*Notre Dame* - On Vacation

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Thoros of Beer, Feb 3, 2016.

  1. repoocs

    repoocs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
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    Notre Dame Fighting IrishCincinnati RedsCincinnati BengalsXavier Musketeers

    I would imagine that's one position being heavily targeted among the flip candidates Loy was alluding to.
     
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  2. Red Rover

    Red Rover Neck water faucet, mockingbirds mocking
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    Just the former Stanford commit ranked in the 1000s

    Still can’t believe they took him so quickly. Probably could have offered and flipped him in November
     
  3. repoocs

    repoocs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
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    They were recruiting him before Keeley. He was never and is not a replacement edge/vyper. He's a SDE/3T and if anything was a Jason Moore replacement.
     
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  4. Red Rover

    Red Rover Neck water faucet, mockingbirds mocking
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    I know, I know. I just wanted to air my grievance
     
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  5. Thoros of Beer

    Thoros of Beer Academy Award-Winning Actor, Tim Allen
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    The only recruiting you should care about is the recruiting of good vibes
     
  6. 40wwttamgib

    40wwttamgib Fah Q, Ohio
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    what will be everyone's biggest worry if they pound the mormons in the desert?
     
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  7. NilesIrish

    NilesIrish Not a master fisher but I know bait when I see it
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    Estime sitting out next year for draft prep.
     
  8. 40wwttamgib

    40wwttamgib Fah Q, Ohio
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    i quite like the three headed monster we have here. should be an easy sell to talented backs, esp with our offensive lines.
     
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  9. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    let it be
     
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  10. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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  11. a1ND

    a1ND Bold & Spicy
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    Estime looks like he's having the time of his life out there
     
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  12. a1ND

    a1ND Bold & Spicy
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    ToT

    “It’s what you hope Notre Dame football is going to be about. That you’re going to have an o-line that can run the ball, even if the team knows we’re going to run the ball. To be able to get – I’m not saying 10 yards, those were added bonuses, those big plays -- but to be able to run the ball at will for four or five yards, that’s something that you have to be able to do, especially with our current roster. And they did a really good job.

    “That’s a group, in particular, as you see from Game One to Game Four, that has really, really gotten better. And as I’ve said earlier in the year, it’s a group that's really young other than (Jarrett Patterson) and (Josh) Lugg. Those two freshmen tackles are still figuring it out. They didn’t play a whole bunch last year…And to have Zeke (Correll) in there, they’re jelling. They’re jelling. They’re doing a good job.” -- Marcus Freeman


    • When you think about the growth quarterback Drew Pyne made from the first quarter of the Cal game

    through the performance at North Carolina in Notre Dame’s 45-32 victory over the Tar Heels, it’s a testament to the sheer will and determination of the 5-foot-11½, 198-pound red-shirt sophomore out of New Canaan, Conn.



    The first two passes batted down at the line of scrimmage in the opening series were disconcerting, but from then on, Pyne completed 24-of-32 – 75 percent – for 289 yards and three touchdowns with one sack and zero interceptions on 57 passes against Cal and North Carolina.



    When Pyne was forced into the lineup following Tyler Buchner’s late-game, season-ending injury against the Golden Bears, I said that Pyne would be a slight improvement in terms of completion percentage. I was wrong about that. I was picturing the throws over the linebacker and underneath the cornerback/safety that Pyne has struggled with in games and practice.



    Those aren’t throws offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will ask Pyne to make often. Pyne’s lack of stature works against him when having to see over and beyond the linebacker. But those little turnout routes to Michael Mayer, Lorenzo Styles and Jayden Thomas? Those are gimmes for Pyne (when he’s not nervous like he was early against Cal). You may recall from the spring that when asked what he believes Pyne’s greatest assets are, Rees’ first comment was “accuracy.”



    • Now, keep in mind that North Carolina is not a press-man defense. North Carolina defensive play-caller Gene Chizik would like them to be, but a source told Irish Illustrated that Chizik has no confidence in his cornerbacks’ abilities to play press-man. So Pyne should have been a 75 percent passer against the Tar Heels. ABC analyst Dan Orlovsky repeatedly showed the outrageous cushion cornerbacks Tony Grimes and Storm Duck, let alone their safeties, were giving the Irish receivers. These are pre-game warmup throws that any quarterback should make.



