JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 16, 2020

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 16, 2020

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Mike from Rochester NY

12:39

Hi, Eric. First, I think you and the rest of the staff did a great job covering the game, given all the limitations you were working under during Covid times. My questions: Ian Book had several high throws and seemed to be throwing off his back foot, not stepping into the throw. Was he holding the ball too long because he didn’t have open receivers or not reading the coverages or something else? Also, with Duke putting so many people within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, why did they only throw one pass deeper than 12-15 yards the entire game? It seems a few more long passes would have softened the defense more, assuming a couple were completed. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:39

I hope to write about this in more detail later this week, but I'm glad you asked this question now. Team building in a normal year isn't going to be universal. Teams with elite talent (Alabama, Clemson, etc.) are going to look different in week 1. Notre Dame, as much as they had a veteran presence at a lot of positions, is a team that needs to grow into being a great team (if it indeed happens). That's even more the case in pandemic football. Looking at Clemson in September and early October isn't productive and it's only going to make your head explode. ND needs to look like a top 5 team as it gets into mid October, when it plays Louisville. The question you have to ask yourself is what you're seeing that bothers you fixable? I think those issues are. I will admit Book's skittishness surprised me. I expect a better performance Saturday and going forward.

Polish prince

12:32

Hank from Las Vegas. Good morning Eric. Without trying to come off as a naysayer I have some serious concerns over the way the Irish offense performed last week. This is Jeff Quinn's third year as offensive line coach with five highly regarded individual players how is it that as a unit they perform so poorly in the run game? Secondly to be kind Ian Book looked lost and confused again. I watched Clemson destroy Wake Forrest later . Trevor Lawrence had 350yards passing and 3 touchdowns in 2 quarters of football. How can the Irish compete against that offense if we can't throw the ball and can't run the ball between the tackles??

Eric Hansen

12:31

Andy, there haven't been a lot of questions directed at Brian Kelly regarding Kevin Austin lately because 1) We are very limited on the number of questions we can ask because of the Zoom formatting. So he's not yet high on my priority list. And 2) His original timeline had him returning around the Florida State game (Oct. 10). If it hasn't been asked in the next couple of weeks, I'll make sure to do so in October. But I can understand why you're curious. Chris Tyree is already returning kickoffs, so I think you mean odds for a KOR for a TD? I think it will happen, yes. As far as SportsBeat, I hope you'll continue to support my radio partner Darin Pritchett. I never heard back from management, so I think I have my answer. You can hear me and Tyler James every week on our Pod of Gold podcasts. Our guest this week was former ND and USF safety Devin Studstill. https://www.ndinsider.com/irishstew/pod-of-gold-devin-studstill-on-usf...

Andy - San Antonio, TX

12:24

Good morning from Texas! Is there any new news regarding Kevin Austin Jr? Is he taking reps, and what is his timing for return? Also, what odds do you give Chris Tyree for returning a kick off this year? Finally, will you be joining Sportsbeat radio in the evening again? I always enjoy the On Demand replay the following morning. Stay Safe!!

Eric Hansen

12:23

One really important stat for the run game is power success rate. That's defined as the percentage of runs on third or fourth down, two yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown. Last year, ND ranked 106th at 62%. In the 2019 opener against Louisville, the Irish were 0-for-4 in those situations. Saturday they were at 80% (4-of-5). There's room to grow, and there's also the talent to grow as well. Let's see if they take a step forward this week.

12:19

Jack, I think the most important takeaway regarding the O-line was that improvement as the game went on. For a team rolling out a new blocking scheme with its top two backs having a combined four college carries going in, some wonkiness in the first half was not reason for alarm. Had it continued ... but it did not. The offensive linemen themselves were making adjustments, communicating with each other, learning from every rep. Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree were also finding their rhythm. ...

Jack from Oak Park IL

12:12

Great to see the Irish live last Saturday but, all pandemic reasons aside, why did our veteran OL have so much trouble with run blocking the Duke defense? Is the switch to emphasize Zone blocking more the issue and/or what adjustments did we actually make at halftime to see some improvements? Go Irish

Eric Hansen

12:12

Denny thanks, and all the best to you. ... The pressure came from many directions when it came to the Big Ten opting back into the fall season ... and the ACC/Big12/SEC forging ahead was just one of many. There was political pressure from Midwest lawmakers, media pressure, player/coach pressure, fan pressure. Just think about it ... in my home state of Ohio, the high schools were playing. The Bengals and Browns were playing. But not Ohio State? Notre Dame and Iowa State playing games surely was part of the equation.

Guest

12:05

Denny from Beaverton Oregon; Eric thanks again for your chats and the fact that we are having them and playing football this season is a miracle in the climate of today. How much effect did last Saturday's Notre Dame/ Duke game have on the decisions of the Big 10 and possibly the Pac 12 to re-think their hurried decisions and reverse their decisions to not play this fall? Much credit, I think, should be given to those schools who did not buckle to the pressure that we must give up and accept the so called wisdom of the moment. Best to you Eric!

Eric Hansen

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12:03

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