under the radar since transferring from Notre Dame and winding up at Montana. 

Nate decided to go out and make some news by going out and getting busted for a DUI early Friday morning. Way to go and show that you’re different from your father.

The 21-year-old Montana, who joined the UM football squad earlier this year, was arrested about 3:15 a.m. Friday after a Missoula County sheriff’s deputy stopped his northbound car on Van Buren Street for allegedly driving 39 mph in a 25 mph zone.



Deputy Ken Guy was sitting in his cruiser at the corner of Holly and Van Buren streets when his radar picked up Montana’s car.


The traffic stop turned into a DUI arrest when Guy smelled alcohol.

Nate also had a little trouble producing his driver’s license and did poorly on the sobriety tests (twice). Montana also declined to take a breath test. There were other passengers in the car but they weren’t cited for anything.

Why didn’t young Montana have one of the others drive or call a cab or something? That would’ve been the most logical solution. Also, I’m not ripping on the town of Missoula, but what is there to do that late at night?      
He definitely hasn’t done his father proud.

Wake Up The Echoes

Word on the street is that the Notre Dame-Miami rivalry will be restarting in 2012.

 The Hurricanes and Fighting Irish will play Oct. 6, 2012, at Soldier Field in Chicago, then play a home-and-home starting in 2016 at South Bend, Ind. They play in Miami the next season. Even though the series dates back to the 1950s, this rivalry really got going in the 80s with Miami’s emergence as a player on the national scene.Notre Dame leads the series 15-7-1.

In 1985 the Canes whipped the Fighting Irish 58-7 in coach Gerry Fast’s last game. I personally enjoyed it as Miami blatantly ran up the score with no regard. On the flip, if you can’t stop the backups, don’t complain. That’s why I couldn’t be a broadcaster. I’m a bit biased. Going into the 1988 game Notre Dame supporters coined the contest ‘Catholics vs. Convicts’. Notre Dame won the game and that was also the last time the Fighting Irish won the national title. During the 80s and early 90s this was a game that was a deciding factor in the national championship race. Notre Dame won the last game in the series in 1990, 29-20.                                                                                                                                                                             

I’m anxious to see this series get started again. I hope both teams are nationally relevant by the time this game rolls around. I would love to see the pregame trash talk and pushing and shoving that teams aren’t allowed to do these days. Wake up the echoes.

Screw Notre Dame!

What I say here probably won’t matter much.It might ruffle a few feathers and it might not make much sense.But screw Notre Dame.Notre Lame is more like it.

  Everyone that knows anything about college sports knows that Notre Dame joining the Big Ten makes perfect sense.Geographically,academically,and also from a sports standpoint.Especially football.They already play conference teams such as Purdue,Michigan,Michigan State and throw in a various fourth team.It just doesn’t make sense to Notre Dame.Notre Dame athletic director,Jack Swarbrick,says that the Fighting Irish will remain an independent.Sure Jack,take all your NBC money and stay in your corner.In my opinion that’s what it all comes down to is money.They have no confernce tie-in,and when bowl season rolls around,they  don’t have to share any revenue amongst 11 other parties.Sure they’re in the Big East for basketball reasons and in the CCHA for hockey.To me,that seems transparent,because if they werent affiliated in other sports there might be some rough times in South Bend.Who remembers what Notre Dame was like in college hoops before joining the Big East.Who even knew they had a hockey program.Only a diehard would know that.They clearly think they’re better than everyone else.Why?I have no answer to that.Ask the people in Cincinnati if they echo that sentiment.Personally,I can’t stand their arrogance.True,the college sports atmosphere is better when Notre Dame’s good,but I love the fact that their football team isn’t very good right now.I hate to be biased,but there are more people than me who feel this way.I wish they would get off their high horse and join a conference.It makes no sense.There are no more high major independents in college sports outside of Army and Navy and I wish someone would pick them up.The last of the mohicans needs to join the party.If I were a school president or one of the head honchos in one of the Big Six conferences,I would not schedule Notre Dame.I know it won’t happen.But if enough did they would have to play a crappy Independent schedule.Directional schools,1-AA,and Confernce USA opponents would be on that schedule until they joined a conference.I know they have the name,but if the Big Ten expands and there is major realignment,I would hope that take splace and eventually the not so Fighting Irish would get squeezed.That hollow,undefeated record wouldn’t mean jack to the BCS.I know there are some know it alls that and Notre Dame fans have an argument that would blow me out of the water,I would hope that happens to the high and mighty Notre Dame.They have the name,they just don’t have the game.Irish honks can’t fight that one.       

Notre Dame better get it right with Kelly

Brian Kelly is leaving Cincinnati to become the head football coach at Notre Dame.The not so Fighting Irish better hope they actually get it right this time.Since I’ve been paying attention to college football,Notre Dame has been atrocious at hiring coaches.There have been a few times they had it right.Such as Dan Devine and Lou Holtz.Let me run this down.After Devine retired they decided to go against the grain and hire a high school coach.Not just any high school coach,but Gerry Faust from the mighty Cincinnati Moeller.Surely a huge step up for anyone let alone a high school coach.Faust lasted for 5 uninspiring seasons before being dumped for Lou Holtz.That turned out to be a good hire as he kept the Irish in national championship contention,winning it all in 1988.Also Holtz who had a habit of staying one step ahead of the NCAA just about everywhere he coached,stepped down in 1996,making way for assistant Bob Davie.Now,Davie wasn’t that bad,but he wasn’t that good either.He brought in talent,but didn’t seem to coach it up.After Davie,it was Tyrone Willingham’s turn at the helm of this sinking ship.Willingham came in with a bang with a 10-3 season beating higher ranked opponents Michigan and Florida State along the way.After that was a disaster, as he went 11-12 over the next two seasons,and wasn’t bringing in highly rated recruiting classes.His class of 2004 recruits was judged to be the worst in 20 years at Notre Dame.He subsequently was let go and bought out of his contract.That gave us the Charlie Weis era or should I say error.Weis came riding in with his Super Bowl rings and NFL championship pedigree.That didn’t seem to matter to the rest of the college football world.Weis go off to a fast start,going 9-3 and going to the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State.He helped improve the offense, Brady Quinn especially,as Quinn wnet on to break numerous school passing records.Wesi went 10-2 in his second season,but was walloped in the Sugar Bowl against LSU.After that the bottom dropped on the program as he went 3-9,7-6,and 6-6 in the following seasons that sealed his fate.Thing was Weis wasn’t their first,second ,or third  choice for the job.The man they wanted most,Urban Meyer packed his bags and went to Florida.Now that brings us to the next “hot” name in the coaching community,Mr.Brian Kelly.After winning two national championships in his 13 years at  Division II Grand Valley State,Kelly took his show to Central Michigan and made them relevant in the Mid American Conference after the tumultuous Mike Debord reign.He coached the Chippewas to the 2006 MAC championship before taking the job at Cincinnati.He coached the Bearcats to a winning effort in the International Bowl.He then turned the Bearcats into a major player in the Big East with 3 10 win seasons and back to back Big East titles and BCS bowl berths.Now he has the task of building Notre Dame into a national contender once again.He has won everywhere he’s been,so he’s more than able for the job.But will the academic guidelines and someimes tough schedule derail his efforts.We’ll see.He’s gonna hit the ground running because he won’t be coaching Cincinnati in their Sugar Bowl game versus Florida.The players will get to South Bend,the only question that remains is will it all translate on the field.Bottom line, this hire will have to be a grand slam or he too could be gone within five years.