    But Pyne was mostly very good with only a couple of real passing miscues. His short-hopper to Mayer when rolling to his right was a result of Pyne tucking it in to run, only to discover Mayer open on the sideline. When Pyne transferred the football from tucked to throwing hand, he never got a good grasp and spiked it short of Mayer.



    A sign of Pyne’s progress from the Cal game is that after that bad throw, he immediately followed up with a well-placed 10-yarder to Mayer. Pyne acknowledged after the game that he lived by the Marcus Freeman credo of “one play, one life.” In other words, after the bad play is over, it’s over. Move on. Pyne was easily able to navigate that against the Tar Heels.



    • Pyne took a couple shots, although not nearly as many as North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Pyne was pinballed at the end of the first half. He hung in there on the perfect 30-yard touchdown toss to Lorenzo Styles and absorbed a late hit (more like push) from DE-Desmond Evans. But he was mostly unscathed, partly because of the tremendous performance by the Notre Dame offensive line but also because of the overall ineptitude of the North Carolina defense and Pyne showing a better feel for the game.



    One of Pyne’s better decisions was in the red zone when he could have forced a ball to Mayer at the goal. He began to throw to Mayer, thought better of it, and came back to Matt Salerno to his left for the first down because he knew he had Salerno as a safety valve.



    We’ll address some of Pyne’s better plays below as we go over some of the more creative play concepts. But I think we can say that Pyne has a chance to be more consistently accurate than Buchner would have been had he remained in the lineup. The disparity between the accuracy of the two quarterbacks was covered by Irish Illustrated during August. Pyne is a more consistent thrower of the football.



    His throwing range isn’t as great as Buchner’s but let the record show that on the 30-yard touchdown pass to Styles, he released it at the 35-yard line and Styles caught it a yard inside the end-line. That’s 44 yards in the air with an effortless, easy flick of the wrist. You don’t want Pyne muscling up to throw deep streaks in man coverage with safety help over the top. But he’s more than capable of making the intermediate-to-semi-deep throw if his wideouts get open.



    This arm strength stuff will come into play against teams that truly press Notre Dame’s pass-catchers when the window is much smaller. That’s when he’ll have to get rid of it quickly and rifle it into a spot that isn’t as big as the ones he had against North Carolina. There are windows and garage doors. The latter is what Pyne was throwing through against the Tar Heels.



    Pyne completed 15-of-22 for 181 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and 9-of-12 for 108 yards and one touchdown in the second half as the ground game took over. He’s not a threat in the read-option game per se. But when he keeps it, it has an element of surprise, such as his 3rd-and-6 run for eight yards. He also weaved his way through traffic on a 3rd-and-8 run for 13 yards.



    • Pyne made a few bad decisions. He threw deep into double-coverage to Jayden Thomas that had little chance of a connection. He had Audric Estime circling out of the backfield for an easy conversion. He overthrew a deep shot to Braden Lenzy and missed him on a cross at the goal line. There was the short-hopper to a wide-open Mayer.



    There’s never any reason, really, to sneak with Pyne on 4th-and-1 when Estime is in the game, especially when the offensive line is blocking as well as it was with 6-foot-5, 355-pound nose tackle Travis Shaw on the field for the Tar Heels. But that’s not on Pyne.



    • One last thing(s) about Pyne for now. Is it a coincidence that the offensive line began blocking much better in the Cal game when Pyne entered the starting lineup? I don’t think so. That’s not to say the offensive line wants to block for Pyne and didn’t want to for Buchner. But I believe there’s an element of confidence in Pyne’s abilities to get the Irish into the right looks and make plays that Buchner hasn’t earned yet. Pyne leads the offense when he’s on the field; Buchner is still trying to work his way through the mental process of making a play. For the record, Pyne is 2-0 as a starter.



    • Keeping North Carolina red-shirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye in check is no small feat. The ACC will find that out this season and beyond. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound athlete is the son of former Tar Heel quarterback Mark Maye, who threw for 3,362 yards in 1986-87. He is also the brother of former basketball standout Luke Maye (North Carolina) and national-title-winning pitcher Cole Maye (Florida). The athlete gene is alive and well in the Maye family.



