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| The Band of the Fighting Irish forms the crest of the Congregation of Holy Cross in honor of Brother Andre Bessette |
On the day before Brother Andre Bessette, C.S.C. was canonized in St. Peter's Square as the first member of the Congregation of Holy Cross to be named a saint, ND took care of business by beating WMU 44-20 on the same campus once visited by the holy man. The Fighting Irish clearly outmatched their MAC opponent, getting ahead early and running away with the game during the second half. Several players contributed to the victory with solid performances. Here are our picks for Week 7 edition of Irish Creed's Weekly Awards:
TheNDleprechaun:
Overall MVP: Michael Floyd
- Finally put up Floyd-like numbers with 9 catches for 157 yards and 3 TDs
Offensive MVP: Michael Floyd
- Got our offense rolling right from the start with an 80 yard TD reception on the first play from scrimmage
Defensive MVP: Gary Gray
- Becoming a consistent playmaker; Turned in the best performance of his career so far with 8 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception
Special Teams MVP: David Ruffer
- Extended his all-time record with another FG made; looked much improved on kickoffs with 2 touch backs and good directional kicking that forced WMU returners into corners
Breakout Player: Cierre Wood
- Can you be named a breakout player twice in one season? Wood proved that his "slump" is officially over by asserting himself as a dangerous threat every time he touches the ball. Not only did he have 94 yards and 1 TD on the ground, but he hauled in 3 catches for 29 yards as well. Most importantly, he showed that he has the potential to become a human highlight reel. Like I said earlier this season, Irish fans should start pre-ordering #20 jerseys now.
Best Play: Goodman's 32 yard TD throw to Floyd
- The former Bishop Dwenger quarterback and track star showed that he is a versatile offensive threat by receiving the ball on a reverse and slinging it accurately downfield.
tendomer:
Overall MVP: Michael Floyd
- Turned underthrown passes into two of his three TDs and set key blocks on the other three scores
Offensive MVP: Michael Floyd
Defensive MVP: Darius Fleming
- Backed up the staff's talk of his improved play in the flats
Special Teams MVP: David Ruffer
- Blocked PAT put damper on his season's perfection but his second-half tackle showed toughness
Breakout Player: Tyler Eifert
- Minus his fumble, Eifert filled in well for Rudolph
Best Play: Manti's third-down stop to begin second half
- Forcing a three and out set the tone for the second half
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| ND Stadium gets hit by a double-wave during the only time in which a wave is acceptable: the second half of a sure blowout victory |
And what a double wave it was...even the WMU fans were in on it (our tickets were in the WMU section).
ReplyDeleteI'm not ready to get too excited about Cierre Wood yet. I believe he has only shown up big so far against Purdue and Western Michigan. Feels like he still has some work to do.
ReplyDeleteI could be wrong, but I am pretty sure I heard the band playing the "Bed Intruder Song" (Antoine Dodson) at different points during the game. Can someone please confirm? Thanks.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw
Two-Oh definitely has a lot of work left to do. He needs to make quicker reads and hit holes with authority. Once he learns to stop dancing behind the line of scrimmage and let his highlight reel moves happen naturally downfield he will have the opportunity to become one of the greatest backs we have seen in a long time. With his talent and natural ability, I see no limit to his potential though.
ReplyDeleteAlso, highly doubtful the band was playing that song, but I am a fan of Mr. Dodson haha (shows how much of a joke current "singers" who use auto-tune are when someone can take a news clip and turn it into a hot song...)
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