JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 8, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 8, 2021

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Alex from Jackson

1:44

Greetings, Eric. Sometimes I have to check myself and ask if I am un-pleasable when it comes to ND Football!! Instead of being negative, I will be positive…I thought the screen pass play call on 3&17 was genius! The passing game in general was really good. Numbers probably aren’t sustainable, but that run game will get better as the season progresses. The defense looked awesome early on as well. And being from Missouri, I loved your, “Nelly?, never heard of her line.” Good stuff!!

Eric Hansen

1:44

We'll get official word Thursday (tomorrow) from Brian Kelly. I will add that Pete Sampson from The Athletic is reporting Fisher will be out likely six weeks. ... so back after the bye for USC and North Carolina, presumably.

Ryan mars pa

1:42

Good afternoon Eric when should we expect a update on Blake fisher go Irish

Eric Hansen

1:41

Andrew, thanks. I guess there's a fine line between showboating, and playing with confidence and emotion. I think Kyle stays on the right side of that line most of the time. The exception was taking his helmet off to celebrate one of the picks Sunday night, which resulted in a 15-year penalty. Hamilton immediately went up to Brian Kelly and apologized, saying, in effect, "Captains don't do that."

Guest

1:39

Andrew from Wilmette, IL: Thank you for the work you do on these chats, they are awesome. Seems like the Irish had some tough breaks with the refs. I guess that is the way it goes sometimes. I was very impressed with #14 and the interceptions, but it seems like he is a bit of a showboater. I did not see that last year in him. Did you see any of that in practice? Don't get me wrong, I love a showboater now and then (when it comes to the Irish) but it seemed a little much at the time. Go Irish!

Eric Hansen

1:39

Gerry, since it's just one game into the season, that's a small sample size. Maybe it just seems like they're coughing up big leads with regularity. In each season -- 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 -- they've outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter. I don't think this was as much a killer instinct thing with the players as it was tactical mistakes from the coaches.

g.labelle@picanoc.ca

Gerry from Quebec again. Always seems when ND has a comfortable lead, they don't have that killer instinct and look what happens.

1:30

Eric Thanks for international streaming remark

Eric Hansen

1:30

Jim, thanks for the kind words. I'm a bit confused by these kinds of questions, including this one specifically. Are you asking me why I didn't mention Bertrand? Because I did, in my column. I pointed out he was one of the things that went right for the Irish and included his career-high (11) tackle total. If you're asking why people at other outlets didn't mention him, I don't know who else you read and wouldn't have much of an idea about their motivations. There was a lot going on in that game, a lot of big plays and a lot of overturned officials calls. Notre Dame needs Bertrand to be good. He'll get plenty of opportunity to encore.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

1:17

Greetings Eric. Wishing you the very best and as always, so appreciative of all your yeoman work. Though it's not being mentioned all that much from an individual standpoint, I thought J D Bertrand's effective rush on McKenzie during the overtime was the play of the game. It forced McKenzie to bring the ball down and totally blunted all the momentum that FSU carried into the extra session. Clearly, Bertrand's effort was a game-changer, so why isn't more credit being given to this talented linebacker who came up so big when it mattered most. Moreover, Bertrand had a solid game and really stood out at times.

Eric Hansen

1:17

Special teams coordinator Brian Polian would love for Chris Tyree to get chances to actually return the kickoffs. He said Tyree is much more dynamic on returns than he was as a freshman. ... As far as screen passes, ND had a really good one to Kyren Williams on third-and-17. As you know, screen plays work the best when the defense is sold that it ISN'T a screen pass. If you run them too often, you won't get the result you want.

1:14

Woody, I understand your frustration with the kickoff returns. There are a few things at play here. The rules have evolved to try to minimize the number of kickoff returns in a game and make the ones that do occur safer. According to the National Football Foundation, the kickoff return is the facet of the game that has the highest risk of head injuries. The latest rule change came in 2018 with the fair catch rule. On Sunday night, ND had zero kickoff returns. Three of the seven were touchbacks. Sometimes the height and short depth on kickoff makes the fair catch the smartest play, even if it's not the most exciting. (more)

Woody

1:00

Lifetime fan from South Bend but first time writer. I like the speed I see on the field this year on both sides of the ball. I do question why we never attempt to return kick off‘s. Give Chris Tyree a chance to break one. Also when we are struggling with a potent pass rush why don’t we run more screens?? Go Irish!

