In a season that has exceeded all expectations trying to
redact down the season to a defining moment seems like an exercise in
futility. Notre Dame came into the
season facing what most “experts” (that’s now their official title: “experts” as I refuse to acknowledge them as anything further given
their reluctance to accept ND’s actual on-field performance compared to
perceived value) perceived as an impossible task. Let’s be
fair. As this season got underway,
I proclaimed that I would have no expectations for the season. What body of evidence did I have to
work with?? Ridiculous schedule,
first year starter at quarterback, and far too many unknowns in the secondary
to feel otherwise. Plus, our beast
on the d-line, Aaron Lynch, had waffled yet again and left us after just one
year.
As the season revealed itself, there are many, many moments
that could be pointed to as the defining moment of a special season. Was it the Tommy Rees drive in the
Purdue game? The four down,
goal-to-go stand versus Stanford?
The 50-yard bomb to Chris Brown at Oklahoma? What about the magic of a frantic comeback versus Pitt that
included their kicker missing a 37-yard field goal? I’d entertain any of these on field moments as being the
most important, and that’s just what I’m remembering off the top of my head. However, for me, there was one moment
that occurred on the sidelines that
told me something new was happening in South Bend.
The phrase “trap game” gets thrown around liberally in
college football. In the one sport
where the regular season is of paramount importance, every game is potentially
a trap game. Every team is always
looking to make a statement on any given week, and when it comes to teams
coming to Notre Dame Stadium, it’s even more magnified. For visiting teams, a chance to beat
Notre Dame in South Bend is always a circled game on the calendar. Sadly, in recent years, ND’s been far
to accommodating a host for these desires.
Welcome to the BYU game, and my choice for defining moment
of the season. What I’m about to
describe is not related to an on-field moment but rather what happened
following a mistake by Notre Dame.
While I’m sure there’ll be criticism of my choice, what transpired is
what let me know that the culture
of Notre Dame football had changed, and for once, it was in a positive way.
Setting the Stage:
The Irish came into the October 20, 2012 contest against BYU
having just survived a brutal,
memorable encounter with Stanford.
The Stanford game was defined by its physicality. An unfortunate (and really, the only
unfortunate) side note to come out of the Stanford game was Everett Golson’s
concussion sustained late in the fourth quarter. In a contest won in overtime after an epic goal line stand,
it’s understandable why ND might not have been completely ready for another
physical opponent like BYU. The
team, despite CBK’s desire to focus on the current game, could not have
possibly been completely forgetting that a win this week would set up a chance
to go in undefeated to Norman, OK.
The result was a flat performance from the outset. In fairness, Rees at his essence is a
game manager. BYU was ready to
play, and their style was surely going to be a hurdle for a team that had just
come off of facing one of the most physical teams in the nation. While Notre Dame managed to score a TD
in the first quarter, the offense was more or less stuck in neutral. Poor execution and lacking the
creativity that Golson brings all were keeping the game closer than need be.
As the game entered the second quarter, Notre Dame possessed
a 7-0 lead, though it didn’t feel like a lead at all. On ND’s first possession of the second quarter, the team had
a chance to perhaps extend the lead when they started a possession on their
19-yard line. Just after Theo
Riddick converted a 3rd and 1 to extend the drive, the team had a
first down on their own 29 when the following occurred…..
The Moment:
As the Riddick run ended, sophomore tight end Troy Niklas
inexplicably slapped a BYU defender in the helmet prompting a personal foul
penalty for a late hit. The team
was now backed up to its own 15, and dumb penalties appeared to continue to be
the ND calling card. Was this
somehow a flashback to the 2011 season?
What in the World was Niklas thinking??
Understandably, CBK removed Niklas from the game for the
time being. As he ran off to the
sideline, there was no blow up by Kelly, a sight which most of us had become
accustomed to. No purple face. No loss of composure. Kelly seemed more in control than he
had in season’s past and just wanted to remove a player from the game who’d
lost grasp on what was going on.
Then, NBC (to their credit) panned to the sidelines to find
the offender Niklas. Generally,
this is a shot of the player sitting on a bench somewhere by himself as the
team continues on, but something very different was displayed. Instead of sulking, NBC caught Niklas
being talked to by Kapron Lewis-Moore
(KLM or “Kappy”). KLM was not
berating Niklas. Instead, you could see him talking
to Niklas. This was a learning
moment for the very talented sophomore.
