JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 30, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 30, 2023

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mark, Orange County CA

1:20

Hi Eric, I was so pleased with ND's performance in their season opener. They played with discipline( only penalized 1 time that I recall) solid play on both sides of the ball, and for me they won in the manner they should win, In the past there have been many wins that were escapes even though ND had large talent advantages.Were you expecting ND to play at the level they did against Navy? What do you want to see from ND in this week's game to make you believe this team has a very high ceiling? Thank you for your outstanding coverage of ND. It is truly appreciated by us fans in the good times and the not so good times.

Eric Hansen

1:19

Hi Tim. Very reasonable question, and I think it comes down to the limited possessions and still needing to get work for the starters in improving chemistry. There were really seven offensive possessions with the eighth just covering 13 yards at the end of the game. And Estimé was bench for a quarter and a half for the fumble, so I think they wanted to get him some work. If the score gets out of whack this week, I'd expect you'll see the starters exit quicker.

Tim - Pleasant Prairie WI

late after the game had been basically decided.

1:12

Hi Eric…why do you suppose Estime, Hartman and some other starters were left in the game so

Eric Hansen

1:12

Hi Mark. I have not watched the Netflix documentary Swamp Kings, and have heard mixed reviews. But I think I can take a stab at your question without having seen it. I don't think Urban would be a fit now ... and perhaps at other points in his career. Could he have been after Tyrone Willingham was fired after the 2004 season? If he ADAPTED to the Notre Dame way, I think he could have been successful, but I don't think HE believed that. And it would have taken some time. ND did not have the football infrastructure then that it does now in terms of assistant coaches' salaries, training table, sports science resources, etc.

Mark from KC

1:07

Have you watched Swamp Kings? In your opinion, if Urban Meyer had come to ND would he have had success (National Championship or close) or would the restraints in recruiting et. al. and his coaching style been a mismatch for the job?

Eric Hansen

1:06

Skip, I know you mean which recruit will next verbally commit to Notre Dame? Nobody can sign until December among the 2024s. My educated guess would be four-star offensive lineman Guerby Lambert. And it's an "educated" guess, because that's what my recruiting-savvy colleagues Tyler James and Charleston Bowles told me.

skip - Houston

1:04

Which recruit will be next to sign with Notre Dame?

Eric Hansen

1:04

Hi Denny. I'm really curious to see how that plays out in games in which a team is trying to come back. The clock does stop in the final two minutes, but a lot of those rallies start before the clock gets to that point. ... He didn't have any classes this summer and is a non-degree-seeking curriculum this fall, so football is front and center.

Denny from Bullard TX

1:04

my question is for Sam Hartman’s 6th season what kind of academic schedule does he have?

1:02

Hi Eric! What a game. As clean as I can remember. It seems the new clock tule shortened the game by a couple possessions is my only complaint!

Eric Hansen

1:02

Hi Tim. The modification of the cut block rule, from people I've spoken with who are more schooled on the nuances of triple-option football, tell me that rule change does make it harder to be effective on the perimeter for Navy against defense's with speed on the edge. So yes, it's significant. I think that's one reason why Navy is excited about what Grant Chesnut can do as its offensive coordinator long term, because he is so creative about modifying the tradition triple-option.

Tim Thompson

12:59

Nantucket, Ma. Hi all, the new rule keeping the game -clock running through first-downs was mentioned several times during the broadcast, but another rule change that I believe was in ND’s favor was no cut-blocking outside the tackle box. Because the game was so lopsided I didn’t see any impact, but also I am not an expert for that. Observations?

Eric Hansen

12:58

Hi Petro4, thanks for the compliment. There have been times when injuries were understated in their severity. We'll follow up on that, hopefully, Thursday. What I can tell you is that I saw Gabe Rubio walking near Notre Dame Stadium right after the press conference on Monday. Marcus Freeman even joked to him "Hey, shouldn't you be limping?" And he was not limping. Marcus offered him a ride in his golf cart, and Rubio took him up on it. Then Tuesday night at coordinator/player interviews, DC Al Golden didn't seem overly concerned this would be long term when I was asking him about alternatives. But I agree with you, Rubio is really coming on and will be important in the big games.

Petro4 from L.A.

