Here we go again, it is Purdue week. I commemorated the event like I do every year by beating the shit out of a drunken birthday clown. This is the most symbolic action one can take after watching how the Irish have pounded on Purdue Pete the last couple years. Shit, let’s be honest for a minute Purdue fans, it hasn’t just been the last few games it has been this way from the beginning. As I said last year I don’t hate Purdue, but every once in a while you need to punch a clown in the face.

Ok that wasn’t very nice, and actually what I wrote is only partly true. While I do make a habit of dishing out mindless violence to clowns, I don’t really hate Purdue despite the fact that a large number of Boiler fans hate the Irish. Actually if Purdue starts beating the Irish with a bit more consistency maybe I would develop some sort of hate, but I don’t think that is going to happen anytime soon.

Shit talking aside, I actually think this game will be closer than many Irish fans think. What I am most interested in is how the young Notre Dame secondary will stack up against the Purdue passing attack. I’m not one of these fans who saw the Irish secondary give up a couple of plays to Navy and immediately write the pass defense off as doomed; but I also need to see it perform before I feel comfortable.

Starting Purdue QB Caleb TerBush didn’t play last week against Eastern Kentucky , but Robert Marve stepped in and went 30 for 38 passing for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Pretty impressive even though it was against a FCS opponent. Whoever Purdue decides to roll out there, look for Purdue to go to the air early and often. I look for Notre Dame’s nasty defensive line to shut down the run, leaving Purdue with little options other than to sling it all over the yard and test the young Irish secondary. I think the Irish front seven will get a pass rush on the Purdue QB’s, forcing them into mistakes, but I feel Purdue will have success through the air. Just how much success will determine whether Purdue can hang around and pull off the upset.

Offensively I think Coach Kelly is going to have to open up the passing game a little bit more than he did against Navy. Purdue’s defensive line is fairly stout, and while Notre Dame will get their rushing yards, it is not going to be quite the cakewalk as it was against the Middies. Everett Golson is going to have to build on his conservative passing attack from last week, and maybe even make some more plays with his legs.

Aside from Golson, I am also looking to see if a WR is going to step up and takes that number one role vacated by Michael Floyd. I would like to see DaVaris Daniels take it, but that is a work in progress. Hopefully we will see Freshman wide receivers Davonte Neal and Chris Brown get into the mix a bit more. Neal is a tremendous athlete and is going to do some damage in the slot before the year is out. Brown is a deep threat and the first time Golson connects with him on a deep ball it is going to be memorable.

I would love to sit here and predict and 50-3 Irish ass spanking that leaves Purdue fans broken and bitter…wait Purdue fans are already broken and bitter… well you know what I mean, but I don’t think that is what is going to unfold. I do think the Irish will improve to 2-0 with the score being in the ball park of 28-17.

I will be tweeting from the game @thegoldhelmets if you want to follow along, and be sure to check back for my complete Purdue game day experience early next week. Go Irish!

The Gold Helmets blog has been down, but it is not out. I have learned I’m not going to be an everyday poster, but I’m definitely going to be posting a few times a week during the season.

Let’s see what I missed during the offseason in no particular order… Jack Swarbrick was the voice of the conference commissioners during the creation of the new playoff system… Penn State turned out to be even creepier than we imagined….North Carolina athletes apparently don’t have to go to class… Honey badger cracked out… Bobby Petrino bagged a blonde young enough to be his granddaughter and got fired…Many feel Notre Dame football is no longer relevant (this deserves a post, probably in the off season)…. Golson won the annual QB derby… Wood, Rees, Utopo, Calabrese all get suspensions….Forget about it, it is on to week one!

Game One Impressions.

Navy has not been beaten by 40 points or more in last decade by anyone, well, except by the Irish the last two season. This time Notre Dame pounded the Middies 50-10. Navy deserved the three wins they’ve  earned against Notre Dame in recent seasons, but Brian Kelly is restoring order in this series. Here’s to 41 straight more boys.

The most impressive aspect of the game to me was the offensive and defensive lines. I believe the strength of the Irish in the trenches is the biggest indicator that Brian Kelly has Notre Dame trending in the right direction. If you get strong play up front consistently you are going to have a chance to win a bunch of ballgames, and the Irish d-line dominated the usually powerful Navy run game.

