JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 4, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 4, 2024

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Eric Hansen

1:49

Hi Joe and thank you. As far as freshmen with increased roles ... not brought on by a new injury. So Micah Gilbert at WR will play more eventually it would seem. The two freshman RBs, especially Aneyas Williams, would seem to be in line for some carries. On defense, I think you'll see more of Bryce Young and Leonard Moore rotating in. KVA is already playing a lot and Anthonie Knapp is starting. There are some really good freshmen on this team that would be trending if this team weren't so deep in so many places. ... To your second part, yikes, they're all five back, plus Lambert and Jagusah and Will Black and some other really good tackles coming in. ASSUMING Jagusah is fully healthy, he plays. Maybe then Knapp goes to left guard and Pendleton becomes a reserve. Lambert is going to push someone at some point. Just not sure how that'll play out yet. I am a big fan of Wagner, so I don't see him receding. A first-world problem indeed.

Guest

1:43

Joe Cap from Massapequa NY . Hi Eric ! Hope u enjoyed the weekend and what a great weekend it was!! Great win . Much needed win . Which Freshmen players do you see an increased role and potential start by the time playoffs , yes, playoffs roll around. Also does this OL start next year? I dont know how Jags and Lambert are on the bench. Great work as always.

Eric Hansen

1:42

Desmond Ridder's carries were way down his senior season at Cincinnati under Denbrock. Jayden Daniels averaged 15.5 carries a game in 2022 and a still hefty 11.3 in 2023, but reduced. And not all runs and hits are created equal. Leonard is a big guy -- 6-2, 216 and he's up for it. I would think by the end of the year that number will be around the 9.5 per game mark he had at Duke in 2022.

1:40

Hi Jim, and best wishes to you too. I wrote about this in the run-up to the season looking at Leonard's history but also Mike Denbrock's as a play-caller. Just keep in mind, you can't completely control that rushing number. Sacks and scrambles count. But I don't think ND will intentionally exceed that number (12) in many games, but they and Riley are good with it if they need to. In his one fully healthy season where he was the full-tome starter at Duke (2022), he averaged 9.5 carries a game. His career high came last season, ironically, AGAINST Notre Dame (18). But Denbrock lets opponent and game flow help determine that number. And it may vary from season to season with the same QB. (more)

Jim Tal, Valley Center CA.

1:29

Hi Eric. Wishing you the very best. Against the Aggies, Riley Leonard ran the ball 12 times and was effective in doing so. But moving forward, is that number of carries really sustainable? It seems rather problematic if he is consistently forced to run the ball that often. What's your take on Leonard's workload as a ball carrier?

Eric Hansen

1:28

Hi Ryan. I may need to copy your score prediction if I can't come up with a better one. I think you're spot on with what Northern Illinois' score is. Pro Football Focus graded Jeremiyah Love as ND's top offensive performer at any position and I would give him high marks too. I'd say room for improvement for him will come in his contributions to the passing game.

Ryan mars Pa

1:24

Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Jermiyah Love he looked Good against Texas A&M i think the Irish win 42-7 this week GO IRISH ☘️☘️🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

1:24

Hi Bill. Sam Pendleton even blew a kiss at the Texas A&M defense before one play. Here is my take on him. I don't think he's aggressively a chirper ... like he's not going to start that up. BUT, I think he's a very proud, competitive, old school buttkicker kind of kid, who doesn't like bullies and is going to stand up to it. So, I think it's more that dynamic ... and Marcus getting him all fired up in the tunnel.

Bill from St Joe, MI

1:21

Eric the Great!!! I’ve watched the 4th Qtr of the A&M game nearly a half dozen times and noticed that Sam Pendleton had a big smile on his face and appeared to be chirping at a A&M player just before J-Love’s touchdown run. It seemed as if he knew “we are scoring on this drive and you can’t stop us”. I couldn’t tell if Pendleton was totally assignment correct on every snap on that drive but he always made a very good block on an A&M player. My question is in your interactions with him, is he a “chirper”? My take on that is that Loren Landow’s impact was felt late in the 4th Qtr.