Eric Hansen

1:00

Why not intentional grounding? That what I was thinking/saying/tweeting. I'll admit I haven't gotten to the bottom of that yet and would have done so more immediately had it affected the outcome of the game. There's a couple of things ... I don't think intentional grounding is one of the penalties you can add into the mix through a review. Also, it can be argued that the grounding was unintentional WHICH TO ME means it should have been a fumble. If I get a definitive answer on that, I will share it in next week's chat.

12:56

Hi Lee. I wonder what Matt Shelton is up to these days. ... Here are the points I'll make on the play you asked about: 1) It's a good thing ND didn't get its way on that. The FSU kicker nailed the 50-yard FG, albeit with no rush before his coach iced him and he missed the 37-yarder. 2) To me, that was a fumble. McKenzie Milton (who's amazing by the way) pumped and the ball slipped out of his hand. HE thought it was a fumble, because he didn't hesitate to pounce on it. 3) ND could not challenge, because the play had already been reviewed and overturned. (more)

Lee from Collierville Tennessee

12:47

Hi Eric....Greetings from Collierville Tennessee, home of former Irish receiver Matt Shelton and current Ohio State commit Dallan Hayden, whom Notre Dame recruited heavily. Dallan is the real deal. I was at the game Sunday night. When the officials changed the FSU third down overtime play from a fumble to an incomplete pass shouldn't the Notre Dame coaches have countered by claiming Intentional Grounding? Who was Milton throwing to? I believe that play met all the parameters for Intentional Grounding. I realize a lot was going on in a short period of time but I thought one of the ND coaches would also have thought it was Intentional Grounding. Had we challenged the play and lost--and the ensuing overtime timeout--who cares. The clock doesn't run in overtime. Have you had a chance to review the play? If it wasn't a fumble--which it was--then wasn't it Intentional Grounding?

Eric Hansen

12:41

Frank, thanks for the kind words. My sense is that Marcus' strategy was his idea, but Brian Kelly's the head coach, and should share in that responsibility, which he does. The offense didn't help things but not being able to get first downs. There were tactical errors on both sides of the ball. Developing the running game, so that your offense isn't one-dimensional in the fourth quarter, will help in future games.

Frank Henninger

12:38

Frank from Akron. Everybody is criticizing Freeman for defending with only three linemen while FSU was making that comeback. Is it possible that Kelly instructed him to defend against the pass and encourage FSU to run because he thought that they would then have less time to score as many points? As you have pointed out, Kelly outscores the opposition in third quarters and then slows the game in the fourth. Thanks for working so hard to be so expert for us.

Eric Hansen

12:37

Maybe Tommy Kraemer would have benefited from another year, but I think Cain Madden will prove to be an upgrade. Individually, there's a lot of talent there, even with Blake Fisher out. The next step is five guys playing as one. From the O-line savants I spoke with, they believe those problems are fixable, though not microwavable.
As far as the Vegas game between ND and BYU, it's not official yet. When it is, Notre Dame will acknowledge its existence. But I see only momentum that the game will happen and that it's just lacking some final details.

