TL/DR: ND football is fun. I'm having fun.
I’m not sure there’s a correlation here, but I’ve found myself on this board less than in past years while enjoying the season more, increasingly weary of fan gripes as the Ws mount. While re-watching the game yesterday I realized I was in a state of contentment with ND football unlike any I’ve experienced in recent memory. Of course the team is flawed, and may very well still lose one or more games this year, but I just can’t imagine having a negative outlook given where the program is and where it once was.
What started as an email reply to a pessimistic friend turned into the below. Thought I’d at least put it somewhere. ...you're welcome? Sorry?
UNC 14, ND 7 - 1Q, 2:55 remaining
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: A top 20 opponent on the road; a pivotal game not just of the season but of the last few seasons; the Irish D gives up two quick scores, offering minimal resistance with liberal helpings of missed tackles and poor DB play with the ball in the air; Herbstreit and Fowler (formerly Musberger) are on the call, already waxing poetic about the other team; and you’re sitting there thinking how are these opponents always the best versions of themselves against ND?
Here too you return to prior concerns now manifesting as increasingly troubling problems. Of course the starting center is out, now of all times, with so much on the line. And of course the 4 year starter at RG is also out with a freaking appendectomy. I mean. Of course. The only thing that could make this worse would be a first down sack bathed in Musbergian drawl: “An’now th’IIIrish are behind the sticks, traaailing by 7, neeeding to dial something up ‘ere, what about thiiis now, Herbie?”
How many times have we see that game over the last 25 years?
In 2020, this happened:
ND comes out with a jumbo-bunch-whatever-hydra formation of Skowronek, Tremble and Mayer just a yard off Eichenberg, with McKinley alone wide right. I haven’t been keeping very detailed notes, but I’m guessing UNC is thinking run tendency here.
It’s a pass. UNC rushes 5, including a blitz from McKinley’s corner. Book sees it but needs the play to develop. Williams is just a hair slow to see the corner closing, but gets just enough on him to buy a critical extra half second.
The CB rakes Book’s arm just as he’s about to wind up, actually pulls his arm all the way back behind him. Book keeps his grip and his head up, and though he now can’t step into his throw, he uncorks one not quite off his back foot that travels 45 yards in the air, out of the DB’s reach but there for McKinley to make a leaping snag, who firmly secures the ball in his hands at the peak of his jump like a great basketball rebounder.
Countless times over the last quarter century that pass has fluttered into the arms of a safety, at which point you realized you’ve once again submitted yourself, with a delirious Musburger ringing in your ears, to yet another spiral through all nine circles of hell.
On 1st and 10 from the UNC 44, the Irish keep the same personnel on the field but now put both McKinley and Skowronek wide left. Wright is attached left; Tremble motions like a pacing predator.
At the snap, with the right side of the line crashing left, Banks pulls right to confront the first blue body he sees, with Tremble in hot pursuit of the second. Crunch, crunch. Book follows them on, as announced with transparent excitement by Herbstreit on replay, “QB Power!” Hainsey gets just enough at the second level to give Book time to burst to the third level, where he offers a stiff arm he doesn’t even need, accelerating for a gain of 38 around the same safety that ran with McKinley the previous play.
On 1st and Goal from the 6, a three-yard Williams run, we are deprived of potential greatness. With Book under center, Tremble this time motions into the backfield, and the Irish are in the I-formation.
In case that somehow didn’t sink in: the Irish are in the I-formation! On 1st and goal! In 2020! How could you possibly be left wanting anything more?
Tremble explodes from his stance and in a half second bulldozes his guy from the 6 to the 2. Banks, Eichenberg and Mayer swallow the entire left side whole. Hainsey stones his guy and Lugg does enough of his job for the play to win. Correll loses his block and his guy gums up the play. (This is not at all meant to be a dig against Correll. he seems to have played well overall, especially given the circumstances, and has a bright future.)
I’m just saying, if that block gets made, there’s only one Tar Heel with even a remote chance at touching Williams: the aforementioned safety now coming off back to back plays in which he sprinted half the field and got juked by the quarterback before sprinting a third of the field. Williams would’ve either put another highlight reel juke on him or would’ve driven him eight yards into the back of the end zone. Either one would’ve been 100% cackle-inducing.
The next play is Book’s escape-hatch-to-Williams touchdown pass. The script has apparently even flipped on conventionally drive killing bad snaps.
It seems hard for all this to be anything other than exceptionally satisfying. And we haven’t yet mentioned the running of Kyren Williams, the emergence of Baby Gronk, or the ND defense, which arguably (probably? definitely?) is even better than the offense.
ND is playing great football. With tremendous coaching. With exciting players everywhere and cool as hell QB captain. They pound the ball running, they’re disciplined and beyond fundamentally sound, they play great defense, they f*** people up.
I don’t have a real conclusion here, other than I appreciate the hell out of what these players and coaches are doing and how they’re doing it. Yes they have flaws, yes they might lose, but expecting anything more than what they are and have done to date seems ridiculous, and a ridiculous waste of a memorable, enjoyable era of ND football.
