JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 23, 2020

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 23, 2020

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Eric Hansen

1:54

Jeff, agreed, daily testing and with quick turnarounds will improve the numbers across the board. The NFL has daily testing and with great success so far, without having a true bubble. That will be part of my story for Thursday night, just how much impact daily rapid testing could improve things.

Jeff from York, PA

1:52

Hi Eric, my question was poorly stated. Your response was logical and I agree with everything you said. My concern is that most of the things you mentioned need to be eliminated. In order for college football to succeed a bubble like MLB is using needs to become the norm. It would also be good to test every day and to use the test that give a result in 5 or 10 minutes.

Eric Hansen

1:52

Doug, thanks for your rant. ... To your question, first ND has to get to the bottom of what caused the outbreak before it can modify its protocols. ... and teams do learn as they go along. Look no further than Miami and St. Louis in Major League Baseball. ... I hope to gain more insight tomorrow on the topic and will be writing for the web Thursday night, Friday morning print.

Doug from Sunny Florida

1:49

Eric, some of those on the chat are missing the point and are trying to point to the general student population as the reason for the increase in positive tests. There are 13 positives out of 125+ football players for a roughly 10% infection rate whereas the student body has 28 cases for roughly 10,000+ students. The football team has 1/3 of the total positive cases for the entire school! The team appears to be the problem because the student body went from 400+ at the beginning of the school year down to 28. What is the team doing differently going forward to protect the non-positives on the team that you know of?

Eric Hansen

1:48

Jake, what would be the appropriate response from the media after one game? My response was to vote him ACC QB of the week (D'Eriq King of Miami won). Do you really think it's smart/fair/sane to base two college careers on one game? And what does holding Brian Kelly accountable look like? A spanking? Demanding he have Phil transfer back to Notre Dame? Typing my Zoom questions to the moderator in ALL CAPS? If Phil plays well at BC, it's going to be a perception issue for BK. Phil's comments to the Pittsburgh paper about his development should be taken seriously. One part of his complaint (Chip Long) isn't here anymore. My advice is to let the season play out and then try to form some conclusions about whether the right decisions were made.

Jake8589

1:36

From Saratoga Springs, so the question is will the media let Brian Kelly off the hook on how well Phil Jurkovec played as a first time starter against Duke, when a third year starter struggled mightily against the same team. How does Brian Kelly not be held accountable for this, a 5 star recruit with tremendous upside not getting the opportunity in favor of a 3 star with a very low ceiling that has been matched. I just can’t believe that. Why has the media not pushed him on this, are they afraid that they won’t have the opportunities moving forward, if so that is so wrong

Eric Hansen

1:36

The version of Ian Book you saw in the first two weeks would not be able to best Clemson. The coaching staff is investing in the notion he will get better each week. And there was progression after week 1, albeit more subtle than seismic. One thing to consider about downfield passing vs. USF is did ND really want to show much more than it needed to from a playbook standpoint in a 52-0 game?

Jim from Florida

1:34

Eric, once again great job. I enjoyed reading all of your articles. . My question for you has to do my observations observation over the first two weeks. I understand the quarterback has to get used to new receivers but even after the South Florida game I didn’t think that our quarterback could throw the ball down field with accuracy. He had all day because his offensive line was superior and he did read through progressions but he still missed throws and seldom threw the ball more than 15 yards. I’m very concerned that not only hasn’t there been progression but there may have been regression. My question to you is, do you think Our QB could lead a healthy Notre Dame team to victory against a top ranked team. I’m concerned that he could not.

Eric Hansen

1:33

George, I'm not sure I can buy into the "constantly" part of your question. The reason Book may not be on the move as much early in the season, including designed runs, is because of what the backup QB situation looks like. And last Saturday that consisted of one scholarship player, freshman Drew Pyne.

