Congratulations to Coach Kelly on becoming the winningest coach in ND history. It’s been a great run thus far and I think it’s only going to get better.
I took a trip to Chicago and saw the game in person. From where I was sitting, the stadium looked pretty even between Irish and Badger fans, but you had to really look because the red stands out more than the green. One thing that struck me looking at the two teams is that the Badgers appeared to be bigger on both sides on the line. It didn’t help them, however.
The game was a grinder almost until the very end when ND broke it open, but the Geek Stats that stood out to me at the very end were the rushing stats. If you told me before the game that ND would hold the Badgers to under a 100 yards rushing (78 total) I’d would have predicted an easy victory. If you told me that ND would rush for 9 yards I’d have predicted a Wisconsin blowout. I’ve been critical of Rees in the past but he did manage to play to the team’s strengths here. I do believe he wasted too many plays trying to run it up the gut against a solid defense. Anyway, on to the game.
Situation- Tyler Horka: “what makes anyone think the Fighting Irish can be productive against a team that boasts the nation’s No. 2 total defense and No. 1 rushing defense?” @TNTIrish also had a good take on what we were up against:
This was a good, solid analysis of what we were up against and this game was a reality check for fans. The reality is that you have a good team that can compete with almost anyone.
It’s Easy To say After the Fact- I never doubted that ND would win this game. Henceforth, we won’t tolerate dissension in the ranks. Yeah, I’m looking at you @tburlage @Steve Downey @MikeSinger @Patrick Engel.
Obscure Fact- ND has started every game this year with the first possession. They scored TDs in the 1st 2 games and punted in the last two. ND won the toss in this game and elected to receive, as BK almost always does. I’m a fan of deferring and I wish they would do it more often. Why? In every game this year ND has scored more points in the 2nd half than the 1st. They start slow on offense and get better as the game goes on. They have a great defense. Let them shut down the opposition on the opening drive and get going from there, then have the ball to start the 2nd half. JMO.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly- Good: 36 yds to Austin. I think that’s the 1st long pass to Austin I’ve seen Coan connect (it was correctly called). Bad: Pyne fumble. Baker fell asleep on that play and Pynce got blindsided. That was bad enough, but with the ball on the ground no ND player, particularly Baker, had any sense of urgency to jump on it. That led to a Wisconsin FG and the lead. Ugly: 1st possession of the 2nd Q, 4th and 1 and ND has to take a TO to avoid a delay of game. I’m a Kelly guy but this happens way too much with his teams. They need to be more disciplined and decisive.
Austin- Statistically he had a better game against FSU (4-91/ 1TD), but this was his best game in an ND uniform (6-76, 2TDs). We’re just beginning to see what this guy can do.
Special Teams- I mentioned them in a positive light last week and then upon seeing the Doerer missed FG I thought it was the Curse of CTW, but Tyree carried the day on the KO return (more on that later) and Doerer responded by hitting his next 2 FGAs, including a 51 yarder. Here’s the thing though, through 3 + Qs of a slugfest, Bramblett kept Wisconsin pinned back all day and really helped the D. Until that Tyree trot @All_Irish was right on:
Defense- Championship level. ‘Nuff said
Pyne- What a great story. He wasn’t a forgotten QB, but it was close and he comes out and does a great job. BK spoke about the type of player he is after the game saying how his spot in the depth chart didn’t push him to the transfer portal and how he just stayed prepared. Take that P. Jurkovec! My favorite play, it’s 3rd and 5 with 11 minutes to go, Williams is doing a decent job locking but he’s getting backed up by a bigger body. Pyne puts his left arm against Kyren’s back to give him some support then fires a strike to Austin. It was a veteran move. He follows that up with a strike to Mayer followed by another to Austin2 plays later to really take over this game. I was so impressed with the poise he displayed in addition to his arm strength and the accuracy, “off the bench, pitching pennies” as the announcer said.
Post of the Game-
QBs-
Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!- The Ademilola Brothers controlled the line of scrimmage and each had 4 solo tackles. Jayson had 5 tackles overall with 1 sack and 2 TFLs. Most important was the strip sack at the beginning of the 4th Q. The subsequent recovery by Foskey led to the Pyne heroics that put the game away. Solid game by both brothers.\
O-Line- It’s still a disaster and I’m not sure how it’s fixed and I’m not sure where the blame lies for the performance. I mentioned earlier about Baker getting blown up on the Pyne fumble. The same thing happened on the very first Coan sack and several other plays. The poor guy was like a wind chime, being blown out of the way. I watched the Baker plays several times and it looks like he (and other linemen) seem too upright and off balance (pad level?), ergo the getting blown off the line of scrimmage. I’ll let the experts chime in here.