Eric Hansen

1:19

And Sean, wow what a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Let me kind of tiptoe into my answer if you will. I think Marcus Freeman's approach fits who he is NOW as a head coach in year 3, who he has on his coaching staff and how this team is constructed. Having a defense this good makes it easier to be aggressive than say the VanGorder years. Just asked Mike Denbrock, who was the offensive play-caller at ND during most of that 30-game run. It also fits the talent of this team and how they are wired mentally. So, I answer that separate from the latter part of the question. Will ND or LSU win a national title sooner? Based on Marcus' growth, who's on his staff, how recruiting is going and how the administration is supporting football, I will go with ND, but not by a landslide. LSU has a lot going for it as well.

1:15

Sean, I will answer your question now.

I am really off on my timing today.

1:14

OK, I changed my mind. I'm coming to Grand Rapids NOW LOL. Thank you. The lottery numbers are 1-2-3-4-5 with the Power Ball of 6. ... to your November scenario. Not sure which team it is and who their standouts are, generically, I'm going with Riley Leonard and I'll have him sneak it over Billy Schrauth/Ashton Craig.

Sean, Portland OR

1:14

I don't mean to dump on BK, but it's so refreshing to see HC MF go out and play to win the game. At 20-20 in LSU/USC, USC had the ball with 2 minutes left and LSU is playing prevent defense vs. a USC offense with most or all of its timeouts? This was absolutely horrible playcalling. Where-as, against A&M, it's 4th and 2 and Gray jumps the slant for the win on a Cover 0 call. Furthermore, BK only ever allowed his special teams to "not lose" the game... fair catches, conservative playcalling, etc. I love putting Jeter out there for the clincher. Do you agree that HCMF's aggression/trust allows for a higher ceiling, therefore a higher likelihood of winning a national championship before LSU?

The Beave. Grand Rapdis

1:12

Hi Eric: You may have pointed your hand in answer to an earlier question but I’ll ask anyway. It’s November. 4th Quarter. Game is in the line. ND ball. 4th and a very long yard plus. Coach Free is surely not punting, Who is running the ball and who are you running behind based upon what you saw Saturday?

1:11

Eric: You’re too humble to gloat so I’ll say it for you. You nailed the pregame A&M prediction and analysis. Defense keeps the offense in the game. Offense struggles but finds a rhythm to push out a 4th Q win. I recall you picked ND 21-14 AND called an interception for Adon Shuler. Will you please give us the numbers for this week’s Indiana lottery?

Eric Hansen

1:10

Hi Mark, and thanks for bringing another Grand Rapids presence to the chat. I'm going to have to drive up and have a beer with you guys sometime (after the season). ... GREAT question and one I don't have a confident answer to. The answer should be no, but I don't know if that's what ND would have done. Denbrock was getting a lot of other feelers and outright offers, including from Texas A&M. Notre Dame is so special, I'm not sure he would have left LSU for anywhere else at this juncture, but he listened to the offers elsewhere. The line did way better with pass blocking that run blocking, individually and collectively, via PFF. Billy Schrauth and Aamil Wagner had the best overall grades, but it was pretty even across the board with the overall grades.

Guest

1:03

Mark Czar - Grand Rapids. Eric thanks for your fantastic insight and coverage. Happy this isn’t the case but was wondering- If Parker did not get the Troy HC job would he still be ND OC? If Parker was still the ND OC would Denbrock still be LSU OC? Love seeing BK lose it in post game presser. How did the ND O line grade out on PFF? Eric you are the best.

Eric Hansen

1:03

Hi Len, and thank you. I really like where the linebacker group is headed both this season and beyond. The four LBs not in the rotation — Kahoun, Rezac, Zinter and injured Kahanu Kia — are really talented. And then next year ND brings in Ko'o Kia and Anthony Sacca and possibly Madden Fairamo and five-star Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng. I love the five-man rotation and how the different roles and combinations fit. So your question is could the D-line end up being the weakest part of the defense. That's kind of asking me what's the least favorite part of a ribeye steak. So, my answer is possibly, but I think that group will grow and improve and might have two All-Americans on it ... and Gabe Rubio will be back in a month ... so. ...