    You can’t really say “with the exception of the 80- and 64-yard touchdown throws in the third and fourth quarters” because those count, too. And yet the reality is that the first one came after the Irish had built a 24-point lead and the second one – with both thrown to speedster and five-star prospect Antoine Green – came with 1:44 remaining.



    After Maye led the Tar Heels on a 12-play, 76-yard touchdown drive out of the gate, Notre Dame’s defense did an outstanding job of diffusing the Tar Heels with the help of a keep-away offense by the Irish.



    • Orlovsky compared Maye’s movement in and around the pocket to Joe Burrow. But the Irish bounced him around. A 70-percent-plus passer through the first three games, Notre Dame’s defense limited him to 17-of-32 (53.1 percent) for 301 yards. Again, you can’t exclude the big plays. The kid threw five touchdown passes, including two to the elusive Josh Downs.



    But the fact is Maye was 15-of-30 for 151 yards outside of the two long touchdown passes to Green.



    The pounding of Maye began in the third series when he scrambled and took a big shot from Irish safety Xavier Watts. During a second quarter scramble, nose tackle Howard Cross III chased and landed on top of Maye with the full force of his weight. Defensive end Nana Osafo-Mensah closed in and drilled Maye on an incompletion to Green. On the very next play, Maye showed the impact of the previous hit when he threw a turnout-route pass to a running back way off the mark.



    Eventually, North Carolina’s offensive line was pushed into the lap of Maye by Notre Dame’s relentless defensive front and thus, the dwindling completion percentage. Marist Liufau served as a spy and limited Maye’s running ability. Maye will learn and grow from the experience. But three sacks, multiple hits on passes and scrambles, and the collapsing pocket exposed the inevitable whenever a quarterback is pressured.



    • It was a strong performance by the Notre Dame defense against one of the most prolific offensive machines in college football. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo is still an innovative offensive mind. But like most coordinators, the passing game doesn’t look as efficient when the offensive line cannot keep the opposing defense out of the backfield.



    Notre Dame’s charge was led by defensive ends Isaiah Foskey and Rylie Mills. I thought it was one of Foskey’s best games of his career against the run, which included a pair of goal-line tackles in North Carolina’s opening drive. Mills was a bear. He overpowered North Carolina’s tackles when he was at end with his powerful bull rush and then out-quicked/overpowered the Tar Heel interior when he bumped inside to tackle. His wraparound exchanged with Foskey led to the first sack. On his second sack, he simply overpowered the North Carolina left guard.



    • The most impressive aspect of Notre Dame’s defense against North Carolina was the ability to shut down the Tar Heel rushing attack. Freshman Omarion Hampton is going to be a real load with the Tar Heels, but he never launched against the Irish. His 10 carries netted 28 yards with a long run of 12. So his other nine carries accounted for 16 yards. Three other North Carolina running backs who contributed to its 3-0 start – DJ Jones, Caleb Hood and George Pettaway – never really got involved because the Tar Heels fell behind, couldn’t take the football away from the Irish, and couldn’t run it well anyway.



    • After possessing the football for 8:50 of the first quarter, the Tar Heels were limited to an incredible 12:57 over the final 45 minutes of the game. North Carolina had the football just 2:43 of the third quarter and 4:53 of the fourth. That means the Irish owned the football for 22:24 of the second half to North Carolina’s 7:36.



    • A move defensive coordinator Al Golden may want to stick to is the way linebackers Marist Liufau and Jack Kiser were employed against the Tar Heels with JD Bertrand sitting out the first half due to a targeting penalty late in the Cal game. Liufau is a disruptive force when he presses the line of scrimmage and serves as a pass rusher. He has the uncanny ability to slice through the seams of an offensive line’s pass-blocking efforts.



    When Liufau blitzed against North Carolina, he either forced his way through a gap or required specific attention that then freed up the pass rush of the Irish defensive line. He showed a similar ability against Cal.



