Bring on the Irish!!!!

After a relatively easy victory over an outclassed Akron Zips, Joe Pa’s Nittany Lions prepare to travel to a place they haven’t been to in over a decade. What was once one of the most anticipated rivalries in college football resumes, at least for a few seasons, this weekend, as Penn State invades South Bend to take on the hated Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Seriously, they may as well rename this team the Yankees. I bet Steinbrenner has probably made a few phone calls to see if the school was available for purchase over the years. In fact, I’ve made a list of things that Steinbrenner would change if he purchased the Domers:

5. Replace Touchdown Jesus with “Touchdown Ruth.”
4. The Irish would play their home games in Pin-Stripes.
3.Convince the NCAA to allow him to have a payroll, then bring in Carson Palmer, Shaun Alexander, Randy Moss, and other NFL greats to play for the Irish.
2. Replace Catholicism with Satanism.
1. Replace Charlie Weiss with Joe Torre (Steinbrenner doesn’t like any people that coached in New England).

But in all seriousness, this is going to take a yeoman’s effort in order for Penn State to come out with a victory. Can they do it? Of course they can, but their offensive line and special teams units are going to have to play much better than they did in the first game. Here are my keys:

1. Offensive Line – Possibly the biggest key of the game. Morelli looked sharp … when he wasn’t being chased around the field. Notre Dame will bring more pressure, especially at home, and this young team will have to drown out the crowd and focus.
2. The Running Game – Obviously, the running game goes hand-in-hand with the o-line. Last week was dismal against a so-so Akron defense. Notre Dame’s defense is their weak point, but even with that, they will be better than Akron. In order to spring those speedy receivers, PSU will have to break off some long runs.
3. Field Goal Kicking – Putrid. Gantner was awful on Saturday, and I’m hoping Ernesto (the hurricane, not his “friend”) was the reason. He botched a fake field goal attempt by tripping over himself, and then he flubbed another attempt. You can’t make these mistakes at South Bend.

Since I’m a Penn State fan, I predict the Nits will somehow find a way to win this game … BUT I stress that I’m not confident about this one. In a tight one, Penn State wins 24-21.