JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 21, 2020

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 21, 2020

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Eric Hansen

1:41

It certainly can't hurt. I think one thing that helps is that offensive players can now see what a Tommy Rees offense looks like. They don't have to imagine it.

James Coleman

1:41

Will they way Notre Dame is playing and the ranking help 2022 recruiting?

Eric Hansen

1:40

Cale, perhaps Brendon Clark and/or Drew Pyne will be better college QBs than Book in time, but you know there's no way they are at this point. If Phil Jurkovec were still on the roster, then there might be a good argument there. He's not. Now you and I both know Trevor Lawrence isn't like any freshman most of us have ever seen or will ever see, so I don't think that's fair. There is a high-ceiling QB coming, but Tyler Buchner won't be on the roster until 2021.

Cale Fontenot from Louisiana

1:36

Hi Eric, thanks for always covering all our questions and doing these chats! My question might’ve been answered before but I’m not totally sure. I think the most glaring hold back the Irish have from being elite is quarterback play. I get where Kelly is coming from when he says Book is a winner, but does he really believe Ian is the best option? I feel as if Clark or even Pyne have much higher ceilings than Ian and I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to utilize your best talents to make this team operate at its highest possible level. Dabo pulled a proven QB for a true freshy and that has worked out terrifically for Clemson. I just don’t understand why Kelly is so damn stubborn. Thanks!

Eric Hansen

1:36

There are positives. I mean, he's the second-leading rusher in Notre Dame history at the QB position between only Tony Rice. He's an outstanding leader on and off the field, and that shouldn't be discounted. But I know Ian wants to be better in the passing game, and it's reasonable for him to hold himself to a higher standard. We're going to find out very soon if he's reached his ceiling or if there's another level to his game.

Guest

1:33

Tom Royville, In. Eric, love your work. I just don’t see improvement in Ian’s game. When pressure is on he tucks and runs. If the first reads not there it’s over. Great feet, great leader and a winner. I guess I should look at the positives. Go Irish.

Eric Hansen

1:33

I get this question multiple times a year, and it's certainly a reasonable one to ask. Kelly has done very well with first-year starters, not so well with second-year starters and has something yet to prove with a third-year starter. It's hard to answer this question in a chat forum. I've written about it in some depth in the past. The short answer is that there's not a common thread that links these quarterbacks and their progress or lack thereof, because Kelly has tried to change the QB development model and I think there have been significant changes. Sometimes it's had more to do with the personnel around the QB than the QB himself. In Book's case, there was turnover at wide receiver and the offseason was far from normal, but he has one of the best offensive lines in the country in front of him, and that should count for something. I think this game vs. Pitt is really going to be interesting to see how he responds.

Scott from Muskegon MI

1:21

Why do you think, alll of the QB's in the Kelly era seem to regress ?

Eric Hansen

1:21

I said before the season started, if Notre Dame was going to be a serious playoff contender, one of the elements that had to show up was Ian Book being in the top 10 nationally in passing efficiency. The Irish as a team are 46th out of the 77 teams that have played at least one game. Of the five key metrics (rush offense, rush defense, total defense, pass eff., turnover margin), that's the area where Notre Dame is furthest away from a championship contender. Clemson is 8th. Alabama is 1st. Georgia also is challenged in this area, at 52nd. That doesn't mean Book can't improve and improve significantly, but this game against Pitt will be a good indicator of whether and how much improvement is possible.

Jim from Albuquerque

1:09

Hello Eric from the land of enchantment! Sure enjoy these Q&A’s and thanks for giving Irish fans this forum. More of an observation than question. Book continues to struggle with missing open receivers and/or over throwing passes. BK says he’s a winner. He’s a winner against mediocre competition but he hasn’t won big games. If he continues his current performance I dread the Clemson game as they’ll clog the box to force him to pass. Am I off base here? Thanks and be safe!!!

Eric Hansen

1:06

Brian Kelly expects Kenny Pickett, the starter, to play after missing the Miami game Saturday with an ankle injury. The people who cover Pitt seem to think backup Joey Yellen will get the start. There's a big gap in what those two bring to the table.

Robert, Evansville, IN

1:04

Eric, have you seen anything on Pitts starting quarterback's injury status? Thank you!

Eric Hansen

1:02

There is only one in isolation and one in quarantine. The unavailable players are announced 90 minutes before kickoff.

Ryan mars pa

1:01

Good afternoon Eric when we will we know who the players are that aren’t playing this Pittsburgh

Eric Hansen

12:59

Jeff, I must have done a poor job or writing that article, because Brian Kelly came out and said Foskey needs to play more and COVID concerns had been holding both him and Jack Kiser back. ... I may get a chance to ask about Austin tomorrow, but my sense is the priority is to get him up to speed in the passing game, then perhaps hone his punt return skills.

Jeff from Phoenix

12:57

Hey Eric, the defense did play well last week, but in my opinion, the pass rush was sub-optimal. This puts too much pressure on the secondary with someone like T Lawrence showing up soon. Any ideas for improvement? You wrote about Foskey and that he is a (co)-leader in sacks and hurries despite very few snaps. So....why hasn't he been on the field more? Separately, can we assume from the Louisville game that Kevin Austin's audition for punt returner did not pan out? Thanks for your patience with us chatters!

Eric Hansen

12:57

Stan, thank you. It's the nation's No. 7 rushing offense vs. the No. 1 rushing defense ... and also a team that can get after the quarterback (No. 2 in sacks) without having to blitz. I think Brian Kelly certainly has the confidence in going deeper than the top two running backs, but he does like to ride a hot hand. When Kyren Williams got 25 carries against Louisville, it marked just the third time since the 2012 national title game run that an Irish back got 25 or more carries. ... ND is going to have to pass the ball and pass it well to keep Pitt off balance. I'm not sure you'll see more crossing patterns. Their safeties are really good. I'm curious to see how ND's tight ends will match up in this one.

