Driskell flat out called him out for something he said (forgot what it was) in his last podcast. Mod wars!!
wasnt it mike frank who even brought him into that world? A ND Mod battle Royale would probably be a better watch than the purdue game anyways
Loy's response to you got 124 likes. He just straight up dunked on you. edit: in his weird culty message board way in which he gives maybe 1 nugget of information for every 30 posts.
I’m gonna set the over/under for Urban to USC to October 15 Reports are already coming out about him being hated in Jacksonville. His agent is already setting it up.
In talking to some sources, screenshots of the post in question have a better chance of being posted than most experts on the subject would project. That being said this is a long haul with a lot of moving pieces and not everything is certain at this point and in this game things can change at a moment’s notice. With that being understood though I am going to put a crystal ball with confidence on the idea of a screenshot of the exchange being posted on here but the situation remains fluid
Yeah jerk, a Wisconsin lean is heading to probably the biggest game on their schedule. Come on son Spoiler Just kidding. We all know Loy is baiting in subscribers to think ND is still an option before he does his patented “In the end, the idea of staying close to home was good much to pass up”
Its a Wisconsin home game so I'm guessing he's their guest... also Loy took 4 paragraphs to write that he was attending this game. It was pointless
I wonder which ol frank was talking about. It’s not a great sign that he was given the ok by Nd to say what he said. This ol room is probably a bit of a mess right now. Also not a great sign that the parents are pissing in driskell’s ear I assume that you guys know what I am talking about but if you need a quick recap let me know.
driskell said this week that jeff quinn was not involved last year in the video portion of the oline coaching. He said that chris watt was actually taking care of coaching the oline when it came to looking at what the other teams were doing on a week to week basis. He said that it might explain why they looked so unprepared in the last couple of games. Today frank got a question from a customer about that. He said that he made some calls and that he knows where it`s coming from and that it is total bs. Said that he knows who started that rumor and he knows where it came from and it's a parent of a ol player that is not playing well and hasn`t played well for a while that told that to driskell. He said that he doesn`t think quinn as done a great job but at least criticize him for some things that are true. One thing i know about mike frank and say what you want about the guy, but there is no way he says that on his show if nd is not aware of him using it. I would expect a transfer from a ol soon
Frank also said that chris watt is very good but that the ga that nd hired is as well respected as you can be as a ga around the country. Frank is rarely definitive but if he is it comes from solid sources
yeah he was high on the list of transfer candidates two weeks ago. now that he has a chance to play this season, could go either way.
and also just to be completely clear, nobody said anything about a transfer. Just my guess since nd was not shy about frank letting it rip. so everyboy in there must know who it is.
Pretty sure it’s Quinn carrol or whatever - and this is based on who I think drivel is close with. I remember before him saying he was tuned in to that recruitment and it’s a guy who went from all world to getting passed by a grad transfer and a freshman.
So my buddy's daughter grew up a Michigan fan because of his ex-wife. She joined the Purdue band as part of the flag corp and carries out the Michigan-colored flag. She asked for us to have her back since everyone throws stuff at the Michigan flag and we'll be at the stadium. Her father told her this is how consequences work so she is on her own...
Arguably my favorite ND game ever- Jr of high school, went to the game with a bunch of Purdue season ticket holders. Was a blast
was at that game. freshman year. it was pretty incredible. was seated in the end zone in the ND section
Last time I ever left Miami during college- went up to Purdue to do "Breakfast club" for this game, drank all damn day and was not at all interested in going to the game. Buddy's brother passes out so I reluctantly took his ticket Danny Hope calling a TO was an all time coaching blunder, cost Purdue the game. Was a fun night- man was I wiped out walking back afterwards
Been a long time since ND lost to Purdue Gonna be pissed if they screw this up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame–Purdue_football_rivalry
So I found myself on Brian Kelly's wikipedia page today. Every season at ND has a full paragraph describing it, with commentary and details and all sorts of descriptive language. And then you get to 2019: 2019 season The Irish lost regular season games to Georgia and Michigan but beat their other nine opponents. They also won the Camping World Bowl over Iowa State. That's it. It's perfect.
