Before we get to the business of the upcoming lacrosse action between #1 Maryland and #4 Notre Dame (Saturday at noon, Arlotta Stadium, ESPN3), we must first discuss the misguided efforts at co-optation by supporters of the Maryland lacrosse team of the style and image of one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time.

The use of the term Run-DMC to refer to the members of the Maryland attack is a tragic failure for more reasons than we can count, but we ask them to consider three and to refrain from further defiling the name of this great band:

-It is occasionally OK to engage in some hipster irony, such as drinking PBR or wearing an Atari t-shirt, and we certainly don’t begrudge anyone engaging in clever style choices.  However, a team from Maryland should never consider themselves homologous to rap icons from Queens, NY.   The lacrosse team from St. Johns, being in Queens, at least has an argument, and we’d be willing to give Hofstra and Adelphi a pass if asked.

-The University of Maryland, like Notre Dame, is an Under Armour school.  If there has ever been a musical act that has been associated with a sports brand that is clearly not Under Armour, it is Run-DMC.  Please refer to this handy illustration for reference:

You may also consider listening to their song My Adidas.

-We actually like Maryland lacrosse a lot, and believe Matt Rambo and crew are deserving of all the sports accolades they get and the number #1 ranking they will have until Saturday.  However, they, nor any of their fans, should ever think they are as cool as Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and the dearly departed Jam Master Jay.

 

Back to the game notes:

The Fighting Irish and 2016 NCAA runners-up Terps have not played much, with Maryland holding a 5-4 advantage in the series.  Interestingly, the Terrapins have a 3-0 record playing in South Bend.

The Irish won the 2016 version of this matchup 9-4 in Orange County, California.  Critics have looked to diminish that win by constantly noting that the game was very close for three quarters. But the fact remains Notre Dame had an offensive explosion in the 4th and won going away, and the ND defense dominated MD throughout.  Matt Landis had one of his best games ever, but while he is gone, Wynne, Garnsey, Sexton, Koshansky and Epple also had a great day in California.  They will be on the field this weekend.  The loss to Notre Dame was probably the low-water mark for the Terrapins last year, and they recovered to make it all the way to the NCAA finals.

Coach John Tillman’s Terrapins come into this game ranked #1 and are 4-0, with a 12-11 win at home against a Ben Reeves-less Yale being their most notable victory this season.

This week’s game questions:

-What will happen in week 3 of the Perkovic radar watch?  Sergio has hit the mark a few times, and his dodging and outside bombs have definitely served an effective purpose so far, but he has to start converting a much higher rate of his shots.  It is necessary to the offense for Perkovic to be covered by a pole and to be assigned a quick slide.  Byrne, Costabile and Willets can run roughshod over the rest of the defense when #16 gets so much attention.  If Maryland tries to cover him with top SSDM Isaiah Davis-Allen and he does not light up the scoreboard, the ND offense may screech to a halt.

–How will the Irish defense handle the offense that Maryland should stop calling “Run-DMC”?  Matt Rambo, Dylan Maltz and Colin Heacock form a very strong attack line, and the offense seems to be playing at a much higher pace than last year.  The close defense has to start the game sharp and communicate precisely.  They can’t afford to have a slow-ish start like they did against Georgetown and Michigan.  We believe Sexton, Crance, Koshansky, etc. will match up well with the midfield, but there is no margin for error against the attack.

-Can Irish maintain scoring depth against a top team?  It will be hard to repeat the 10 goal scorer week the Irish had against Michigan, but scoring threats must come from players other than Garnsey and Wynne.  As noted above, the Perkovic issue will, of course, be critical to this task, but so will a repeat of the transition success of last year.  The Notre Dame ride was magnificent against the Terps last year, and a repeat of that performance will go a long way in putting some good numbers into the Irish score sheet.

Maryland is favored by a goal for those interested in that sort of thing.

 

*Staff members ND-Atl 2.0 and 2.1 disavow this post completely.