Cam Hart- Bad call on a PI in my opinion but he redeems himself a few plays later. He also had a big breakup in the Red Zone on 3rd down during the 4th Q, forcing Wisconsin to settle for a FG. I actually thought that this was one of the biggest plays of the game. Wisconsin had just recovered the Pyne fumble. With the score still close and Wisconsin seemingly warming up a bit offensively he took the wind out of their sails with that 2nd INT.
Coan- According to BK he’s still your starter and I agree with it. On the 2nd play of the 1st possession, Baker gets blown up and Coan sacked. This isn’t Coan’s fault. A stiff wind would have knocked baker over. None of the QBs on the roster could have escaped that crush. On the negative side, Coan’s 2nd sack he just crumbled to the ground. LATER IN THE 2ND Q Coan “ran” for a loss of about 9 but you could clearly see he tripped over Lugg’s foot. Coan is good and accurate, but his o-line isn’t doing him any favors.
Sad but True-
For Those Who May Have Missed It- Bertrand again led the team in total tackles and solo tackles. Not bad for the Next Man In.
It Was Over When (more or less)- Tyree broke for a TD on that KO. Sure, it was only 17-13, but it sucked the life out of the Wisconsin players and fans. You could see it in the player reactions. The difficulty with which the Badgers were moving the ball made it clear to everyone in the stadium that was the end.
It Was Over When (definitively)- Kiser picked the ball of and returned it for a TD. In the last 20 or so yards he looked like very workmanlike, like he’s done all this before.
Ancient Egyptians- They’d throw sand on a body before burial. That was Drew White’s job with his Pick 6. He looked like he didn’t even really want to run, helping the Badgers save face, but he just lumbered toward the end zone virtually untouched.
He Said It Best- When I finally watched the telecast, after White’s Pick 6 one of the announcers emphatically stated, “I think Marcus Freeman knows what he’s doing!” He added “… these guys look fast on defense and confusing!”” Like I said last week, Freeman is getting used to what he’s got here and you’re going to see a progressively better defense as the year goes on. Better yet, elite kids are going to see this and want to play in this system.
The Most Brutally Honest Post I’ve Ever Seen- Well done @DillonDomer2010.
https://notredame.forums.rivals.com/threads/revisiting-the-wisconsin-game-thread.171547/
Post Game Post-of-the-Game-
I took a trip to Chicago and saw the game in person. From where I was sitting, the stadium looked pretty even between Irish and Badger fans, but you had to really look because the red stands out more than the green. One thing that struck me looking at the two teams is that the Badgers appeared to be bigger on both sides on the line. It didn’t help them, however.
The game was a grinder almost until the very end when ND broke it open, but the Geek Stats that stood out to me at the very end were the rushing stats. If you told me before the game that ND would hold the Badgers to under a 100 yards rushing (78 total) I’d would have predicted an easy victory. If you told me that ND would rush for 9 yards I’d have predicted a Wisconsin blowout. I’ve been critical of Rees in the past but he did manage to play to the team’s strengths here. I do believe he wasted too many plays trying to run it up the gut against a solid defense. Anyway, on to the game.
Situation- Tyler Horka: “what makes anyone think the Fighting Irish can be productive against a team that boasts the nation’s No. 2 total defense and No. 1 rushing defense?” @TNTIrish also had a good take on what we were up against:
This was a good, solid analysis of what we were up against and this game was a reality check for fans. The reality is that you have a good team that can compete with almost anyone.
It’s Easy To say After the Fact- I never doubted that ND would win this game. Henceforth, we won’t tolerate dissension in the ranks. Yeah, I’m looking at you @tburlage @Steve Downey @MikeSinger @Patrick Engel.
Obscure Fact- ND has started every game this year with the first possession. They scored TDs in the 1st 2 games and punted in the last two. ND won the toss in this game and elected to receive, as BK almost always does. I’m a fan of deferring and I wish they would do it more often. Why? In every game this year ND has scored more points in the 2nd half than the 1st. They start slow on offense and get better as the game goes on. They have a great defense. Let them shut down the opposition on the opening drive and get going from there, then have the ball to start the 2nd half. JMO.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly- Good: 36 yds to Austin. I think that’s the 1st long pass to Austin I’ve seen Coan connect (it was correctly called). Bad: Pyne fumble. Baker fell asleep on that play and Pynce got blindsided. That was bad enough, but with the ball on the ground no ND player, particularly Baker, had any sense of urgency to jump on it. That led to a Wisconsin FG and the lead. Ugly: 1st possession of the 2nd Q, 4th and 1 and ND has to take a TO to avoid a delay of game. I’m a Kelly guy but this happens way too much with his teams. They need to be more disciplined and decisive.
Austin- Statistically he had a better game against FSU (4-91/ 1TD), but this was his best game in an ND uniform (6-76, 2TDs). We’re just beginning to see what this guy can do.
Special Teams- I mentioned them in a positive light last week and then upon seeing the Doerer missed FG I thought it was the Curse of CTW, but Tyree carried the day on the KO return (more on that later) and Doerer responded by hitting his next 2 FGAs, including a 51 yarder. Here’s the thing though, through 3 + Qs of a slugfest, Bramblett kept Wisconsin pinned back all day and really helped the D. Until that Tyree trot @All_Irish was right on:
Tyree upstaged him, however:
Yeah, it was that big of a deal.
Defense- Championship level. ‘Nuff said
Pyne- What a great story. He wasn’t a forgotten QB, but it was close and he comes out and does a great job. BK spoke about the type of player he is after the game saying how his spot in the depth chart didn’t push him to the transfer portal and how he just stayed prepared. Take that P. Jurkovec! My favorite play, it’s 3rd and 5 with 11 minutes to go, Williams is doing a decent job locking but he’s getting backed up by a bigger body. Pyne puts his left arm against Kyren’s back to give him some support then fires a strike to Austin. It was a veteran move. He follows that up with a strike to Mayer followed by another to Austin2 plays later to really take over this game. I was so impressed with the poise he displayed in addition to his arm strength and the accuracy, “off the bench, pitching pennies” as the announcer said.
Post of the Game-
QBs-
Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!- The Ademilola Brothers controlled the line of scrimmage and each had 4 solo tackles. Jayson had 5 tackles overall with 1 sack and 2 TFLs. Most important was the strip sack at the beginning of the 4th Q. The subsequent recovery by Foskey led to the Pyne heroics that put the game away. Solid game by both brothers.\
O-Line- It’s still a disaster and I’m not sure how it’s fixed and I’m not sure where the blame lies for the performance. I mentioned earlier about Baker getting blown up on the Pyne fumble. The same thing happened on the very first Coan sack and several other plays. The poor guy was like a wind chime, being blown out of the way. I watched the Baker plays several times and it looks like he (and other linemen) seem too upright and off balance (pad level?), ergo the getting blown off the line of scrimmage. I’ll let the experts chime in here.
Cam Hart- Bad call on a PI in my opinion but he redeems himself a few plays later. He also had a big breakup in the Red Zone on 3rd down during the 4th Q, forcing Wisconsin to settle for a FG. I actually thought that this was one of the biggest plays of the game. Wisconsin had just recovered the Pyne fumble. With the score still close and Wisconsin seemingly warming up a bit offensively he took the wind out of their sails with that 2nd INT.
Coan- According to BK he’s still your starter and I agree with it. On the 2nd play of the 1st possession, Baker gets blown up and Coan sacked. This isn’t Coan’s fault. A stiff wind would have knocked baker over. None of the QBs on the roster could have escaped that crush. On the negative side, Coan’s 2nd sack he just crumbled to the ground. LATER IN THE 2ND Q Coan “ran” for a loss of about 9 but you could clearly see he tripped over Lugg’s foot. Coan is good and accurate, but his o-line isn’t doing him any favors.
Sad but True-
For Those Who May Have Missed It- Bertrand again led the team in total tackles and solo tackles. Not bad for the Next Man In.
It Was Over When (more or less)- Tyree broke for a TD on that KO. Sure, it was only 17-13, but it sucked the life out of the Wisconsin players and fans. You could see it in the player reactions. The difficulty with which the Badgers were moving the ball made it clear to everyone in the stadium that was the end.
It Was Over When (definitively)- Kiser picked the ball of and returned it for a TD. In the last 20 or so yards he looked like very workmanlike, like he’s done all this before.
Ancient Egyptians- They’d throw sand on a body before burial. That was Drew White’s job with his Pick 6. He looked like he didn’t even really want to run, helping the Badgers save face, but he just lumbered toward the end zone virtually untouched.
He Said It Best- When I finally watched the telecast, after White’s Pick 6 one of the announcers emphatically stated, “I think Marcus Freeman knows what he’s doing!” He added “… these guys look fast on defense and confusing!”” Like I said last week, Freeman is getting used to what he’s got here and you’re going to see a progressively better defense as the year goes on. Better yet, elite kids are going to see this and want to play in this system.
The Most Brutally Honest Post I’ve Ever Seen- Well done @DillonDomer2010.
https://notredame.forums.rivals.com/threads/revisiting-the-wisconsin-game-thread.171547/
Post Game Post-of-the-Game-
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