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Go Home Defining Miracles Down

THE PLANK NOVEMBER 5, 2007

Defining Miracles Down

BY JONATHAN CHAIT

 

In today's Washington Post, John Feinstein does his thing where he waxes rhapsodic about the virtues of college underdogs. His subject today is Navy's victory over Notre Dame last Saturday. Madly overwriting in an effort to make his subject interesting to a general audience, Feinstein asserts:

the Navy football team's 46-44 triple-overtime victory over Notre Dame on Saturday may rank, at the very least, a close second to that storied miracle on ice. This was a miracle on turf.

Miracle? Second-biggest upset ever? Navy was a three-point underdog! Notre Dame came into the matchup have lost eight of its last nine games, none of them close.

In his section attempting to explain why the Navy win was such a miracle, he notes that Notre Dame fielded 21 players who were invited to the high school All-American game as preps, while Navy has none. Well, sure. But then the miracle isn't that Navy beat Notre Dame, it's that Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has managed to turn decent talent into such a disaster on the field.

--Jonathan Chait

Photo: Jack Dempsey, AP

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13 comments

Yeah, he did the same thing on NPR this morning.   It wasn't shocking that Navy beat ND- I was surprised Notre Dame kept it as close as they did.   He said something like "Navy had everything stacked up against them- size, speed, tradition, history, the referees".  It was unbelieveable drecht.

- boneill

November 5, 2007 at 12:58pm

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Only second to the Miracle on Ice?  Please.  I know I'll never forget where I was when I heard that a go-nowhere college football team beat another go-nowhere college football team in a regular season game in November, with scarcely even any strength-of-schedule ripple effects on the national championship picture.  It was truly a watershed day for sports fans - nay, for all Americans.

- adaglas

November 5, 2007 at 1:09pm

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[b]Test[/b]

- epackard-02

November 5, 2007 at 4:03pm

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[b]Test[/b]

- epackard-02

November 5, 2007 at 4:03pm

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In relevant college football news, Darren McFadden rushed for 321yds against South Carolina Satruday night. Hopefully, he can put together a good string of games here at the end to get back into the Heisman race.  In my humble and biased opinion, he is the best player in college football.  Oh yeah, and the Hogs other running back, Felix Jones, had a career night with 166 yds and 3 tds.  McFadden and Jones are the best backs in football, even though epack's War Tigers put the clamps on both of them.  Bob Powell, your LSU team will more than likely win, but they better get ready for the McFadden/Jones experience.  I shouldn't get ahead of things though.  Tough trip to Knoxville this weekend.  Go Hogs!!!

- mghogwild

November 5, 2007 at 4:27pm

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I'm still hyperventilating from the 'Bama game you said I didn't need to worry about, 'hog. Yeah, I'm quite concerned about the Darren McFadden Show. What a performance!  We got a working over in triple overtime from Kentucky's Andre Woodson, who also looks pretty Heisman-possible. Looks like we won't have Notre Dame to kick around in the Bowls this year...

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the fact that Navy's recruiting might have been crimped by the fact that instead of going to the NFL, most of their graduating seniors will go to boot camp.

- Robert Powell

November 5, 2007 at 4:52pm

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bob:  Les Miles likes to make things a little too interesting for you guys.  The only team that can stop LSU is LSU.  I am much more excited though about the Hogs trip to Baton Rogue this year, but a couple of tough games before then.  Hey, the Hogs can't sleep on Miss. St., and of course, in Knoxville, it will be a contest to see if Tenn. can out pass AR's running game, because both defenses are weak.

- mghogwild

November 5, 2007 at 5:02pm

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Second only to the Miracle on Ice?

Tell it to Stanford.

- williamyard

November 5, 2007 at 5:04pm

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...or Appalachian State.

- primwallflow

November 5, 2007 at 10:04pm

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While we're on the subject of fiascos, why has Talkback been killed? No posts have made it up since Thursday night.

- Robert Powell

November 6, 2007 at 3:13am

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Boys, the best player in college ball is Timmy T.  But McFadden will win the Heisman because he's a senior, and the Hogs are as mediocre as my Gators are.  Hope Auburn beats Georgia, so we can get another crack at the Bayou Bengals, this time on a neutral field.

Go Gators!

- butchie b

November 6, 2007 at 1:38pm

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I wish my Hogs were as mediocre as your Gators, but that just ain't so.  McFadden is a junior by the way, and so is Felix Jones, but they won't be around for their senior year.

- mghogwild

November 6, 2007 at 1:43pm

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I sincerely hope we don't have to face the Gators again--the SEC is tough enough without Double Jeopardy.  At least maybe we can avoid having any more important players suspended due to 2 am brawls like last week--I think Les has put the Varsity Lounge off limits until bowl season.

- Robert Powell

November 7, 2007 at 4:40am

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