Someone needs to edit that paragraph to note that Kelly wiped the floor with Thoros from the-mainboard's chosen successor Matt Campbell damning his detractors to another decade of his tenure
Loy is passing out some HEAVY koolaid today Spoiler Not only is Notre Dame recruiting at a high level in the 2022 class, but the staff is crushing it early in the 2023 recruiting cycle. The Fighting Irish have secured four verbal commitments from Mentor (Ohio) high school five-star defensive end Brenan Vernon, Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep four-star edge rusher Keon Keeley, Concord (Calif.) De La Salle four-star tight end Cooper Flanagan and Irvington (N.J.) high school four-star safety Adon Shuler. Now everyone wants to who else will eventually join the class. Let’s take a look at a few names of 2023 prospects I believe could very well land in South Bend with Notre Dame. …And before you ask, other names were considered and others could have been added at this point, but these are the ones I decided to roll with based on intel after talking to prospects and sources. SLIDE1 of 5 This one is far from a done deal and he still has a few trips to take before getting closer to make a commitment, but I like where Notre Dame is at with Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean five-star linebacker Drayk Bowen. The 6-2, 215-pounder is strongly considering the Fighting Irish, Auburn, Clemson, Indiana and LSU. Bowen has legitimate interest in all three sets of Tigers, but I do expect him to eventually choose to play for defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. The two hit it off early and they continue to connect well throughout his process. SLIDE2 of 5 Notre Dame looks to be among the top contenders for Denton (Texas) Guyer four-star safety Peyton Bowen. The 6-1, 185-pounder is listed as the No. 67 overall recruit in the country and this would be a huge win for the Fighting Irish. There are still plenty of players in this recruitment, but Bowen already visited Notre Dame and from everything I’ve gathered, fell in love with the school and program. The staff believes it could be one visit away from landing him, so if he visits for the USC game and the Irish make a great impression, they truly believe that could be all she wrote. SLIDE3 of 5 When looking for Notre Dame’s next commitment, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if it ended up being Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff four-star cornerback Malik Muhammad. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 44 overall player in the country and No. 6 talent at his position nationally. He has the chance to go to just about every school in the country, but I like Notre Dame to secure his commitment based on the intel I have received over the past two months or so. Cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman are doing a tremendous job here, but now they need to close the deal. The 6-0, 170-pounder will be at Notre Dame for the Cincinnati game and is also planning on returning for the USC and North Carolina games. If he makes all three trips, I see no way he picks another program. We’ll see what happens, but I like the Irish to add him to the close by the end of the fall. SLIDE4 of 5 In talking to multiple sources from schools that are in play for Des Moines (Iowa) Southeast Polk five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, the majority believe Notre Dame is the top school at this time. Ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect in America and No. 1 prospect at his position, Proctor is an elite prospect. Offensive line coach Jeff Quinn and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees are doing well here and will look to take things up a notch when he visits this fall. The expectation is that he’s back in town for the USC game on Oct. 23. SLIDE5 of 5 32COMMENTS As I’ve said for a very long time, I expect it to be Notre Dame or Ohio State for Top100 four-star receiver Carnell Tate. Despite being ranked as the No. 58 overall recruit in the country and No. 10 receiver, an argument could be made that he’s the best player at his position next cycle. He’s a difference-maker. I’ve gone back and forth on this one for a while, but my 247Sports Crystal Ball remains on Notre Dame. I believe offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is the one that separates Notre Dame from the rest and he eventually is the one that lands Tate. Receivers coach Del Alexander is doing well with Tate, but I truly believe that Rees has a better relationship with the 6-2, 185-pounder than any coach in the country and that matters. he seems quite confident in all those picks too
