JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Dec. 2, 2020

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Dec. 2, 2020

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Kevin, Calgary, Alberta

1:48

Eric, love your work. It's always informative and entertaining. There's been a lot of talk that win or lose the ACC championship game ND has already punched its ticket to the playoffs. But don't you think a bad loss, a la the 2019 playoff blowout to Clemson, would give the committee the means to say the Irish don't belong? I'm afraid the team may go into the championship game a little too complacently.

Eric Hansen

1:48

I think Eichenberg, Hainsey and Kraemer will all head to the NFL.

John from GLENVIEW, Il

1:47

Hi Eric, With the free year granted to the players by the NCAA, do you see any other players, with expiring eligibility, coming back, especially on the offensive line? Thank you?

Eric Hansen

1:47

Answered this earlier, but are you curious or are you mad about why C-Bo didn't play? If you're mad, why are you? If he is/was healthy. he's not going to be used extensively in every game. But it's great that he's ready when called upon.

David st augustine

1:45

C’bo. Game ball v BC. Hard running, never say-die-guy. Team player. What happened? Coach said ankle injury not serious. Why blackout in media? Go Irish

Eric Hansen

1:45

Yo Rich (not going to call you a yo-yo), I haven't fully processed the 2021 group in part because of the blanket eligibility rule due to COVID-19 and how that might play into things. Just kind of a lack-of-depth look, 2022 and 2023 would seem to align as teams with better a better balance of experience, but ND plays Ohio State AND Clemson during the regular season in both those years. I think 2021 will be a fun year to follow, but not necessarily a New Year's Six kind of year.

Rich from Philly

1:41

Yo Yo...You do good work Eric. Irish look good and its great, definitely a tough, talented and experienced group. What are your thoughts on next years squad? New and young (and talented) guys will be taking over on both sides of the line. Do you think that Tyler RS and its a year where you grow the next wave?

Eric Hansen

1:41

Steve, when Brian Kelly steps on the sideline Oct. 30, 2021 against North Carolina, he'll be the first 60-year-old head coach in Notre Dame football history. Ara left the game at age 51 because of health concerns. Leahy did the same at age 45. Sure, he could coach beyond 2024, but he has his health and I'm not sure he'd want to push it.

Guest

1:35

Steve from Fort Wayne. Eric, Mack Brown and Nick Saban are both 69 years old and a decade older than Brian Kelly. It seems like Coach Kelly is really hitting his stride and if things continue, is there any chance he will stay on longer than 2024? Also, any news on phase two of the Gug expansion? If I’m correct it was related to Coach Kelly’s contract extension.

Eric Hansen

1:35

Buenos Dias, Jim. Ciertamente mejor que en 2012. Alabama looked vulnerable on defense earlier in the season. They've improved in leaps and bounds there to go along with a dynamic offense. I think Notre Dame would compete. They'd need the turnover margin to be in their favor, possibly a blocked punt or a defensive touchdown to make things really interesting.

Jim from Albuquerque

1:31

Buenos Dias Eric. Thanks for your hard work covering the Irish and hosting these Q&As. Would like to get your thoughts on how the Irish match up with Alabama should we meet the Tide in the playoffs.Thanks!

Eric Hansen

1:31

Megat, Crawford is my preference to be Hamilton's safety sidekick for as long as he's willing to play for Notre Dame.

Megat Muzaffar, USJ, Malaysia

1:30

Hi Eric, I noticed that Shaun Crawford was a bit off in his coverage during the UNC game. Not his A game definitely. Can Houston Griiffith and/or DJ Brown do a better job at safety along side Kyle Hamilton?

Eric Hansen

1:30

Denis, I'll let you choose who to root for. If Clemson lost to Virginia Tech and Miami wins out, Clemson is out of the ACC Championship Game and the playoff. Losing to Miami in the championship game, if it weren't competitive, could knock ND out of the playoff, although Miami is a top 10 team. However, I think Miami in the ACC title game would be a much more winnable game than a matchup with Clemson. Have I thoroughly confused you?

Denis from Niagara Falls, On.

1:27

Hi Eric. Who do I cheer for this weekend? Regarding the CFP, do you think it would make a difference if ND lost to Miami or Clemson in the ACC championship? I am assuming they go in undefeated. I am fairly sure they get in with one loss to Clemson in that game. What if Miami gets in and ND loses to them? Same difference? Thanks a lot.

