JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 23, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 23, 2024

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Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

1:25

Hi Eric, glad you had a good birthday. The GT game experience was unbelievable with seats right behind the bench.. i got to see so much of what goes on along the sideline as the game proceeds. We were behind the defnsive coaches and they are working non-stop during the game. Saw Bertrand talk with some of the LB's. My question is do you think that the Irish offense is starting to be more consistent?? I think there is still a lot of improving to do but it seems like we are moving the ball both on the ground and in the air better these past couple of games. Your thoughts and where do we go from here??? Please tell us that Mitch Evans is close to being the Mitch Evans we are used to seeing!! Go Irish!!!!

Eric Hansen

1:24

An A&M rise in the polls pushes ND up. I had a guy come up to me last night and ask me why I had ND ahead of Tennessee in my poll this week (and I've had the Vols ahead for most of the season). And he cited UT's win over Alabama. But ND has a better win that UT does. A&M is ranked AHEAD of Alabama. And actually A&M has a better resume than UT. The Aggies beat Arkansas with their backup QB to boot. UT lost to Arkansas. A&M drilled Florida on the road with the backup. UT won in overtime at home. Those data points aren't everything, but they matter. The committee will drill down on things like that.

1:21

Jeff, I could use the rest of the chat to go into great detail here, and then no one would need a sleep aid. So let me try to be succinct and not make anyone drowsy. If ND is 11-1, they're in. If they show significant improvement over the last five games, they'll hot a playoff game. If they are 10-2, they're out. ... Some things to keep in mind. The College Football Playoff selection committee and not the polls will make the selections. Yes, there is some jumping going on, and that's to be expected. But Notre Dame does have two ranked opponents, even if they're not name brands. ND's perception and that of Texas A&M is also tethered somewhat. They better each one does, the better it is for the other. If the Aggies beat LSU on Saturday, they will be the only SEC team without a conference loss. (more)

Jeff from Canton, MI

1:14

Hi Eric! In observing how little ND has risen in polls even with teams losing ahead of them makes me think going 11-1 may not be enough to get in the playoffs. Each week any of the remaining undefeated power 4 teams are jumping the Irish. ISU two weeks back, BYU this past week. And IU will too this week if they beat Washington. I’m beginning to think all B1G and SEC teams with one loss will be ranked higher than ND by the end of the year. And A&M winning against LSU likely puts them above ND too. no love for the Irish this year with the pollsters?

Eric Hansen

1:14

I did predict ND will go 11-1 and will stick with that. I think the toughest games (not necessarily the best teams), but toughest in terms of sequencing, venue. matchups, etc. are Navy this week and USC on Nov. 30. Not discounting Army, but those are the two scariest games, I think.

1:12

Thanks Don. I'm proud to be old enough to have several Beatles albums on vinyl, and within an arm's reach of my computer. NIU i 4-3 and has been their won worst enemy since beating ND. They've also had some bad luck with injuries, including not having starting QB Ethan Hampton in their 13-6 loss to Toledo last Saturday. They are 92nd in turnover margin and it's factored into their other losses. Against Toledo, they went for it on fourth down EIGHT times and failed on six of them. In that game they outgained Toledo by more than 100 yards, had 10 more first downs and held Toledo to 2-of-17 on third and four down and LOST. But their defense continues to be very good. They 1st nationally in third-down defense, third in total defense and 13th in rushing defense. (more)

Don in Scottsdale

12:57

Eric, Happy Birthday. You mentioned you were as old as a Beatles song. I have 8 years on you and remember the first time I heard it and thought how old! It amazes me how aging isn't what it used to be! Is it too early to ask what the heck happened with NIU? I understand RL did not have a feel for the passing game; he seems to have it now. If they don't run the table who's going to spoil it?

Eric Hansen

12:57

Dave, do you really think Notre Dame is consulting ME for fashion advice? ME? ... As far as who should be playing field end, I do have an opinion there. And while RJ Oben is still starting, Bryce Young has been playing more than him the past three games. And that's the way it should be. Ideally, Josh Burnham would also be in that rotation, but with the injuries, the Irish need him at vyoer more. Look for Bryce to continue to be on the field in more high-leverage situations. His star is rising.

Dave, Ponte Vedra, FL

12:52

I’ve really been impressed with Bryce Young in recent weeks. It seems like he’s already a superior choice over Oben, who’s been a disappointment. I’d like see a lot more of him. Your thoughts? Just an aside, please put the white pants somewhere where we can’t find them. Blue and Gold only, please.