99 things to say.... Spoiler The Irish have 99 problems but…nope, not that. I have 99 things to say… 1 — The opening crowd shot looked like that of a bad Navy/ND game from some Novembers past (aside from the sun), but I have to give credit where it’s due: the people in the stadium on Sept. 11 did a great job of staying engaged while watching a team that was more frustrating than anything else. Louder than I ever would’ve guessed they’d be. Maybe because they all wanted to be there… 2 — Ready for a not-old-man point of view? The Here Come the Irish/Dropkick Murphy’s pre-kickoff is better than the old tradition of the hands raised/index finger circling whilst chanting ‘Ohhhhhhhhhh’ and the full crowd exclamation of “IRISH!” upon kickoff. I’m all about change and progress. Speaking of change and progress, about that Irish offense… 3 — Today, I’m going to do something Phil Steele does when charting a game: track positive outcome/negative outcome/neutral outcome for every snap. (Only I’ll do only ND Off/Def.) 4 — Avery Davis for 14 yards plus a 15-yard face mask and clearly Tommy Rees wanted Davis to be involved after his no-target opener. Coan Hangs in and takes a shot on the next play (protection was adequate though) and it’s Michael Mayer for 28 yards down the right side. Irish at the Rockets 18-yard line. 5 — Tommy Rees’ opening script is money for the second straight week and two snaps later, Coan has an easy short boundary cross to Mayer for the touchdown. Toledo, it seems, stinks. (Just pretending I’m on a message board in real time) 7-0 ND (Five Positives and a Neutral on that drive) 6 — You guys (and girls?) think Mayer will score a dozen TDs this season if he plays all 12? I do. That would be doubling-up on a 40-plus season tight end record of touchdowns set by MacAfee and tied by Kmet. 7 — Irish defense quickly puts the Rocket in 3rd-and-5 thanks to a Bertrand run Stuff and….whooops. That’s 67 yards after KJ Wallace takes a really poor angle when his motioning receiver crosses Clarence Lewis’ path downfield and the old playground banana route takes it to the Irish 11-yard line. That was a great route combination that would’ve failed miserably against zone coverage rather than man. And that’s it for Wallace today! 8 — Hinish with the penetration and Kyle Hamilton a TFL as a result. One snap later, Hamilton with the incredible INT that is inexplicably overturned since there was no visual evidence to suggest he caught it nor that he didn’t. Hamilton pantomimes taking his helmet off post-interception which reminds me—if he seals a game with an INT in the next, oh, two months, he definitely needs to take his helmet off again and maybe put the flag in it or something afterwards. 9 — Jayson Ademilola with a bull rush and his first of two Third Down Wins in the first quarter, breaking up a pass that was targeting Houston Griffith down the right seam in man coverage. And that was unequivocally going to be six points, friends. (7-3 Irish: That’s 5 positives, 1 negative and 1 neutral by the Irish defense on that drive. The negative went for 66 yards, so you can see where this is headed.) 10 — Freeman talking into his headset seems to offer, “I mean, I had no idea that only one guy in this secondary would definitely start at Cincinnati. What the hell!?” (He actually didn’t say that but I can read minds.) 11 — Toledo only has two senior starters defensively. Good thing there’s no rematch in the Glass Bowl next season! 12 — Notre Dame’s second drive starts with a negative (run stuff), a positive, and a positive (3rd-and-2 Tyree gets 3). Give credit to Patterson, Madden, and Lugg on that short-yardage win. 13 — The edge defender that would normally have to respect the quarterback keeper instead crashes down to dive and tackle Tyree from behind after three yards. I sense a theme developing. 14 — 3rd-and-long and Coan hits Lenzy for 18 yards sitting down in zone coverage. Good read by Lenzy who set up his defender despite a big cushion by accelerating 10 yards into his route. 