    Maybe the best way to utilize Kiser and Liufau is to give Kiser more inside linebacker reps and place Liufau on the edge/at Rover, which really plays to Liufau’s strengths. It also allows Kiser to be more of a box defender. If Kiser can hold up physically in the box, it might be the best usage of skillsets .



    Bo Bauer needs this bye week to help overcome a left shoulder/arm issue that seems to be limiting his time. Prince Kollie certainly played with aggression and without hesitation, making two tackles including one for lost yardage. Kiser can always pop back to the outside when needed.



    Liufau is a weapon, a wildcard, a disruptive force when he attacks the line of scrimmage. An exchange or at least a sharing of roles could benefit the entire linebacker corps/defense.



    • I went into the North Carolina game with the intent of describing the creativity and multiplicity of the Notre Dame offense. It was very creative due in part to the Notre Dame offensive line whipping North Carolina’s defensive line, which opens up the playbook even further.



    Do critics of the Notre Dame offense actually break down plays frame by frame, noting personnel, pre-snap movement and the various buttons that are pushed? Or do you just look at the result of the play to determine what was and what wasn’t a good call? I could write an entire Tale of the Tape just focusing on the design of plays against North Carolina.



    • The best of the bunch was the 29-yard touchdown pass to Logan Diggs. It was 1st-and-10 at the North Carolina 25. It was trips bunched left with Tyree, Mayer and Styles. Tyree motioned back to the formation. Logan Diggs was in the pistol. Drew Pyne faked to Diggs left. Mayer and Styles ran off the North Carolina coverage. Pyne rolled to his right with Tyree attracting attention. The entire North Carolina defense disregarded Diggs. They didn’t even know where he was because of the attention to Tyree’s motion and Mayer and Styles running off.



    Pyne planted his foot and threw a strike back to Diggs. There was nary a Carolina blue shirt in sight. Also part of the play was freshman tight end Eli Raridon, attached right, crossing underneath Diggs just in case the Tar Heels detected Diggs circling out of the backfield. The Irish had it all covered.



    • Notre Dame got the football to Michael Mayer in virtually every way imaginable, including a jet shovel. There was a jerk route in which Mayer settled, faked one way and broke another. There was the touchdown pass in which there was trips left with Mayer attached right. The trips cleared out the left side of the field for Mayer to come across the formation and score on a 10-yard touchdown. Mayer was not touched…until he was greeted by his teammates in the end zone.



    • On Mayer’s 16-yard bucking bronco reception to the two, the Irish motioned Tyree left out of a split backfield, which drew the attention of North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray. Mayer, attached right, crossed the formation right and caught the football in the exact spot Gray had vacated because of the Tyree motion.



    Tyree used the blocking of a trips formation to spring for nine yards. The Irish got Jayden Thomas involved with a route underneath Mayer, who had attracted all the attention. There was another time the Irish got it to Mayer on an intermediate crossing route that sprung open because Thomas came through on a very shallow crossing route ahead of Mayer.



    On the 30-yard touchdown grab by Styles, the play-action fake to Audric Estime drew safety Cam’Ron Kelly to him, which allowed Styles to streak past the remaining Tar Heel defender for the easy score.



    • The Irish ran jet/end-around stuff with Lenzy, Diggs and Styles. On the 34-yard pass to Diggs, there was play-action left to Tyree. Diggs circled past Styles, who had motioned underneath and drawn the attention of North Carolina defense. Diggs was wide open and weaved his way through traffic.



    One time it was Mayer as the lone receiver to the left with trips right. Mayer banana-ed over the middle for a perfect Pyne pass. Another time, when Styles motioned across the formation, drawing a widening of the North Carolina defense, Pyne handed off to Estime for a gain of eight. There were many others.



    Notre Dame’s offense is very creative. It is – as it is for Phil Longo – dependent upon the offensive line winning at the point of attack and then executing the plays set in motion. Unless you’re willing to actually study all the pre-snap alignments, the multiplicity of formations and personnel -- and then the offshoots of multiple skill-position players used from similar looks -- you’re not grasping the various aspects of the Notre Dame offense.



    • One of our subscribers mentioned it. Don’t know if it was his idea or he heard it. But the “Baby Bus” moniker for 230-pound Audric Estime is a perfectly acceptable nickname in my estimation.



