Shamrock Series Recap: Forked Over

Fork me?  Fork you!

From the massive video-board-assisted intro until the final whistle, unranked ND v. #22 ASU in Jerry World did not disappoint.  Here's a quick look at the major points I took from the game:

1.  Notre Dame Stadium needs a video board.  Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was part of Swarbrick's master plan to install one.  Anyone who tries to deny the energy 60 yards of HD perfection added to the Notre Dame football experience is kidding themselves.

The excitement level in Jerry World proving that
Notre Dame Stadium needs a video board

2.  I heart Texas.  The "Remember the Alamo" Pep-Rally before our inaugural Shamrock Series game in San Antonio set the stage for an amazing concept.  Four years and four cities later, the Fighting Irish returned for a second helping of Tex-Mex, this time in DFW.  Our Texan hosts wowed us once again during a weekend-long fiesta that felt more like a bowl game atmosphere than your average week six.  Here's to hoping that we return to play under the high and wide Texas sky sometime soon.

Game Day, Tex-Mex Style

3.  Notre Dame still has a really good football team.  Stop it!  Stop whining!  As I said before, 2013 Notre Dame Football is not 2012 Notre Dame Football.  Still, the Fighting Irish stand at 4-2 after opening the season against a tough slate that included 4 ranked opponents.  With an extra week to prepare for putting up at least 50 against a reeling USC squad, Notre Dame now has a real chance to carry a 6-game winning streak into the season finale against Stanford.  Yee haw!

Uniform choices reflected the Catholics v. Devils matchup well

4.  Brian Kelly knows what he is doing.  Disagree with the skipper on occasion?  We all do.  Just try to relax.  Here, watch the Irish Icon video below all the way 'til the end.  Kelly's post-game speech will leave you feeling pretty good about your favorite team.  Here's a little more to make you feel good:

• Jaylon Smith is setting himself up to become a superstar.  The freshman phenom made two huge plays to end ASU's first two drives in the opening minutes of the game, only allowing them to take a 6-0 lead rather than go up by two possessions early like OU.  His consistent play the rest of the game kept ASU's backfield in check, holding the Devils to 34 points just one week after they put up 62 against SC.
• TJ Jones is becoming Wes-Welker-like in his route running abilities.  His crisp maneuvering allows Tommy to find him easily out there, as evidenced by his 135 yards and a touchdown on Saturday.  Brian Kelly put it best when he said, "They just couldn't defend him."
• Diaco's defense is starting to wake up.  Notice that pass rush?  Where did that come from?  With more pressure in the backfield, the secondary looks less like swiss cheese and more like a flock of ball-hawks.  For Farley's sake, let's hope Shembo and Tuitt continue to become Notre Dame's version of the bash brothers.  They can do the dirty work while he and Jackson continue to reap all the benefits.
• To say that Notre Dame's remaining schedule is favorable would be a major understatement.  Two bye weeks and five games against inferior opponents (including SC haha) separate the Fighting Irish from their grande finale against Stanford.  Everything is shaping up nicely for the perfect storybook ending... stay tuned.

Not only did ND win the game, but the Fighting Irish clearly outclassed
their state school opponents when it came to tailgating as well.