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Quest4Twelve said:

Let me preface this by saying I know ND football had a pretty extensive home winning streak up until Cincinnati.

Maybe this is anecdotal, but I believe when Notre Dame plays away, they take on us against the world mentality and they just play much better and harder. Not to mention I’d like the white and gold combo much better. 😉

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No, they've had their share of road losses.

2017 @Miami L 41-8
2019 @Georgia L 23-17, @Michigan L 45-14
2020 Clemson ACCCG L 34-10

scubastevefl said:

Miami (OH) 20

ND 31

If Freeman lays an egg against another MAC team, it better be interim HC Al Golden for the remainder of the season.

Click to expand...

I see it the other way. The season was destroyed against NIU as far as championship goes. Another loss, as bad as it is....would be less shock value. It would put ND where it finds itself regularly....looking to next year, with Freeman. Thats about it.

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^ ahhh the collective whiny left has spoken…

88ND said:

That's the problem.
I appreciate the OP's optimism but...

As I said before Michigan winning was rhe worst thing to happen to us. It gives us this false pipe dream of run, run, run and maybe pull it off.

the problem...
McCarthy gave Michigan enough downfield passing as needed.
He actually can throw a bit.


Riley can't throw at all.
He's inaccurate and has a weak arm.

Angeli gives us better odds of winning a playoff game or two

Click to expand...

Except with a young o line that struggles in pass protection as they mature, an immobile QB is a liability. At this point in time the running ability of Leonard in read option is crucial. Evans becoming more healthy should help the passing attack. It's not gonna be prolific by any stretch of the imagination. I like Angeli in small doses but he's a statue back there and has a high percentage of sacks per dropbacks in his short career. Hell the one last week was completely inexcusable. Just stood there.

IrishMike409 said:

I rarely talk negative, but it's just shocking that a 5'9 walk-on soph is the 2nd best WR on the roster.

Greathouse, Thomas, Kolze, KK.....step up.

I was a big Jayden Thomas fan at one point. He made some plays.

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As much as I like Faison and think he’s a good football player, I’m not sure that he’s better than Greathouse or even Thomas as an overall football player. The sample size is too small. He’s definitely an asset though and ND is lucky to have him.

Jayden Thomas still has this and next year to take his game to the next level and he was pretty banged up last year if I recall. I think he has some skills. He plucked a ball off the turf as he was moving away against South Carolina. Really nice catch. That was another nice catch against Purdue that could have easily fallen incomplete. He’s also a good blocker.

I think Greathouse also missed significant time last year. ND just needs to find a way to improve their passing game. The raw materials are there except the inexperience at the tackle positions. Others understandably will point to Leonard but I see the offensive line as the biggest issue. Leonard did miss a throw to Greathouse the first drive of the NIU game. Obviously the post route and the other INT weren’t good either but that first INT was a combination of things.

I thought that was a wonderful gameplan and execution against Purdue. ND doesn’t have to throw the ball all over the yard. Just find a way to churn out first downs and points.

NDinNJ said:

The last ND QB that could throw it downfield. Since then it's been primarily a dink and dunk offense, with no real vertical threat.
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Not true. Jack Coan could throw it just fine but unfortunately he didn't have that stable of receivers like GT, Floyd and Rudolph.

mcdermottrules said:

Fortunately, it is not Lincoln Riley's decision.

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Wanna bet? You think a female AD who has been on the job for one year and who has already echoed Riley's comments is going to over-rule a head coach on a ten-year, $100 million contract? There has been no outcry from the USC alumni about cancelling the series, and while some sportswriters have moaned and groaned, others actually support Riley's position (link).

Let's face it, USC will be playing a much tougher schedule going forward than ND will, USC already has an archrival and the Big Ten won't be involved with scheduling an OOC game like the Pac-12 was.

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88ND said:

How do you plan to pull that off?

The premise here is me first and you can bet your ass those who are getting these stupid NIL deals are NOT interested in sharing....anything.
I'm not talking about taking the linemen to Sizzler, but real $haring...
Not going to happen.

This can of worms never should've been opened because now the inmates are, and will, continue running the asylum.

Perhaps another idiot politician like the rep or senator from Hawaii that implemented title IX could help...LOL

The fix...it has to break to fix it.

Break as in break away from the NCAA. Do your own thing and if there's enough teans willing to do that then no problem.
It has to be a bunch of teams willing to give the finger to this nonsense.

Click to expand...

The NCAAs own pigheadedness is the reason. They kept ignoring the issue and weren't willing to enter any sort of discussions that would come to a reasonable compromise regarding student athletes ability to benefit something for their efforts above their " scholarship". Athletes wanted the same opportunities that any other student on full scholarship has. Push came to shove and here we are.

scubastevefl said:

Miami (OH) 20

ND 31

If Freeman lays an egg against another MAC team, it better be interim HC Al Golden for the remainder of the season.