This was one of the most ho-hum 40 point wins I have seen out of the Irish in a long time, but I see that as a good sign. The Irish offense was able to run a fairly vanilla offense and still move the ball at will against the Midshipmen. We saw basic run plays, screens, and swing passes; and they all worked with relative ease. This was a perfect way to break in a new QB; and I thought Golson did a good job of remaining poised and playing within the game plan. Goslon is going to be asked to do more in the coming weeks, but he did an excellent job of not getting in the way of the running game and managing the game.

The defense held Navy to under 150 yards rushing which is an amazing feat considering the amount of yardage that Navy usually racks up with their option attack. The defense line played great, Te’o was Te’o, and sophomore Ishaq Williams finally showed some of his 5-star potential causing fumbles and reeking havoc in the Navy backfield.

One area of concern that I have heard loud and clear from the Irish fan base is the young secondary. Irish fans do seem to over react one way or the other from time to time, and many feel Matt Barkley and Landry Jones are going to throw for a combined 1200 yards and 15 touchdown against the Irish. I honestly don’t think we will know much of anything about the secondary until after this weekend’s Purdue game. They were playing Navy man to man the whole game and when you do that you are going to give up some passing yardage if the quarterback is even somewhat competent as a passer and Trey Miller is. Keivarae Russell and Bennet Jackson are not going to be called very much to lockdown a receiver man to man; that is just not how defensive coordinator Bob Diaco likes to play defense. So go ahead and freak out if it makes you happy, but I won’t form my opinion until after I stumble out of the stadium on Saturday evening.

Speaking of stumbling out of the stadium, I will indeed be rolling up to South Bend this weekend for the home opener with my regular cast of characters (see here & here) ready to raise a little hell. That is it for my comeback post I should be posting about 2-3 times per week.  Definitely check in for my, probably hateful, Purdue preview and after the game to catch what went down when The Gold Helmets invade the Bend. Go Irish!!!

Despite not producing a breakout BCS season, you can’t deny Brian Kelly is taking Notre Dame football to the 21st Century. Whether it is deploying a much over due training table, lobbying for field turf, or pushing the fashion envelope with alternate uniforms; Brian Kelly has done a great job of maintaining tradition while shedding some of the stuffiness of Notre Dame football.

The most recent proof of this change came today via a Twitter message from Ryan Grooms, who is Notre Dame’s equipment manager. Grooms Tweeted out a picture of the outstanding Adidas football cleats painted like the flag of Ireland that the Irish will don in Dublin.

I have seen/heard criticism of Tommy Rees on blogs, comic strips, and radio talk shows more than I have cared to in the last 24 hours.  WSBT Channel 2 also put out this horribly amateur “investigation” of the incident that included a cameo interview from senior wide receiver John Goodman. I kind of felt bad for Goodman (the party was at his house), but it is so awkward that I couldn’t help but laugh. Just say “no comment” and shut the door next time Goody… Most of the details of the dust-up Tommy Rees and Carlo Calabrese had with the South Bend Police Department have now come to light; so where do we go from here?

One bit of good news for Rees is that the felony charges he was facing have been dropped to four misdemeanor charges, which could keep him from being thrown off the team. If he would have gotten a felony I believe coach Kelly would have had no choice but to dismiss Rees from the squad. As it stands now I think Rees and Calabrese will both be punished by the University (double secret probation) and by coach Kelly, but I think they will have the opportunity to work their way back onto the team.  Both players will likely have to earn their way back into the good graces of the coaching staff, but I could see it costing the two of them a trip to Ireland. I think Rees’s chance of starting at QB was in doubt before the incident, and obviously I think it is much worse now.

Being at Notre Dame you are in the spotlight even more so than at other schools and that spotlight shines on you when you do good things and bad things alike. Tommy Rees was drinking beer with his buddies, getting a little rowdy, the cops show up, and he makes a drunken mistake. The next thing you know his antics are in the Washington Post.

Consequently, Florida State running back James Wilder Jr. was arrested on felony charges in February for assaulting an officer and there was no national outcry, no dragging the kid through the mud at all.  I didn’t even hear about it on any blogs or talk shows. In fact, until someone pointed it out to me today I didn’t even know it happened. For better or worse there is always going to be different expectations and attention when you play football for Notre Dame.

