JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 13, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 13, 2021

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Eric Hansen

2:18

Hi Marie, and thank you. The bye week is always tricky, because you're trying to weigh rest and recovery vs. a chance to fix things with more work. A lot of the coaches will hit the road to recruit later today and be gone until the weekend. The good news about the bye week timing is the players have midterms this week when practice is lighter and no school next week (fall break) when they bear down for USC. To your question, offensive line personnel and blocking schemes make up one of the three things on my list. The other two priorities are: getting Tyler Buchner more comfortable with more of the playbook and figuring out how to make better use of some of the defensive personnel, particularly Jordan Botelho.

Marie from Atlanta

2:11

Hi Eric, I hope you are enjoying the bye week. You have just been named the head coach at ND, what three things are you going to work on the most with both the offense and the defense during the bye week. As always thanks for your great work. I love these chats and look forward to hearing you responses to this question!

Eric Hansen

2:10

Oregon doesn't have any such games unless it reaches the Pac-12 title game. ... As far as Notre Dame. I had the Irish 11th this week, but I can see how other people could rank them lower. They've had some unimpressive wins and got beat at home by a very good Cincinnati team. If they start to play better and more consistently, they'll be rewarded. It's that simple.

2:07

Steve, first of all, where I went to school has nothing to do with my vote and never has. Nor does the team I cover. Maybe you'd bring bias to the voting process if you were on the panel. But I take it seriously. Frankly, your accusation is baseless and classless. If you had simply asked about the voting process without the accusation, that would have been a better approach. When voting for teams, you have to take the entire résumé into account. You can't cherry pick your criteria. Oregon deserved to be ranked over Ohio State after beating the Buckeyes. But Ohio State has been improving since and Oregon appears to be regressing. OSU's closest game the last three weeks was a 52-13 rout of a Rutgers team that took Michigan into the fourth quarter in a 20-13 loss the week before. Oregon had a five-point lead over a winless Arizona team going into the fourth quarter a week before it lost outright to a 3-3 Stanford team. The Buckeyes have plenty of games remaining that will test their ranking. (more)

Steve Findlay Ohio

1:53

Eric. How do you justify your rankings? Oregon beats your hometown buckeyes in columbus and yet you rank them behind Ohio state? Is this bias what keeps Notre Dame so low at 14th from writers in other states?

Eric Hansen

1:53

Doug, thank you. I do have ACCN. It would seem like having Miami and Florida State in your (sunny) state, having ACCN would be a natural. Thanks for following us on Twitter.

Doug from Sunny Florida

1:52

Eric, a big thank you to both you and Tyler James for the twitter updates during the game. I don't have the ACC Network available where I live and couldn't find any other streaming service available. Both of your twitter updates kept me informed during the game so Thank You!

Eric Hansen

1:52

OK, let's start with the secondary. I'm going to go bold here. If Xavier Nwankpa signs with ND, I see him as a starter. I'll pair him with DJ Brown or Justin Walters. The corners -- Cam Hart and Clarence Lewis return with a lot more depth behind them. O-line? With Patterson, from LT to RT: Blake Fisher, Kristofic or Rocco Spindler, Patterson, Carmody or Baker, Joe Alt. Without Patterson? Correll or Kristofic at center with Rocco at LG.

Bob

1:44

From Rochester NY, who do you project to be the starting OL in 2022 with and without Patterson (depending on his choice to stay or go to the NFL)? Same question for the defensive backfield (Patterson situation clearly excluded)?

Eric Hansen

1:43

Eric, that's a really interesting question (not that the others aren't and not just because you have a cool first name). I don't think he'll go back to wide receiver. Given the talent coming in for 2022 and the possibility that some of the seniors could stick around, that seems like the path of most resistance. There's going to be a massive influx of talent in the 2022 class at linebacker. Pryor leaves at rover, but Moala could be back and Ziegler looks like a strong rover candidate. The best path might be safety, especially given his size. He's kind of like Avery Davis used to be -- a really good football player looking for his best position fit.

Eric, Bristol

1:37

Hello Eric. As always, thank you for giving up a chunk of your week for these chats. Xavier Watts is really starting to show himself on special teams (on a side note, I'd been working from an initial player roster and was starting to wonder why #26, Leo Albano, wasn't a scholarship player). I can definitely see why BK was describing X as a 'football player' earlier this season. Do you foresee X staying at the LB position to where he was most recently switched? Or would he potentially be an option at S or CB moving forward given his size & speed? Or would he possibly even go back to WR after some of the upperclassmen move on after this season?

Eric Hansen

1:37

Greg, Houston is an enigma for me. He's gifted athletically, works his butt off, has a great attitude, is smart and is no snowflake. And yet it has never consistently translated to the field as it should. He's got 19 tackles and a QB hurry, but no pass breakups or interceptions. He's played 284 snaps compared to DJ Brown's 101. I think if he's an assignment-correct player who's a hard worker and a great teammate, that may be the high end of what you'll see from him over the balance of the season. And the ND coaching staff will take that.