I for one am having fun.
Go Irish
I’m not sure there’s a correlation here, but I’ve found myself on this board less than in past years while enjoying the season more, increasingly weary of fan gripes as the Ws mount. While re-watching the game yesterday I realized I was in a state of contentment with ND football unlike any I’ve experienced in recent memory. Of course the team is flawed, and may very well still lose one or more games this year, but I just can’t imagine having a negative outlook given where the program is and where it once was.
What started as an email reply to a pessimistic friend turned into the below. Thought I’d at least put it somewhere. ...you're welcome? Sorry?
UNC 14, ND 7 - 1Q, 2:55 remaining
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: A top 20 opponent on the road; a pivotal game not just of the season but of the last few seasons; the Irish D gives up two quick scores, offering minimal resistance with liberal helpings of missed tackles and poor DB play with the ball in the air; Herbstreit and Fowler (formerly Musberger) are on the call, already waxing poetic about the other team; and you’re sitting there thinking how are these opponents always the best versions of themselves against ND?
Here too you return to prior concerns now manifesting as increasingly troubling problems. Of course the starting center is out, now of all times, with so much on the line. And of course the 4 year starter at RG is also out with a freaking appendectomy. I mean. Of course. The only thing that could make this worse would be a first down sack bathed in Musbergian drawl: “An’now th’IIIrish are behind the sticks, traaailing by 7, neeeding to dial something up ‘ere, what about thiiis now, Herbie?”
How many times have we see that game over the last 25 years?
In 2020, this happened:
ND comes out with a jumbo-bunch-whatever-hydra formation of Skowronek, Tremble and Mayer just a yard off Eichenberg, with McKinley alone wide right. I haven’t been keeping very detailed notes, but I’m guessing UNC is thinking run tendency here.
It’s a pass. UNC rushes 5, including a blitz from McKinley’s corner. Book sees it but needs the play to develop. Williams is just a hair slow to see the corner closing, but gets just enough on him to buy a critical extra half second.
The CB rakes Book’s arm just as he’s about to wind up, actually pulls his arm all the way back behind him. Book keeps his grip and his head up, and though he now can’t step into his throw, he uncorks one not quite off his back foot that travels 45 yards in the air, out of the DB’s reach but there for McKinley to make a leaping snag, who firmly secures the ball in his hands at the peak of his jump like a great basketball rebounder.
Countless times over the last quarter century that pass has fluttered into the arms of a safety, at which point you realized you’ve once again submitted yourself, with a delirious Musburger ringing in your ears, to yet another spiral through all nine circles of hell.
On 1st and 10 from the UNC 44, the Irish keep the same personnel on the field but now put both McKinley and Skowronek wide left. Wright is attached left; Tremble motions like a pacing predator.
At the snap, with the right side of the line crashing left, Banks pulls right to confront the first blue body he sees, with Tremble in hot pursuit of the second. Crunch, crunch. Book follows them on, as announced with transparent excitement by Herbstreit on replay, “QB Power!” Hainsey gets just enough at the second level to give Book time to burst to the third level, where he offers a stiff arm he doesn’t even need, accelerating for a gain of 38 around the same safety that ran with McKinley the previous play.
On 1st and Goal from the 6, a three-yard Williams run, we are deprived of potential greatness. With Book under center, Tremble this time motions into the backfield, and the Irish are in the I-formation.
In case that somehow didn’t sink in: the Irish are in the I-formation! On 1st and goal! In 2020! How could you possibly be left wanting anything more?
Tremble explodes from his stance and in a half second bulldozes his guy from the 6 to the 2. Banks, Eichenberg and Mayer swallow the entire left side whole. Hainsey stones his guy and Lugg does enough of his job for the play to win. Correll loses his block and his guy gums up the play. (This is not at all meant to be a dig against Correll. he seems to have played well overall, especially given the circumstances, and has a bright future.)
I’m just saying, if that block gets made, there’s only one Tar Heel with even a remote chance at touching Williams: the aforementioned safety now coming off back to back plays in which he sprinted half the field and got juked by the quarterback before sprinting a third of the field. Williams would’ve either put another highlight reel juke on him or would’ve driven him eight yards into the back of the end zone. Either one would’ve been 100% cackle-inducing.
The next play is Book’s escape-hatch-to-Williams touchdown pass. The script has apparently even flipped on conventionally drive killing bad snaps.
It seems hard for all this to be anything other than exceptionally satisfying. And we haven’t yet mentioned the running of Kyren Williams, the emergence of Baby Gronk, or the ND defense, which arguably (probably? definitely?) is even better than the offense.
ND is playing great football. With tremendous coaching. With exciting players everywhere and cool as hell QB captain. They pound the ball running, they’re disciplined and beyond fundamentally sound, they play great defense, they f*** people up.
I don’t have a real conclusion here, other than I appreciate the hell out of what these players and coaches are doing and how they’re doing it. Yes they have flaws, yes they might lose, but expecting anything more than what they are and have done to date seems ridiculous, and a ridiculous waste of a memorable, enjoyable era of ND football.
I for one am having fun.
Go Irish
