JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 11 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 11 2023

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Eric Hansen

1:54

Hi Tom. I appreciate your questions and your perspective. The short answer on offense on how to fix it is being prepared for USC -- the No. 1 team in tackles for loss and No. 5 in sacks and awful in most defensive categories -- to bring that pressure until ND can make them pay for it. And then as USC adjusts its defensive game plan, adjust your own. Defensively, it's about getting enough pressure on Caleb Williams so that he can't extend plays and yet being smart enough to not leave lanes open for him to gash you with his adlib runs. I'd make sure Jaylen Sneed was in the defensive game plan. I like your offensive suggestions. ... I think Tyree is faster but not by a lot.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

1:41

Hi Eric, lots of fans on the ledges after the past two weeks. After Duke, the coaches had to know UL was going to do something similar to Duke's defense and they still had no answers. VERY disappointing. How do they fix it this week and beat the Trojans?? Also, what Irish team are the oddsmakers watching to make us a 3 point favorite and 60% chance to win???!!! Do you think some quick "rub" slant routes would open things us a little?? Very few crossing routes?? Who is faster: Tyree or Faison? Thanks, sorry so many ???'s. Go Irish!!!!

Eric Hansen

1:41

Hi Ryan, thanks for sharing your story. And speaking of Jordan Faison, Tyler James just posted an entertaining one on him this morning. ... In the 2000s, Shane Walton, who came over from the ND soccer team, reached All-America status. Besides Faison, long snapper Michael Vinson and tight end Davis Sherwood are two on the current team who w were awarded scholarships and who have made significant contributions in games. A lot of the lesser-known ones make significant contributions in practice, on scout team. I think safety/special-teamer Luke Talich will likely be the next one. Without pausing the chat, I can't give you a comprehensive list today (good idea for a story down the road), but off the top of my head linebacker Joe Schmidt was the team MVP in 2014 and Mike Anello was one of the best special teams players I have ever seen.

Ryan, S.F. area

1:33

Eric, I was a walk-on athlete at ND (not football). I went on to be a repeat conference champ, conference record holder, school record holder, and team MVP... and yet never received a scholarship. Coach kept them for incoming athletes. I was grateful for the opportunity to travel and compete for ND, but that always left a bitter taste in my mouth. It makes me so happy when I see kids like Jordan Faison receive a scholarship. It's incredibly motivating to walk-ons and improves team morale. I remember WR Finke becoming a star and earning one. Are there any others in recent memory that have not only earned a scholarship, but excelled to that level?

Eric Hansen

1:29

Hi Tanner, nice to have a change-of-pace question. I think the best way may be to hope the music decision-makers read this chat. Otherwise, it's way out of my purview. I do appreciate great music, in the stadium or otherwise. I have some suggestions of my own and glad you included yours.

Tanner in Tulsa

1:26

Is there a way to ask/suggest to the stadium supervisors in charge of the music and video board to put the lyrics to the ND songs (“Rally sons of ND.., Go Irish, Beat ..”, etc) that the band plays on the video boards as they play them?
I haven’t been to a home game since ‘21 v SC and that atmosphere was incredible. I heard/read that “Heaven is a place on earth” and the LED bracelets didn’t go over so well at the OSU game but I love the different things they are at least trying to enhance the fan experience. I can think back to 2002, 2006 & 2010 and it was not as entertaining May I suggest in place of Belinda Carlisle to try and pump up the crowd, White Stripes’ “Hardest Button to Button” or “Icky Thump” intros? Van Halen as well would be amazing

Eric Hansen

1:25

Hi Gene and thanks. 1) The short answer is yes, but I do think ND can do better with that coaching position. 2) Seems more like a comment than a question. 3) Absolutely, but it's more important that these critical problems are fixed for the long term.