His senior captain teammate was not looking to embarrass him. As all of this was unfolding, the
following text exchange happened between BH and I:
BH: Jesus
f--- how many dumb f---ing penalties can we have this year?
Moons: I
really like though that Kelly went and pulled him, and then you see KLM over
there getting him straight.
There’s an actual hierarchy and respect going on with these guys.
BH: Yes
there really is
It’s understated.
It’s subtle. Heck, less
than ten plays later Mathias Farley would get pegged for a late hit out of
bounds, but the import cannot be understated. Leadership was
present on the sidelines. Just the
previous season, one riddled with inexcusable mistakes and more than one Kelly
blow up, the team had rotated captains all too frequently. This season, Kelly named four to
represent his team and assume a leadership role.
The second-quarter didn’t get better, and in fact, BYU would
lead 14-7 at half over the Irish.
However, that single interaction between Kappy and Niklas underlined an
important dynamic shift in this team.
Everyone was buying in.
Everyone understood their role on the team. It was a moment of leadership that transcended position (TE)
and squad (Offense vs. Defense) affiliations. This was a team united to win and had the leadership in
place to overcome fallacies. I
don’t know what KLM said to Niklas on the sidelines, but what I do know was I
didn’t see a team struggling with inner-turmoil. No, they were going to take this opportunity to learn and
improve and do it without a sense of impending doom.
The Impact:
Understandably, Manti Te’o has garnered much of the praise
for the increased leadership this year.
Te’o is a unique individual whose maturity and passion surpasses his age
by an exponential margin. The
problem (being liberal with the use of the word problem) is that not many
people have the ability to operate at that level. Te’o’s a guy who wears his emotion and passion openly. I’m nearly a decade his senior and
don’t possess that type of commitment.
While I’m sure he inspires, I somehow doubt he’s relatable on a
day-to-day basis. His qualities
are innate, unique, and, for lack of a better term, “special.” I’m sure he will succeed at whatever he
decides to do.
Watching the NBC special on a Week in the Life of the ND
Program, what I was most struck by was KLM’s leadership. He’s a beacon of positivity and is
clearly someone that the entire team likes and respects. While others will pile on the praise of
Te’o for good reason, it’s a guy like Kappy that more closely personifies the
culture shift at Notre Dame. This
group of seniors has implemented a serious culture shift. The seniors were not recruited by Kelly and his staff but instead by Weis. They dealt with Kelly’s ill-stated
remarks about “his guys” versus the others, and yet somewhere along the way
this team gelled into a cohesive unit.
It’s a tribute to the senior leadership for making that
occur. For everything that might
be said about the Charlie Weis tenure,
we should give him credit for recruiting such high quality
individuals. In many senses, it’s
what Notre Dame is all about.
Players who come to Notre Dame do so because of the entirety of the experience they can realize in South Bend. It’s not all about football. It’s about becoming a better
person. It’s about achieving
something collectively that cannot be accomplished on an individual basis. Selfish players will not thrive in the
Notre Dame system, and the ND community wouldn’t have it any other way. The seniors on the team could have
easily justified being somewhat apathetic to the overall team goals. After all, this wasn’t supposed to be a
great year. They could have
justified it because they weren’t Kelly’s guys. Instead, they embraced the role of team leaders, and the
impact has been felt throughout the program.
If we look back two to three years from now and the Notre
Dame program is thriving again, I hope we as a fan base are smart enough to
appreciate what occurred this year.
Yes, the ultimate goal is in sight, but it’s not determinative. Regardless of the outcome of the USC
and BCS game (no matter which it is), this year has been a success. It’s a success because the culture has shifted at ND. No longer is the program about whom to
blame. Instead, the program is
about progressing. The seniors on
this team have made that happen.
Kappy in particular in my eyes is so important to this progression. The quality and style of team
leadership displayed by KLM lets me know that the example has been set. Having individuals of his quality…and
Te’o’s quality…and Zach Martin’s quality…and Tyler Eifert’s quality is part of
the reason I am proud to call myself an Irish alumni.
I couldn’t be prouder of this group of men, and I recognize
that they’re already better individuals than myself. For me, nothing demonstrated the culture shift in Notre Dame
football better than this singular moment, and with that I leave you with one
final thought……Beat USC! No group
of men deserves it more than these guys.
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