JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 27, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 27, 2024

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Eric Hansen

2:13

Hi Matt. Yes, the game plan, the individual performances and the consistency of this defense against a real variety of offenses -- and doing so with key players having gone done -- is impressive to say the least. Some of the individuals who caught my eye -- Jaiden Ausberry, Jack Kiser, Adon Shuler, Junior Tuihalamaka and Christian Gray -- but certainly not limited to them. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.

Matt from Austin

2:08

Hello Eric and a most Happy Thanksgiving from Austin. I wanted to get your reflections on what I thought was the key to the ND victory over Army. I know our offense was strong and our special teams were again terrific. But what really stood out to me was the gap discipline of our front seven and the excellent lane discipline of our defensive backs. Coach Golden had them ready and with only a couple of exceptions, we did not chase ball fakes or option misdirection. The entire defense played their responsibilities extraordinarily well and it was a joy to watch. I wondered if it impressed you as well and if you had any individuals who really stood out. Thanks again Eric and have a great Thanksgiving. Matt

Eric Hansen

2:08

Hi Lennnnnnn!!!!!! Happy Thanksgiving. I'm not sure I want to get into the business of predicting crazy, but there likely will be some of that this weekend in CFB. If I am reading your question correctly, no a four-loss Georgia team would not get in. And if they lost to Ga Tech, the only way they get in with three losses is by winning the SEC Championship game. Same with Clemson. If they lost to South Carolina, they'd have to win the ACC title game to get in ... and they need Miami to lose to Syracuse on Saturday to even get a shot at that.

Len from the Jersey Shore

Sorry, I accidently hit the send button. The CFP is crazy. I see scenarios where three lost teams get into the playoff. Would Georgia losing to Tech and then close to A & M (or Texas) get in? A Clemson team after losing to South Carolina get in with three losses after winning the conference championship game. What crazy scenario do you see?

2:05

Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. As ND fans we all hope the coaches have the team ready to play once more.

Eric Hansen

2:04

Hi Rick. I know the Irish coaches were really pleased with the way the O-line played against Army. Pro Football Focus agrees. They gave ND its best pass-blocking grade in a game since the 2021 season and a decent run-blocking grade to go with it. USC has been pretty good this season at protecting whoever has been playing QB for them. And Happy early Thanksgiving/Black Friday to you too.

Rick, Pasadena CA

1:56

Happy Early Thanksgiving to you and the family! What a difference in this team from NIU week until now. People talk about the defense, Improv d QB play, but what about the growth of the offensive line? On the subject of offensive line play, will USC line be able to block ND pass rush? The defense seems locked in.

Eric Hansen

1:56

Ryan from Frankfort and I both have ND winning and covering the spread. I think ND's defense is just too good.

scubavt jamestown TN

1:55

Eric, the most recent Vegas odds has Notre Dame as a 7.5 point favorite over U$C. Do you think we cover the spread and win the game?

Eric Hansen

1:54

The Bush Push game IN THE MOMENT was the best college football game at that time I had ever covered. But it did not bring ND back on the college football map for good. So it loses a little luster over time, but wow.

Bob (Oxnard, CA)

1:53

What is your favorite ND-USC memory?

Eric Hansen

1:53

Hi Ryan. Jadarian Price is such a nice complement to Jeremiyah Love. He's averaging about 7 yards a carry and runs tough. Jaylen Sneed has had a good back stretch of the season and DC Al Golden mentioned Monday Sneed's practice habits and performances have spiked in the past few weeks, so that's very good news. You are probably way better at picking scores than me, but I'm going lower-scoring ... ND 28, USC 17.

Ryan Frankfort illinois

1:51

Good Afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Jadarian price and Jaylen sneed before have looked good i think the Irish win 52-21 or something Like that Happy Thanksgiving GO IRISH 🍀🍀🍀🏈🏈🏈💪💪💪

Eric Hansen

1:51

Scott!!!!!! As I just mentioned, the committee is going to consider the USC games as a comparative data point. ND's largest margin of defeat this year is 7 points. So if ND wins by double digits that feels significant. But again, it's not just the score, it's watching the game. If ND wins and leads and is control throughout and USC calls a timeout to score a TD against ND's reserve defense and that cuts the lead to say 8 ... is that different than a 14-15 point victory? I'll narrow my scope to one player to watch on each side for ND ... and not obvious ones ... so Californian Beaux Collins on offense and Leonard Moore on defense. And thanks for watching and liking/loving Football Never Sleeps.

Scott, Greenville, SC

1:36

Eric!!!! First time with the exclamation points! And why not? It's thanksgiving week and ND's game with USC! I truly hope we can all be thankful on Saturday afternoon-evening! I am very thankful for the coaching staff and depth we have on the team. If ND walks away with at least a 7 point win, do you think we jump PSU? Also, who do see as the players to watch the most on offense and defense? Who are the difference makers in this game? Thanks for all you do Eric. Love the Monday or occasionally Tuesday night FNS shows and definitely your articles on the team! BTW, best side dish is whatever I'm not making! Happy Thanksgiving!