15 — Coan hits Austin for 9 yards but one snap later (2nd-and-1) is sacked and stripped from behind by Quinyon Mitchell on a well-disguised boundary corner blitz. Rockets ball at their own 44-yard line. Tyree leaked out (and would’ve been open) for a dump pass but Coan thought he had more time. Although Tyree was open he A.) hadn’t even looked back at Coan yet, and B.) Was the only player who could’ve helped any delayed blitz action. Would be interesting to know his exact set of blocking progressions there. (4 Positives and 4 Negatives on that drive. One not created equal, obviously) 16 — 14 yards through the heart of the Irish (3-4) front including inside linebacker Isaiah Foskey. Cute. 17 — Drew Brees speaks for Irish fans nationwide: “If Notre Dame is going to run this 3-man front they’re going to have to stop the run.” Also Tony Driver picked him off twice in the second game I ever covered at Notre Dame Stadium, but I digress… 18 — Now a 23-yard post in front of Kyle Hamilton in man coverage and The Condor broke very late on that one. Weird. 19—Three consecutive wins by the Irish including a Drew White Stuff and Jayson Ademilola 3rd Down Stuff (3rd-and-6 rush into a heavy front?) to force another Thomas Stuckey field goal. 7-6 Irish. (2-2-1 on the positive-negative-neutral score that drive for the Irish D) 20 — Do you guys remember Stuckey’s the chain restaurant from the 1980s? I liked Friendly’s much better as a kid. 21 — Ugly series here as the Irish go with three negative results including another chase down Stuff of Tyree (no respect for Coan on the keeper) and a sack of Coan. Not Carmody’s best effort on the sack nor was it Patterson’s (late pressure). 22 — I have a feeling we’re going to see some Coan in the Pistol and Coan under center over the next two games and ideally moving forward. 23 — DeQuan Finn checks in at Quarterback for Toledo and misses high on play-action down the post against Hamilton (he was open). Cam Hart Stuff on a boundary corner blitz follows and Howard Cross with the third down pressure to force the punt. Best series among an opening trio so far by the Irish as we near the end of the first quarter. 24 — Holy Moses what a punt! That’s one way to keep that Irish punt return team out of the end zone! 68 yards to the Notre Dame 9-yard line. 25 — Kyren Williams with the ‘Ole blitz pickup… But upon further review, I don’t know why Zeke Correll didn’t pick up that blitz first? I’ve besmirched Williams too readily. My bad. That’s four consecutive negative results for the Irish offense. Make that five (pressure through Lugg) and six (bad pass). Lugg with one of the weaker pass sets you’ll see on that pressure, by the way. 26 — MTA with the sack vs. a rolling Carter Bradley and your positive-negative-neutral play scoring as we head to the second quarter is as follow: ND Offense: 9 positive, 10 negative, 1 neutral ND Defense: 12 positive, 3 negative, 2 neutral — the negatives for ND Def were 66, 14, and 23 yards however. 7-6 Irish 27 — This game was more exciting live. Gains of 13 and 11 through the air—the later against Jack Kiser on a crossing route. He’s been nondescript for the most part this season and I have to tell you, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah would’ve recognized that cross a half-tick earlier and picked it off. Now I’m sad. We only got about 1.4 seasons of peak JOK… 28 — Foskey, Hinish, Mills, and MTA furnish a 4-down Stuff (Foskey). More please. 29 — Foskey with the bull rush, hands extended, long-arm-of-the-law sack of Bradley. He looked like Stephon Tuitt on that play. After a 3rd-and-20 goes nowhere the Rockets have to punt, again pinning the Irish deep in their own territory, this time the 4-yard line. Toledo’s punter does a little jump shot sign. Should’ve taken his helmet off. 30 — Man this is boring to wa - - - that’s Tyler Buchner! It’s Tyler Buchner!!! Buchner just ran for 26 yards! FRESHMEN ARE PLAYING!!!!!! (Blocking credit to Mayer, Lugg, Madden, but whatever. BUCHNER!!!) 31 — Buchner again, this time for 11 yards with the juke of Maxen Hook. (Great name, bad hair. Hippie.) 32 — Hitch-and-go route to Lenzy is ruined by backside pressure through Carmody’s inside shoulder —holding included—and I have to tell you this offensive line is ruining Christmas right now. Come on!! Lenzy draws illegal contact for the offsetting penalty. 33 — Buchner to Lenzy for 15 yards to the far hash. Suddenly life is fun again. 