12:33

Larry. thank you. Firs, the run blocking wasn't good. And Brian Kelly detailed part of the reason why being the silent cadence having people firing off out of sync. I wrote about that Monday and we talked about that with former ND offensive lineman Bob Morton on our Pod of Gold podcast Tuesday.
As far as inviting the linemen back, they made the pitch to Aaron Banks that he could move from left guard to left tackle, in part, to improve his draft stock. He passed and got picked in the second round. Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey also got drafted high, so they weren't going to return. (more)

Larry from Millersville, PA

12:26

Hi Eric - Thank you for writing an excellent post game article. Notre Dame has major problems that were obvious on Sunday night. We have two very good running backs who couldn't find any room to run because the the run blocking was terrible. Because of covid the rules were changed to allow more than 85 players on scholarship for this year. I was really disappointed that ND didn't persuade some of the offensive linemen from last year to return. Why didn't ND encourage many players to return for an additional year? We already have numerous injuries proving the point that you can never have too much depth and experience. Is the Shamrock game with BYU a done deal? These games in pro football stadiums are too expensive. I would love to attend the Wisconsin game but I can't find a ticket below $340 and that plundering price will only get you a seat in peanut heaven. Thanks, and keep up the good work.

Eric Hansen

12:25

Jacob, I think Jack would say there's more than one. Off the top for me, it's footwork. But an impressive performance all the way around.

Jacob, Hobart, IN

12:24

I was really impressed by new QB Jack Coan, especially his downfield throws and overall accuracy. If you had to pick one thing he still has to work on, what would it be?

Eric Hansen

12:24

Sean, agreed and lesson learned. At least they weren't digging their heels in and saying that was the right strategy. I got a text from a defensive coach I really respect, and he thinks Florida State exposed some things that in the long run will help ND, because they are fixable and they can do it right away.

Sean, Greensboro

12:22

Eric, hope this finds you well. The failure to make adjustments on defense in the fourth quarter is mystifying.

Eric Hansen

12:21

Frank, Notre Dame went from nine to six linebackers in a hurry. Two of the three injured players, Paul Moala and Marist Liufau, are out for the year. Shayne Simon won't play Saturday (shoulder). We should be getting a full update on his condition Thursday at noon. Freshman Prince Kollie is now in the two-deeps. JD Bertrand told me last night Kollie had a very good practice. It's about learning the scheme for the freshman and reigning Butkus Award winner. .. As far as movement. There are a couple of obvious options. You could cross-train freshman Kahanu Kia, who moved to the vyper end in training camp but was recruited to play linebacker. Once Osita Ekwonu is healthy, he could move back to linebacker from vyper, but I'm not sure when he's going to be back at practice. He missed all of training camp with an injury.

Frank from Rockwall Texas

12:15

Do you see ND moving anyone to LB to account for the injuries at that position?

Eric Hansen

12:15

You can see for yourself.

One last time with the numbers on this Hamilton interception: He caught the ball roughly 17 yards deeper and 33 1/3 yards across the field from where he was at the snap. He covered more than 20 yards while the ball was in the air.

I need everyone to understand how incredible this is. You will not see better than this, ever. This can't happen. @hoops527dh

12:14

Hi Lorne. Your instincts about some of the content in the queue, via your rhetorical questions, are on target. I think keeping the ball away from Hamilton is easier said than done, except when the Irish are in man. On his second pick against FSU, he was lined up on the opposite hash and came all the way across the field to pluck that ball out of the air at the opposite sideline. I don't know how many college-age humans can do that, but we can probably count them on one hand.

Lorne

12:07

Lorne from Reno. You think Hamilton can keep it up and get 24 picks? Are you getting any questions/complaints about the 3-man front? Time to fire Jeff Quinn? Finally, don't you just "love" first week overreactions? (those were rhetorical -- real question to follow) 1-0 is literally infinitely better than 0-1 (percentage-wise). I suspect Hamilton will get very few picks the rest of the year because every offensive coordinator will be drilling the same message to their QBs: know where Hamilton is and stay VERY far away. Your thoughts?

Eric Hansen

12:06

Lots of questions in the queue. Let's get at 'em.

12:05

One quick note to our international readers/chatters. I have asked for the international plan for fans to watch this weekend's game since Aug. 4 on a regular basis. Most recently I did so five minutes ago. I am told the plan is coming, but is not finalized. AS SOON, as it's in my hands, I will share it on our website and on Twitter and the ND Insider Facebook page as well.

12:03

Here are the rules.

Please include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your questions. They do not need to be in all caps. Just trying to get your attention.

12:02

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Toledo/Peacock Streaming Week.

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