JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 22, 2021 | 9/22/2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 22, 2021

powered by

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Eric Hansen

2:22

We had a question from a reader/listener on the Pod of Gold podcast this week who insinuated Notre Dame should NEVER be in this position. I agree, and then I explained in deeper detail my answer about the O-Line/QB connection, but I also did a deeper dive into recruiting and the other layers that are contributing as to why the O-Line play is what it is so far. That conversation — which would be too long to repeat in this forum — starts at the 45:12 mark if you're interested.

2:15

If Brian Kelly thought Jeff Quinn — or any other assistant coach — was an impediment to winning a national championship, he'd be gone. Just like Chip Long was after the 2019 season. The view of Quinn in the coaching business is very different from how the fan base sees him. The offensive line issues are magnified and perhaps even distorted by a starting quarterback without a running/extending plays skill set. If you had last year's line and this year's QB or this year's line and last year's QB, there wouldn't be this tar-and-feather vibe around Quinn. (more)

Zane from Georgetown TX

I should have added that i'm not saying the jury is back yet regarding any of the coaches, and am hoping for the best going forward.

2:05

Hi Eric, thanks for your time as always. I'm sort of picking up Marie's question here. I'm a BK fan, and like most everything about him except his seeming refusal to recognize necessary coaching changes. Obviously still traumatized by BVG, and maybe overly so. Watching him evolve since 2016, do you think that he will remain stubborn about changing say, the OL coach, even if the line doesn't improve? This is a little speculative, but BK seems to describe the talented players as if they're a pop warner team in terms of experience/time in the system and that's alarming. Does Rees have much say here?

Eric Hansen

2:04

In my estimation, the seven best linemen in terms of talent/potential are the six freshmen/redshirt freshmen I mentioned in the last question and Jarrett Patterson. But they are not the best seven at the moment. So that's the puzzle. There are other factors. Cain Madden and Josh Lugg have lighter academic loads. They have more time for film study, etc. Conceivably, they could surge because of that combined with their work ethic. As far as the transfer portal, that's a possibility, but how would a starting five of Fisher, Rocco, Correll, Kristofic/Carmody, Baker/Alt sound in 2022?

1:59

Hi Marie. I am having a great week, thank you. You have no idea what doing in-person interviews with actual follow-up questions can do for a guy's mood. I would be surprised if Kevin Austin came back if he stays healthy the whole season. I'd also be surprised if he plays at a level in which that would be a difficult decision for him. ... If you're going to make larger personnel alterations on the O-Line, the bye week is the time to make them. But things may look very different then. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:50

Hi Eric, I hope you are having a great week. How would you rate Kevin Austin's performance so far? Do you think he will come back next year to increase his NFL chances? The O line is just not making the necessary improvements, if the poor play continues to the bye week, do you think at that time personnel/position changes would be considered. I feel as though Lugg has really struggled and not played anywhere near his capability, could he possibly move to guard and then have either Baker or Carmody play right tackle when Fisher returns? There have definitely been some O line recruits that have not hit or developed as planned. With Lugg, Patterson and Madden gone next year, the O line will once again have a lot of holes to fill in. Do you think ND will be active in the transfer portal to help fill those holes. There may be some second or third string players at the top programs who are not getting to play that might be interested in the opportunity.Thanks for all your great insights. Have fun in Chicago.

Eric Hansen

1:49

Hi Will, and thank you. I spoke with Josh Lugg last night, and he said Baker is really building on that game experience in practice this week. Confidence is up. He's a very talented player with a bright future, even if his present has some rough edges. I mentioned this on the podcast that I think Joe Alt, Baker, Blake Fisher, Tosh Baker, Rocco Spindler and Michael Carmody -- all freshmen or redshirt freshmen -- are six of the highest-ceiling players on the team -- along with Jarrett Patterson.