34 — Madden, Patterson, and Lugg dominate on this boundary handoff to Kyren Williams, unfettered 43 yards for the score. I’m going to go ahead and score that as ‘Positive’ on the old ledger. A bunch left (field) and Buchner’s general aura pulls an extra defender to the wide side allowing Williams to run free. 14-6 Irish (4 positives, 1 negative, and one future hall of fame on that drive if you’re scoring at home.) 35 — Somebody has a White #68 jersey in the student section. Carmody? Or old McGlinchey? 36 — Three-and-out with Justin Ademilola on the third down sack. Ade’s boys are balling this season. Hinish shoving his man into the pocket as well. 37 — Coan gains 11 yards after the backfield dodge. It’s like Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside all of a sudden in this backfield! 38 — So far I’m enjoying Drew Brees and I’ve forgiven him. It’s not his fault Bob Davie can’t tell time… 39 — Two-back shotgun pro set and the fake handoff to Tyree draws the defense for Avery Davis to slip behind and gain 37 yards on an RPO down the left side. Wait…illegal downfield. No wonder I didn’t remember this play live. 40 — Colzie! (7 yards). Styles! (2 yards). 3rd-and-1! (play-action but pressure inc..) Okay, 4th-and-1. Punt. Punt. Punt. Please punt. Your line stinks. Liam Eichenberg and Aaron Banks are not walking through that door. Toledo called time, mission accomplished. Now you should really Punt. Punt. You’re you’re own 40. STUFF. Did Mayer miss an assignment here in the B Gap? I don’t know who else could’ve cut that blitzer free. Toledo ball. Carmody limps off the field. 41 — 3-down front, Bertrand with the Stuff and Foskey with the penetration from his ILB position. So weird. 3rd-and-5 and Bryce Mitchell really fakes out Cam Hart in space to move the sticks. That was troubling. 42 — Pocket pressure by Mills and Bradley’s offering deep down the post is incomplete. Hamilton came over to ensure the ball had to be thrown beyond the target. 43 — Ramon Henderson called for the hold at Nickel on 3rd-and-6….why wasn’t Bracy the Nickel again? Could this have been a ‘don’t respect the opponent’ situation with first Wallace then Henderson? 44 — Clarence Lewis with pass interference now as well. I’m concerned Notre Dame doesn’t have the man coverage athletes/acumen to be this aggressive. There, I said it. 45 — Cam Hart drops a pick on first down. You’re a former wide receiver for crying out loud! Hamilton with the Stuff…Dropped touchdown pass (Clarence Lewis trailing) Field Goal. One gifted by the Irish and Brian Kelly’s nonsensical 4th-Down hubris. 14-9 and here’s Notre Dame’s defensive play chart to date: Positive (by the defense): 22 Negatives (against the defense): 9 Neutral: 5 I should add two major missed opportunities by Toledo are part of those 22 positives including that dropped TD. 46 — Alright, 58 seconds remaining and Coan pulls a Golson. Interception touchdown the other way on a telegraphed out route to Mayer (not the crispest of his career, I might add) with Avery Davis WIDE open down the post. Toledo, we have a Problem. 16-14 Rockets. WTH? (That would be a ‘Negative’ if you need help scoring) 47 — Coan is sacked by Jon Jones on a delay up the gut. Either Patterson or Madden has to see that as they had a 2 vs. 3 (Lugg) situation on the right side. Jones must be loving this…I am not. It’s a lot like watching the 2008 offensive line ruin things for Floyd, Tate, and Rudolph… 48 — Brees disagreeing with BK’s timeout at the 0:08 mark of the first half is good television, but it’s worth pointing out that the commentator, in this case, was a touch more advanced than the average college quarterback at running a hurry-up drill. (Brees was correct, but remember, Coan had already settled for two yards forcing a timeout on this drive. That was one mental mistake in the drive. The 20-year vet and Hall of Famer might be a touch more confident in the situation than the graduate transfer!) Coan has to short-arm a Hail Mary attempt and it falls woefully short. More like a Glory Be, in this case… HALFTIME TALLY (16-14 TOLEDO) ND Offense: Positive: 17 Negative: 19 Neutral: 1 ND Defense Positive: 22 Negatives: 9 Neutral: 5 49 — Isaiah Pryor opens the first half with a pass Stuff in space. You know who’s been quiet through 3 halves? Jack Kiser. Jayson Ademilola and JD Bertrand with the Stuff. You know who’s not been quiet? 