JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 6, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 6, 2023

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Jason from Grand Rapids, MI

1:52

Eric, thanks for the chats. Even though the opponents are different it sure feels great to be 2-0. I loved seeing so many guys get playing time

1:50

Sorry, it went through... I loved seeing so many guys get snaps. I know it isn't sexy playing an FCS team, but what do you think the impact on overall team building to have an opponent like this where so many players can see game action? Does it help with confidence for this year, overall player development, recruiting, etc. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

1:49

Finally, receivers read the coverage just as the QB does and adjust their routes accordingly when it calls for that. Also, yes if the QB extends the play and is running around, they can and will break off their routes.

1:48

So there's different ways to attack it based on your play calls and formations. For example, trips (WRs), can make it easy to run against, because it pulls defenders out of the box, theoretically. From the defense's point of view, they can disguise coverages pretty easily. And they can blitz from a number of different spots effectively. What Hartman will have in this game, presumably, is a complementary running game, something he did NOT have in Wake's 30-21 loss at NC State last season. (more)

Do they do a good job of making it cloudy for teams?

“They do a really good job. They can go from adding zero coverage to looking like zero and falling out and having eight pairs of eyes and playing drop eight. That’s the beauty of it. In a three-down front, it kind of affords them the ability to do those things in coverage that are very hard to prepare for. And two different ends of the spectrum. You’re talking about zero compare to drop eight at a flip of a switch. Then the run fits — you say it’s a three-down front, it’s easy to fit. Well, they do a great job muddying up the fits, muddying up the front and coming to fit you too. That’s what makes it hard.” (more)

1:45

What is the challenge NC State’s defense presents?

“They do a helluva job. That’s a veteran staff. Gibby (defensive coordinator Tony Gibson) is a veteran football coach, has a great reputation and the statistics speak for themselves. It’s hard because it’s multiple, but also they do what they do. And what does a great defense do? They run to the football and read and react and fit. If you turn on the film and you watch them this year early and last year, and all their tape through his years, this team fits. They fit and fit fast. What better compliment to a defense than that? That’s what makes it a tough challenge for us.”

(more)

1:43

Hey Jim. Good day to you. We had transcripts for subscribers from both Al Golden and offensive coordinator Gerad Parker. Since Parker is the one who will face it, he's the one who got the 3-3-5 questions. Here are a couple of his answers, and then I'll chime in:

Jim, Oakwood, OH

1:40

Hi Eric and good day to you sir.Two quick questions for your thoughts please: 1). I understand that NC State runs a different defensive formation - a 3-3-5. Can you explain how that works, and the challenges the formation presents to Sam H, with the 5 personnel? I did not see that addressed in yesterday’s Q & A with Coach Golden. 2) Do the ND receivers have the option to break off a route and go to space or must they strictly adhere to the play in the play book? Thanks and be well.

Eric Hansen

1:39

Before seeing the Duke-Clemson game on Monday night and before USC played its second game and the OSU it's first, my order was 1. The OSU, 2. USC, 3. Clemson ... I thought ND would beat Clemson of those three, and I said as much on our WSBT radio pregame show. My opinion now ... same order ... OSU, USC, Clemson and with the same results, although I think Clemson will be better in November than it was Monday night (but so will ND). Could the Irish win zero, win two, win three of those? All possible. But I would need to see more before I would change that prediction.

Jacob, Hobart, IN

1:35

After seeing USC, Ohio State, and Clemson play, how would you rank the difficulty of those games and how many do you think Notre Dame will win?

Eric Hansen

1:34

Hi Doug from sunny Florida. Eric from sunny Indiana. ... The more different tools Gerad Parker can comfortably pack in his toolkit with a sixth-year/24-year-old starting QB, the more dangerous and difficult-to-defend the Irish offense becomes on a weekly basis provided they can execute them with proficiency. Then you pull them out and match them up to your opponents' weaknesses. That will change from week to week. So it won't likely be a staple, just a very potent option. This week the Irish see an NC State 3-3-5 alignment that will have different strengths and soft spots than Ohio State's defense on Sept. 23.

Doug from Sunny Florida

1:25

Eric, we've run the 2 minute offense with precision in the first two games. Is this a precursor to picking up the tempo on offense? Do you see more up-tempo in the offense in the future?

Eric Hansen

1:24

"Anytime you allocate hats to the quarterback, there's a vacancy somewhere else," Golden said. "How you mask it depends on the coverage or what you want to play behind it." ... So candidates Liufau, Sneed, Kiser, Harper, Watts would be my guesses. ... I'm not concerned at this point re tackling. 1) It's being addressed in practice. 2) Playing a one-off offense in Week 0, followed by the adjustment to a conventional offense in Week 1. ... But it needs to be sharp Saturday.... and finally WR separation, not concerned unless ND does not get production out of its field receiver position (Merriweather/Flores). Would be important to see progress there this week. ... thanks for the email, will respond soon.