Click to expand...

With negotiations on bringing Urban Meyer in to get this program winning championships again. This drought has to end. We are approaching 40 years.

88ND said:

Trust me when I tell you the tone of my text isn't malicious but I'm not sure where your hope is coming from

I appreciate your optimism but
Riley possesses a weak inaccurate arm.
Having one negative trait is still manageable but having both is just impossible to overcome.

We are not a tough team to defend.
Take any team that has a little bit of heart....load the box with defenders and we will lose.
He can't make the defense pay for playing downhill.
NIU...just like Marshall of yesteryear...
They sold out, played downhill, and we looked JV. Amateur hour.

Many coaches are dumb so we will see who has the courage to play that way against us but whoever does will have a very good chance at beating us.

Click to expand...

The last ND QB that could throw it downfield. Since then it's been primarily a dink and dunk offense, with no real vertical threat.
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savvyandsassier said:

Our schedule is complete shit, other than maybe Louisville. And we should be able to keep muddling our way through and getting wins. Meaning that unless we for our part really shit the bed on offense, and not because we faced a serious kick-ass defense that shut us down despite our best efforts, we should run the table. With our own defense being more or less elite every week. And then we play USC and we gotta rise to the occasion.

So maybe the OP's right, if we can get just enough downfield passing out of RL, that should get us over the top. As far as the playoff, if we make it, and we're facing a top team with a particularly formidable defense, then let the chips fall where they may. Let's just make it there first.

Click to expand...

That's the problem.
I appreciate the OP's optimism but...

As I said before Michigan winning was rhe worst thing to happen to us. It gives us this false pipe dream of run, run, run and maybe pull it off.

the problem...
McCarthy gave Michigan enough downfield passing as needed.
He actually can throw a bit.


Riley can't throw at all.
He's inaccurate and has a weak arm.

Angeli gives us better odds of winning a playoff game or two

Get Nasty said:

Our best receiver by far is beaux even when faison is healthy. He’s a high 4 star recruit out of HS and transfer to ND. It’s why it’s important to get talented players, it shows.

Faison is a good wr, need him to get healthy and hopefully he is now. He adds a quickness element no other wr on our team has

Click to expand...

And to challenge your post: we've gotten guys as talented and heralded as Collins. They didn't work out at ND.

It's a long list:

Styles, Johnson, Colze, Flores. I'm sure I left guys out too.

echowaker said:

So what's your solution ? The courts have ruled. The NCAA dropped the ball on a long simmering issue. There are billions of dollars floating around. The toothpaste isn't going back into the tube. It was NEVER intended to get to where we are today. In my opinion revenue sharing is the only rational solution.

Click to expand...

How do you plan to pull that off?

The premise here is me first and you can bet your ass those who are getting these stupid NIL deals are NOT interested in sharing....anything.
I'm not talking about taking the linemen to Sizzler, but real $haring...
Not going to happen.

This can of worms never should've been opened because now the inmates are, and will, continue running the asylum.

Perhaps another idiot politician like the rep or senator from Hawaii that implemented title IX could help...LOL

The fix...it has to break to fix it.

Break as in break away from the NCAA. Do your own thing and if there's enough teans willing to do that then no problem.
It has to be a bunch of teams willing to give the finger to this nonsense.

Get Nasty said:

Our best receiver by far is beaux even when faison is healthy. He’s a high 4 star recruit out of HS and transfer to ND. It’s why it’s important to get talented players, it shows.

Faison is a good wr, need him to get healthy and hopefully he is now. He adds a quickness element no other wr on our team has

Click to expand...

I rarely talk negative, but it's just shocking that a 5'9 walk-on soph is the 2nd best WR on the roster.

Greathouse, Thomas, Kolze, KK.....step up.

I was a big Jayden Thomas fan at one point. He made some plays.

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Our schedule is complete shit, other than maybe Louisville. And we should be able to keep muddling our way through and getting wins. Meaning that unless we for our part really shit the bed on offense, and not because we faced a serious kick-ass defense that shut us down despite our best efforts, we should run the table. With our own defense being more or less elite every week. And then we play USC and we gotta rise to the occasion.

So maybe the OP's right, if we can get just enough downfield passing out of RL, that should get us over the top. As far as the playoff, if we make it, and we're facing a top team with a particularly formidable defense, then let the chips fall where they may. Let's just make it there first.

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Miami (OH) 20

ND 31

If Freeman lays an egg against another MAC team, it better be interim HC Al Golden for the remainder of the season.