50 — Cam Hart with the Third Down Win and and the Irish go 3-for-3 with positive grades to open the second half. 51 — Buchner is out so I’m going to go grab a snack… QB Power is set up to the boundary and it was there, of course, but Toledo has zero respect for Jack Coan keeping that ball and instead absolutely swarms Chris Tyree for a six-yard loss. Notre Dame has to scrap the read-option rushing approach when Coan is in the game. Under center, Pistol, 2-back pro-set with Tyree and Williams. There are ways and Rees is adept at using each, but this is pointless right now. 52 — Joe Wilkins for 14 yards on the cross…Kevin Austin for 13 yards on 3rd-and-1 and the Irish are moving. By the way, it’s half No. 3 and the whole world has already accepted that Notre Dame cannot run the football. Seriously, did you ever think it could be THIS bad? (I mean, I tried to warn you all summer it would be low-level BK line play in comparison to his 12 seasons, but I didn’t think it would go back to the latter half of the Weis Era!) 53 — Speaking of broken, the replay system stinks. It should be 3 challenges per half. Who cares if every yard is perfectly marked on every snap!? Boring AH… 54 — Williams is Stuffed as Madden and Lugg do their best Wenger and Duncan imitations. Goodness sakes what has happened to my line!! Tyler Buchner’s keeper is telegraphed for another Stuff as Dyonte Johnson makes an athletic play in space. (This is my point about the threat of the pass with Buchner. Forthcoming defenses have plenty of Dyonte Johnson’s to combat Buchner’s athleticism.) Coan is sacked on third down as Lugg is overpowered in his pass set, again, and Baker looks like a redshirt-eighth grader in his. That was a four-man rush, by the way. I don’t like football anymore… 55 - You know who likes football? JD Bertrand. He hammers through the running back in blitz pickup to record a sack of Carter Bradley on 2nd Down. Remember, he’s supposed to be Marist Liufau’s backup… Bo Bauer with a well-disguised twist (he took a step into coverage first) pass breakup and Toledo begins the half with two three-and-outs. Current Count for the Irish D: Positive 27 Negative 10 Neutral 5 56 — Notre Dame’s pressure better get home this season because there are receivers open. They don’t have the corners and safeties to play this style. At least not during this transitional period. 57 — I hope “transitional period” does not really mean “Through Thanksgiving” 58 — The right side of the offensive line’s glaring lack of athleticism in space results in an ugly 3-yard gain on a throwback screen to Williams. All of this is unsettling. That’s the word, right? Unsettling? Is ‘Way-to-ruin-all-this-skill-talent’ a synonym for unsettling? 59 — 3rd-and-6 (Get used to it) and Kyren Williams takes a Coan handoff for seven yards and the first down gain. That’s a gutsy call by Rees—credit Patterson and Madden, especially, plus Lugg. I am genuinely surprised that worked! 60 — Pressure through Baker. Stuff through Takacs (oh my!) on the ensuing snap. You are kidding yourselves if you think this group can block George Karlaftis on Saturday. 61 — I mean…that’s just a beautifully executed boundary corner blitz against Coan. Sometimes you have to credit the opponent, too. Pretty sure this won’t be the last time I do that this season… That drive included one positive and five negatives for the Irish offense. (20-28-2 for the game to date.) 60 — Doerer’s 55-yard field goal is wide right and the Irish trail Clemson 16-14 midway through the third quarter. Wait, not Clemson. Toledo. My bad… 61 — Bauer and Jay Ademilola with the run Stuff, JD Bertrand with the run Stuff thereafter, and Kyle Hamilton dislocates his finger on third down. Glad that’s not a shoulder. Holy Smokes it would get biblical out there without the All-American. Irish force a third straight punt to start the second half but the offense has produced nothing in that span. Still 16-14 62 — Tyree for 10 yards (Lugg, Madden, Davis, Mayer, Lugg, and Mitchell Evans blocking)…Tyree for nothing on the next snap but I have to say, that one is on Tyree: Irish blockers go 8-for-8 in executing their assignments and Tyree can’t beat the safety coming up one-on-one in short space. There remains a lack of wiggle to his game. Fortunately, he can flat out fly. This reminds me: they actually do miss C’Bo Flemister’s ability to make the first defender miss and run through contact. There’s a lot of defenders and contact these days… 63 — “This is a defining drive for the Irish,” says Brees. Exactly what we all figured he’d say with three minutes left in the third quarter against Toledo. 