1:18

Hi Marie. Great week here, ... Since you're a subscriber, you can check out the Al Golden transcript for more depth in the topic, but I will touch on it here. First, ND is going to face a bunch of these guys ... The Central Michigan QBs are good runners. Duke's Riley Leonard, Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, Phil Jurkovec and Pitt ... and on and on. I think I stressed Golden out pointing that out to him last night. ... “I’m just trying to get through a Tuesday. I mean, really," he said with a laugh. I expect ND to concoct the "spy" concept with multiple players at multiple positions filling that responsibility. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:11

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a fantastic week. Will you be heading to NC State for the game? A couple times this weekend it seem like ND had a little bit of trouble containing the QB, with Brennan Armstrong being such a good runner do you think ND will spy the QB and if they do who would be the most likely candidate? As the competition is going to be stepping up in the next several weeks, are you concerned about some of the poor tackling? Also, I know it’s hard to evaluate the wide receivers on separation due to the competition in the first two games, but do you have any concerns that they may not be able to separate well when the competition steps up? As always, thanks for hosting the chat and the great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:11

Zeke and the tackles were very good against Navy, and everyone was kind of meh against Tennessee State, but I think those three will be very good by the end of the month, and maybe all five. As far as defending Armstrong in the run game, you've got to have a deep game plan for this, not just one player (spy). I think ND has those packages. They can also come at him in waves and keep people fresh. He's a VERY good runner, not just quick, but at 6-2, 215, he's not easy to bring down. And he's not afraid of contact. He had 96 yards and 2 TDs on 19 carries in the 24-14 win at UConn.

1:07

Tony, thanks and I enjoy Tyler's film analysis too. I miss a lot live that he's able to clean up by rewatching the games with the pause button. I my gosh I'm old, and my grandkids apparently are too. I didn't know what Cocomelon was until I looked it up. ... To your questions. The overall O-Line grades sagged significantly, and strangely, going from playing a difficult FBS defense that has great success against the run and in pass rush last season to an FCS defense that played more conventionally. A PFF score in the 60s is not cause for alarm on Labor Day weekend. It would be in week 5 or 6 in my opinion. NC State is going to be a real growth opportunity for this O-Line. I do think Spindler's issues are fixable. Doesn't mean they WILL get fixed. But he's been on the back burner for two years, has a ton of talent and has the maturity and the work ethic to push through the ups and downs. Plus O-line coach Joe Rudolph really believes in him. That helps. (more)

Tony, Lake Mary, FL

12:57

Hey Eric. Thanks for the great coverage. I just finished reading Tyler's film analysis on the OL and DL. I love these analyses. With two wee ones around the house I don't really get to focus on the minutiae during the games as I am fending off the demands to watch Cocomelon. In the article, I saw that Coogan had grades in the 60s being high for the group. Is that normally a good number from PFF. That seems worrisome if it is out of 100. Also, trying to understand how much of Spindler's issues are fixable, and with so much analysis on the guards, are Zeke and the tackles grading ok? Finally, the missed lanes mentioned on the DL and pass rush. This seems somewhat fixable with a focused attention on it this week to specifically counter Armstrong. Do you agree? And finally, we never got to see Armstrong last year, how dangerous is he as a runner?

Eric Hansen

12:56

OK, Drue, let me go ask him. ... but thank you. ... to your questions ... the surprise two games in? I think how well the defense has responded to surprises -- formations and plays that never showed up on film and they never practiced, yet were able to rely on concepts to largely be successful on those plays. to you second question, I think Sam Hartman gives ND A CHANCE in every game. I think the rest of the roster developing can make those chances more realistic.

Drue in Springfield

12:52

Really interested in what the "the one who knows all" about Notre Dame football thinks of this team. What I see is a team that is above avg. to elite in all groups on both sides of the ball. I expected them to be able to score on anyone, but the defense has surprised as well, albeit against lower level teams. What I see as the only deficiency is maybe a step slow on the defensive line...or at least not as fast as needed to bring down elusive and/or swift QBs as we witnessed four times in the first quarter of the TSU game. But that may be a nitpick. My question is, what has surprised you about this team? And do you see this team as one capable of beating anyone at the end of the year...barring a plethora of critical injuries (translated as Hartman out)?

Eric Hansen

12:51

Mark, I love your persistence. I hope you don't mind that I corrected our brand name in your question (from our former one). I do think sophomore linebacker Jaylen Sneed AND grad senior linebacker Jack Kiser will play more this week. In his Tuesday night chat with the media, defensive coordinator Al Golden said as much. He said they were rotating JD Bertrand/Marist Liufau at the inside positions with Sneed/Kiser. But that the game got out of hand score-wise before Kiser/Sneed could get much of a chance to play, and the directive was to get the 3s and 4s in the game. ... "we don't treat guys as first-teamers and second-teamers. We need to play with a bunch of guys," Golden said Tuesday night. ... re points, I think 30 points is the magic number for the offense to get the road win. And not easily done. Only Clemson hit 30 on NC State last season, and no one scored more than 30. Sam Hartman and Wake put up 21 points.

Mark: Golden Valley, MN.

12:43

Sorry for the bad IT skills. It’s probably because Brian Kelly used to hate wearing a tie to weekly ND press conferences… Do you feel Jaylen Sneed will see more action this week. And how many points does ND need this week to win against NC state on the road. As always great weekly chats, and content at Inside ND Sports.