Will, Seattle

1:44

Eric, thanks as always for doing these chats! Apart from the false starts, it seemed like Tosh Baker had more good moments than bad ones last week. He looks to have great upside. What did you see and what do you hear? It seems clear that we are going to benefit in the future from him getting this experience. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

1:43

Tom, thank you. I'm not trying to dodge your question, but I'd give them both incompletes. If Tommy was returning 8 offensive starters instead of 3 or if Marcus was in his second or third year at ND with his scheme, I could spit out a letter grade for each. I need to see more and what it leads to. I give Tommy and BK credit for playing Buchner. I give Marcus credit for turning Bertrand into such a productive player. I don't remember the specific play your described, but based on your description, those kinds of tactics are used so you don't know where the pressure is coming from. And maybe the opposing QB throws a pick, because he is anticipating the running back being wide open. Disguising coverages and pressures, and keeping and OC guessing is something I can buy into.

Tom from Grand Rapids thru Dowagiac

1:36

Eric, Appreciate all the work you do for us fans. If you had to grade the two coordinators right now what would it be? (I don’t care about injuries or COVID) also, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the new defensive scheme: during Toledo they (Toledo) were in 4 wide set, back motioned out to sideline by their bench. Arguably your best pass rusher #7, on a 3rd-10, was forced to go cover the running back. Does that make sense?

Eric Hansen

1:35

OK Tony, when we do the Smith/Hamilton comparison we're splitting hairs. I want to make sure to preface it that way. Manti is out of the conversation, He was really, really good in 2012, but in today's football, he'd be less effective -- because of the spread offenses and more coverage responsibilities. So a healthy Jaylon vs. Hamilton. I'd take the freshman Jaylon and the sophomore Jaylon over the freshman and sophomore Hamilton, but I'd take Hamilton as a junior over Jaylon as a junior. The tiebreaker is forcing turnovers. ,,, As far as Austin, some of those would have been tough catches, but catches he normally makes. I think maybe just got down on himself. Remember, he only had 6 career catches coming into this season. He's till finding himself. I expect him to move on from a rough day at the office.

Tony, Lake Mary, FL

1:26

Hey Eric, Kyle Hamilton is a stud, eh? I know you aren't a hypothetical in comparing players type of guy, but I am curious your thoughts on Jaylon Smith vs. Kyle Hamilton assuming they played under the same defensive coordinator (s). I guess could throw Manti in there as well, but Hamilton/Smith in terms of pure athleticism and instinct is great. Also, any deep dive into the misconnects on the passes to Austin last Saturday, bad routes, bad throws, both? I can see how high you were on him. Other than one miscue, it seems if the ball is near him he is gonna make the play.

Eric Hansen

1:25

Doug, thanks for reading the Q-and-A's. I understand your concern. And so would Jack Swarbrick. At some point the NCAA or Congress is going to have to establish some guardrails. Otherwise, there will be abuses to NIL. Some of the scenarios you posed aren't realistic. A no-transfer clause wouldn't fly anywhere. I think in the proper structure NIL is going to be a really good thing. We have not arrived at that point yet and need to soon.

Doug from Norfolk, VA

1:21

I read the interviews with Jack Swarbrick and have more questions on NIL. What keeps a big money alum from saying something like if you come here, we’ll give you $100,000 or $1,000,000 for minimal effort? What if these deals come with a no-transfer clause? What if they target high schoolers and there is a clause so they’re only paid if they go to a certain school? What happens if players, in any sport, completely disregard all academics and simply try to cash in on any collegiate fame? Sorry for all the Q’s; I just feel like there is so much wrong with this as it is now, and it will end up hurting students in the long run.

Eric Hansen

1:21

Dave, it wasn't intentional, but you're welcome. ... and thank you. I'm glad it worked out. Yes, my expectation is that Notre Dame will steadily improve defensively ... and the Irish need to, with some really good quarterbacks coming up on the schedule.

Dave

Hilton Head

1:19

Hilton Head. Thanks for not posting my question about the defense last week. Clearly I was missing something. Do you think the progress we saw with Purdue will continue or was it simply a good match? Thanks for the chats and stay safe.

Eric Hansen

1:19

Hi Larry. Thank you for reading and listening. 1) Decided not to go down that road. 2) The game is at noon ET. If we're strictly going by ET conversions, I believe the Navy game in Ireland was in the morning, and there might have been another Navy game in the States with an early kickoff like that. If there are more, they are either beyond my time covering ND or beyond my brain's bandwidth to recall them. 3) Lugg, Madden, Patterson and Baker played every snap. Correll played all but eight, which Kristofic took. Joe Alt played eight in the heavy package as the extra blocker but eligible receiver.

Guest

1:12

Larry from Topton, PA – Hi Eric, thanks for the great coverage and pods! Three unrelated questions: When I asked last spring, you seemed to insinuate that you might get some radio time on a different station. 1) Has anything materialized in that area? 2) With an 11 AM start time this week, it has me wondering, do you ever remember an ND game kicking off in the AM? 3) I know there was some offensive line rotation last week; do you know how the snap count broke down for the line? Thanks E.

Eric Hansen

1:11

Hi Mark, thanks and same to you!!!!!!!!!!! The first question needs a qualifier -- compared to who? Wisconsin has allowed a total of 66 rushing yards and one rushing first town in two games. They've been a top 6 rush defense five of the previous six seasons. The mission isn't to get 100 yards or 150 yards or 200 yards rushing. It's about getting enough rushing yards and success in doing so at critical times to keep DC Jim Leonhard guessing to set up big-chunk pass plays. That's how Penn State won -- that and turnovers and holding Wisky to 1-of-4 in the red zone. Otherwise, Wisconsin dominated that game .. in first downs, 29-11, in rushing advantage, 180-50, etc. .. Yes I expect improvement in the defense. As I wrote Saturday night, the defense HAS to improve and has to be the catalyst through this tough five-game stretch.

Mark, Orange County CA

12:58

Hi Eric, Hope you are doing well. Thank you for hosting these chats and for your excellent coverage of ND football. 3 - 0 should generate a lot of exclamation points from Manny! Coach Kelly seemed very relaxed at monday's press conference. Do you think ND will be able to run the ball against Wisconsin? Do you expect to see as much improvement in the ND defense this week as the showed last week? Thank you for taking my questions

Eric Hansen

12:56

Hi Mike and thank you. Those projections are difficult to make in a vacuum and even more at this point in the season. But given that Cincinnati is the only unbeaten ND opponent left and given the lack of potential marquee wins in November, I think it would be difficult for the Irish to recover from any loss and still make the playoff THIS year. Other years the schedule plays out differently. A 10-2 record should be good enough for the New Year's Six, but those invites are also based on the CFP rankings. So it's a matter of which teams are the two losses to and how those teams finish out. ND could not afford a November loss in the 10-2 scenario.

Mike-quakertown PA

12:50

Thanks again for your dedication to all things Irish. You are a reliable and trustworthy voice. The schedule this year does not seem to be shaking out to be as tough as many predicted due to early loses by upcoming opponents. Do the Irish have to run the table to make the playoff? Would 10-2 be good enough for a New Years six game? Thanks again!

Eric Hansen

12:49

Hi Denny. There is a 50-50 ticket allotment for this game aas well as the makeup game in Green Bay in 2026. You're absolutely right. This is the first (and likely only) Shamrock Series game in which Notre Dame is not technically the home team and, thus, NBC is not the televising network. It's FOX.

Denny from Liberty Hill, TX

12:47

Hi Erik! We were just a couple plays off from having a big game. I recall 4 plays where we had separation that should have gone for six. At least that is encouraging as a big step. My question is will Notre Dame be allotted an equal number of tickets for Wiscy's home game on the neutral field? Is this the first Shamrock game we have been the visiting team?

