Sept. 26, 2006

After losing to Michigan the previous week, Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis was asked what the Fighting Irish needed to do about their pass coverage. Weis replied the whole team had a lot of work ahead of them in the next 48 hours. On this past Saturday, at halftime against the Michigan State, it looked like the Irish didn’t heed Weis’ call for hard work.

With Notre Dame’s season slipping away in the fourth quarter, trailing the Spartans by 16 points, the Irish struck with ferocity only outdone by the driving rain. After Notre Dame’s offense started to click, Cornerback Terrail Lambert sealed the deal for the Irish by returning an interception 23 yards for a touchdown with just under three minutes remaining to give them a 40-37 lead over the Spartans. Lambert followed up with a game-ending interception from the Spartan’s Drew Stanton. For his outstanding game-saving effort, Terrail Lambert is awarded the “MCS Game Ball” for defensive player of the week.

Each week during the 2006 college football season, the 17 Master Football Coaches will award an MCS Game Ball to the respective schools of an Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week. The Master Coaches will also present a game ball to the offensive and defensive coordinator whose game plans made the biggest impact in their respective teams’ victory.

In addition to Lambert, the Master Football Coaches will also award MCS Game Balls to Washington Quarterback Isaiah Stanback, Virginia Tech special teams player Josh Morgan, Clemson offensive coordinator Rob Spence and Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock.

Defense
Terrail Lambert, CB Notre Dame

Notre Dame trailed Michigan State 37-21 on the road in the fourth quarter. The Irish stepped up their defense, and cornerback Terrail Lambert capped off a fantastic comeback by intercepting a Drew Stanton pass and returning 23 yards for the score with 2:53 remaining. Moments later, Lambert sealed the 40-37 victory for the Irish by intercepting another Stanton pass in the final seconds of the game. Lambert also added five tackles.

About the Master Coaches Survey

The Master Coaches Survey, an advisory poll comprised of 17 former college football coaches, includes 11 College Football Hall of Fame Members and represents five national championships and over 3,000 victories combined. Based on the MCS system, the voters review all of the relevant game tapes following each week of competition, discuss each teams’ performance during a weekly conference call, then establish a ranking of the Top 25 teams. The MCS Top 25 can be found on the MCS website (www.mcspoll.com), including a breakdown of how the coaches voted.

As part of their selection process, the coaches not only attend games across the nation, but spend countless hours reviewing the DVDs of the previous weekend’s match-ups. Through this extensive process, the expert panel of coaches also selects the top players and assistant coaches who will be awarded MCS Game Balls each week.