    Dan Orlovsky commended Estime for not being hesitant running the football against North Carolina. I would counter that it’s easy to be aggressive when the handoff is greeted by five yards of unencumbered daylight. But Estime is indeed feeling it. He’s a real weapon inside the five-yard line, his fumble notwithstanding. That was unfortunate since he was inches from the goal line and had picked up the first down once he reached the two-yard line. It’s nice to have a true bruiser at the goal line. Love the physicality that oozes from his performance. It sets a tone.



    • I thought Chris Tyree’s performance was underrated with what Estime did and the damage Logan Diggs inflicted in the passing game. Tyree showed some power and tackle breaking ability. His short touchdown run featured a lowering of the pads and slamming into the line of scrimmage, which he couldn’t do effectively until he added some overall strength during the off-season. Tyree had 80 yards on 15 carries and another 31 yards on four receptions.



    Diggs remains way too much in a kick-it-outside mindset when the play is designed as an inside zone run. He refuses to choose the B gap much too often. Then when he ran between the tackles, he resorted to a spin move instead of widening his base and making a move right or left off of that. Great hips in the open field with a head of steam. He’s just a very inconsistent running back right now who seems stubborn as it relates to following his blockers.



    • Can’t say enough good things about the offensive line. LG-Jarrett Patterson is auditioning for the NFL with the Irish choosing to run behind him on most decisive short-yardage runs. They’re putting him on the run, too, which accentuates his mobility. C-Zeke Correll has been transformed the last two weeks. He didn’t win every battle with NT-Raymond Vohasek. No one does. But he won the overall competition. When Correll is locked and loaded, he can handle anyone. He’s not always locked and loaded. He was crumpled a couple times. But he’s capable. Joe Alt is a pro in the making. He’s athletic, active and outstanding in space. He’s teamed well with Patterson in recent weeks.



    • No more talk about replacing RG-Josh Lugg. He’s not always consistent, but he’s the only choice for Notre Dame at right guard in 2022. He’s played his best football the last two weeks. This was perhaps Blake Fisher’s best game in an Irish uniform. Marcus Freeman said Fisher was poked in the eye and that there was no concussion. But getting poked in the eye – depending upon the severity – involves a degree of head trauma. The bye comes at a good time for him. Tosh Baker filled in for Fisher in the fourth quarter. He’s not very mobile and lacked the certainty of the starting offensive linemen. But he held his own as the Irish continued to plow their way downfield. He stayed on his feet and chased plays.



    The offensive line is playing alert and confident. They’re seeing things through one lens and their feeling it. It’s confident execution.


    • Why were the North Carolina defensive backs playing so far off the Irish pass-catchers? Irish Illustrated was told that North Carolina does not believe it can run press-man effectively. They’re not very good with cushion, either…Very good passing performance by Pyne. Next step is to get wideouts to beat press-man. It’s easier getting open with a free release…Notre Dame’s 35 first downs were the most by an Irish offense since the 36 against Army at home in 1974…Great appreciation of Lorenzo Styles’ chain-moving ability. In shorter-yardage situations that require a pass, Styles is money (a couple drops vs. Cal notwithstanding). He not only had the touchdown reception, but he drew an interference penalty in the end zone…Michael Mayer’s best play might have been the one that didn’t count. His grab in the end zone was nullified by his heel overhanging by a centimeter on the white stripe…Keep getting the ball into the hands of the running backs in the passing game…



    Marcus Freeman to sideline reporter before start of second half regarding the second half goal: “Just do your job.” There’s no evidence the comment is tied to the t-shirts circulating this week spawned by Tommy Rees. But found it a bit ironic…Freeman to Drew Pyne when he called a late third quarter timeout: “We’ve got to watch that. We can’t waste timeouts.” Followed by an expletive…In line with the way the Tar Heels play defense, their punt coverage allowed a pair of 17-yard returns to Brandon Joseph…It seems as if kicking from the right hash is not Blake Grupe’s strength. He tends to leave it right of the upright. His make from 40 just squeezed in…Orlovsky said previous UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman liked to blitz whereas Chizik wants to be fundamentally sound. He’s a long, long way from that. Imagine what North Carolina fans are saying about the job Chizik has done through four games…