Len from the Jersey Shore

12:52

Hello Eric!!! Kudos to you in correctly predicting that Coach Denbrock would successfully implement a game plan that would allow the inexperienced O line to be protected from being the story in the game. And a shout out to Riley L. for following that game plan. My question is on the defense. The secondary played lights out. However I was particularly impressed by the linebacker play. I see the possibility they pass the D line and approach the level of play of the secondary before year end. Is it possible that the D line by year end will become the "weakest" part of the defense? What a problem to have. Your thoughts.

Eric Hansen

12:51

Thank you Larry!!!!!! Your compliment at the end warrants exclamation points on its own. ... Actually Connr Weigman had eight career starts coming in, as he started some games in 2022 as well. And yes, you are exactly right. In our weekly interview with Al Golden on Tuesday night, the Irish defensive coordinator admitted new A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein was doing a lot offensively that varied greatly from his tendencies at Kansas State. One ND got a bead on that, the defense was able to attack it.

Guest

12:47

Larry from Topton, PA. Hi Eric !!!!! I think exclamation points are in order! While I should probably be looking ahead and not behind (and I certainly hope the coaches and players are looking ahead), I am still celebrating week #1, and I have a question. Not only did ND hold the 5-start A&M quarterback to 100 yards passing for the game, 33 of them came on his first 2 completions. So, he only had 67 yards the final 57 minutes. Was that because: ND coaches made adjustments? ND players knocked off some early-game jitters and/or rust? Something else? Thanks Eric! You and Tyler are the best on the ND beat.

Eric Hansen

12:47

Hi Sean. Congrats on your windfall. I'll let you comments stand on their own and get to your question. I haven't calculated my score prediction yet, but ND opened as a 29-point favorite and I think that's reasonable. As far as the starters, with the number of new faces on offense and the work that needs to be done, you have to balance providing in-game opportunities to get better against injury risk. I think three quarters with the starters (and there's heavy rotation anyway) makes sense if the score is as predicted. And if it's closer, keep them in longer.

So here comes the answer for Sean ...

12:43

Believe me, I didn't violate the no drinking rule ... It was lack of caffeine. I'll clean this up in the transcript, but I took Sean's question before I hit send on the second part of Tom's answer.

12:42

I have seen Notre Dame practice the jumbo look with an extra tackle. But I'm more inclined to believe Mike Denbrock will keep that on the back burner and maybe only use it once or twice in a season if that. I think he sees more value of having an actual tight end on the field (or multiple ones) than say Tosh Baker as a third tackle. The fact that Riley Leonard is such a good runner and powerful kind of offsets that need as well.

Sean, Schaumburg, IL

12:40

Happy Days!!! What a win!! I wasn't crazy about the FG at the end, but it clinched a 5-leg parlay for me!! $765 from a $15 bet. After watching Brian Kelly fail yet again in a big game, I'm glad he's moved on. The FG, in my view, was a calculated risk by MF to instill that fearlessness/belief in his team. Clinch the game!! With NIU up next do you expect MF to play his starters for 3Qs? I think it a wise decision to get more game reps for the starters on offense. Allow the D to get their game legs underneath them. Yes, I'm expecting a blowout, but both sides need those game reps. What say you? I see a 12-0 season now. FSU losing takes the luster off that game. Would like USC to continue to climb the polls and, maybe, G Tech/Louisville can be top 20 teams. Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen

12:36

Hi Tom. Thanks for being part of the chat. Really good observation on the punt returns. That was a problem and it was kind of surprising. Greathouse and others took a lot of reps at PR in the practices we saw. Now those cut off for us on Aug. 17, so maybe he reps were reduced as it got closer to game time. I think he'll do a better job of managing that this week. The backup is another grad transfer, this one who came to ND as a walk-on Colgate's Max Hurleman. Freshman RB Aneyas Williams is also on that mix. I don't see them moving Harrison there. If he was in the mass audition part of the punt returner job, I can't recall it. (more)

Tom from Grand Rapids

12:28

Eric, many thanks for all the work you do. With Faison being injured, and Greathouse designated as the primary punt return option, are we going to see this team revert back to the perpetual fair catch? The punts that weren’t fielded Sat night and the yardage lost with fortunate a&m bounces can quickly flip the field. With that, what can ND do to ensure the lost yards don’t continue. Does Jayden Harrison have the ability to return punts? As not many kickoffs are returnable any longer…… can he take his return skill set to a different discipline? Finally during Joe Alt’s frosh year, he initially was used as a blocking TE before he got into a starting role. Is there a possibility of using the #3 guard or tackle in that role to assist short yardage run plays? GO IRISH ☘️ 🏈☘️