Gene from NY

1:18

Hi Eric - Thanks for the great coverage! When I left the Ohio St game I felt they would have won if they had a pass rush, and the OL was showing progression to where they needed to be. But on the bright side, the coaches had insight to make in game adjustments. Two weeks later, boy was I off! Throw out the first four games against much lesser competition (except NC St, whose offense imploded in the second half). It seems we’re now in a reality of OL regressing against better competition, DL not being able to establish anything, and, worst of all, the offensive coaching staff seems incapable of making adjustments or figuring out how to use their assets! My suggestions/questions: 1) is there any hope for DL with their current coach 2) suggestion for OC Parker - find a Pop Warner playbook and see if you can learn what a ‘misdirection’ play is, then, unrelated, think 88, 88, 88! 3) finally, do you think they have a shot at Jan 1 Bowl if they beat USC?

Eric Hansen

1:13

Denny, getting to the heart of your question and letting your venting stand on its own, I think the wide receiver injury situation was understandable how it mitigated the dynamic you spoke of with Hartman, deep ball, unloading the box, etc. I don't think it holds water against Louisville, so yes, your frustration/bewilderment is well-founded.

Denny from Beaverton Or.

1:11

Like everyone else, I watched the game and wondered what the heck was going on. I had this same feeling 4 years ago after that inexplicable game against Michigan. I was absolutely shocked to see our Captain and All American candidate left tackle absolutely run over and put on his backside on at least two occasions that I remember. He said after the game that the Irish were not physically dominated but suffered from a lack of confidence. Did the lack of confidence cause the physical domination or was it the other way around? That question is just rhetorical Eric. Something else that really bothers me. People say that ND has to figure out how to beat teams that stack the box against the run. I thought that problem was supposed to be solved by getting a QB that was capable of throwing the ball deep. Didn't we learn anything last year when teams stacked the box every game against Pyne? What do you think Eric? That performance Saturday night was an embarrassment.

Eric Hansen

1:11

I think going into this season his expectation was to do well and move on to the NFL. If he did return for another year, I'm not sure it would be to Notre Dame, given the other WRs who will be coming back and who's coming in. The next 5-6 games will be telling.

Marie from Atlanta

1:09

also, one final question, if Tyree really wants to play in the NFL, do you think he will consider staying for another year and honing his skills as a wide receiver? As always thanks for hosting the chat and for all your great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:09

Rico Flores Jr. has 14 receptions and Jaden Greathouse, in more limited action recently, has 12. The number of freshman WRs with more catches for the entire freshman seasons since 2010? Three. Kevin Stepherson, Lorenzo Styles and TJ Jones. Some others besides Jones who were eventually drafted ... Claypool 5, Fuller 6, St. Brown 0, Boykin 0.

1:02

Changing play-callers at this juncture is not something I would predict or endorse. Sometimes if the head coach is a really good play-caller, you could make that work. The situation you suggest, I think, would make matters worse at this point in the season. Maybe during a bye week? Maybe after the season? I want to see what this week holds for play-calling first. ... As far as Chansi, I watched him a lot in August and talked to him a few times and I do like what he's doing. And I think eventually the strengths of Stuckey will show up. And yes, recruiting players like Cam Williams and the freshmen who are already playing should not be discounted. (more)

12:58

Hi Marie. No matter how busy ... and it is ... I'm always grateful for the blessing I have in my life, and there are many. .... And doing this chat is one of the highlights of the work part of my life. ... To you questions. I'm not concerned with whether there's enough self-scouting. Marcus Freeman bakes that in win or lose, one of the things I do like about his coaching style. How effective that self-scouting is and the solutions that came from appear to be the issue there to this point this season. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

Continuing: I know grade house in Fluries are only freshman, so they are learning a lot, but do you feel that Jayden Thomas has really improved a lot in the last year? It’s hard to tell with Colzie since he’s been injured.

12:54

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. Must be very busy with the disappointment of Saturday’s game and the upcoming USC rivalry game.
no 17 Park questions today but three separate questions. Are you at all concerned that the offense is not doing enough self-evaluation/self scouting? I realize that a lot of this is done in the bye week, but certainly is also done week to week and it feels like things are not being approved upon and the learning curve seems flat. The defense seems to be doing a much better job of this. Though I know nothing will ever be announced publicly, do you think behind closed doors, the balance of who’s calling the offensive plays will change this week, perhaps Guidugli has previous OC experience is it possible that his influence might be more waited for playcalling in the games ahead? I know Chansi Stuckey has done a great job recruiting, though, Delta said the bar extremely low, but how do you feel he is doing as far as development goes with the wide receivers? I know since

Eric Hansen

12:53

On Saturday night, in my opinion, they did.

