JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 16, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 16, 2024

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Tom in Evanston, IL

2:12

What is the play designation for the pass straight to a defensive player, who then bobbles it to the center, who runs for a first down? Does Denbrock rotate which linemen catches the bobble or is it always the center?

Eric Hansen

2:11

Hi Sean, I think the Lions are doing a great service for themselves to do that kind of scouting! And if I told you that was my prediction regarding Army/Navy and FSU/USC, you would never have believed me and quite frankly I wasn't even close to that prediction. The first CFP rankings come out Nov. 5, which is a Tuesday night. That's three days after ND's second bye week Saturday and four days before the Irish host Florida State in game 9. I am an AP voter, and I'm sure there are folks who wonder if I observe the "no drinking" rule when I'm filling out my ballot. Usually, by that time of year, things start falling the way that makes sense. That's because there's so much more info to base it on.

Sean, Portland OR

2:07

I heard the Detroit Lions are scouting Pat Coogan for some hook and ladder/goal line ball carrier/TE. Did you predict Army/Navy to be a combined 11-0 and USC/FSU to be a combined 4-8? When do the first playoff rankings come out? There's a lot of questionable rankings in the top 15, and I'm not sure if voters are even looking at these teams with a critical eye. Hoping the playoff committee will be different, and also hoping it's still a couple more weeks so that some of the frauds are exposed by then.

Eric Hansen

2:06

Hi Tanker. I think it's a question I'm bound to get a lot the rest of the season and have gotten previously. But I understand why people are curious. He was a very highly regarded recruit. He came in as a field end and moved inside to defensive tackle. He does not yet have a defensive tackle body, and that will take the balance of this year to develop. If you're asking me the same question next season at this point, then something's gone wrong with that experiment. And it did not work for Tyson Ford ... with a similar profile and similar path. And yet it worked for Jason Onye, who wasn't as highly rated, and it's working for Armel Mukam as well. But Vernon has not yet played this season, nor do I think he'll play a single snap in a high-leverage situation in 2024.

Tanker, Dulce NM

2:01

HI Eric, wondering what the word is on brenan vernon? I never hear about him and he was such a highly touted recruit?, wondering if you can provide an update on were he stands?

Eric Hansen

2:00

Hi Bob and thank you for being on here. and thanks for including me in your Canadian Thanksgiving week! (I learned about that earlier in the chat and am applying me new knowledge). Bob, I am going to have to do some research on this one. So please email me, and I'll try to get you an answer. I didn't realize the ESPN connection was problematic in Canada. I know the workaround for home/NBC games now, but not this one. My email is ehansen@insidendsports.com. Hopefully, this also generates a flurry of emails about lotteries I never entered but still won in other countries. And all I have to do is provide my person info!

Bob from Toronto

1:55

Thank you, Eric, for hosting these hump day Notre Dame pick-me-ups and for your excellent analysis and responses. We here in Canada will be struggling to watch the Georgia Tech game, because it's only being broadcast on ESPN. In the past, you've been able to point us in the right direction to find ways to access the Fighting Irish in similar situations. Are you able to remind us what they are? Thanks you for any help you can give us.

Eric Hansen

1:54

I don't have a ton or thoughts on Blake Hebert, in part because he's new to all of us. Tyler James has been in the weeds with that and has put together some great content about the backstory with him. What I can say is I feel he will be an asset to a deep quarterback room and it gives the Irish another option in 2025 and beyond. A viable option.

1:52

Hi Marie. Thank you for the restaurant recommendations and for the great questions ... I do think Notre Dame can run the table without Benjamin Morrison, in part because I think the offense is becoming more and more capable of carrying a larger load in the outcome of games. That will help offset what they're missing on defense. I also think Leonard Moore is better than people realize, but having that third corner is important. Hobbs is going to have to play some snaps and give the starters a break. ... The slow start thing doesn't faze me that much, because it's not as prolonged as earlier in the season. I'm not sure there's a magic formula, because it's been different things. The fumbled kickoff return against Louisville was fluky and now Ford is not on KO returns. The Irish still scored 21 first-quarter points. But yes, against Navy and Army, there tend to be fewer possessions in the game and those teams can leverage well playing with a lead. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:42

Hi Eric, we made it to Georgia Tech week. All of us down here in Atlanta are very excited. Devastating news about Benjamin Morrison, do you think this team can still run the table without him? Although the Stanford game ended up being successful both the offense, and the defense got off to a slow start, slow starts in the future could be the demise of this team, especially against a team like Navy. what do you think the problem is with the team not being able to get off to a good start. I know penalties are part of it but is there anything else you can think of and what do you think the coaching staff should do to make sure this does not happen again?Finally could you just give a couple of thoughts on the new quarterback commit Blake Hebert, I know he may not have the ceiling that Deuce Knight did, but I also don’t think he has nearly as high a potential to be a bust either. As always, thanks for hosting the chat and for all the great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:42

HI Skip. Keep in mind the way the rules/roster limits are changing, there soon may be a blurred line or no line at all between scholarship players and walk-ons, but for now ... Notre Dame takes filling out its roster BEYOND the 85 scholarship limit very seriously. So they scout for players like Luke Talich, for instance, who have scholarship offers but who might be willing to come to Notre Dame as a walk-on and perhaps even earn a scholarship. So the preferred walk-ons are those who have been invited to walk on with some sort of plan for them. Other walk-ons do occur, though not as much as in say, the Rudy days.

skip /Houston

1:38

What does it mean to be a "preferred walk on"?

Eric Hansen

1:38

Hi Tim. Sneed's snaps are down from the first three games of the season. It looks like this: 31-41-25-23-12-15. He seems to be playing a big more consistently with the more-focused role with less playing time. He's kind of become the No. 5 option in the five-man linebacker rotation as younger players, like Jaiden Ausberry, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Drayk Bowen ascend. Sneed is still an elite athlete trying to be an elite linebacker. These next few weeks should tell us a lot about where that journey is heading.

Tim Thompson Nantucket, Ma.

1:31

Hello all…simple question, where was Jaylen Sneed during Stanford? Think I saw him at the end, in highlights. Was it simply a scheme/ matchup decision or related to something that was alleged after Louisville, him not being content with playing time.

Eric Hansen

1:28

It gets sticky, though, if ND has another injury in the back end. The short-term solution is to elevate freshman Karson Hobbs, who's working at all three spots now (both corners and nickel), who's talented, but who's not nearly as camera-ready as Moore was/is. If there were a long-term injury, I think they'd have to move Jordan Clark from nickel and move Rod Heard II to nickel. The other positive here is how well DBs coach Mike Mickens' ability to get even inexperienced players ready to play.

1:22

Hi Joe. There is no sugar-coating that Ben Morrison is one of the top two cornerbacks in college football. So, there's that. However, here's what you can be encouraged by. Leonard Moore and Christian Gray are really good. Not Morrison-Gray good, but very good. Moore could end up being a freshman All-American, as Morrison was in 2022. The fact that he already had a start under his belt and played all 76 defensive snaps vs. Louisville is huge. And he was matched up quite a bit with Ja'Corey Brooks. And while Brooks wasn't a nothing burger in that game (5 catches, 71 yards, 2 TDs), that was the fewest receiving yards Brooks has had in a game since transferring in from Alabama. (more)

Guest

1:14

Joe H from Williams Bay Wi Hey Eric great win on Saturday so nice to see a really nice offensive performance But my question really centers more on the defensive With the terrible news about Ben Morrison’s season ending injury do you think our young players will be able to step up and play at a championship and how do you think that Al Golden will adjust his game plans accordingly

Eric Hansen

1:10

On the other side, Marcus Freeman was hesitant about letting Tyler Buchner come back and had to run it by the team (and his wife). And it's worked out. But I don't think he wants to set this kind of precedent. So I will be surprised if there's a reunion. And nothing against Mickey. Life has handed him a tough hand off the field and he has endured bravely through that.

1:09

Well Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Wow that, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day AND Bosses' Day all in the same week? What a world! Thanks for the compliment ... and your question, and it's one I anticipate Marcus Freeman getting on Thursday. My sense is no to both sides of it. No, because I think Jaden Mickey's decision to transfer was based more on what he anticipated happening next year — Leonard Moore and Christian Gray starting — than what was happening with his role this year. And now he'd have a longer on-ramp at his new school by redshirting, two years instead of one, to build his NFL résumé. (more)

Tom from Toronto

1:02

Hi Eric, Still enjoying the chats, both questions and answers. Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving (just like the US Thanksgiving but without the Christmas shopping) and while I was running this morning at Taylor/Massey Creek I saw the most beautiful stand of trees, bright red, orange and yellow leaves in the direct sunlight. Just one of the benefits living in the Great White North. As to my question, since hindsight is often 20/20, do you think that there is a chance that Jaden Mickey will rethink his decision and ask to rejoin the team? And if he did, would you expect Coach Freeman to let him do so? Just a thought. Thank you and Tyler for you excellent work.

Eric Hansen

1:02

Hi Bob. I think there are three guys trying to push their way into rotation whether Rod Heard II's role shifts over to nickel/corner or not. They are Luke Talich, Kennedy Urlacher and Ben Minich. They all bring something different, and it might be more opponent-specific. I think Talich brings the most versatility to that equation and Urlacher the most physicality and ability to play in the box. Minich has speed and got some reps late vs. Stanford. My money would be on Talich, but I like where Urlacher's headed.

Bob (Oxnard, CA)

Who is the next safety in if Heard is playing nickel and X or Adon need a rest? Thanks.

12:56

Hi Eric,

Eric Hansen

12:56

Ben Morrison is a guy I wouldn't completely rule that out for, but I think the odds are still very small even with him. He's wired differently, and yet he is business savvy and so is his family about how the NFL works. And you and I have not been reading the same scouting reports, because I have not heard his draft equity slipping. Sometimes cornerback's stats don't show up in obvious places. Sometimes you have to look at the opposing receivers' stats. And sometimes a QB will throw to another receiver or take a sack or throw the ball away in part because of Morrison's coverage.

Brendan from Pittsburgh

12:50

What do you think are the chances Ben Morrison comes back next year? I recently read that he is not as highly thought of among NFL scouts as he is among fans, and assumedly this injury is another knock on his draft status.

Eric Hansen

12:48

Steve, given how completely the defense handled things after that, I can see why that is confusing. It was not the result of a "Win one for the Gipper" speech or its modern-day equivalent. It's more an X's and O's thing. Sometimes a team comes out in a scripted beginning and it's nothing they've shown before on tape or infrequently has shown. Al Golden is really good at in-game adjustments and not needing to wait until halftime. So, that's what you saw.

Steve from Monterey california

12:43

On Stanford’s first possession, they marched down the field with ease. From then on Notre Dame‘s defense shut them down. What changed?

Eric Hansen

12:40

Marcus Freeman's motto is "question everything." With ND's heavy lean into sports science, I am confident we'll find out one way or another this offseason. But I will add that fans tend not to hear about the amount or severity of injuries on other teams.

12:39

I'll give you an example. Way back in the 1990s, I was the ND men's basketball beat writer for two years. In the first year, Notre Dame has just switched to Adidas shoes. And suddenly, there were all kinds of lower-leg and football injuries. Scads of them. And John MacLeod had the fortitude to question it. And it turns out, it was the shoes that were causing the problem. Adidas was able to find a model for the players that alleviated the issue, except with star player Pat Garrity. So, Adidas relented and let Garrity wear his old Nikes, but they insisted the manager take some White-Out and block out the black Nike swoosh stripe. (more)

12:35

Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you can run a 10.4, you better put your name in the transfer portal. You could make a lot of money to by your grandkids Christmas presents. .... There are a large number of similar question in the queue, but your exclamation points won out. And I did ask Marcus Freeman that question in a press conference recently and wrote about it. Here's what I think: I think the natural reaction from fans is to question (which is fair) over accusing (which I don't think is fair). And while director of football performance Loren Landow is new to Notre Dame, he's not new to the strength and conditioning game by any stretch. And yet, I think what makes sense is to look at the date at the end of the season and try to see if there's a correlation and if anything can be improved. Sometimes injuries can be random. Sometimes not. (more)

Manny from San Pedro

12:31

Eric!!!!! I never played college ball but I can suit up if Freeman needs a senior who can run a 10.4 40 yard dash… my question is are injuries this year flukey or is this is a result of the new strength and conditioning?

Eric Hansen

12:30

The 2018 team was 36th in rush defense. The 2020 team was 16th. This team's yards-per-carry yield is 3.43, which isn't great, but it's improving and it's better than last year's 3.54 or 2022's 3.91. But it still must get better. No team has ever won a national title since and inclusive of ND's last title in 1988 with a run defense ranking that low. Two other encouraging signs. ND is 10th in 3rd down defense and 3rd in 4th down defense. That includes pass and run plays. And Pro Football Focus, which factors in a lot of the things you reference when putting together its run defense efficiency grade gave ND an 89.0 for the Stanford game, by far its best mark this season.

12:22

Hi Len and thanks for the detail on your question. I thought Notre Dame needed to come out of the bye week, not only prioritizing improving its run defense, but executing that goal. And once the Irish got past the first Stanford drive, they did a pretty good job. They stand at 45th nationally in run defense and need to continue to push toward the top 25. Georgia Tech is 26th in rush offense and ran for 371 yards last week at North Carolina. Navy is No. 1, and Army is No. 2. They have faced two good ones so far, in Texas A&M (9th) and Northern Illinois (14th). But you're looking for more detail. (more)

Len from the Jersey Shore

12:16

Hello Eric! I have always been intrigued with defensive pass efficiency. Before this was codified into a stat, we use to take passing yardage, subtract 50 yards for an INT and divide by pass attempts to gets yards per adjusted attempt. It gave us a pretty good number for how good a passing offense or passing defense was. (Obviously did not include down, distance, pressure situations etc.) IMO the passing efficiency stat is a much better indicator. I know you agree as you include it in your list every week. Unfortunately a run or run defense rushing efficiency stat does not exist. Looking at total yardage and yards per attempt fall short. Even adding 3rd/4th down defense, RDZONE defense against the run in your analysis, although better still falls short. Were big plays allowed? How did the team handle high leverage short yardage situations? We are partially stuck with eye test. Looking at the CFP run defenses of 2018 and 2020 how does this year's run defense stack up in comparison?

Eric Hansen

12:15

So here's what I'll add ... 1) This offense is not going to be as tight end-oriented on a week-to-week basis as ND fans are used to. Situationally within a game? Yes. Against certain opponents? Yes. But not against every opponent and in as big doses as Tommy Rees/Gerad Parker offense, which will help as this offense evolves and faces different defenses with different strengths, especially if this team makes the playoff. Having said that, I think Mitchell Evans is finally to a place where the mental part of the ACL recovery is finally behind him. And I do think we'll see gams where he looks like the guy who made some preseason All-America teams.

12:12

“Yeah, listen, I think Mitch had probably as strong a game from a physicality standpoint and what he did in the run game as he’s had the entire season. And I think the last time we kind of visited about it, we talked a little bit about where's his confidence in his knee? And how has he recovered, and those things. And I think he demonstrated, kind of by the way he went at people in the game, that he's put a little bit of that behind him. I think there's opportunities, probably this week, for a few more targets. A lot of the things we did in the dropback game, he could have caught some balls. He didn't happen to be targeted. I'm not sure.

“I'm not the one making the decisions [about] where the ball goes or what the coverage is. But I will say a lot of the other things that we did — from an RPO standpoint, because of the scheme that Stanford ran — we needed some extra length to the edges of our offensive formations. So, he was kind of stuck doing the dirty work instead of having the reward on the other side.”

12:10

HI Lorne, and thank you, and I do see Manny has a question and exclamation points in the queue, which we'll get to. But let's take a look at what's going on at Tight End U. In a 49-7 game, it's hard to nitpick the details. And yet given Mitch Evans' past production and his comeback from ACL surgery (which isn't even yet a year old), I had the same question myself. So I asked offensive coordinator/coach Mike Denbrock. So, here is what he said, and then I'll throw in my 2 cents: (more)

Lorne

12:07

Lorne from Reno. I don't care how many exclamation points Manny uses: if he (or anybody else) asks about where we can least afford an injury, DO NOT ANSWER!!!!!!!!! Last week's chat: "...I'd say the stress points with injuries at this point are vyper end, cornerback and offensive tackle." Last year against tOSU, Mitchell Evans was one of the best players on the field in a game with a lot of great players. Now he plays a game without being targeted once? Has his injury cost him a step or two or is there something else going on, as he seems a shadow of the player he was last year? Thanks as always for lending your expertise through these chats.

Eric Hansen

OK off we go ...

12:07

All the guard rails are back ... except the "no drinking" rule, which rolling that back hasn't come back to bite me yet.

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