Eric Hansen

12:27

The offensive line surprised me most on offense. On defense it was how well EVERY combination of linebackers fit so well together and there were a lot of them out there. It wasn't just when Jack Kiser was on the field, although he was really good. But Bowen and KVA together. Jaiden Ausberry with anybody. Jaylen Sneed in different roles and packages. I expected them to be good, but they exceeded my expectations.

12:25

So over the next three games, three good indicators of progress for me on offense against Northern Illinois, Purdue and Miami (Ohio) would be, O-Line progress in terms of run blocking, better QB-WR chemistry (reading the plays/defenses the same), Mitchell Evans and the TEs becoming fully involved. Three on the defense, wow that's splitting hairs. ... They're pretty good, Marie. ... Stouter against the run, better production from the field end spot (Oben, Burnham and B, Young) and vyper Boubacar Traore surging to complement Jordan Botelho, the latter of whom had a really strong game. (mpre)

12:21

Hi Marie. It's a good thing you don't live closer. I'd bring you as my sidekick to the press conferences. .... Thank you. ... On our new Into The eNDzone postgame show with former Irish O-lineman Bob Morton, I asked him a similar question and he really likes the potential of what this O-line can be THIS year. I'm not sure top 20 is realistic, but I think this line at some point this season will become one in which you're not game-planning to protect them, but game-planning around their strengths. In other words, they will become n asset, not something you need to camouflage. Run blocking is where there's most room for improvement. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

12:16

Hi Eric, I hope you are having a great week after Saturday night. Great game but obviously a lot of things that need to improve. How much do you think it is possible for the O line to improve over the season? Could they get to the point where they are a top 20 O line? Also, over the course of the next three games, what three things on both offense and defense would you like to see that would tell you that Notre Dame is moving in the right direction and continuing to improve? Finally, whose play surprised you the most on both offense and defense Saturday night?
Thanks for hosting the chat and for all the great insights.

Eric Hansen

12:16

So expect to see ND in a home environment this week and with the O-line progressing and QB/receiver timing etc. all improving more deep shots and vertical throws. Not a steady diet, but moving in a direction in which ND can operate fully in that mode if it needs to later in the regular season or in the postseason.

12:14

“Really, the most important thing in the end is making sure you don't put them [the offensive line] in a compromising position that maybe their development hasn't made them ready for yet,” Denbrock said. “And it will come at some point.
“So, how do you judge that? How do you do that? Try to stay out of third and long. We didn’t do a very good job of that, right? So, OK, you're in third and long. Now what the hell are you going to do? Well, that's where the screen game kind of came in, in some scenarios.
“And it's frustrating for some maybe to have to see us flinging a screen pass on third-and-13. But in front of 107,000 fans with a lot of new faces up front, what gives our football team the best chance to win? And we were doing such a good job and playing so well defensively, the flow of the game and all those things go into the way I call the game and the way I think about playing the game.”

12:12

Hi John. I like how you couched that question, and I addressed it in my story earlier this morning if you want a little more depth. So, yes, I do think we're going to see a move toward that going forward ... more gradual than abrupt, but the goal is to flex that part of the offense as opponent and circumstances allow. And Saturday night in Kyle Field was not one of those circumstances ... not on Aug. 31. The game plan reflected the both the difficulty in communicating with 107,000+ screaming in the background and the need to protect the young offensive line before its chemistry and cohesion have full baked. Here is more from OC Mike Denbrock:

John, Chagrin Falls, OH

12:06

Hope you had a nice Labor Day weekend! Great win for the program on Saturdays! It was a gritty performance in all 3 phases, offense, defense and special teams. Specifically for the offense, do you expect to see coach Denbrock open things up to let the WR stretch defenses?

Eric Hansen

Off we go ...

In light of the ND victory, the no bare feet and no drinking rules will be relaxed this week.

12:05

Here are the rules.

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