Steve from St Louis

12:53

Hi Eric. There have been some head scratching decisions/statements made the last several weeks. Is the coaching staff costing the team wins?

Eric Hansen

12:52

Hi Ced. I don't see a question in there, but I was stunned at the fourth-and-11 decision and thought it was a bad one even if ND made it there. The Irish were a combined 3-of-15 on third- and fourth-down calls.

ced

12:51

ced walker saginaw michigan im still upset on how we lost to louisville last saturday I really question marcus freeman going for 4th and 11 at his own 35 yd the new rotation at the offensive line we must throw the ball down field vs usc to win saturday im still patient with marcus freeman it s only his 2nd year here come the irish trust the process the golden standard rally we are nd god country go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us

Eric Hansen

12:50

Hi Dave, I am going to rank them as you asked, by how significant they are in contributing to where the Irish are at this very moment. If I were including fixability, I would likely have a different order. So No. 1 is most significant ....

4 Lack of development of the WRs
2 Poor offensive line play
3 Missed tackles
6 Team schedule
5 Coaching (penalties)
1 Coaching (offensive gameplan and play calling)
7 Talent/recruiting

Dave from DC

12:46

Hi Eric, troubled times for ND fans. Could you rank the following factors, from most significant to least, contributing to the team's disappointing season:

Lack of development of the WRs
Poor offensive line play
Missed tackles
Team schedule
Coaching (penalties)
Coaching (offensive gameplan and play calling)
Talent/recruiting

Eric Hansen

12:46

Hi Terry. Louisville's game plan was to put more people in the box (committed to the run) than the Notre Dame offensive line could block. Duke did it the week before with eight in the box. Louisville has at times nine or 10. They dared the Irish to beat them in the pass game, something that was a little less risky when Duke did it, because of Jayden Thomas and Jaden Greathouse being out. Yet, Louisville was very successful with it, in part because of poor play calling (and, yes, some execution issues) put ND in bad down-and-distance situations. As bad as USC's defense is, I'd look for them to commit to a similar strategy until/unless Gerad Parker and the Irish offense show that the Trojans will pay for that tactic. ... I asked about and wrote about KK Smith recently. ... and Matt Salerno. Salerno MIGHT return for a bowl game. It doesn't sound like there's any expectation Smith will be back this season, which is a much longer recovery than originally thought.

Terry, Rangely ME

12:40

Hi Eric, one thing i cannot seem to understand is how Notre Dame's O-Line gets physically controlled and simply unable to establish any sort of run game vs Louisville. What gives? On paper we have an elite O-line and an elite stable of running backs.. Is it just the lack of respect Louisville had for our receivers that allowed them to make ND beat them through the air or would you attribute struggles to the OC and offensive gameplan? Lastly what are the internal rumblings regarding KK Smith, is he on a rehab and then developmental path or once healthy could he potentially contribute sooner rather than later? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and all the best to you.

Eric Hansen

12:40

Play calling, execution and an ill-timed, in-game rotation of offensive linemen all contributed to the O-line's issues at Louisville. That and a good gameplan by Louisville that it probably got some hint of from watching the Duke film. The Cardinals were not a particularly good sacking team coming in, yet got five against the Irish. I'm bumfuzzled by the Vegas line. Notre Dame opened as a 2 1/2-point favorite and that is what the line is on Wednesday as we're doing this chat. USC's defense is awful. Their offense is the opposite of awful, so I am not sure I have an explanation for you.

12:36

Hey Dan, thank you. I'm not sure how closely you've followed Nolan's situation since early August or were just asking about this week in particular. so I'll assume you need to be completely caught up. Sophomore middle linebacker Nolan Ziegler, projected to be a key rotational piece, missed virtually all of preseason training camp and the first five weeks of in-season practice attending to a person issue about which he's requested privacy. He has recently returned to practice, made the travel squad for the Louisville game and was available to play on special teams. That could happen as early as this week. We might be further away from him actually contributing key snaps as a linebacker. (more)

Dan, Grand Rapids, Mi.