I like Rees and hope he stays on the team despite his legal troubles, but I honestly don’t want him to win the QB job for the 2012 season. That being said, I wish no ill will on either of the players involved, and I hope they learn from their mistakes and come back better people from having gone through it.

Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees and Carlo Calabrese were arrested early this morning. There is a lot of information getting passed around right now, but what we do know is Rees is facing a felony charge and is still being retained by police.  Calabrese is facing a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, and has posted bond.

Apparently the two were at a party that was raided by police, and Rees assaulted a police officer. One rumor floating around is that Rees kicked an officer trying to arrest him and was pepper sprayed. Ouch…

If this is true I don’t see anyway Rees can stay on the team. It appears for now that the QB race is down to three. I will comment more on this incident when all the facts are out.

1988 was a special season for the Fighting Irish as they won their 11th National Championship, and as I look ahead to the 2012 season I see some parallels with the two squads. Settle down,  I’m not going all Lou Holtz on you and pick the Irish to win it all in 2012.  All I am saying is, “I’m just sayin’.” Got it?

The Irish finished up the 1987 season with an 8-4 record and a disappointing loss in the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M. The 2011 team as we all painfully remember finished up 8-5 with a disappointing loss to Florida State. ’87 was also the last  year for Heisman Trophy winner, WR Tim Brown at Notre Dame. Of course this is similar to the 2011 squad because this was the last season for WR Michael Floyd. Floyd and Brown are arguably the best two receivers to ever put on the gold helmet. Both WR’s were drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.

Holtz was heading into his third season under the gold dome in 1988, but many expected the ’89 team to be the one that would challenge for a National Title. Similarly Kelly is entering his third season, and many Irish fan feel 2013 will be the year the Irish finally make some noise on a national level.

Does this mean that 2012 will be the year that the Irish exceed expectations and actually contend for a National Title just like the ’88 team? Uh… no, probably not, but it is interesting to look at some symmetry between the two squads.

QB’s Tony Rice and Everett Golson (assuming Golson wins the job): Both are first time starting QB’s who are mobile and both hail from the state of South Carolina.

Raghib ”Rocket” Ismail and Davonte Neal: Rocket was a dynamic receiver who had great success returning punts and made an immediate impact as a freshman. Neal has the talent and the opportunity to duplicate the Rocket’s feats.

George Atkinson III and Ricky Watters: Waters was a running back moved to receiver and Atkinson was a WR moved to running back. After seeing Atkinson line up wide in the spring game I could see him moving back and forth, just like Waters did his sophomore year. Atkinson enters his sophomore year as a probable kick returner after his success last year; Waters didn’t return kickoffs but was a solid punt returner.

George Streeter and Jamoris Slaughter: Both enter their senior season providing leadership to the secondary from the safety position.

Michael Stonebreaker and Manti Te’o: Stonebreaker doesn’t have the same ceiling as Te’o, but Stonebreaker was a hell of a college linebacker, and was the leader of the defense for the  ’88 squad. Ditto for Te’o in 2012.

Both of these teams feature solid offensive and defensive lines and despite the 2012 offense being in a spread attack; it looks like the Irish will be pounding the ball with the run game a fair amount this season. This has got to make Lou Holtz smile, and hopefully on day we will be comparing future teams to the 2012 edition.

Brian Kelly is entering his third year as head coach at the University of Notre Dame, and he has the Fighting Irish trending in the right direction. He has modernized the program, and despite some losses on the recruiting trail still has the Irish defense in the best shape it’s been in years. Under Charlie Weis it seemed impossible to get solid defensive lineman into Notre Dame, which is the lifeblood to any good defense. Kelly however has the built the depth to the point where they lose a sure-fire NFL draft pick to transfer, and there are athletes there to pick up the slack and not miss a beat. One area where Kelly has not been successful however is finding stability at the quarterback position.

It started a few games into the 2010 season when Dayne Crist had his mysterious injury versus Michigan. Crist went out of the game, Tommy Rees entered and promptly threw an interception.  Rees was then replaced by Nate Montana, who couldn’t come off the bench and rally the team like his dad Joe used to in the late 70′s. Crist came back into the game and nearly led the team to a comeback victory, but since that point no one has grabbed ahold of the reins and took control of one of the most important positions on the team. I’m going to take a look at each quarterback and guess what the repercussions could be if each happens to win the starting quarterback job in 2012. Whoever wins out could determine whether Brian Kelly becomes a Notre Dame legend or Tyrone Willingham Redux. It’s the Butterfly Effect Notre Dame style; let’s checkout some possible outcomes.