Greg in Las Vegas

1:28

What are your thoughts about Houston Griffith. Highly publicized potential transfer/return, rave reviews from Freeman, and looks like a baller. However, with Hamilton on the other side, I would have expected to see more plays from him. Seems to be a step behind on some of the big plays and stat sheets show 2-3 tackles per game. What do you think can be expected from Houston the rest of the season?

Eric Hansen

1:27

I don't think there was a plan to go to Coan, per Kelly. They were committed to finishing with Buchner if he was healthy. In the 2012 season, the Golson/Rees pairing differed from game to game, with Rees having to play the entire BYU game because Golson was in concussion protocol from the previous game. As I mentioned earlier, this can look different from week to week in 2021 as well. And the offensive line play is a factor. There is no blueprint for this.

Josh from NYC

1:23

I'm sure there are a lot of QB questions today, but would be curious to get your thoughts on whether a situation like 2012 might work for the rest of this year, where Buchner is the starter (like Golson) and Coan is available situationally in relief (like Rees)? That's kind of how the VT game played out once they made the switch. I suspect they would've gone to Coan down 8 with 3 minutes left even if Buchner didn't tweak his ankle. Appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks!

Eric Hansen

1:23

Coan was benched initially because of ineffectiveness. He returned when Buchner was injured.

Jim, Goshen

1:23

It was hard to keep up with the QB changes v VT. Which changes were due to injury and which were due to game script/struggles? How do you expect the playing time to be distributed v USC?

Eric Hansen

1:22

Ted, sorry you missed the game. Peacock is affiliated with NBC and the ACC Network is affiliated with ESPN, so no, there would be no way to stream the ACC Network games on Peacock. I believe there is a stream option through the WatchESPN app, but I believe to do so, it's a premium service. If one of the chatters can add to that, I'd welcome the info.

Ted - Chicago

1:17

I couldn't watch the ND game this week since I don't have the ACC network. Is there any future plans for Peacock to add these out of market games? Would that even be possible to make it streaming?

Eric Hansen

1:16

Thank you, Jeff. I don't think OT Zach Rice will land at ND. He's set to announce his decision on Oct. 21. Xavier Nwankpa is down to Iowa, Notre Dame and Ohio State. He's set to visit ND for the USC game next Saturday, and that visit is a big one for the Irish to make one final impression.

Jeff from Phoenix

1:11

Hey Eric, I want to ask about recruiting given the emphasis on coaches visiting '22 and '23 players during this bye week and then the onsite visits for recruits for USC. Does ND have a chance to close/sign with either the safety Nwankpa or the tackle Rice? Both havent committed and seem like great 5-star talent. Any chance of getting another WR for the 22 class? As usual, thanks for the time devoted to the chat.

Eric Hansen

1:09

Hi Ryan. Given that there was thought of using him situationally against Virginia Tech and that he has two weeks to heal, I think there's optimism that he'll be ready for USC. We'll get an update from Brian Kelly on Monday.

Ryan mars pa

1:08

Good afternoon Eric do you think Mayer will be back for the usc game go Irish

Eric Hansen

1:06

You missed the turf toe injury. Here's the passage in my story from the game:

Running back Logan Diggs made his season debut, and ran for 29 yards on six carries — all in high-leverage situations — and made a 15-yard catch in the game-tying drive.
Sophomore Chris Tyree, who watched ND’s 2018 Lane Stadium win on an unofficial recruiting visit with the Hokies, left Saturday’s game early with turf toe. Senior running back C’Bo Flemister, Kelly said, was left home as a coach’s decision and junior Kyren Williams played through pain though was extremely productive.

Todd - Buffalo, NY

1:02

Thanks for the chats and your insight. Where was Chris Tyree against Virginia Tech - he was mentioned prominently in the lead up (being from Virginia) but ended up with a couple of early carries and Logan Diggs playing in the second half. Did I miss something there?

Eric Hansen

1:01

Thanks, Henry. There are 10 on active rosters and two on practice squads. ... A quick rundown: Aaron Banks (49ers), Ian Book (Saints), Liam Eichenberg (Dolphins), Robert Hainsey (Bucs), Daelin Hayes (Ravens), Nick McCloud (Bengals), Ade Ogundeji (Falcons), Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Browns), Ben Skowronek (Rams), Tommy Tremble (Panthers). Practice squad: Tommy Kraemer and Javon McKinley, both with the Lions.

Henry of Stockton

12:52

Hi Eric. Thank you for all the good work you do. We have a really fun team to watch in the “never quit” 2021 Irish. How many of the Notre Dame 2021 draftees and free agents made a 53 man roster of a NFL team?

Eric Hansen

12:49

I do for several reasons. 1. As you mentioned, he stepped up in high-pressure, high-leverage situations. 2. With fewer available WRs, Williams and Tyree may line up in the slot more, which would open up opportunities for Diggs. 3. It's a great way to save some wear and tear on Williams and Tyree.