Stan. Ballston Lake NY

12:42

Hi Eric. Been enjoying this for about three years now. Really appreciate your insight snd also the great questions you get from the readers on a weekly basis. Pitt’s run defense seems legit. But so does our O-line and stable of backs. Do you think Rees will rotate the backs in to keep them fresh???, or simply ride the hot runner? One more, i think we should be able to pass on this team and really need to get that going before Clemson. Do you think we will see a few more crossing routes this week? It seems we like to throw vertically down the sidelines and a lot of 50-50 balls. I’d love to see Book hit a guy in stride. I know he can! Just gotta believe it himself and let it rip!

Eric Hansen

12:39

Tom, thank you. This is going to be such a tough task for the committee, because of COVID stops and starts, because the Power 5 leagues don't play each other in big intersectional games, because of the different number of games played. Having said all of that you want to be a team that's playing your best ball in November and December. So if ND say splits with Clemson, beat UNC on the road and pummels the others in November/December (BC, Wake and Syracuse), the 12-7 win over Louisville isn't going to be a sticking point. So improvement will be valued much more than style points or lack thereof in September and October.

Tom from Raliegh NC

12:34

Thanks for all your great work, Eric! ND's path to the playoff is winning (not impressing) every other game and then splitting (at least) with Clemson (Nov and ACC Championship). Does that change Coach Kelly's approach to "just win baby" versus piling up points to appear dominant to committee?

Eric Hansen

12:33

Kevin Austin Jr. is the best all-around receiver. He missed more than two months with a broken bone in his left foot. They're easing him back in. He played 3 snaps vs. FSU and 22, I believe, last week. He needs to play more than that.

So then who can you pair with those two who gives you the best chance to win? McKinley? Skowronek? Wilkins? Davis? Keys? Johnson? That's what Rees, Alexander and Kelly need to get to the bottom of and soon, now that everyone but perhaps Keys is back.

I think the answer would have been different if there had been a normal spring and a normal training camp. Xavier Watts in that scenario may have been in the conversation. If Wilkins can play in the slot, the answer might just be him.

12:28

There is both an injury element and COVID-19 element that have affected which wide receivers have gotten on the field to this point. And with 11 options and no bye week until Nov. 21, you really can't have an open audition. Athleticism counts, but so does chemistry with the quarterback. We've had two really good guests on Pod of Gold this week and recently in Bobby Brown and Corey Robinson who did a great job of breaking that down.

Ultimately, Notre Dame's offense works best when there's a speed receiver on the outside who can stretch the field and open up the offense for other receivers and even the running game. Think Will Fuller and Kevin Stepherson. The current version of that is Braden Lenzy. So he needs to play, but he also needs to be healthy. He played two snaps last week. ... (more coming)

Jeremy from Goshen, IN

12:24

Hi Eric, Thank you for all your work! You are the best in the business! I am writing over concern with the passing game. Versus Duke and Louisville, it seemed that the Wide receivers were struggling to get separation. What are the measurables for who gets on this field? It seems that Austin,Watts, and Johnson would be an upgrade athletically over Mckinley and Skowronek. Other Division 1 teams are playing their talented true Freshman, why can't ND? Is the coaching staff making it more complicated than it should be? Please help me understand the ideology behind this. The coaches need to help Book out by getting the best athletes on the field.

Eric Hansen

12:23

There is no shortage of Ian Book/passing game/wide receiver/QB development questions today. Not all of them are seeking the same answer. I'll try to get to as many of them as I can that won't look at the same aspects of those questions.

12:19

The 1966 Irish were No. 2 in scoring defense at 3.8 ppg allowed.

Brian Sontchi

12:16

Hello Eric this is Brian Sontchi from Batavia, IL. Hope all is well with you and yours. In your recent Sunday article you mentioned 3 Irish teams from past 50 years who ranked in top 4 in scoring defense. If you can stretch that a bit to past 55 years to include the 1966 national title team, where did they rank in scoring defense? I ask because if memory serves me correctly that Irish squad held 6 of its 10 opponents to 0 points. Please let us know. Thank you.

Eric Hansen

12:11

Hola Pete. Thanks for the good wishes. I actually wrote about Isaiah Foskey (and Jack Kiser) early in the week. Kelly's quote in the story was: “They’re both guys that have missed chunks of playing (and practice) time,” Kelly said Monday during his Zoom session with the media. “But they have to get on the field for us.”

So his slow return was at least initially relate to COVID. Here's the link if you want to read the whole story: https://www.ndinsider.com/football/analysis-foskey-kiser-top-the-list-...

As far as C'Bo, he's the third option behind two young players who are earning everything they're getting. He'll get his chances when the opportunity presents itself, but the priority is getting Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree on the field.

Guest

12:06

Hola Eric. Pete from Portage, Michigan. Hope all is well with you and your media cohorts! I have noticed a lack of playing time for Isaiah Foskey over the last 2 games. I assume he was one of the many who got sick. Is he having lingering effects of being sick or is not playing up to standards to get many reps? he looked so good against a okay teams early on. To that same token, is C'Bo not healthy or just will have limited reps b/c of Kyren and emergence of Tyree?? Must be tough mentally on these guys who put time/work into the program and in the 3rd year and playing time is limited.

Eric Hansen

12:03

The question queue is filling up fast, so let's get right to it.

Please include your NAME and HOMETOWN with your question.

12:02

Here are the rules.