12:54

Thanks for the great work, Eric. You have become the "must-see, go-to" for all true ND fans, and your hard work is appreciated by all of us. Gabriel Rubio's injury seems to be flying under the radar a little bit, but I feel is it cause for serious concern. He and Onye look to be absolute beasts and ready for primetime action. There doesn't appear to be any drop-off when they're on the field, and they're able to give Cross and Mills plenty of rest throughout a game. That rotation makes for a fresh interior 4 late in games. I don't recall the last time I was able to say this confidently about ND's D-line rotation. I'm concerned that his injury will be more serious than advertised and will cause him to be out for more than just "a couple of weeks." I would love to hear that he'll be back by the Ohio St. game, but my glass is half full. What information do you have on this and how does ND accommodate for the loss, if it is for an extended period? Thanks again.

Eric Hansen

12:53

Hi Ced, I'm glad you didn't cite where you heard that about Deion Colzie. Can I assume it was during Happy Hour? Colzie has to work through some injury issues during camp early on. So it's hard to practice or play when your body's not right.

ced walker

12:52

ced walker saginaw michigan very well please with win our wr played good too merriweather will come around this week im hearing deion colzie doesnt like to practice but play great when it's game time trust the golden standard rally we are nd go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us

Eric Hansen

12:51

You have to go all the way back to the 2017 season when an Irish tight end did not have a reception in a game. That was also against Navy. In 2019, only third-stringer George Takacs had a catch against the Mids, while stars Cole Kmet and Tommy Tremble were shut out. So, I don't think this is going to be a trend for the rest of the season. Like so many things with Navy, I think it will be a one-off game. But for ND's offense to operate at its max dynamic, Tobias Merriweather needs to take advantage of his opportunities, how ever many there are. I think that will come in time.

12:47

Jim, thanks so much. It's not that Gerad Parker was avoiding getting them involved, and there were a few things at play in Tobias Merriweather and the tight end corps not getting any catches. First, Sam Hartman is going to find the open receiver. In the Navy game, he (and Steve Angeli on his one attempt) combined to target 10 DIFFERENT players. Jayden Thomas led the Irish with four targets and caught all four of those passes. Tobias was targeted twice, dropping one and being overthrown on one. So his opportunities were in line with everyone else's. Navy's defense of blitzing often and twisting and stunting prompted Gerad Parker to, at times, keep the tight end in to block. The tight ends were never thrown to, but Navy's scheme plays into it. (more)

Jim Tal, Valley Center CA.

12:39

Eric, can't say how much your coverage of the Irish is appreciated. You truly are a go-to source. Would you not agree that G. Parker should make it a high priority this week to get Tobias M. and the tight ends actively involved in the pass game. After all, it's hard to imagine the ND offense being anywhere near its best if the aforementioned aren't playing a meaningful role as the season unfolds. Thanks as always.

Eric Hansen

12:38

Senior nose guard Aidan Keanaaina is a backup nose guard for the Irish, who's trying to push his way up the depth chart. Gabe Rubio's knee injury will likely give him a chance to impress in practice this week to try to earn a larger role in Rubio's absence. Some of the interior D-linemen, such as Jason Onye, have position flexibility, so that plays into the plan of filling Rubio's void. Sophomore Donovan Hinish came in for Rubio in the Navy game. Keanaaina did not play on defense in the Navy game. If you're a subscriber to Inside ND Sports, we publish snap counts for every player, every week.

Frank from Royse City, Texas

12:32

Eric, what is Aidan Keanaaina role with the team? Did he get any snaps against Navy? With Rubio out hopefully he can get some snaps. Thank you

Eric Hansen

12:31

Jayden Thomas is at his best into the boundary. He's going to see a lot of one-on-one coverage, and he can outmuscle most corners in those situations. He is not the field stretcher Tobias is on the field side. He could play there, but conceptually it's not as taxing on a defense. Should Tobias struggle long term, then you have to make a decision. My sense is that once he has a game with multiple catches, he'll start to gain the confidence he needs to start to ascend at that position.