12:28

Hi Eric, What happened to Nolan Ziegler? I've not heard anything about him. Is he just behind the other LB's, or is there something else going on that we don't know about? Also, How can the O-Line be that bad vs L'ville? Supposed to be the best O-line in the country? How? And, how is ND favored vs SC? Thanks as always for all your insights!

Eric Hansen

12:28

'Hi Patrick, and thank you. You would think that Marcus Freeman would be protecting his staff, given the high standards he sets for the program, himself, and his own "question everything" mantra. If he did NOT have concerns about the offensive play-calling in that game, I would see that as a reason for concern about the program and its direction. Seriously.

Patrick from Boulder

12:25

Hi Eric! Thanks as always for hosting these chats. Watching the game on Saturday, it seemed like the play calling was predictable, uncreative, and often doomed for failure (running repeatedly into a crowded box). When Coach Freeman says he had no concerns with the play calling but rather with the execution, is he just protecting his offensive staff or does he really believe that execution was the problem?

Eric Hansen

12:22

Marcus Freeman has taken the posture of trying to spread the blame with himself being the primary target, and that's going to lead to some word salads in press conferences. I've seen other coaches in this similar situations close ranks, limit access, get chippy in press conferences ... and Marcus Freeman has not lost his poise, which is one good sign. This Saturday night will be fascinating with all these dynamics and the program's biggest rival coming to town with a top 10-ranked team. I think it is reasonable to expect improvement. It is not a guarantee that it will happen.

12:21

I think the criticism of Joe Rudolph is warranted, especially if the O-line in-game rotation was his idea. However, when we talked to him last spring, it was clear that wasn't a concept he has typically embraced. So did he change his mind or were his hands tied? I think Chansi Stuckey has a relatively inexperienced group and I think what's happening on offense is more a reflection of bigger problems with the offense ... and injuries, rather than Stuckey being over his head. (more)

12:18

Otherwise, defensive coordinators in subsequent games will have a nice starting point to game-plan and limit the ND offense with similar concepts. To me, Gerad Parker wouldn't have been a risky hire for Brian Kelly from an experience standpoint. Whatever you thought of BK, he was a backstop of sorts, someone who could fix things on offense. Now you combine Marcus Freeman's head-coaching experience and somewhat limited inventory for fixes on the offensive side of the ball with Parker, and the task becomes much greater. And this, to me, is why this is such a critical juncture for Marcus Freeman as a head coach. (more)

12:15

Hi Jim, and thanks for the measured approach to this pretty emotional topic for a lot of ND fans. ... You are right, there shouldn't be regression at this point in the season, not even with four straight night games for the first time in school history and four straight ranked opponents for the sixth time in school history. ... Those can be contributing factors, but not the cause. ... Gerad Parker got off to a phenomenal start as offensive coordinator. Really good game plans, good in-game and lightning-delay adjustments ... produced the first stretch of 40+-point games coming out of the gate since 1900. But football is an evolutionary game, and a big part of being successful is getting ahead of the curve and STAYING ahead of the curve. As more of Parker's largely previously unknown philosophy was revealed and now on tape for study, defensive coordinators are going to have more data to pick apart, find stress points and attack those. There needs to be an ability to counterpunch. (more)

Jim Tal, Valley Center CA.

12:07

Eric, thanks as always to one on the busiest men in sports journalism. I really don't know how you can juggle all those balls that require your attention. It is rather stunning to see the Irish actually regressing at a time in the season when improvement and development should be manifesting themselves. That is a very troubling fact. Particularly disturbing is the faltering of the offense whereas of late, Parker has shown very little creativity and ability to adjust and adapt. Moreover, neither Rudolph nor Stuckey appeared to be doing much to get needed production out of the positions they oversee. Big picture, in your opinion, what the heck is going on with the offense? What's currently going on simply shouldn't be happening.

Eric Hansen

Off we go ...

12:07

The "no drinking" rule has been lifted for this week.

Here are the rules: