JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Sept. 9, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Sept. 9, 2026

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Scott, Greenville SC

1:30

Eric!!!!! I hope you got your well deserved sleep Monday night. During FNS' you had a "Men in Black" vibe going, but thats all I remember. Last thing I remember was a bright light! I'll be at the game Saturday and I hope to meet you at The 'Backer. I'm bringing the Gold Standard to hopefully get your signature. So, for the question(s). Since Rice ran the ball all game last week, do you see them trying to throw more to keep ND from stacking the line? Also, does CJ start opening up the pass to JG and others? Faison looked great but I think this is a game the other receivers can build confidence. Although I suspect CJ will air it out to everyone, RBs, and TEs included. Finally, are you going to start a new tradition, like Madden, and name a turkey leg recipient each game? Or maybe even the defensive lineman/linebacker of the game is named Bonecrusher for a week. Then the players can say, and I quote, "So I've got that going for me, which is nice!" See you on Saturday!

Eric Hansen

1:30

HI Mike. I did a column Tuesday on the short week and Notre Dame's approach to mitigating some of those issues. It also has some depth to it among individual matchups, which I can share some of here. Elijah Hughes, Armel Mukam and Sean Sevillano all played and played well against Navy's version of the triple-option last year (and it has some marked differences from Rice's). It's also something that got attention in training camp. White Francis Brewu hasn't faced it and I don' think Tionne Gray has either, I like their skillsets, particularly Brewu, at blowing up plays from the inside out. And Brewu was Notre Dame's top-graded player in either side of the ball in the Wisconsin game. Here's the column I referenced: Why Marcus Freeman won’t let a short week change Notre Dame’s bigger plan and bigger picture

MikeD from Rochester NY

1:16

Hi, Eric, a great victory over Wisconsin to open the season!!!!!!! Too bad we lost Onye and Johnson for an unspecified amount of time. Do you have any concerns that our defense coaches and D tackles haven’t played against the option very much? It’s a plus that Ash was the DC against Navy last year but facing that option on a short week of practice is worrisome.

Eric Hansen

1:16

Having said that, Joey O'Brien was so good in camp that he leaper over a very good young safety in Ethan Long. Now, with Johnson out, they're both in the two-deeps. So, especially beyond Rice, I see them both having a role until Johnson comes back and at least O'Brien one Johnson does return. I'm seeing the same things you are.with regard to the freshman.

1:14

Hi Bill. Reading betwene the lines, you realize Rice rushed for 465 yards last week and really leans into its running game and its modernized version of the triple-option, so Luke Talich makes way more sense this week. And to be honest, his coverage grades in both 2024 and 2025 were outstanding. And given the next four opponents -- Rice, Michigan State, Purdue and North Carolina, I am very comfortable with Luke Talich being the starter if Brauntae Johnson is out that long (it is multiple weeks on the foot injury, but not sure of the exact timeline). (more)

Bill - Texas

1:08

Greetings Eric. With Johnson being out and Talich being more of an in-the-box safety, do you see a larger role for O'Brien? I know Luke has experience and is very solid, but I don't like him as much in space. I would love to see Joey get more snaps to see what he can bring, ala Hamilton a few years back. I think Luke plays a ton this week, but after Rice, I hope we all get to see Joey more with Adon.

Eric Hansen

1:07

So I don't think it's about saving some stuff for let's say BYU in October. And again, go back to the gears. Notre Dame's offense is not going to operate the same from one week to the next, especially with a QB who can play chess so well at the line of scrimmage pre-snap. I think another reason why ND warmed up slowly offensively in this game is that Luke Fickell knows the offensive staff so well and Marcus Freeman. So waiting to try to land knockout blows after you got a good lay of the land, to me, was the right approach.

1:04

Hi Joe. A lot of these questions that I haven't gotten to are sijmilar, so I am trying to pick them ones, like yours, that have a little bit different spin on them. And thank you. I don't think it was being conservative for conservative sake. I know Mike Denbrock looks at openers as sort of a blind date, especially when the opponent is portal-heavy, like Wisconsin. You are sparring, looking for weaknesses that you can attack as you adjust your gameplan on the fly. I thought Notre Dame was successful doing that. (more)

Joe from Baltimore

1:00

Hey Eric. Thanks as always for the great coverage. The Wisconsin game was a great start, but I'm wondering whether you think the overall game plan was intentionally conservative/vanilla to keep nerves down for the 1st game or to keep some tricks up our sleeves for future games? Or was it something else? I'm proud of the win. Neither side of the ball was overly aggressive, so I'm wondering why you think that is! Go Irish! Thanks!

Eric Hansen

1:00

Not sure if any group on offense exceeded what I was expecting. Defense, kind of the same tale. The defensive line in the first half didn't blow me away. And in the second half, they vindicated themselves. As far as indivdual, some of it was dictated by opportunity, but the two on offense that exceeded expectations were Sullivan Absher and Jordan Faison. On defense, it was DJ McKinney and Tionne Gray, and not that I had low expectations for any of them coming in.

12:57

Hi Tom and thanks for hanging with me for all this time. I appreciate that and the nice compliment. Marcus Freeman was asked a question related to the 1st/2nd game improvement axiom in his press conference, and he pointed out that it didn't happen in 2024, with Texas A&M and Northern Illinois. I'm not sure I buy into it either, but I do think you learn a lot about your team and have a good to-do list to drive improvement after an opener if you don't play a cupcake. It's a difficult question, because the halves were so different. If I had to lump them into one, WRs would be less than expected, but understanding the context of the game mitigates a lot of that. (more)

Tom from Arlington VA

Thanks, Eric and GO IRISH!

My first question is which position group on offense and defense exceeded your expectations and which ones were the most disappointing. Also, which two players on offense and defense played better than you expected.

Lou Holtz was fond of saying that a team made the most progress between the first and second games of the season. I hope that is true this year.

12:46

I have been following you since your very early SBT days, but this is the first time I have been on these charts. Love your work: knowledgable, balanced and with the wit and humor we need to keep us off the ledge.

Eric Hansen

12:46

Bob, I may need to cut and past your answer for about 20 of the questions in the portal. I didn't see the TV broadcast, so I am not sure if that was pointed out or how well. I sat next to colleague Jack Soble in the press box, and he was all over it. But again, it's hard to see the whole field on TV, and if the announcers didn't point it out, then shame on them. But you will not hear me complain about ND playing smart and not stubbornly based on how the Irish were defended.

Bob Oxnard

against 2 deep safeties while linebackers were hunting our franchise Qb. Seems crazy to complain about that. Your thoughts?

12:43

Fans and media -- at least some of them -- seem unhappy we didn't throw deep agaaint 3 deep

Eric Hansen

12:43

I think pass rush would be on that list too, but Rice doesn't throw much. In fact, they completed just 4 1/2 passes in their 31-3 win over Houston Christian. Why 4 1/2, because the Rice website claims 5 completions and the NCAA claims 4. But the nation's No. 3 rusing team after week 1 will have to throw more on Saturday. From an aesthetic standpoint, I think you'll see that first gear I reference in question No. 1 from David. And I think special teams will be more consistent.

12:40

Hi Damian. Thanks for the compliments. I had predicted a tight first half, with Notre Dame leaving no doubt in the second half of what I thought would be a 30-10 game. So for me, the Irish slightly exceeded that. I had them No. 2 in my preseason AP poll and kept them at No. 2. They moved up a spot to No. 3 in the overall poll. Now Rice, isn't as good a team as Wisconsin, but Marcus Freeman coaches his team to play to a standard. I think the most noticeable difference you'll see, regardless of the opponent, is better offensive line play. (more)

Damian Becker, Lynbrook, NY

12:33

Eric, I hope all has been well with you and your family. Understand that your work and coverage, and that of your colleagues, is always exceptional. Although I don't, I probably should say thank you more often. Were you satisfied with the win over Wisconsin, yes or no, why? And not just because it wss a W. What does progression/improvement look like this week against Rice?

Eric Hansen

12:33

Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a case of taking what the defense gives you. This did not play into a Jaden Greathouse type of game. There will be those games coming up. Keep in mind, Wisconsin's defense wasn't its issue in 2025. The Badgers were 24th in total defense, two spots below Notre Dame. They never gave up 41 points (or more) in a game last season, and the most anyone has scored on the Badgers under Luke Fickell is 44, by Nebraska in 2024. Also keep in mind Luke Fickell hired a lot of ND's coaches at Cincinnati, including Marcus Freeman, so there was the familiarity factor both teams had to overcome. Patience, Manny. The best is yet to come for Greathouse and ND,

Manny from San Pedro

12:23

Eric!!!!!!! 1-0! This may be a September to Remember. Why was great house such a non-factor I would’ve thought they would’ve tried to get him Involved early and often

Eric Hansen

12:22

To your specific question about whether Notre Dame has gamebreakers, yes I do think they do and I would include this version of Jordan Faison in that group. I think that will become more apparent each week moving forward.

12:21

Big Picture theme No. 3. I wrote a column on this on the wee hours of Monday morning. If your expectations were to see the November version of Notre Dame on Saturday, you hit the keg of Spotted Cow a little too hard. Expecting the best version of Sept. 6 ND was a realistic expectation, and I think the Irish largely achieved that along with exposing the areas that needed work moving forward. Here is the column: Why Notre Dame’s imperfect debut didn’t shake Marcus Freeman’s offseason conviction
(more)

12:15

No. 2 in the big picture. You're looking to create mismatches to determine which of those gears you want to use. Wisconsin was playing with its safeties back, so it was daring ND dink and dunk and run the ball. The Irish didn't execute either in the first half. But what the Irish did in the first half successfully was probe for the weaknesses and then take advantage of them in the second half. (more)

12:13

Hi David! There are many questions that relate to this theme, but I love the way you framed it, so you get to bat leadoff today. I'm going to hit you with three big-picture themes then get more granular to answer your question more specifically, not just your gist. ... First, think of this Notre Dame offense as one with gears, not an absolute identity that it will never veer away from. So it has a NASCAR gear with a vertical passing game. It has a ground-and-pound gear with its multiple tight ends and it has a dink-and-dunk gear using checkdowns and letting receivers (including back) run in space. You saw a lot of gears 2 and 3 in this game and little of gear 1. (more)

David - NY

12:07

Hi Eric! Glad the Irish took control of the game in the second half against. It was a strong finish to game 1 and the adjustments were a great reflection on the coaches and players. Should serve them well in the future... My question for you comes from a comment I heard online this week that I can't shake. The speaker was saying that all other of the true national title contenders have a game breaker at a skill position (Toney, Smith, etc.) and ND just doesn't. I recognize 1 game is a small sample size. But would love your thoughts here. Can we win without one a la Michigan a few years ago (though we don't know the other teams plays)? Or will someone rise to the occasion? And I don't think as good as Faison and Williams are at WR and HB that they meet the game breaker criteria against top teams, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

Eric Hansen

OK, off we go ...

12:06

The "no drinking" rule continues to be rescinded, but it will be up for review to be reinstated of there's excess whining. Whining is permitted, but only if it's clever, warranted and minimal.

12:05

Here are the rules:

12:04

PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s). If you don't, you sink to the bottom of the question portal. And telepathy doesn't work.

As far as this chat ...

12:03

► Finally at WSBT Sports Radio 960, I’m part of the Notre Dame Football pregame shows with Tim Grauel, Jim Irizarry and Blue & Gold teammate Jack Soble. The GameDay show kicks off with 3 1/2 hours of news, analysis and special guests live on Saturday ahead of the ND-Rice game. We’ll start our coverage — live from The Linebacker Lounge, near campus — at 11 a.m. ET. You can listen locally at WSBT-AM 960, Sunny 101.5 FM, and 106.1 FM in Southwest Michigan. And it will be live streaming on wsbtradio.com.

► The Third & Gold Podcast is available at all the places where you find podcasts, as well as our YouTube Channel. The next episode drops Thursday afternoon. On our most recent episode, former Notre Dame All-American, former Green Bay Packer and current CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor joined us as our special guest.

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, what are you doing with your life? Seriously, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on our new home on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel. The last two shows have been our most-watched episodes ever. We’ll be back next Monday at 7 ET for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps. Check out some other great shows and content on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well, including the live Notre Dame Football Show, on Tuesday nights at 8 ET.

12:02

► For those of you who have signed up as first-time subscribers for 75% off for your first year of blueandgold.com and the network and national content throughout the On3 Network, thank you. We added hundreds of subscribers during the sale and finished third in the network among On3 sites during that campaign, which is now over. Welcome to all of our new subscribers.

12:01

First, some quick programming notes:

That does not mean you have to partake in rice during the chat, but it is not against the rules.

12:00

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Rice week edition.

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