Tommy Rees

When Luke Skywalker was learning the Force in Empire Strikes Back he was shaky and lacked confidence, but when he had it mastered  in Return of the Jedi he was a pimp; he was in complete control. After a year and a half Tommy Rees should be a Jedi Knight, in complete control and confident; but he is still having trouble lifting his X-wing Fighter out of the swamp.

Geeky Star Wars references aside, I feel if Rees wins out the Irish have no chance of ever reaching the lofty goals of Notre Dame nation. Maybe in an alternate universe the ball doesn’t inexplicably pop out of Ree’s hands for no apparent when he is getting ready to close out Michigan, and maybe I’m a billionaire oil tycoon with a fleet of supermodels to tend to my every need, but not in this reality.

If Rees is the best quarterback on campus the future could be dim for coach Kelly. One positive aspect of Rees winning the job is that it would seemingly be easier to transition to Gunner Kiel as the starter in 2013. If Rees wins out, I think there is a slight chance Golson transfers, but I would like to see Kelly turn him into an Arnaz Battle type to get him on the field as a receiver.

I could be wrong, maybe the switch will flip and Rees will take a huge step forward, but I feel if Rees wins we are sure to be in for some rough times. That is becoming an all to familiar feeling for Irish fans.

Andrew Hendrix

If Hendrix wins the job I feel for the first time since Kelly has been in South Bend that he can truly open up the playbook. Hendrix would be a good fit for the 2012 offense. The Irish should have a solid power run game with a deep stable of backs, a powerful offensive line, and a stud tight end; Hendrix’s bull in a China shop running style would fit perfectly in that scheme.

If Hendrix would happen to win out, I could easily see Rees transferring out of South Bend and look for a place where he will get some playing time. I feel Golson would stay at Notre Dame, experiment at WR, and hold out hope that he can regain the starting role. As with Rees, I think that it would be fairly easy for Kiel to take over the reins in 2013 if Andrew wins out.

Everett Golson

Everett Golson is who I hope ends up ultimately winning the battle, and I believe Kelly wants Golson to win the spot as well. Golson needs to develop a killer instinct when it comes to winning the position though, and make learning the ins and outs of the offense his passion. If he does that I have little doubt he will be in the starter in 2012.

I envision Golson wreaking havoc on opposing defenses, but also making some early mistakes.  Will I be nervous when he lines up under center in Norman, Oklahoma? Yes, but if Peyton Manning lined up at QB for the Irish I would still be nervous.

Here is where I’m conflicted with rooting for Golson to seize the starting role. I think Gunner Kiel is the best quarterback on the team, but it is pretty obvious that he is not going to be ready to go his freshman year. If Golson steps up and becomes the man at quarterback then it is going to be awkward for Gunner to move ahead of Golson. Plus, I would really like to have someone take over the quarterback spot for multiple years in a row and provide stability to the position.

Now, I understand a lot has to happen before this becomes a problem, but it is what I envision happening and it is kind of making me crazy thinking it through.

No matter who wins the starting spot the ripple effect will be sent in motion. Whether that motion is the beginning of another forgotten decade or the much coveted return to glory is yet to be seen. Know this, whoever lines up under center this Fall, I will be cheering my ass off that they win and win big!

Much like the Notre Dame offense last season, I’m having trouble finding my rhythm here at the Gold Helmets. I have been worn thin at work, refereeing a platoon of eight year girls, and fighting with Google… but you know what they say about problems.

I was unable to attend the Blue Gold Game, due to me hosting my daughter’s eight year old birthday party complete with a 20 foot high bounce house. So instead of writing about my normal antics attending the game, I was at home contemplating why I let my wife talk me into an eight year old sleep over birthday party that was the size and scope of  Lollapalooza. It was all worth it in the end; my daughter had a great time and she is pretty dang special, but I had to watch the game on DVR instead of in person (thank you NBC Sports Network). Next year I threatened a tailgate birthday party in South Bend, but we all know that is not going to happen.

Let’s break down the game, shall we?