Eric Hansen

12:47

As long as C'Bo Flemister is out — and he is again this week — there's an opportunity for him to earn that. He certainly has the body for it, but it's also about trust in a game situation. Until the coaches trust him in that situation, those carries will go to Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree.

Whitey from Lake Como, NJ

12:42

Hi Eric. Always enjoy reading these chats. Was wondering how do you feel about Audric Estime getting a chance in a short yardage situation.

Eric Hansen

12:42

If Coan's accuracy dropped dramatically and consistently, he'd have to worry about Drew Pyne as well. He doesn't have the kind of track record, so let's see if he can rebound against a very good defense. It was interesting in the player interviews last night, right tackle Josh Lugg said Coan's "grit" is something that rubs off on the entire team. I still think playing both Coan and Buchner is the best path to success at this point in the season -- not one over the other.

Jake from Saratoga

12:39

Hi Eric, against Purdue Coan was very inaccurate and without accuracy from him I believe his value drops dramatically. So my question is if he remains in accurate do you believe he still gives ND a better chance to win than an inexperienced Buchner who doesn’t have the full playbook? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:38

If Notre Dame went undefeated, which is a big 'if.' an Irish player would figure to be in the conversation. For that to be Kyle Hamilton, the ND defense, as a whole, would need to be elite. And it wouldn't hurt if, say, Hamilton scored an offensive TD or two. Manti Te'o was in the mix in 2012, because ND's defense was the driving force in the Irish making it to the BCS Championship Game. And Te'o had big moments in big games, plus the consistency to go with it.

Harold, Evansville

12:35

I know the Heisman is always an offensive award. But if ND finishes undefeated and Kyle Hamilton keeps dominating, does he have any chance? What would it take for a defensive player to win it?

Eric Hansen

12:35

I'd say 9.5. He's 5-of-7 this year on field goals and 11-of-11 on PATs. His FG misses are from 55 and 45. Kickers aren't perfect. He rebounded after his miss and made his next oner.

Bill - Goshen

12:31

On a scale of 1-10, how confident do you think Coach Kelly is with Kicker Jonathan Doerer? Do you think last week was just a fluke?

Eric Hansen

12:30

BK played that down, but I'm sure Coan had some helpful tidbits. Nothing, though, that's going to sway the game. And remember, head coach Paul Chryst is back to calling offensive plays. He wasn't doing that last year.

Louis Chicago

12:27

Do you think the defensive coaches talked to Coan about Wisconsin's offense? Do they still run most of the same playbook?

Eric Hansen

12:27

I think the most difficult assignment for the Wisconsin defense would be to have to face both. If they either played the whole game, I think Coan would give ND the better chance to win, but again playing both is the best path to victory. ... I'll check in with BK again Thursday re Buchner's hammy. I asked about Buchner's tight hamstring on Monday, and Bk's response was that they were treating it aggressively and that he was expected to play Saturday. ... Back to the strengths of the two ND QBs vs. the Wisky defense, Coan knows the scheme and the personnel and can also deliver the deep shots/big chunk plays potentially, but mobility is a problem. Buchner can open up the traditional running game against a team that has given up one total rushing first down this season.

Bob, Mishawaka

12:16

Is the Wisconsin defense better equipped to defend Coan or Buchner? How much playing time do you think Buchner will get this week and will his hamstring injury limit it?

Eric Hansen

12:15

Hi Jacob. There were quite a few drops, especially among the wide receivers. So that's part of it. And Coan simply missed on some throws -- too much air. He didn't throw any picks, which was a plus. He said the finger really didn't brother him. He'll need to be sharp Saturday against his former teammates.

Jacob, Hobart, IN

12:14

Coan's accuracy looked a lot worse last week. What do you think was the biggest reason for that? The finger injury, Purdue taking away Mayer, or something else?

Connecting…

Register

Message History

On Off

On Off

On Off

Your current subscriptions

None

Register now to continue managing your subscriptions

E-mail Address	Chat Owner	Status	Remove

Enter your email address to be notified when Eric Hansen hosts a chat