    • North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton – a very talented football player – entered the game averaging six yards per carry. He averaged 2.8 on 10 carries against the Irish…We see you, Chris Smith, making a stop for no gain on North Carolina’s second series…Ample usage of freshman TE-Eli Raridon and some of classmate Holden Staes in 13 personnel. Raridon looks awfully lean as a blocking, attached tight end, but he’s game. Saw him eliminate DE-Kaimon Rucker from a play. (Watch for a pass to Raridon coming up that opponents aren’t suspecting. Maybe even Staes.) Staes helped wipe out the left side of the Tar Heel defensive line on Estime’s goal-line fumble…



    Dan Orlovsky is an incredibly insightful analyst. He’s wired. He may want to lighten up on the caffeine. What I appreciate about him is that he absolutely loves his job(s), of which he has several. “Don’t get too cute if you’re Notre Dame. Until they figure out what you’re doing and you’re just getting the ball to 87, you continue to do it.” He’s right about Bertrand’s hit. I could see where it would be questioned, but as Orlovsky said, that receiver is 6-foot-5 and Bertrand is 6-foot-1, and thus his target for contact is going to be lower, in the neck and head area…For the first time in five games under Freeman, Notre Dame won the coin toss. They deferred. It certainly was nice to have the second-half kickoff after scoring the last 10 points of the second quarter to take a 24-14 lead…It would have behooved Drake Maye if he had decided early in this game not to throw to tight end Bryson Nesbitt (No. 18) and wideout Gavin Blackwell (No. 2). Between them, they caught two passes on eight targets, including just 1-of-5 by Nesbitt…CB-Clarence Lewis just wasn’t ready for the burst of speed by Antoine Green on the 80-yarder. He’s played very well through four games otherwise… Cam Hart certainly has the physical tools to be a high draft choice in the NFL. But he’s not consistent enough at this stage of his development. He still needs experience. He needs to stick around for the 2023 season unless he really picks up his game moving forward…Prince Kollie looked comfortable and that he belonged in this game. More, please…



    • So much for the bye week advantage for North Carolina. Maybe it’s just about the best team…Did you see what the field judge said to Mack Brown about the unsportsmanlike penalty call against Antoine Green following his second touchdown reception? “That’s what we’re told to do,” said the field judge of Green spinning the football…Why send two blitzers on 4th-and-21? Maybe to work on it? It needs more work. Cam Hart squatted and barely flinched as Green sprinted by him for the easy score…Tremendous pass breakup by Xavier Watts in the end zone…Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey struggle at times. But love the fact they’re seeing action because in the long haul, it will benefit them and the Notre Dame defense. Mickey was in phase to make a play on a deep ball but didn’t. But he provided nice flat coverage for no gain, had a PBU on a two-point conversion, and made a quality hit on Hampton’s short TD run. Morrison was called for interference when he grabbed the back of JJ Jones. Still want to see these guys on the field… Shoutout to freshman kickoff man Zac Yoakam, who has had 11 touchbacks on 19 kickoffs (57.8 percent). Opponents are averaging 18.6 yards per kick return, which is 42nd nationally. The 5-foot-8 Yoakam has done quality work for a guy who wasn’t on the radar a few months ago…



    • Brandon Joseph is really showing some nice wiggle and vision on punt returns. We saw you, Noah Taylor, throwing that shoulder into Joseph out of bounds that wasn’t called. Joseph had a nice red-zone pressure on Drake Maye from his safety position. He was called for holding in the end zone, which isn’t a bad idea if you’re beaten. There’s a reason Joseph was on the hands team for an onside kick. He pounced on it when he knew he could cradle it before it reached 10 yards. Joseph wants to play in the NFL sooner rather than later. His best decision, however, would be to return to Notre Dame in 2023…Where was NT-Jacob Lacey?... Without injured TE-Kevin Bauman, the Irish turned to more extensive use of FB-Davis Sherwood, who did mostly outstanding work with Mayer in 12 personnel…



    • A Deion Colzie sighting on the second-to-last play of the second quarter…Lo and behold, a turnover after 14 quarters and 2:42. That’s 212 minutes, 42 seconds…Jordan Botelho doing Jordan Botelho things. Makes tackle from the backside on defense. Then he rams his helmet into the facemask of a North Carolina player on kick coverage well after the play is over. No call…S-DJ Brown has a hamstring issue…Who got the hand on the punt block? Never did see…I respect Mack Brown very much. He’s just a quality guy. Can’t blame him for snapping on phantom end zone interference call.
     