Eric Hansen

1:36

HI NWI. I like the format, very clean and easy to use. Not a lot of reposts right now, because ND football isn't on there yet, etc. I was the first one from the ND beat to sign up for Twitter 15-16 years ago, so again I will encourage people to go there. In the teleconference last night with Warde Manuel, I very much got the sense that would be a big discussion point next week -- the comparative score of ND-USC and Penn State-USC.

NWI_Irish96, Munster

1:33

Eric, first of all, very glad that you joined BlueSky. Can you get some of your collegues to join you? Secondly, do you get the sense that USC as a common opponent may help determine the final order of ranking between ND and Penn State?

Eric Hansen

1:32

Jeff! It hasn't yet all been sorted out officially, so no one knows for sure, but there will be some sort of roster adjustment coming. And if the 105 cap is correct, it will mean some current walk-ons wouldn't be replaced or wouldn't come back. And the concept of a traditional walk-on does appear to be an endangered species in football, at least in the Rudy sense of it.

Jeff from Canton, MI

1:30

Hi Eric! Read an article about 40 to 50 players transferring from Nebraska next season. I’m thinking that’s such a high number but when reading they have 165 players on the team including walk-ons and the 105 rule looming next year, I understood. I guess the NCAA realized teams can have high numbers since you can pay all the players with NIL money. 105 cap helps eliminate that. Since ND normally has 125 players, where will the other 20 or so players go? Are there no more walk-ons?

Eric Hansen

1:30

Oh gosh, let me go off the top of my head here, so I don't have to pause the chat. This is not who he resumes physically, but how they use him and lean int the passing game, mobility, etc. He's a younger version of Tyler Shough at Louisville. Again, Shough has more size and he's like 40 years old, so he's savvy. But Maiava has that kind of poise, that kind of mobility and is asked to do a lot in an offense that leans way into the passing game.

Steve, Kenosha WI

1:27

Hi, Eric. Perhaps another spin on Marie’s question about Maiava, with whom does he most compare off the QB’s that ND has played the last 2 years?

Eric Hansen

1:25

Hi Jack, I'm fairly certain he got five. I will amend this in the transcript if I goofed and look it up afterwards. I would expect if ND makes the playoff, that'll be the right time to look at an extension.

Jack, Strongsville,Ohio

1:24

Hi Eric. I am grateful for family, friends, food and you and Tyler. How many years remain on Marcus Freeman's contract and are there negotiations going on to extend it?

Eric Hansen

1:24

And when he passed, the very first Thanksgiving, the baked beans were still there. And whoever hosts, still makes them to this day. So, guess what will be on my plate tomorrow? ... Not sure how CJ Carr got injured, but we've asked about it a lot and what we've been told is this is more precautionary treatment than anything else and he'll be back soon. Not that he'd be playing in games anyway. I think in general Tyler talks to the opposing teams' websites and helps them out with the opponent outlooks. Happy Thanksgiving, Mark!

1:21

Hi Mark. I do make time for family. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I do not prepare it, but we do have a specialty side that I've shared the backstory of before. Briefly, my grandpa Pasquale Fatibeno was also my hero for so many reasons. When I was a little kid, I was kind of a picky eater, and my grandpa saw how mad my dad would get when I tried something and didn't like it. So he had a strategy. He would sit next to me at every dinner that was at their house. And he knew I liked baked beans, so he told my dad it was an Italian tradition to have them at every supper. And ever meal he'd put the on his plate and put some on mine to sell it. And it kept me out of trouble. And he even did it on Thanksgiving. (more)

Guest

1:17

Mark Czar Grand Rapids MI >> Happy Thanksgiving Eric!! I hope you get plenty of family time during this busy time. Do you prepare a specialty side for the Thanksgiving table? What part of the USC defense looks most vulnerable? Has there been any details released on how and to what extent CJ Car was injured? Do you or Tyler reciprocate and do “Opponent Outlook” for weekly opponents? Enjoy the Holiday Eric!!

Eric Hansen

1:17

OK, the no-drinking rule is back in effect for you, Chris. And you better be wearing shoes too! Happy Thanksgiving.

Chris-non-biological-son-of-dad-Bloomingdale-IL

1:16

???????!!!!!!!! If there are question marks, does that count as a question? If not, than that should. I really just want to say that I am thankful for chat Dad, Tyler Mom, and our red-headed step uncle Bob (Morton). Also, Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow chat brothers and sisters. Let's all enjoy the *** kicking that Notre Dame is going to put on the Trojans on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

1:16

Hi Kevin. I think there's already some whining about those conference champ byes and top four seed being given to teams ranked lower -- even outside the top 10. And it has nothing to do with Notre Dame. My sense is the same plan stays in place in 2025, and then gets a redo with the new playoff contract. There was already a push to go to a 14-team format, with two byes, and that likely is how things will end up in 2026, but the powers-that-be decided to give the 12-team format a go, and I think that was the right move. See how things play out for two years, then adjust.