12:28

Hi Lorne. Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas play the same position — boundary receiver. Now could you move players around to different receiver positions. Yes, but it works better for some than others. Notre Dame's offense works best when there's a player with elite speed at the field receiver position. Think about what that played like when Will Fuller manned it in 2015. He could stretch the field constantly, so opposing defensive coordinators were in a constant conflict of picking their poison: give safety help to Fuller and open up yourself up to getting gashed in the running game or take your chances not providing help. So that's why you see Tobias and Rico Flores Jr. working at that spot. Conceivably Chris Tyree could work there. (more)

Lorne

12:22

Lorne from Reno. That was just about perfect -- but "gosh, we looked good" isn't a question; chats by their nature encourage nitpicking. What a difference a year makes, with the top four receivers being wideouts and no TE receptions. My question is about the boundary/field distinction. Based upon production, you would think that Colzie would get more than 1/5 of the snaps Merriweather got. Is Colzie basically coming in for Thomas (who I would want on the field a lot) or could he play field and take snaps from Merriweather? I can see slot being a different skillset, but aren't boundary and field more susceptible to cross-training?

Eric Hansen

12:22

"So, No. 1, we attacked the ball. We did. I wish we had gotten one [takeaway]. We really had an opportunity for two legit ones — one I thought we had. JD [Betrand] and Jack [Kiser] have got to learn from that and just tap that [loose ball] back [into play]. But I thought we attacked the ball. I thought we played with really good effort. We made plays in the alley. Our big guys turned and ran to the ball. Offside corners and safeties ran, so I thought we played with good effort.
“We won the situations. It's really hard to beat them on third down. They're always like 1, 2 or 3 in the nation [in third-down efficiency]. We did that. We won the red zone — no touchdowns. And the backup situation we won, so that was good. And then I thought we tackled way better than we did last year. So, those four — that big four — that's what we’re bringing back with us. Everything else stays.”

12:21

I do think all of Notre Dame's position groups got benefits from having played Navy, with some carrying over more than others. I asked DC Al Golden that question last night ... here is his response about what translates for the defense for future games:

12:19

Hi Jim, thanks for giving me one more opportunity to relevantly say Slainte to someone. ... Navy was picked to finish ninth out of 14 in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll. Based on them having nine starters back on defense and two complicated schemes to prepare for in a week's time, I think that's a little low. I'll also share that Navy sports information director Scott Strasemeier, who's seen a lot of football, tweeted he thinks this ND team is the best to play Navy since the 2012 Irish team that played for a national title. Navy also benefits from the favorable schedule moving forward, avoiding all three of the top 3 predicted finishers in the AAC -- Tulane, UTSA and SMU. (more)

Jim, Oakwood, OH

12:05

Hi Eric, Greetings from Galway Ireland! Still hanging here after watching a magnificent game. Saw some Navy folks today -Tuesday - still rather glum. My friend, a USNA grad has thrown in the towel for the season, I am not sure their future is that bad, do you? I know Coach Freeman wants to build depth so my second question is whether he, and you, believed that effort began/was successful and whether all position groups saw that benefit or whether Navy’s unique style of play made that evaluation difficult/minimal? Thank you and Be Well.

Eric Hansen

12:05

And here come the questions.

Here are the rules.

12:04

Please remember to include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question.

Ok, on to this week's chat ...

► And, finally, thanks to all who have given me feedback on my return to WSBT radio as a co-host with Darin Pritchett on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com) on Wednesdays and Thursdays during the 2023 Notre Dame Football season. I'll also be co-hosting the pregame shows with Darin and Tyler Horka (which is not a clever stage name for Tyler James). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. This week’s pregame show starts at noon ET. You can download episodes as podcasts.

12:03

► On this week’s Inside ND Sports Podcast, we caught up with Chad Grier, one of the most respected and winningest high school football coaches in the country and the one who just happened to coach Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman at two different schools. Grier discussed what it was like to see Hartman playing for the Irish, what's next for the Wake Forest graduate transfer to prove, Hartman's love for the game, becoming an ND captain, his high school experience, the transition to playing under center, Hartman's resourceful mother and more. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean and Pocket Casts.

Some quick programming notes:
► If you missed our last two episodes of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, I think it’ll be worth your while to play catch-up. We’ve moved into our Monday night 7 ET. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube. Tyler James and I are also doing a live postgame show of our takeaways after every game. Here’s what last week’s show looked like, accidentally brought to you by Lemon Pledge.

12:02

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Tennessee State week.

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