  13. a1ND

    a1ND Bold & Spicy
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    Liufau played an awesome game at LB containing Maye...he was very impressive and hopefully that's a huge confidence boost
     
  14. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    Today I learned that Luke Jones is starting at LT for Arkansas and Dillan Gibbons starting at LG for FSU
     
  15. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    so the luke jones one is a bummer, because it would mean he would be a huge upgrade over either lugg or it would allow us to center patterson and bench correl, both huge improvements. I like that gibbons found a good life, he seems like an awesome dude
     
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  16. Beeds07

    Beeds07 Bitch, it's Saturday
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    Just like the last staff, this staff does not bench upperclassmen. Lugg and Correll would likely still be starting if Jones were here. They just don’t do that.
     
  17. repoocs

    repoocs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
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    Except for LT and RT where the starters are the youngest non-true freshmen among the OL, and between the two came into the season with fewer than 10 combined starts.

    I think fans tend to overplay the unwillingness to play young guys thing at times.
     
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  18. DetroitIrish3

    DetroitIrish3 Well-Known Member
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  19. CTownND

    CTownND Well-Known Member
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    I'll give Tommy credit, that was a JV looking defense, but he had a ton of great play calls in that game
     
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  20. Wicket

    Wicket Fan: ND, PSV, Pool FC, Cricket, Urquel, Dog Crew
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    looked a great call because one of the TEs, think it was mayer but couldnt see the number and not bothered to try and figure out if there are clues, absolutely whalloped his man blocking
     
  21. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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  22. CTownND

    CTownND Well-Known Member
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    Looks like 2023 recruiting went from "utter disaster" to "pretty good by Brey standards" in 3 months

    They better work the portal like crazy for a big though, and probably would be nice to fill out with a 2023 late bloomer big too
     
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  23. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    shit Prister said he’s going to Davidson lol
     
  24. CTownND

    CTownND Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Dammit, I know nothing about this guy but we shouldn't be losing Brey-ball guys to mid-majors
     
  25. CTownND

    CTownND Well-Known Member
    Donor

  26. NDfanPSUgrad

    NDfanPSUgrad Well-Known Member
    Penn State Nittany LionsNotre Dame Fighting Irish

    What’s the “+” mean for #2
     
  27. NilesIrish

    NilesIrish Not a master fisher but I know bait when I see it
    Donor TMB OG
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    So maybe losing a T commit is ok. He can go be soft af at USC.
     
  28. IHHH

    IHHH Well-Known Member
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    Notre Dame Fighting IrishCleveland BrownsMontreal Canadiens

     
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  29. Killy Me Please

    Killy Me Please I lift things up and put people down.
    Donor

    Special Q version.
     
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  30. CTownND

    CTownND Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Honestly, does Tommy just pay his full salary to media lobbying?

    He called a good game, but the #2 coaching performance in all of college football when we still looked limp for the first quarter and played against maybe the worst P5 defense? lol

     
  31. Killy Me Please

    Killy Me Please I lift things up and put people down.
    Donor

    Tommy has the media shook he's going to release the USB drives
     
  32. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
    Donor
    San Diego State AztecsSan Diego Padres

  33. Beeds07

    Beeds07 Bitch, it's Saturday
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    Since I didn’t watch, who saw the snaps for Bertrand’s suspension?
     
  34. repoocs

    repoocs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
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    Notre Dame Fighting IrishCincinnati RedsCincinnati BengalsXavier Musketeers

    The future at corner looks so freaking good.
     
  35. repoocs

    repoocs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
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    Notre Dame Fighting IrishCincinnati RedsCincinnati BengalsXavier Musketeers

    Kizer moved inside for much of the first half. Kollie took a handful of Kizer's Rover snaps, but not all. I think they ran more nickel and replaced that spot with DBs. I'm not 100% sure, though. I've not seen a breakdown of snaps.
     