Eric Hansen

1:26

Joey, team success enhances individuals' chances to land on All-America teams. I'd say the three ND players who have a shot at first team are Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Kyle Hamilton and Liam Eichenberg.

joey westernport,md

1:23

Eric, How many Irish do you think will make 1st team all america this season? I think we should have 2 defensive players under serious consideration , Hamilton and Owusu-Koramoah. Your thoughts? Thanks for the great chats!

Eric Hansen

1:23

Dwight, I'm going to partially answer your question with another question. Let's say ND stays in the top 4 with a loss to Clemson but falls to No. 4. That puts them against Alabama in the semis rather the Ohio State or Texas A&M potentially. Who would you rather play? If I'm Notre Dame, I look at this game as a great opportunity to give it my best and get ready for potentially three straight games against top 5 teams.

Dwight from Arkansas

1:20

If ND does have a rematch with Clemson for the ACC trophy, should the game be viewed just as big as the first 2020 meeting or should it be downplayed? The consensus seems to be the Irish are in the playoff field win or lose in the title game. Injuries in that game would have to be a concern if indeed ND advances to the playoffs. I can see how Clemson would have more to play for. I'm just not sure if the Irish need to be pumped or subdued for that one. Don't want to see a bad performance in that rematch sour the Irish and hurt their momentum in preparation for the final 4. I can see both ways.

Eric Hansen

1:20

Great point.

Nick, Denver

1:19

ND has now made a conference championship game before Michigan. Who thought that would ever be true?

Eric Hansen

1:19

I think the coaching staff will trust Ian Book to be smart when he runs, which is what he's done all year. It's a staple in Notre Dame's offense and helps elevate Book as a QB. Forcing him to be a pocket passer only is what opposing defensive coordinators want to and try to do. Now, getting Clark and/or Pyne into the game if/when circumstances dictate makes a lot of sense.

Lee from Lancaster, SC

1:10

Notre Dame has enough depth at most positions that if they lose a starter for a short period of time, as proven in the North Carolina game, they can replace him with a really good player that will come in and play well. The exception is probably the quarterback position. Will the Irish eliminate the designed qb runs from the gameplan for Syracuse to decrease the potential for injury to Ian Book? If the Irish are leading by 25 at halftime, how soon do you take Ian Book out of the game?

Eric Hansen

1:10

Not in the least, although I think it's safe to say most associated with Notre Dame are both enjoying the ACC experience and grateful for it. But the reasons to perpetuate independence (when there isn't a pandemic) haven't changed.

Caleb from Charlotte, NC

1:09

Do you think the possibility of that the Irish football team could win the Acc Conference Championship will change the ND administration's view on joining the conference?

Eric Hansen

1:08

Don, thanks. Hope yours was as well. It's an interesting rabbit hole to go down, and one I am pondering in doing in depth next week. Wisconsin and USC have played so few games. it's still hard to get a sense of how good either of them is. I know Clemson is better than both, and North Carolina's offense is better than both of those offenses. At first glance, I'm going to say ND would be undefeated with the original schedule. The Wisconsin game is the one that intrigues me, because ND and Book both weren't as good early in the season as they are now. And that would have been an earlier-season game.

Don, Cabo San Lucas

1:05

With the season mostly in the rear-view mirror, I am thankful we got the season in and was fine with the ACC experience.Since teams like Stanford and Navy turned out to be awful, I didn't miss them on the schedule. But UNC was the best team we picked up, do you think we missed out on 2 excellent games and potential losses with Wisconsin and USC? Or is ND really that good that it wouldn't matter? Thanks, enjoy the final regular-season weekend.

Eric Hansen

1:04

Matt, I cooked for myself (and cheated) after we decided to postpone our family Thanksgiving celebration until spring. So, I'm still alive after eating my cooking, so I'll take it as a successful one. Now, keep in mind there had to be a different set of rules in 2020 because of the pandemic regarding games played. I'm not sure, though, that the 12-game season vs. the 13 is the hindrance everyone thought it would be. The only drawback for ND going forward would be that conference champion is a TIEBREAKER. Some people incorrectly interpret it as something ND can't overcome. It's a tiebreaker, not a deal breaker. But bottom line, I do think there will be less talk from commentators on 12 vs. 13 if they are paying any attention at all.

Matt from St. Louis

12:58

Hi Eric. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. Thank you for offering to pass on the more detailed stat comparisons for the five key categories—I’d be interested in seeing those. My question this week is about perception and reality. As an ND fan, I get a bad taste in my mouth every year from hearing about a 13th data point when we don’t play throwaway games against FCS teams. Given how much some people (and even the CFP committee) are willing to entertain teams with a much greater disparity in number of games played this year, do you think there’s a double standard? To be fair, I’m mostly talking about commentators—the CFP folks have mostly seemed to be more diplomatic about 12 vs 13 games. I know the pandemic changes things, but, even so, 8 is 2/3s of 12... Also, after this year, do you think there will be less talk about the difference between 12 and 13? Thank you!

Eric Hansen

12:58

Blake Fisher did not decommit. ... Among the RBs you mentioned, Estime -- who received a huge bump up in the latest Rivals player rankings, seems to be the path of least resistance. I'd list Edwards as the second-most likely and Cardwell third based on my phone-a-friend lifeline to Carter Karels. Estime is likely to sign in February, so the Irish would wait on Edwards, who will sign early with someone and who is the No. 1 priority at that position.

John Walled Lake

12:52

Hi Eric, Did Blake Fisher decommit? Which running back recruit does Notre Dame have the best chance to get out of Donovan Edwards, Audric Estime or Byron Cardwell? Thanks as always for answering my questions.

Eric Hansen

12:51

Hope to get to the health questions Thursday, but remember now, the Irish get an extra week now to heal up.

Len from the Jersey Shore

12:50

Hi Eric, Thanks for hosting. During the press conference the questions about the injured players were asked and answered concerning Jayson Ademilola, Tommy Kraemer etc. My question is concerning those who played but may have been nicked up. It looked to me like Robert Hainsey was slower off the ball than usual. He did have a bad ankle. How is his health? Anyone else nicked up a bit? Will anyone new be held out this week so they could heal nagging injuries that are not severe enough to keep them out of the lineup?

Eric Hansen

12:50

Hi Erik. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, too. Wake Forest certainly would have provided a challenge for the ND defense as the No. 15 team in scoring nationally. I don't think a slow start beyond the bye week is an automatic, and with both teams having the same advantage/disadvantage, why would it favor one team over the other. Keep in mind Notre Dame's last bye week was final exam week. They don't have exams or even classes next week, so there wouldn't figure to be the same dynamic as coming into North Carolina.

Erik (Granger, IN)

12:46

Thanks for being here! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Other than the injury risk, would it have been more helpful to play Wake on Dec 12 to stay sharp? I’m concerned that a cake walk on senior day followed by a bye could cause for a sluggish first quarter in the ACC championship game. I’d hate to spot Clemson (or even Miami) a couple of early touchdowns while we get back up to game speed.

Eric Hansen

12:46

I'm not sure the committee will be faced with that decision in that the loser of the ND-Clemson game will probably drop to 4 if it's ND and 4-5-6 if it's Clemson. But there are bylaws where the committee can move a team up one spot or down to avoid rematches in the semis.

Mike McFadden, Williamsport, PA

12:44

Good afternoon Eric, Do you think the CFP committee will OR should, for college football fans sake, intentionally separate UND and Clemson even though they could in reality to be #2 and #3 to avoid them playing a 2nd or 3rd time? I have said this personally for years that they should put in their bylaws that once a team meets during a season they should only meet in the final game regardless of final ranking of #1-#4. YOU make the call Eric. Thanks and Go Irish !!!

Eric Hansen

12:41

Jeff, Houston Griffith continues to be one of the great mysteries for me since I've been covering Notre Dame football and one that I refuse to give up on. In the North Carolina game, he was assignment-correct, which helped allow the pass rush to crank things up. He's such a good athlete, with such a good attitude, and such a hard worker, I am anticipating him being able to step in and follow Crawford successfully next season. I think moving around positions sometimes helps players. In his instance, I think it set him back. I think coverage skills and instincts is where his growth will come over the next year as continuity kicks in.

12:37

Tim, in this COVID year, as I've expressed many times, you are very limited on questions in a press conference. It was on my list, but I had two other pressing ones I wanted to get to. Usually a question like that will get asked by someone else. it did not get asked. Perhaps his presence on the depth chart dissuaded the question. I have some follow-up personnel questions at the top of my list for Thursday. My sense is ND went into the NC game wanting to hold C'Bo out if they possibly could and only play him if pressed just to give the ankle another weak to get stronger. Kyren Williams ended up playing 61 snaps and Chris Tyree 15.

12:29

OK, I am uncoordinated today. Took two questions. I'll answer Tim's first.

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