64 — 3rd-and-5 and Avery Davis rejoins the passing attack. Pretty nice pick by Mayer to spring him. 65 — Coan deep to a blanketed Lenzy who makes a remarkable one-handed catch albeit out of bounds. The 14-yard stop is going to have to be Lenzy’s adjustment to the bail coverage he’s getting. Everyone respects his speed. 66 — Baker gives up the sack. (Highlight, Copy for future Pastes) 67 — Jarrett Patterson blocks THREE defenders, Kyren Williams makes two miss and runs through a third and the Irish convert on a 3rd-and-16 screen. Wow. Credit those two, really only, for phenomenal execution, effort, and toughness. 68 — Fourth Quarter and Tyler Buchner is in!!! 2nd and 7 and he gains 15 yards behind a boundary keeper and block by Mayer. That kid is both slippery and fast. Love it. Designed QB Power right is Stuffed, so is Kyren Williams on the chase down (Buchner should’ve kept that one) and it’s back to Jack Coan time on 3rd-and-7 69 — You guys remember the ‘Living, Breathing Quarterback’ phenomenon of 2016 vs. Van Gorder? We’ve entered that range in terms of a defense facing Jeff Quinn’s ridiculous offensive line. This is malpractice. (Oh yeah, Coan is sacked. Correll loses late as Coan climbed the pocket. That’s six sacks.) 70 - Jon Doerer is money from 48 yards and the Irish pull ahead of USC…wait, it’s Toledo. I get confused sometimes. The Irish pull ahead of freaking Toledo 17-16 early in the fourth quarter. Transitional Period indeed. 71 — Brees does a good job with his pre-snap analysis. Gary Godsey would probably do a better job, but I guess he wasn’t available… 72 — This time it’s Justin Ademilola and White with the Run Stuff. TaRiq Bracy with a quality PD vs. Winstead to the field side (MTA pressure), and on 3rd Down, it’s Foskey on the pressure with Jayson Ademilola and Bertrand cleaning up the Pass Stuff. Punt. Total domination in the second half by this Irish defense to date: 11 positives, 2 negatives, 0 neutral 73 — Mike Tirico with the ‘Billy Dicken’ reference when listing top Purdue QBs in Drew Brees’ presence as we come back from break. That’s good times. Also, Billy Dicken beat Ron Powlus and Bob Davie in 1997 as a 13-point underdog in West Lafayette making him 1-0 against Notre Dame while Brees was 1-2, so there’s that… 74 — Buchner is in…Tyree motions to the boundary left, Buchner fakes the handoff to Williams—RPO!!! RPO!!!—and Tyree collects the sideline pass and races 55 yards for the score. Takacs and Avery Davis blocking downfield. A thing of beauty is a joy forever… 24-16 Irish and the BUCHNER ERA IS OFFICIALLY UPON US! 75 — Love to see Jack Coan (and Drew Pyne) celebrating with Buchner post-play. Reminds me of that beautiful Zaire/Kizer dynamic from 2016. 76 — “They’ve just blown this game wide open, Mike.” Well… 77 — You’ve heard the phrase: “Refused to be blocked” right? On this 1st Down snap, Rylie Mills, Howard Cross, JD Bertrand, Drew White, and Houston Griffith all allow themselves to be blocked and Bryant Koback rolls 67 yards through the Irish defense as a result. Kyle Hamilton misses (slow to get there) in space. Cam Hart and Isaiah Pryor save the touchdown. That would fall in the ‘negative’ column, for the Irish defense. 78 — Who knew when Brian Kelly said ‘We have to get the ball-carrier on the ground’ in August Camp that he was actually offering the defining flaw of the defensive scheme to date. 79 — 3rd-and-Goal at the 8-yard line and the sea parts, Koback for a barely touched 8-yard score on the beautiful shovel pass from Bradley. Florida State had similar success vs. the Irish in the fourth quarter with that tactic last week. 24-22 as Bo Bauer’s pressure blows up the Rocket’s two-point conversion try. Four negatives on that drive for the Irish defense is twice as many as than they had yielded on the previous four drives of the second stanza. 80 — RPO to Tyree for eight yards. A little cleaner catch (maybe a tad off the fastball, too) and that’s 15 yards instead of 8. 81 — 3rd-and-1 and Kyren Williams picks up two yards behind Patterson, Correll, and Baker. My heart be still… Buchner’s presence as a running threat made that all work. Brian Kelly and Tommy Rees have a tough job on their hands over these next four weeks (pre-bye) to manage each game, at least three if not all four of which will be contested into the fourth quarter. 82 — Lugg is reaching and grabbing. Flat-footed (TFL on Williams)…Give Madden and Lugg credit on this ensuing 2nd-and-13 draw though as Williams gains eight yards behind them… 83 — Coan to Mayer on 3rd-and-5 out route. That’s unstoppable. 