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  36. nexus

    nexus TMB’s TSO
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    play Merriweather you fucking assholes

    I don’t care if we go 0-8 the rest of the way I just wanna see him show out and the entire student section blue themselves
     
  37. Beeds07

    Beeds07 Bitch, it's Saturday
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    Looked like Benny learned from his time at ND

     
    a1ND, repoocs, IHHH and 3 others like this.
  38. 40wwttamgib

    40wwttamgib Fah Q, Ohio
    Donor



    such an important recruit. he's going to be so fucking good.
     
    SD_Irish, IHHH, Red Rover and 3 others like this.
  39. IHHH

    IHHH Well-Known Member
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    Notre Dame Fighting IrishCleveland BrownsMontreal Canadiens

    always knew this guy was going to find success in the nfl
     
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  40. 40wwttamgib

    40wwttamgib Fah Q, Ohio
    Donor



    Same thing here. My god.
     
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  41. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    Our young DBs are improving, earning playing time, and I just have never seen this out of ND before

    fuck that’s encouraging
     
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  42. Bert Handsome

    Bert Handsome I'm sorry, the card says Moops
    Donor TMB OG
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    Tom Rees figuring out how to use Tyree...

    [​IMG]
     
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  43. DetroitIrish3

    DetroitIrish3 Well-Known Member
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    Notre Dame Fighting IrishDetroit LionsDetroit Red WingsDetroit Pistons

    It’s our strength, too. We should have as many 2 back sets as possible to just give different looks. If Price wasn’t hurt as well, we’d probably have even more since we could spare more injuries
     
    repoocs, 40wwttamgib and IHHH like this.
  44. 40wwttamgib

    40wwttamgib Fah Q, Ohio
    Donor



    One of the funnier highlight videos i've ever seen. "BRO" makes me laugh every time.
     
    repoocs likes this.
  45. repoocs

    repoocs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
    Donor
    Notre Dame Fighting IrishCincinnati RedsCincinnati BengalsXavier Musketeers

    There were a couple plays Saturday where the ball ended up with a back that I wasn't even aware was on the field, but who had come from elsewhere in the formation after the snap.
     
    laxjoe, DetroitIrish3 and 40wwttamgib like this.
  46. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    today I learned that Quinn Carroll is starting at RT for Minnesota

    3 P5 starters transferred out of ND
     
  47. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
    TMB OG
    Notre Dame Fighting IrishChicago White SoxIndianapolis ColtsColumbus Blue JacketsColumbus Crew

    Others of note:

    KJ Wallace and Derrik Allen are starting safeties for Georgia Tech- Kari Ghee is also in the rotation at DB

    Harrison Leonard is the kick off specialist for Rhode Island

    CBO Flemister is RB #4 for Pitt not getting much burn

    Shayne Simon is starting at LB for Pitt

    Jay Bramblett is the starting punter and holder for LSU

    George Tackas is starting at TE #1 for BC

    JoJo Johnson is playing DB for Iowa Western CC

    Caleb Offord is a backup CB for Buffalo

    Old Man Safety - Litchfield does not play for RICE

    Brendon Clark has not played for ODU

    Lawrence Keys is a deep backup WR at Tulane

    Jay Brunelle does not play at Yale

    Devin Auipu does not play at UCLA

    Jordan Johnson does not play at UCF

    Kendall Abdur Rahman does not play for WKU

    Micah Jones does not play for Ill State

    Ovie Oghoufou starts at DE for Texas- seems to be good

    Jack Lamb does not play at Colorado

    Jamion Franklin starts at NT for Duke

    Kofi Wardlow is a reserve DE for Charlotte

    John Olmstead appears to be the starting Center for Lafayette
     
  48. theregionsitter

    theregionsitter Well-Known Member
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    holy fuck that WR recruiting is even worse when you realize the kids who tranferred out dont even play for shitty teams
     
    laxjoe, gritzy, mccar2cm and 8 others like this.
  49. Beeds07

    Beeds07 Bitch, it's Saturday
    Donor
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    That’s a lot of garbage recruits.