Eric Hansen

12:43

Hi Ryan. It appeared to happen very, very late in the game.

Ryan mars

12:43

Good Afternoon Eric when did Matt Salerno get Injured on Saturday i liked the way everyone played even Steve Go Irish ☘️☘️🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

12:42

Hi Bob. Between the remaining six-deep wide receiver rotation (Tyree, Tobias, Thomas, Greathouse, Flores, Colzie) and the backs who can line up as WRs, I don't think ND needs to push that. Walk-on freshman Jordan Faison is impressive and fast, and Braylon James is talented but raw. But I think they benefit from the plentiful scout team reps they're getting now perhaps more than scant "varsity" reps. Both are progressing and ready if there's another injury.

Bob (Oxnard CA)

12:39

With Salerno injured, do you expect to see Faison and/or James elevated from the scout team? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:38

Thanks, Joe. I think sophomore Tyson Ford's time will be 2024. I think he's following a path very similar to Jason Onye, who is coming of age as a junior. Right now, Tyson Ford is training at two positions -- DT and field end. I think once his path is clear at ONE of those positions, you'll seem him start to ascend. ... With Nolan Ziegler, a sophomore linebacker, I am not optimistic you'll see him this season for ND but hope to have something more definitive soon. I do think he will remain at ND.

Guest

12:34

Joe H Williams Bay Wi Hi Eric Thanks for all your great coverage the first two weeks. I was wondering about two players I have high hopes for Tyson Ford and Nolan Ziegler I know Nolan has had some personal problems and Tyson hasn’t cracked the two deep but do you see either of these guys contributing to the team this season

Eric Hansen

12:33

Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!&*%#!! I got so excited when I saw your exclamation points I almost called you Manti. Had to fix that. ... To your question, Notre Dame needs to make NC State Brennan Armstrong look like the 2022 version of himself at Virginia and not the 2021 rendition at Virginia when he was second in the nation in total offense and working with OC Robert Anae, with whom he's not reunited at NC State. UConn did a good job of handling NC State's traditional running game and preventing big plays (0 of them of 20 yards or more). ND needs to do that AND mitigate Armstrong in the running game. ... I think they'll be able to handle the road environment as long as they don't bring a hurricane with them.

Manny from San Pedro

12:27

Eric!!!!!!! 2-0 baby!!! We are cooking with gas. What do we have to do defensively if we want to be 3-0???? Also. Will the boys be able to handle the road crowd?

Eric Hansen

12:27

Going with three total isn't ideal. ND is doing it this year and got away with it in 2015 in a year when QB1 went down for the season on game 2 (Malik Zaire). But if you have a quality walk-on, I think it works.

12:26

Jeff, thank you. Given what the transfer portal has turned into at the QB position, I think it will be tough at some places to get/keep four. And if you do get a fourth, is that guy going to be much better than a walk-on, who's happy to be there? I think the bigger question re transfer portal or not involves the top of the depth chart, not the bottom or the depth itself. It's one thing if Steve Angeli, Kenny Minchey or CJ Carr can play to the level that Drew Pyne/Tyler Buchner played last season. It's quite another asking/thinking they can play at or near the level ND will get from Sam Hartman this year? So, ND's got to weigh in December if there's another Sam Hartman out there who'd be interested vs. living with the growing pains of one of the other three? If they do take a portal QB, then you would like to believe one of those three home-grown QBs would be ready to start in 2025. (more)

Jeff from Fort Wayne

12:19

Thanks for doing these chats and keeping us well informed. My question is with Sam Hartman leaving after this year, next year as long as everyone stays and CJ comes, that means we have only 3 scholarship QBs. That seems like asking for trouble. Do they look for another transfer QB or do they try to recruit another QB some where? It seems if they go with another transfer this will turn into a yearly thing. At some point should they recruit 2 QBs? I know Alabama did last year and also took Buchner as a tranfer.

Eric Hansen

12:19

The fact that these backs are versatile and can also line up as receivers also helps. And can you image if Colorado freshman Dylan Edwards hadn't decommitted? You'd be asking this question about six running backs. So there is no guarantee someone wouldn't eventually transfer, but McCullough really minimizes the risk with who he is and the approach he takes.

12:17

Hi Pat. I'm not sure ND can be consistent with that approach as the Irish start to see above-average and even elite run defenses. The Irish face six teams that had run defense national rankings of 26th of better last season on this year's schedule, and four that finished in the top 12. One of those comes up this weekend -- NC State (10th). This is a situation, though, that demonstrates Deland McCullough's value as a running backs coach. He's fostered a close relationship among those five. He is able to achieve buy-in for the running back-by-committee approach, because he has NFL and Super Bowl cred. (my grandkids will be happy I used that word) ... He's also able to point out that there aren't a lot of teams that lean heavily on one back in college. He also can point out that less tread on the tires is something NFL teams like. Now, sharing carries and no carries are two different things. So, that may end up being a challenge. (more)

Pat from Florida

12:09

Are 5 RBs getting carries sustainable? I’m worried one of the younger guys transfers out because of it (mainly Love)

Eric Hansen

Off we go ...

Here are the rules.

12:07