Ryan, Caro Michigan

12:46

Eric, Logan Diggs looked solid with the reps he received against Va Tech. Do you see him playing more the second half of the season?

Eric Hansen

12:45

Hi Steve. Not yet, but the running backs have a chance to get healthy with the break. Williams should be good to go by USC. With Tyree, there are different grades of turf toe injuries. The less-serious ones usually are a one- to two-week recovery. More serious can drag on for months. I don't sense it's the latter. Logan Diggs acquitted himself well in his debut. I don't think they'd hesitate to use Audric Estime, either. The DNP coaches decision, in which C'Bo Flemister didn't even make the trip, doesn't sound good.

Steve from DFW

12:41

Hi Eric - Happy for the O-Line! Also happy for Bo Bauer, his pick prevented points & gave our Irish some momentum after the Hokies’ TD. Go Erie! (I’m from Oil City). Are our RBs healthy with the bye week now? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

12:40

The offensive line got better and Coan got better. If Saturday night was not an outlier, but a sign of things to come with the O-line, that's a significant step. Va Tech's pass rush is better than any of the teams remaining on ND's schedule. And only Navy among those six has a better run defense rank than Va Tech's modest No. 65.

Dave from Hillsboro, Or

12:38

Hi Eric. While extremely thankful for the way things played out when Coan re-entered the game in the 4th quarter, I am at a loss on how to explain it. There was very little effective pressure put on Coan, the routes run looked to be crisp and tight and the passes on target. Did the ND O-line suddenly gel before our very eyes or did the VT coaching staff make things easier for ND by dialing back the pass rush?

Eric Hansen

12:38

Pyne hasa great attitude and keeps working, and that's what he should be doing. He's an injury away from being right back in the mix. ... As far as Botelho, there are some questions later in the chat that will allow me to address his role, so I'll hold on for that.

12:36

You're right I wouldn't compare Montana to Pyne or the thought processes of Devine and Kelly. What makes you think Kelly doesn't believe in Pyne? He gave him No. 1 reps (with Coan) all spring and during the first couple of weeks of training camp. Coan apparently practices much better. I anticipated Pyne would start against Va Tech and said as much in the last chat. But we do still have a small sample size of him in games... and the other QBs stats are better. Coan has a 141.0 passer rating, Pyne 134.7, Buchner 128.2. In rushing yardage, Buchner leads the TEAM in yards per carry for anyone with more than one carry (6.4) and he's second to Kyren Williams in total rushing yards, with 167 on 26 carries. Pyne is minus-6 on 5 carries. Coan is minus-85 on 35 carries. (more)

Patrick, Fort Wayne. IN

12:25

Good afternoon Eric, it looks like Drew Pyne will be a career back up at ND. I thought he had some of the "it" factor. At times, it is painful watching Brian Kelly manage his QBs. I remember how long Dan Devine left Joe Montana on the bench no matter how well he played when subbed on. I am not making a comparison, but I wonder what Pyne could do with a coach who believes in him. On another note, what's up with Botelho? Is this a lost season for him?

Eric Hansen

12:25

The good news for both is that ND will see five very below-average pass defenses the next five games. We're talking pass-efficiency defense rankings (out of 130) of 110, 109, 93, 99 and 112. The previous five games, the rankings were: 10, 13, 14, 2 and 41.

12:23

Hi Mitch. It's interesting, half of ND's opponents to date this season have played two QBs by design too. Purdue did as well, but not by design. Jeff Brohm had just seen enough of his starter in that game and made a change. ... I really think this is a week-by-week evolution, especially once Brian Kelly did not opt for Drew Pyne against Virginia Tech. As far as Coan/Buchner. You have to factor in how the offensive line is evolving, how ND matches up with the opposing defenses, and whether BK is getting the version of Jack Coan in the games he's getting in practice. The other factor is Buchner's growth. He's the best athlete, has the best arm, has the highest ceiling and has the most complete skill set. Once he gets more comfortable in the passing game (and that might not be until next season), it's going to be tough to keep him off the field. (more)

Mitch

12:17

Mitch from Arlington, VA (ND '71) - if we put aside the talk radio wisdom about multiple quarterbacks, isn't the lesson of last week that two QBs are probably the best option for this ND team? Buchner came in and gave us a spark in the first half when we really needed it and opened up the run game. Coan led the team down the field for 8 points in a heroic drive that I doubt our other QBs could have managed. Buchner's almost certainly next year's starter, but for this season, isn't tag-teaming it with Kelly pulling the levers the best approach?

Eric Hansen

12:16

The hope to to bring Prince Kollie along to spell Bertrand. And maybe if ND finds itself in some one-sided games in November, there will be a more comfortable rotation for the coaches in terms of Hamilton and the two corners. Bertrand's situation goes back to injuries to Marist Liufau and Shayne Simon and a slow start for Kollie because of COVID.

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