JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Dec. 6, 2024 | 12/4/2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Dec. 6, 2024

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Eric Hansen

1:45

Jack, I kind of discussed your defense question in Marie's earlier question. Keep in mind that USC ran 79 plays. That is the most anyone had the Irish defense on the field for this season and by far. The 49 pass plays also were the most. .. IU's numbers are harder to digest, because they haven't played a particularly difficult schedule. But they have played Power 4 schedule. Here's where they are difficult to deal with -- No. 1 nationally in pass efficiency, No. 1 in rush defense, No. 2 in total defense and No. 4 in turnover margin. In their one-sided loss to Ohio State, they held the Buckeyes to 316 yards and limited them to 4.0 yards a carry. Not bad. But special teams let them down and they couldn't protect their QB. So I think there are many other possible first-round matchups that play more into ND's strengths and weaknesses rather than testing them and stressing them. I did an analysis earlier this week on all the possible first-round opponents, where you can see their stat strengths side by side.(more)

Jack, Strongsville,Ohio

1:34

Hi Eric. You mentioned on FNS that you thought Ole Miss and IU would be the toughest match ups for ND. It appears Ole Miss may not qualify but why do you think Indiana is a major challenge. Also, after watching SC's showing against the defense on Saturday what needs to be done to shore it up. Al Golden tried to blitz and put pressure on the SC qb with little success. I know the defensive backfield is lean due to injuries but an athletic team may take the defense apart. Thanks for all your great work throughout the year.

Eric Hansen

And 2024 is the one I would roll with.

2024
2020
2018

1:33

They are in order:

1:31

Manny!!!!! Great question. I'm going to hit it out of the park ... I hope. So I am going to give you three sets of numbers that reflect the national ranking in five VERY key metrics when identifying national title contenders. They are rush offense, pass efficiency, rush defense, total defense and turnover margin. I'll present them blindly first and let you guess. Then in the next frame, I'll match them to the 2018, 2020 and 2024 Irish and my interpretation of which team I think is the best of the three:

10-39-52-10-2
51-43-36-30-41
24-43-16-25-30

Manny from San Pedro

1:24

Eric!!!!! What a season!!!!! Ok. Throwing a hardball. This team, the 2020 team. And 2018 team. All made playoffs. Where would you rank those three in terms of talent

Eric Hansen

1:23

If he's healthy all year, he'll be deep in the conversation.

Steve Toledo Ohio

1:23

Eric, any chance Jeremiah Love is the front runner for the Heisman next year?

Eric Hansen

1:23

One thing to keep in mind with recruiting and rankings, etc. ND isn't just looking for the guys who have the most stars. Retention now matters more than ever. The portal matters. So all those things need to be taken together when registering disappointment or elation. But I do think Marcus Freeman does a good job of self-evaluating everything, and recruiting is no exception. So they'll look at this things going forward that you suggested. ... Circling back to Clemson/SMU/Alabama. It depends on how the game goes. If it's an eight overtime game like Georgia-Ga Tech, it might be hard to boot them out. If Clemson wins by double digits, it's hard to keep them in. One thing that could really hurt them and it hurt Miami. If SMU loses to Clemson, the Mustangs don't have a Top 25 win, but tat least their two losses will have come against ranked teams. Miami lost to one unranked team and a Syracuse team that did just debut in the rankings this past week.

1:15

They have three weeks now without a game to refine that process. If it's not moving along at a pace that will help them be able to rotate CBs, perhaps moving Rod Heard II away from safety duties to CB or nickel duties makes more sense. USC is really good at protecting both QBs and Maiava is more mobile than Miller Moss was. There are only four teams likely to be in the playoff field who allow fewer sacks per game -- Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon and SMU. So if ND ends up playing one of those teams, getting more pressure more creatively will come into play. (more)

1:12

Hi Marie. It really was a great Thanksgiving and my favorite holiday for many reasons. Here's hoping you a a nice one too and you didn't have to work. ... Lots to impact in this multi-parter, so let's get started on the ND defense. ... There are teams that can use that approach more than others. Not everyone has a quarterback who can complete that high of a percentage of his passes under pressure and who has waves of really good WRs to throw at ND's corners in high volume. But there are teams that fit that profile. ND can be happy, one of them, Ole Miss is out. But ND can adjust too. They Irish have prioritized building depth with freshmen Karson Hobbs and Tae Johnson (more).

Marie from Atlanta

1:06

Hi Eric, I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving. So excited for the playoffs. USC was able to expose the ND defense on Saturday, I’m sure whoever we play in the playoffs will be studying that film extensively. What can the Notre Dame defense due to counter what USC did? With regards to the playoffs the committee has said you will not be punished severely for losing in the championship game, if Clemson wins do you think SMU will stay in the playoff picture booting Alabama out of the playoffs? Finally, nice surprise gettinh Faraimo in signing day, however, I think most people felt like this recruiting class was a bit of a disappointment, missing on major targets. Do you think ND needs a strategy change in recruiting maybe being more willing to take their second or third choice when that player wants to commit as opposed to making them wait? I know it seems like it’s a risk, but I feel like we might’ve missed out on some players this time that were ready to commit. As always, thanks for hosting the chat!

Eric Hansen

1:06

Hi Casey. It was wide receivers coach Mike Brown, and the "why" he got a penalty got sort of lost and wasn't asked in the postgame press conference.

Casey, Crown Point, IN

1:04

Late in the USC game, ND got a crucial first down. However, one of ND's coaches was assessed an unsportsmanlike penalty on the same play. Though ND was awarded the first down, the penalty yardage wiped out the play's gain. Do you know what coach was penalized and what for?

Eric Hansen

1:04

He had a good freshman year, though largely behind the scenes. Really good quickness for his size and he does have a body type that's unique on this roster in terms of a true nose guard frame. He could really help himself this spring toward getting into next year's rotation.

Bob (Oxnard)

1:02

Thoughts on Sean Sevellano? (He looks large and quick to me.)

Eric Hansen

1:02

Hi Matt. Tyler James is in the weeds with the recruiting way more than I am and did a nice Signing Day Superlatives story worth checking out ... but I'll give you my best shot. Let's start with "under-the-radar" -- which to me means a three-star prospect. The Irish had nine of those in a 25-player class. So defense, I'm going to go with LB Ko'o Kia edging out S Brandon Logan. On offense, I have C Cam Herron edging WR Elijah Burress. Not knowing for sure who and what ND will fish out of the portal and the full extent of who might be leaving, I'll lean into talent a bit more than opportunity, but try to factor in both. I'll give you six: LB Madden Faraimo, TE James Flanigan, CB Dallas Golden, S JaDon Blair, WR Elijah Burress, DE Chris Burgess. Yep, rolling the dice on Burress.

Matt from Winnebago, IL

12:53

Thank you for your chats and all your coverage. Could you please give an under the radar recruit who signed yesterday that you are most excited about on offense and defense. A second recruit question, who do you think has the best chance to make an early impact next year. Thanks!

Eric Hansen

12:53

Hey Len!!! I think it would be very difficult for Jason Onye to jump back in and contribute, if he did in fact come back. He hasn't been with the team since the Louisville game ... in September. At least the initial thoughts on Cross is that this would be short term and the fact that he has practiced some would lead you to believe it still is.

Len from the Jersey Shore

12:49

Hello Eric!!! Eric, you and Tyler have reviewed the defensive depth situation, especially on the D line and CB. First D line questions, if Jason Onye came back to the team today would he be any help with depth at D line given how long he has been away? Howard Cross is the one who tackled Riley Leonard last year which began the series of ankle issues that took to this summer to rectify. Ironically I wonder if HC now has a similar situation, a chronic bad wheel that may need surgery after the season to repair fully. If he is ready on Dec20/21 to play will he be a play away from being out again IYO? Thanks for hosting!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

12:48

And maybe the conference champ byes go away in a year or two and maybe they don't. And maybe conference title games should be eliminated. But in some leagues they make sense (like the Big 12 this year). Iowa State and Arizona State didn't play each other and played very different sets of teams. SMU controls its own destiny. Win and it's in the top 4. Lose and who knows? Margin of the game would factor in. A 14-team playoff would change the dynamic even further and maybe more fairly. There would be just two byes in that format, which seems to be more fair.

12:45

Mike!!!!!! I did!!!! And hope you did too!!!!! Mike, you are misquoting Warde Manuel a bit here. He said that teams that aren't playing can't be passed up by other teams that aren't playing. So for instance, Alabama at 11 and Miami at 12 won't be re-evaluated with Miami possibly passing the Crimson Tide. But teams not playing can move down, especially in seeding. Notre Dame could move down (to 7) or up to 5, based on the teams that are playing this weekend and how those games play out. But the conference title game is an issue that needs to be looked at on several levels. First, I do think if a team has a chance to earn a top four seed and a bye by winning its title game, there should be a risk associated with playing that game as well (more)

Mike from Rochester NY

12:41

Hi, Eric, hope you had a great Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, Warde Manuel certainly stuck both feet in his mouth when he said teams that are not playing in their conference championship game can't move lower than they are currently ranked but teams that lose in their conference championship games can be moved lower. SMU boosters are calling for their team to skip the conference championship game to avoid getting booted from the playoffs should they lose to Clemson and I can't blame them. It gives the conferences a big incentive to abandon the conference championship games - except of course they'll never abandon the revenue from that championship game. How do you think this is going to be resolved?

Eric Hansen

12:38

Well Jordan, thanks for the compliments and for the really good questions. So, ND stands as a team 39th out of 133 in pass efficiency, a 90-spot improvement since the NIU game and Riley is 45th individually at 140.8. If you remove the first two games, as you asked (Texas A&M and NIU), the number moves to 152.19, and suddenly he is 22nd. And if you take away the first four games (with Purdue and Miami, Ohio also going away), he's at 156.5, which would be 14th. ... To you second question, I do think ND has the chops to make a playoff run. It will depend on matchups. The thing I'd be most concerned about is run defense, especially if Howard Cross is limited, and we'll find out more about his progress on Sunday.

Jordan, from Seattle

12:27

Eric! - Long-time reader, first-time poster. Thank you for your insightful, objective, and excellent work; and your great sense of humor. Two questions: 1) What is ND’s pass efficiency ranking for last 10 games (excluding A&M and NIU)? 2) Comparing ND to its playoff peers, does ND have the chops to make a deep playoff run?

Eric Hansen

12:27

He also knows if he works hard, he can secure at last a role next season -- perhaps short-yardage/goal line -- if not more.

12:25

Hi Greg. I'm high on Kedren too, and I think the coaching staff is very much so. But missing virtually all of spring and a good chunk of camp put him at a disadvantage when it came to competing for snaps. Then the play became to redshirt him, so limiting him to four games plus postseason was put in play. And he hit the mark of the four regular-season game max while still being able to redshirt. But I don't think you can make coaching decisions for fear that someone might transfer. Notre Dame is on pace to set the school record for yards per carry with the running backs they did play. Think about it, the No. 1 back -- Love -- who is 5th in the nation in yards per carry (7.1) and scores a TD once every nine times he runs the ball, only has 143 carries. Boise's Ashton Jeamty has more than 300. Kedren has 21 carries, only five fewer than fellow freshman Aneyas Williams and triple the amount Audric Estimé did as a freshman. He has a body type like no other running back on the roster, and speed to go with it.(more)

Guest

12:14

Greg Rupert Roanoke In. Kedren Young Seem to be really effective when he's ran the ball. I know the RB room is loaded, but has he gotten enough usage to keep him from transferring and why hasnt he?

Eric Hansen

12:14

Hi BC. I think your concerns are unwarranted, especially this being a first-time event. If you could see my email inbox about people asking about how to get tickets. And there students are expected to linger, since the administration is making accommodations to keep the dorms and dining halls open a couple of extra days. ... I have reported that there's the expectation that Jeremiyah Love will play in the College Football Playoff.

Guest

12:11

BC from NJ. Any word on 1) Love's injury status 2) how confident ND is in having a sold out stadium? I'm worried that the quick turn around, lack of knowing opponent, unknown weather coupled with ND's typical GameDay crowd being drawn from the four corners of the US make it uncertain that it will be a typical atmosphere. Oh...and it's a few days before Christmas! Hope my concerns are unwarranted.

Eric Hansen

12:10

It was awesome and too fast and it was turkey. Yum.

Steve Toledo Ohio

12:10

Hi Eric, How was Thanksgiving, Turkey or Ham or both?

Eric Hansen

12:10

HI NWI. I think you hit the two most obvious. The other position groups where I think ND needs to and will take a long look are: kicker -- even with signing the high school prospect Erik Schmidt. I think he's more of a guy to develop both for the future and as a good Plan B for more immediate needs at kicker and punter. I think an edge player might make sense, especially if there's a concern about the recovery timelines for Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore. Tight end might make some sense too. Nickel for sure. Maybe an experienced safety, though there are some very good young ones.

cool

1

NWI_Irish 96, Munster, IN

12:05

Since we're still a couple days from knowing the playoff opponent, how about a quick look ahead to next year. Without knowing who will transfer out, as of now what position groups most need reinforcement from the portal? My guesses would be WR and interior DL.

Eric Hansen

12:04

So kick off your shoes and let's roll.

Since you all were so willing to go along with the schedule shirt this week, the only rule in play is "no spitting."

12:03

Here WERE the rules.

12:02

PLEASE remember to include your name and hometown along with your question(s).

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