Irish Defense Earns Win For ND

Okay, sure, Brady Quinn is the pre-season favorite for the Heisman. For whatever that's worth. I'd rather he not win the Heisman and ND win the Mythical National Championship than the other way around. Let the stats-hounds from the Bugeyes and such run up their numbers against crap opponents like Northern Illinois, while Notre Dame grinds out a win against a real opponent (one that IS going to be a force this season) in Georgia Tech.

And that's exactly what happened on Saturday night (after the Crew slaughtered the New England Revolution 3-0, of course). The Irish defense stepped up and delivered notice that they weren't the same defense that was on the field last season. No, they were the game winners tonight, and at this point in the season I'd much rather see that than an offensive show. The defense was the real question last season, obviously, and it bit them in the ass against Cheaty McSweatervest's boys.

Quinn and the Irish offense will come around, soon. I have faith in that. Weis isn't going to let them penalize themselves out of games like they did tonight for too long. And to see the defense hold a quality opponent to 10 points? Yeah, I'll take that. Spreads are for gambling. The only number that matters is the final score.