Quarterbacks

Let’s face it, most of this post is going to discuss quarterback play. There is a lot of work to be done and how much progress is made at this position may determine if the Irish can push for 10+ wins or if they are going to hover around the .500 mark against a challenging schedule. I admire the way Tommy Rees came in as a freshman and won some big games, but I think it is pretty obvious that Kelly really wants one of the other quarterbacks to beat him out. Rees looked like the same old Tommy firing interceptions and not making too many plays. Without a Michael Floyd we need some positive plays to be made from the quarterback position, and whenever Tommy tries to make plays on his own the ball often ends up in the hands of the opposing team. Thank you for your efforts Tommy, but as Kenny Power says, “You’re fucking out.” I put Rees number three on the depth chart based off of his performance in the spring game.

That brings us to Andrew Hendrix. Hendrix also tossed an interception, but he did make some plays and threw a touchdown to Tyler Eifert in the first quarter. At this point I’m still not sure about Hendrix, I like his mobility and his strong arm; but i’m not sure if his helter skelter style is what this turnover plagued offensive needs. I’m also still concerned that Hendrix didn’t get the lions share of snaps against Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl despite Kelly hinting he wanted to give them to him. Hendrix may win the job during the summer and fall, but based off of his spring game I give him the backup job and put him number 2 on the depth chart.

The 2012 starter at quarterback based off of the spring game goes to….. Gunner…. just kidding, Everett Golson. No, not because he had the best passing yards, but Golson really understands the little details like getting everyone lined up correctly and how to run the mechanics of the offense. OK, I’m being sarcastic again. Those are actually the details that Everett needs to work on if he plans to actually seize the starting role. That aside, he brings a dynamic and a fluidity to the Irish offense that the others don’t. Golson is an athlete with a strong arm, I say we turn him loose and let him make plays. Despite the mistakes he is sure to make, he will at least erase some of those mistakes with some big plays. Based off of the spring game I hope to see Golson lined up under center when the Irish hit European soil this Fall.

Gunner Kiel would be number four heading out of the spring game, however Kiel is basically still a high school senior competing against college players. I feel Kiel is a future superstar in the making for the Irish however. Even though he is obviously swimming in the play book right now, I saw something in him that I didn’t see in the others. I’m not sure what that something is, but my gut tells me Gunner is going to be the real deal for the Irish at quarterback. Now my gut isn’t always right it has told me some messed up things in the past like the time it told me to get drunk and sing “Like a Virgin” at my wife’s company Christmas party, but this time I think I’m on the right track. Stay in that playbook Gunner, and we will see what happens next year.

Everything Else

The offensive line looked in mid season form and the timing upfront was impressive. It looks like the Harry Hiestand hire was a solid move by Brian Kelly.  Whoever wins the QB battle is going to enjoy a talented, experienced, and well coached group providing protection.

That line is going to pave the way for an impressive collection of running backs. We all know what Cierre Wood can do with the ball, and he looked good in the limited action he saw on Saturday. Theo Riddick confirmed in the spring game what we saw him do last year against Florida State, which is he has natural running back skills. He is going to be a hybrid player who is going to see the ball out of the backfield and at WR. George Atkinson III also showed he deserves some touches with his impressive performance Saturday. Despite some shaky ball handling #4 made some nice plays running and receiving the ball. Throw Amir Carlisle in the mix this summer and the Irish have the deepest stable of running backs since the Holtz era.

Tight End… Tyler Eifert is a fucking beast… that is all that needs to be said about that group… be afraid, and try and guess where Eifert will lineup next.

Despite the loss of Aaron Lynch the defensive line is still going to be a solid group. Kapron Lewis-Moore, Kona Schwenke, Louis Nix, Stephon Tuitt, and early enrollee Sheldon Day all played well. Throw five star Jarron James in the mix this fall and the Irish will be just fine up front.

Another area where the Irish will be impressive is at linebacker with Manti Te’o leading the charge. Joining Te’o will be returning starters Dan Fox, Ishaq Williams, Carlo Calabreese, and Prince Shembo. This group will shine in 2012

The safeties are solid with Jamorius Slaughter, Zeke Motta, Dan McCarthy, and Austin Collinsworth, but corner position will have a lot of question marks. I believe the Irish will have three corners who will be pretty good with Bennett Jackson leading the charge. Josh Atkinson and Lo Wood will also see plenty of playing time, but beyond those three there is nothing but question marks. Actually even the top three have a lot of question marks, but Atkinson and Wood looked pretty good and Jackson had to sit out due to a minor injury.