Kevin from Calgary

1:12

Eric, hope you’re enjoying fall in South Bend, winter has already arrived up here. ND has been on an incredible run and with a win against USC (fingers crossed) can actually move into the sixth, or with some help, the coveted fifth place spot Jack Swarbrick envisioned for a top four Irish team that didn’t have to play in a conference championship (creating both first and second playoff games against lower ranked teams). Do you think if this happens there will be some blow back from the conferences who will naturally claim this is an unfair advantage for ND? Or will it just be the whiny Irish haters who complain?

Eric Hansen

1:08

And here is the link to the entire column: How Notre Dame must move forward after implosion vs. Northern Illinois

This shouldn’t be a crossroads stretch not only for this season, but setting the stage for where this program is headed. But here the Irish are one week after being the nation’s feel-good thread.
There’s opportunity, though, and that can’t be dismissed any more than the real urgency playing the team next Saturday picked to finish 18th in the Big Ten, Purdue, like the ND players’ hair is on fire.
Freeman has been authentic enough, consistent enough, transparent enough that he didn’t lose the locker room on Saturday along with the game. And that matters big time.

1:06

Happy Thanksgiving. Here is a key passage from my column that day, which should give you some insight into what I was thinking on Sept. 7.

Shane from White Deer, Texas

1:02

Hey Eric. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I didn’t go back and look at the chats, but after the loss to NIU, did you give this team much of a chance of making it to the playoffs, AND, possibly hosting a home game? I’m kind of like that kid in Polar Express, I want to believe, but it’s just so hard. Who knows, after Saturday I hope I hear the jingle bell. Thanks for the chats. Can’t believe we are wrapping up the regular season. Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen

1:01

I'm not sure restructuring the way you suggest would eliminate the problems you see. Maybe mitigate them some. What i do know from my association with Parry was how much went on behind the scenes as far as holding officials accountable and trying to improve the individual and overall quality.

12:59

Hi Rich. One of the benefits of doing this as long as I have is I've done stories before on addressing the possibility of a more national approach to assigning officials. I can understand why you think there might be bias, but sometimes officials just stink. It's incompetence. I have seen some poor officiating in the games I've covered and some good too this season. It sounds like you have way more data to support your argument. I definitely haven't done comparative studies that you apparently have. I was fortunate enough earlier in my career to have a great resource I could bounce ideas off of, relating to officials, both on and off the record. He is no longer with us, but Dave Parry, a longtime Big Ten official, became the first national coordinator of officials. (more)

Rich-Key West

12:52

I want to touch on an issue that you rarely discuss. I know it's sour grapes and that's not the gist of your chats. It seems to me that one of the largest drawbacks to not being a conference member is not having your own conference referees officiate in some form; your games. Away games on the field and home games in the replay booth. It seems like with conference games now being played coast to coast in some instances, that the officials could work for the NCAA rather than individual conferences. Now I'm sure that the individual conferences would never let that happen and lose their advantage in non conference games but it's getting near the Christmas season. The ACC officials are by far the most biased and consistently make their mark on the outcome of the games they officiate. I would assume that the only oversight the officials receive is from the conferences they represent and subsequently are paid by. What would your thoughts be about modeling the NCAA refs along the same lines as the NFL system

Eric Hansen

12:52

Patrick. I am really sorry this happened, and I've now heard quite a few stories similar to this at this visit to Yankee Stadium. The blame and the fixing of it is certainly in Yankee Stadium's court. But that is a good question for me to bring up with ND AD Pete Bevacqua the next time we get a chance to chart, about how ND can be proactive in making sure that doesn't happen at another venue.

Guest

12:46

Eric, I was at Yankee Stadium with my son Brian ND 2002 and my two grandsons 10 and 7. I attended the A&M game earlier this year and thought the entrance into Kyle Field was terrible but as this was a Shamrock Series game I was disappointed at how incompetent stadium entrance was at Yankee Stadium. We really worked hard in order to get in within 45 minutes but spoke to others who waited far longer and missed a good chunk of the first quarter. Please tell me that Yankee management was primarily to blame but this being a Shamrock game ND certainly has some responsibility. I would have been tickled off if I missed any part of tremendous game plan and the performance of J.Love.Patrick Burke ND 75 Pittsford,NY

Eric Hansen

12:45

Hi Marie. Happy Thanksgiving. I bet you are hoping Notre Dame makes a stop or two in Atlanta if the Irish make the playoff. ... Jayden Maiava is a redshirt sophomore, who was UNLV's starting QB last season, so he actually has more starting experience than the junior he replaced in Miller Moss. He's more mobile than Moss, but not truly a dual-threat. They've run him less in his two starts at USC than they did at UNLV, and there his high rushing game was 40 yards on 11 carries. Riley Leonard has a slightly better pass-efficiency rating than both of them. USC is pretty turnover-prone and doesn't force a lot of them either, so if they play a clean game, that could make them more competitive. They are the best net punting team in the nation, so they can flip field position. They have lots of skill at wide receiver. They're pretty good on third down on both sides of the ball and they're pretty good at protecting the QB. And it's USC and the rivalry is real.

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