84 — Buchner back in and he explodes for 12 yards over the right side, then 7 more to the boundary with an RPO option that was covered. 85 — Kyren Williams over RT for 6 yards—nice crease provided by Lugg/Takacs/Mayer—but oh my…stripped, fumble…recovered by Toledo. Sense of dread begins to rise throughout the 2/3 full Stadium… That had easily been ND’s best sustained drive of the half prior: (six positives, three negatives included the whammy by Williams). 86 — That’s his sixth fumble (3 lost) in 14 starts. 87 — Bradley 15 yards to Winstead (Decent Hart coverage) in the face of pressure…Pass interference on Hart, kind of, I guess (Bradley pressured again, Jayson A)…Kiser PD saves a long gain with pressure off the edge…3rd-and-12 and its Winstead again—on Hart again. Nightmare drive for the Irish corner who played three-plus quality quarters prior to this drive… 88 — 3rd-and-2 and DeQuan Finn keeps it over the vacated left boundary for the 26-yard touchdown and 29-24 Rockets lead. Foskey bites inside, effectively allowing one pulling blocker to take out both he and Bertrand and its a clear path for Finn for the score. Houston Griffith bit comically hard as well. My goodness that was bad. How did it come to this? 9 negatives in the last 15 snaps against the Irish defense, again wilting in the fourth quarter. 89 — On the notion that Finn should’ve taken a knee at the 1-yard line, thus setting up a game-winning chip shot field goal attempt, I have four real-world comments for those of you playing a game in retrospect: A.) Well sure. B.) Do you think during the timeout that preceded, Jason Candle and Finn discussed, “Hey, when this whole 3rd-and-2 thing breaks wide open, DON’T SCORE! Just take a knee.” There’s zero chance this conversation was broached for an offense that wanted 2.5 yards to keep the drive alive… C.) Yes, NFL players do this often. They’re paid to be the smartest, well-seasoned football players on the planet. Finn is a backup QB in the MAC trying to upset Notre Dame in South Bend. Let’s be realistic… D.) You’re also asking a college snapper, holder, and kicker not to choke. E.) And yeah…it would’ve been smarter. You’ll have that in college football. 90 — You’ll also have poorly trained offensive lines. How did it come to this? 91 — “I wish we could play Toledo…” 92 — Jack Coan to Kevin Austin. 34 yards. Get Some. 93 — Coan to Mayer, pass interference. He’s unguardable one-on-one. Apparently ‘unguardable’ is not a word per my auto-correct…It should auto-correct to BAD ASS TIGHT END. 94 — Coan to the sidelines…YUCK. OUCH…Coan is short for Cojones, apparently. Trainer Mike Bean is the clutchest man in South Bend. “Clutchest’ also not a word, but it is now… 95 — Coan to Mayer for the ghost to the post game-winning score. He’s good. Just like that, Jack Coan joins former Irish legends to have engineered game-winning drives against Toledo. But just forget that aspect of it! What a drive by the grad-transfer leader!! 95 — For what it’s worth, here’s Pro Football Focus’s ‘Pass Blocking’ Grades from Saturday: 1. Madden 2. Patterson 3. Williams 4. Lugg 5. Baker 6. Correll 7. Mayer 8. Takacs 9. Carmody 96 — A remarkable effort by Avery Davis on the two-point conversion, not just to fake out an unblocked defender in the backfield, but to have the presence of mind to throw back to a SECONDARY receiver in Kyren Williams. Jack Coan was the primary opposite. 97 — Avery Davis is one of the easiest players to root for in recent team history. Irish lead 32-29 at 1:09 mark 98 — Worth noting Cam Hart was benched for this final drive in favor of TaRiq Bracy. He will be targeted Saturday early and often. 99 — In a game after which Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa had to view his father’s funeral service from a computer screen, the graduate-captain makes the game-ending strip, one fittingly recovered by JD Bertrand and disaster is avoided in South Bend. Final Positive-Negative-Neutral Play Tally for the Irish Offense: 36-35-3 (Second half was 19-16-2) Final Positive-Negative-Neutral Play Tally for the Irish Defense: 41-22-5 (Second half was 19-13-0) Something tells me next week will include another 90-plus things to say as this “transitional” period continues… Also, I believe you will see Notre Dame’s trick play against Purdue. (The one we didn’t reveal after an open practice.) NOTRE DAME 32 TOLEDO 29