There it is, my spring game thrown down. It didn’t contain stories of debauchery from the Linebacker or stealing champagne from a tailgate and firing the cork mid-stride as we marched to the stadium like we did at the ’SC game last year. But hey, it’s only April and I am already planning my assault on the 2012 schedule. I’m looking at you Soldier Field.

I was out having a few drinks last night and I ran into a buddy who ask me what I thought about Aaron Lynch. My  calm assassin like response was,  ”see you later kid, good luck in future endeavors.”

It is never good when a player with special talent like Lynch possesses leaves the program, but if the kid doesn’t love playing for the Irish then I don’t want him wearing the gold helmet. If he is not happy in South Bend he is only going to be detrimental to himself and the team. As you probably know Lynch isn’t the most likable person on campus due to his temper and attitude, and if he doesn’t enjoy being at Notre Dame he is never going to make it anyway.  I’m not mad at him, but I am disappointed that things didn’t work out for him in South Bend.

Manti Te’o defended Lynch yesterday for the way fans have reacted to his departure. Te’o talked about his own challenges and how tough it is to be away from home. He went on to say it wasn’t fair for fans to come down on Lynch the way the have. I agree with Te’o, but the difference between the two is Te’o stuck it out (even turned down the NFL to come back for his senior season) and I think he will be better for it. I hope everything works out for Lynch, but I also hope for his sake that he doesn’t look back one day and regret his decision to leave the Fighting Irish.

During the Weis era the Irish lost out on some big time defensive recruits like Omar Hunter and Justin Trattou, who both ended up at Florida. Now the Irish have lost out on Ronald Darby, Tee Shepard, and now Lynch. Aside from Te’o, Weis’s defensive recruiting went down hill after he missed out on those big time defensive recruits, Kelly can not repeat that failure. If the Irish are going to go to BCS games they have to keep reeling in players like Lynch, Shepard, and Darby; and at some point they are going to find players who are gong to work out.

Eight Wins Is Not the Goal in 2012

There was some internet buzz last week about Kelly speaking at the Rockne Dinner in Chicago on Friday. Reportedly it came across that Kelly was lowering expectations for Notre Dame football for 2012 due to the loss of Lynch and the daunting schedule. Kelly was quick to clarify:

“No, that’s not accurate. What I said was Notre Dame had not strung together three years in a row of eight wins or more, so if we win eight games next year or more it will be the first time in 16 years. Thank you for getting that accurate. You shoot for eight wins around here you won’t be around very long. Trust me, my boss is up there. He already told me that. Now, we can build towards that. That’s part of what we’re doing. There are building blocks in putting together our football program. You want consistency. The point of that whole statement was you need consistency, you need stability. Consistency is you can’t have a 10-win season then a three-win season. You’ve gotta build consistency and that’s what we’re all shooting for.”

Word coach, word.

Unless you have been living underneath a college football rock, everyone has heard about Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino’s April Fools day motorcycle ride with a hot blonde who is half his age. Unfortunately the married Petrino crashed the bike and his secret relationship with the girl was uncovered. The good news is no one was severely injured in the accident, the bad news is the  Arkansas brass is not too happy with the leader of their football program playing Evil Knievel with a young mistress in tow.

I for one don’t think Arkansas should  fire Petrino. He has the Hogs contending in the toughest division in college football, the SEC West. They are a few defensive players away from contending for a national championship. Arkansas is surprisingly taking the moral high ground all of a sudden; they knew what they were getting when they hired Petrino. Google him and you will find out that, while he is a great football coach, he can be an SOB in his personal life. Plus, if Arkansas was that serious about being morally sound they would leave the SEC. The South Eastern Conference, while producing some of the best football in the country (well, aside from the SEC East), don’t quite have the best reputation for having the highest of moral standards. Whether it is petty, like LSU coach Les Miles twice berating recruit Gunner Kiel, or more serious moves, like Nick Saban pulling scholarships from his players, the SEC isn’t quite the place for “doing the right thing.” Don’t be offended SEC fans, all the drama and cheating is why I love following your conference; and it is exactly why Bobby Petrino should stay head coach at Arkansas.

So goes the days of our lives in the world of college football…

Bobby Petrino Rides off into the Sunset