GEorge from El Segundo, CA

1:31

Hi Eric; hope you and yours remain well. Another season and another effort to make Ian Book into a "drop back" or "pocket passer." Why? I watch people fall all over Russell Wilson on Sundays and, from where I watch, Book is the poor man's Wilson. He's much better moving than standing still, and keeping him in the pocket takes away one of the Irish's best offensive weapons; namely, his ability to scramble which won two games last season (VA Tech and USC). Why does the coaching staff constantly try to make him into something he isn't--and never will be?

Eric Hansen

1:31

Let me play the hypothetical game with you ... what if the infection was introduced through mixing with family and friends after one of the games ... or going out to dinner in a restaurant where there was poor ventilation? Out of 144 football players, including walk-ons, there are 13 active infections as of noon today. Out of the rest of the roughly 12,000 students ... and employees ... there are 28 known active cases. Ian Book is one player who is in a bubble and who takes his graduate classes online.

Jeff from York, PA

1:27

Are most of the football players taking their classes online? If this season is going to continue the football team will have to be placed in a smaller bubble. One that isolates them from the rest of the student body.

Eric Hansen

1:27

Notre Dame itself is trying to get to the bottom of the source of infection. I don't know how moving players into dorms would change the formula. I would think that might increase the risk.

Thomas Windsor Heights, Iowa

1:26

Everyone, including me, wonder what the source of the infection is. I understand that the majority of players live off campus. If true, don't you think that the team should be moved back on campus???

Eric Hansen

1:26

Henry, thanks so much. I appreciate your comments and just being a part of the chats.

Henry from Stockton

1:25

Eric, I want to include my name among the others who thank you for this chat. You always are level headed in your responses. You are appreciated.

Eric Hansen

1:25

This is a variation of an earlier question, but yours has a little different twist. I think we'll know much more about Ian Book's ceiling if/when two things happen. Kevin Austin comes back and is playing up to expectations and ND plays at Pitt on Oct. 24 and at home against Clemson Nov. 7.

Larry, Champions Gate, FL

1:23

Eric, thanks to you and the rest of the SBT sports staff for keeping everyone informed during these unusual and constantly changing times. My question pertains to Ian Book. Do you think that he has reached his ceiling as far as performance/capability or is he just affected by the lack of time working with his new receivers?

Eric Hansen

1:23

I'm not just being diplomatic, there really are too many to name.

Gabriel Weiss from South Bend

1:22

Putting football aside, who is your favorite Notre Dame player?

Eric Hansen

1:22

Jeff, I really hadn't thought about it at all until you brought it up. I think one nice bounce in the revised academic/athletic schedules is that if Notre Dame can keep the Nov. 21 open date, it won't have a game to prep for during finals week (Nov. 16-20). The upside is you play at North Carolina, Syracuse, at Wake and the ACC title game (if applicable) when there are no academic demands and when there aren't students on campus to help spread the virus (although they've been great -- 13 of the 41 active cases on campus are with the football program). I think that outweighs the possibility of a potential academic ineligibility or two.

Jeff from Phoenix

1:11

Hey Eric, I'd like your opinion.... Regarding academic ineligibility effecting play after the fall semester. NORMALLY, if a player doesn't make the grades, this only has a potential impact on post-season bowls - 2 games max. But this year, with ND finishing classes on Nov 20, it could (?) impact 3 regular season games, the ACC championship, and 2 playoff games for a total of 6 games. With more freshmen contributing and the potential need for using more players given COVID, do you see this as an under-appreciated liability or a big fat nothing-burger? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

1:10

No problem. As you were.

Tim - Pleasant Prairie WI

1:10

Eric, my apologies. I misinterpreted the question by Roger from DHS. He was asking if ADDITIONAL games being postponed had any room for makeups. I thought he was talking abou the Wake makeup.

Eric Hansen

1:09

As I was watching the USF game, the offensive play-calling did strike me, and I was impressed. You're starting to see some of the philosophical differences too between Rees and predecessor Chip Long.

Jim from Albuquerque

1:06

Jim from Albuquerque. Greetings Eric and thanks for hosting these Q&A for Irish fans! I was glad to see Tommy Rees’ game plan for game 2 was a great improvement from game 1. More open offense as opposed to running the ball up the middle countless times for little or no gain. Your thoughts? Thanks and Go Irish!

Eric Hansen

1:06

Thanks for the history lesson, and what a cool part of ND's history it is.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

1:06

Eric, I recently read where last Saturday's game was the fourth shutout in BK's 11 seasons at ND. No question here, just a little history for some of your younger followers and Irish fans. The 1966 National Championship team shut out 6 of the 10 opponents they played. That included road shut outs at #7 Oklahoma and #8 USC!! While it was the mid-60's and not the offenses of today it was still quite an accomplishment by a great team. They lost shutout #7 when the second team gave up a score late in one of the games. Let's just say those players were not looking forward to practice on Monday!!

Eric Hansen

1:02

When I spoke to Clark in July for our special section preview, he was very complimentary about Jack Kiser and Osita Ekwonu among the other contenders for the position. This really speaks to ND's depth at the position group, which is why they didn't take any linebackers in the 2020 class, including top 100 prospect Cody Simon. The younger brother of Shayne Simon signed with Ohio State. Brian Kelly even gushed about how well Kiser (and JD Bertrand) were doing on scout team before the attrition happened. Now give Kiser credit for producing in a game and making the buck linebacker playing time an even tougher decision when ND's roster is fully healthy again.

denny from beaverton ormcast.net

12:59

Hi Eric I am not throwing shade on Clark Lea. Great for Jack Kizer. Could you ask the coaches how something like that happens when a guy gets a chance to play. In a way it is perplexing that he was number 4 just a few weeks ago. I wonder if teammates were surprised?

Eric Hansen

12:58

I suppose it was extra TV revenue and better than trying to play 11 ACC games. I don't see the down side. The ACC schedule has much more cushion built into it than most of the other Power 5 leagues.

Ryan Chicago IL

12:57

What was the reasoning behind "ACC + 1" schedule? It seems the +1 was a waste of a valuable calendar date given covid postponements were inevitable with the 14 day mandatory quarantine. For the record, I'm glad we've gotten to the point where we don't have to sweat out games vs. USF, Tulsa, etc...

Eric Hansen

12:57

Yes sir. It's not an exclusive. He and every other member of the ND universe has reported it. Here's our link: https://www.ndinsider.com/football/saturdays-notre-dame-road-game-at-w...

Tim - Pleasant Prairie WI

12:56

I thought I saw Brian Driskell report that the game has been moved to 12/12.

Eric Hansen

12:53

Jeff ... I've got to ask you since you're from Shelby, do you know a guy who'd be about my age (60-ish) named Brad Mawhorr? ... To your question, I don't think it will be an advantage, even though the team would have fresh legs. You're disrupting the rhythm of your practices. And remember, players in isolation can't work out at all. And players in quarantine can only work out individually. At least ND has a chance to play that game with a pretty full roster as along as it gets this outbreak under control quickly.

Jeff from Shelby, Ohio

12:52

Eric, how do you think this two week period between games will affect ND's play against Florida St.?

Eric Hansen

12:52

Peter, a lot of it is the natural evolution of a program. Getting the right blend of player development and recruiting, along with roster management./attrition. The Irish would have likely gotten there faster on defense, had they BK not hired Brian VanGorder. Under him, player development and recruiting took a big hit.

Peter in Provo

12:46

Hi Eric
The depth seems much better now than in the past.
My question is: why did it take so long to get to this point?

Eric Hansen

12:45

Kevin Austin projects as that kind of player. Let's see what the offense looks like when he gets up to speed next month.

12:44

Sean, I absolutely fine with fielding questions that have nothing to do with COVID. There's going to be a season and those issues are important too -- and fun to talk about. ... I think it's too early to make any conclusions about Book. I don't think it's too early to wonder. As long as we see progression, that's encouraging. Keep in mind players like Claypool and Kmet don't just "bail" a QB out. They create conflicts for opposing defensive coordinators that force them to make tough choices. That, in turn, can open up other facets of the offense.

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