First Half Observations

A few thoughts with Canyon leading 17-3 at halftime.

1. I've never seen Notre Dame look so sloppy.

OK, it's the Knights first game, so they get some slack for opening night jitters. Nevertheless, the two interceptions and six penalties are very uncharacteristic of Notre Dame. The Knights' have to get that cleaned up or they're in big trouble.

2. Canyon running back J.J. Di Luigi is pretty good.

More importantly, the kids got a great name. It sort of just rolls off the tongue in a Bobby De Niro in Goodfellas sort of way. Seriously, though, good speed, excellent vision and terrific footwork. He's on his way to a big game. A perfect compliment to Ben Longshore, who's got more than 200 yards passing at the half.

3. Canyon had a big advantage after already playing one game

Actually there was some talk that Canyon had an unfair advantage, although you'll never hear that from Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney. He's too classy for that. But think about it. Canyon got it's first-game jitters out of the way and ironed out any problems after playing Moorpark last week. That shows in the way the two teams have played so far. Canyon looks more crisp. We'll see if that carries over the the second half.