Eric Hansen

12:51

That's not what you asked exactly. Playing tight end in college is a lot different than playing it high school, sometimes dramatically so. So there's more learning, starting from square 1 than you think. Cooper Flanagan, among the three tight ends who play a lot, had the most traditional TE setting in high school and he was game-ready as a true freshman. His blocking prowess this year has been mitigated by an ankle injury that he's coming back from. Eli Raridon was flexed out like a wide receiver often in high school, not doing to traditional tight end blocking stuff. He also had to overcome the mental block and physical challenge of two ACL tears to the same knee in less than a year's time between them. So there is upside there for all three of them as blockers, and I think you'll see that down the stretch.

12:48

MikeD!!!!!! Thank you. My 12-hour work day foiled the grandkids part. I lucked out last year, because it fell on a bye week. Still lucky, I get to visit a little with them on Friday... To your question, so I'm going to take that your question is about both run blocking and pass blocking. And Mitchell Evans actually hasn't graded out well in either this season, but he's decidedly better since the bye week. Why? He was really good about how this was playing out in an interview Tuesday night. He is still not at the one-year anniversary of his ACL tear, and there was some hesitancy pre-bye week with his knee about hurting it blocking that is not longer there. So I put that in there for context. (more)

MikeD from Rochester NY

12:38

Hi, Eric!!!! Hope you had a great birthday heavily attended by grandkids!! Why is Mitch Evan’s, who never played TE until he got to ND, so much better at blocking than the others in the TE room? They’re all big guys, so it’s not a size issue. Is it an effort and desire issue? My prediction for this weekend: ND 38 Navy 20

Eric Hansen

12:38

That doesn't mean you can't be efficient in your pass game when you lean into the run game more, but you won't be evolving it as quickly for the long term, perhaps. What it will look like when it is getting better. A high completion rate, no interceptions, a higher yards-per-attempt rate and TD passes. What that will look like at game speed is an offense that converts its third downs, gets touchdowns over field goals and has several ways to defeat teams that want to load the box.

12:35

Hi Jack. Thank you ... and really good question. One caveat -- one thing that's going to maybe skew ND's lower is how good they are at getting the ball in the end zone in the run game. Passing TDs play into the pass-efficiency number, maybe disproportionately so. Even then, that number needs to continue to rise (and it has been). But you're balancing that each week between long-term team goals and the short-term goal of taking what the defense gives you and winning the game in front of you. Against Virginia, Army and USC, that's an easier task, because all three of those are worse at defending the pass than the run. Florida State is bad at both. But Navy is much better against the pass than the run. (more)

Jack, Strongsville,Ohio

12:30

Hi Eric. You mentioned in your column Sunday about the 5 metrics that good teams all have. Notre Dame is 74th in pass efficiency. In your opinion, how does the team improve this metric and subsequently its performance in the remaining games? Thanks for all your great work across all the platforms.

Eric Hansen

12:30

If there's a sensitive question that I want to phrase a certain way in hopes of avoiding a word salad response, I'll ask it, even if I think it's going to be asked by someone else. I rarely go first anymore, because then a question that needs to get asked in my opinion may not get asked. But you don't want to wait too long or you may not get the mic. So why do people ask questions that you think you know the answer to? You'd have to ask them specifically, but here's what I can tell you. Not everybody has the same agenda. Not everybody attends every press conference, so the answer may be new to them. Yes, they may need a quote for a story. Or a soundbite with Marcus Freeman looking directly into their camera. All those things come into play. Hope that wasn't a predictable answer.

12:26

So what's my objective? Provide the reader with as much information as we collectively can squeeze out of that opportunity. So, before it starts, I make up a list of topics I think it's important for us to collectively get to. As those come up in the press conference, I check them off. I try to anticipate questions that will be asked by others, so I can use mine for stories I know I need to write or info I'd like to share on Football Never Sleeps or this chat, for instance. And believe me, you all inspire me with some of your questions. Besides the exclamation points, it's one of the coolest parts of this chat. (more)

12:23

Hi Charlie. If you know half of the answers, please give me your number, so we can ask additional questions. I kid. I actually think this is an interesting question other chatters might have curiosity about ... in other words, how the press conferences work. And there is strategy, at least on my part. I can't speak for everyone else. But here's the framework. We get roughly 30 minutes with Marcus Freeman on Mondays. They will not extend that. Each reporter called on gets one question and one follow-up, so basically two questions. If you ask an injury question, under the new policy, it may or may not be answered, so you might be wasting one of your two questions. (more)

Charlie from Palm Springs

12:19

It seems like at least half the questions asked at MF pressers are ones that everyone knows the answers to ("How important is it to the young LBs to have a 6 year guy in the room...?" "How much has Riley's confidence improved in the passing game since week 1...?"--blah, blah). Do the reporters do this because they have a pre-conceived storyline in mind and need a quote as a hook?

Eric Hansen

12:19

Some players I think you can count on playing a lot and playing well are Mills, Cross, Kiser and Watts. I think they'll be problem-solvers on the field and help to get the team adjusted and also will make plays.

12:18

Hi Joe, it's a question I've been giving a lot of thought to myself, and not one ND would be eager to provide an answer to for Navy's benefit. I think it's a little more likely for Army that you'd see different personnel than Navy, just because Navy's offense has become such a hybrid that you almost need conventional cornerbacks for instance to prevent explosive plays in the passing game. Maybe a safety drops down and plays linebacker. Maybe a linebacker drops down and plays defensive end. There are always players who have some savvy against triple-option (remember Greer Martini before he became an every-down/every-week play). So, Kennedy Urlacher is an intriguing name. But does he have the recognition skills? That's kind of the unknown. (more)

Guest

12:14

Joe H from Williams Bay Wi Hi Eric Thanks for another great chat I was wondering with Navy this week and Army coming up is there any chance we could see some players we haven’t seen alot maybe get some time Im thinking in particular of Armel Mukam and Sean Sevillano to help clog up the middle and Kennedy Urlacher because he seems like such a sure tackler Thanks

Eric Hansen

12:14

Wherever you put him, he makes ND's O-Line better. I think if there was a better left tackle option, ND would have plugged that in during the first bye week. They can revisit that in the second bye week, but I do think the coaches see the investment in Anthonie Knapp is paying some dividends.

12:12

Hi Scott. I think it's a fair question, though I think the overall progress of the O-Line has been maybe better than meets the eye, given the circumstances of replacing one starter in season another during fall camp and missing a third for a large chunk of the season. That third one, is — in my opinion — ND's best offensive lineman in offensive guard Billy Schrauth. Billy is on the cusp of returning to the lineup. It'll be either this week in some measure or full time after the next bye week that follows the Navy game. Schrauth's return gives ND some options. Do you plug him back in on the right side and let Rocco Spindler and Sam Pendleton battle it out at left guard? OR do you plug him in at left guard and keep Rocco in the lineup? (more)

Scott, Greenville, SC

12:07

Happy belated birthday Eric!!! Hope you celebrated in style, with the family! Hey, i think we've all seen improvements throughout the team as the season has progressed, but i am still concerned about the left side of the offensive line. Do you think we are too far into the season to make changes? I don't think either tackle or guard will produce the results necessary if we get into the playoffs. Once Schrauth is healthy, he takes his right guard spot. Can Rocco move to left guard and move Absher or Lambert to left tackle? That's a lot of moves but I think that puts our best 5 out there. Crazy talk?

Eric Hansen

OK, off we go ...

Just for clarification, it does apply to me, just not the chatters.

12:05

We're going to give rescinding the "no drinking rule" another try, as it hasn't come back to bite me yet.

Here are the rules:

12:04

PLEASE remember to include your NAME and HOMETOWN with your question. Telepathy doesn't count.

As far as this week's chat ...

12:03

► Finally, we’re focusing on Notre Dame’s October run at WSBT Sports Radio 96.1. Darin Pritchett and I are together this week, as we are every week this season, on Wednesday and Thursday on Weekday SportsBeat (96.1 FM, 960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. I’m also part of the Gameday SportsBeat crew, and the pregame show that runs on Saturdays before every game. This week’s show kicks off at 10 a.m. ET. You can download all episodes, including the pregame shows, as podcasts.

12:02

► The Inside ND Sports Podcast will drop Thursday. On the most recent Inside ND Sports Podcast, Tyler James and I reached out to ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Mike Monaco, a 2015 Notre Dame graduate. Monaco discussed what he learned about Georgia Tech from calling its 31-19 loss to Louisville earlier this season, how he keeps track of ND, his impressions of Louisville and Virginia, how ND guided his journey into broadcasting, the best college football stadium atmosphere he's experienced, and more. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean and Pocket Casts.

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, it keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation. We remain in our normal Monday at 7 ET time slot. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube. We’ll also be back on our YouTube channel with two postgame shows — Into The eNDzone with former Irish O-lineman Bob Morton shortly after the ND-Navy game, and our Postgame Takeaways show late Saturday night.

12:01

Some quick programming notes:

12:00

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Navy Week.

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