DON'T FORGET to include you NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s). Here's a shortcut to the question queue: https://live.jotcast.com/chat/notre-dame-football-live-chat-nov-22-2023-17041.html

The Doak Walker Award, which honors the best running back in college football, released Tuesday its 10 semifinalists. Notre Dame's Audric Estimé didn't make the list.

Here's who did:

Jonathon Brooks, Texas
187 carries, 1,139 yards, 10 TDs; 25 catches, 286 yards, 1 TD

Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
249 carries, 1,348 yards, 9 TDs; 20 catches, 70 yards

Marcus Carroll, Georgia State
259 carries, 1,293 yards, 13 TDs; 22 catches, 231 yards

Blake Corum, Michigan
180 carries, 888 yards, 20 TDs; 11 catches, 72 yards

Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
211 carries, 1,414 yards, 15 TDs; 29 catches, 262 yards, 1 TD

Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
225 carries, 1,414 yards, 15 TDs; 24 catches, 204 yards, 1 TD

R.J. Harvey, UCF
190 carries, 1,160 yards, 14 TDs; 17 catches, 231 yards, 1 TD

Damien Martinez, Oregon State
181 carries, 1,147 yards, 9 TDs; 11 catches, 126 yards

Cody Schrader, Missouri
220 carries, 1,272 yards, 12 TDs; 22 catches, 191 yards

Kimani Vidal, Troy
238 carries, 1,280 yards, 8 TDs; 17 catches, 198 yards, 1 TD

For comparison, here are Audric Estimé's totals:
185 carries, 1,103 yards, 14 TDs; 17 catches, 142 yards

Inside ND Sports dives into the top performances of Notre Dame commits during the last week of playoff games.

2024 RB commit Aneyas Williams

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2024 CB commit Karson Hobbs

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2024 LB commit Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa

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2024 LB commit Teddy Rezac

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Notre Dame isn't alone in its pursuit of 2025 four-star OT target Owen Strebig. The No. 84 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class sat down with Rivals national recruiting analyst @Clint Cosgrove to discuss his recruitment after a recent visit to USC.

Strebig was on campus at Notre Dame for its games against Ohio State and USC this season.

"I really like the staff at Notre Dame," Strebig said. "Also, the fan base is insane. I have gotten to know a few Notre Dame commits well and it’s good to know who your potential teammates could be.

Link to full story:


Also, some highlights of Strebig earlier this season from Wisconsin's Rivals website, BadgerBlitz.

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Three Irish players scored career highs in points in a 78-point victory.

Story from Bill Bilinski:

No. 17 Notre Dame women's basketball (3-1) will host Chicago State (0-5) for what will almost certainly be a lopsided contest in Purcell Pavilion at 7 p.m. EST.

The Cougars have not scored more than 57 points in a game and each loss has been by at least 23 points. The worst loss, 100-42, came to Minnesota (3-1) on Nov. 12.

Chicago State's leading scorer is 5-6 guard Tae'lor Willard with 10.6 points per game.

Notre Dame will be playing just its second home game of the season. The Irish beat Northwestern, 110-52, last Wednesday in Purcell Pavilion.

Notre Dame will still be without guard Sonia Citron, though her return should be in weeks rather than months.

The Irish will likely use the same starting five as Saturday: guards Hannah Hidalgo, Anna DeWolfe and Cassandre Prosper and forwards Maddy Westbeld and Kylee Watson. Though head coach Niele Ivey could opt to replace Prosper with KK Bransford.

Watch: ACCNX
Listen: Notre Dame Radio Network
Live stats: StatBroadcast

Season stats:

Is it just me
I can’t understand GP answers

Ryan Fowler, radio host of The Game on Tide 100.9 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., discusses the progress head coach Brian Kelly has made at LSU, the strengths and flaws of the Tigers this season, if Tennessee would be a better bowl opponent for Notre Dame, the job Tommy Rees has done in his first year as Alabama's offensive coordinator, why former ND quarterback Tyler Buchner didn't gain traction with the Crimson Tide, an outside perspective of Notre Dame and more.

Then @Eric Hansen and I answer questions from Twitter and The Insider Lounge (37:05).

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After camping at Notre Dame in June, 2026 linebacker prospect Brady Ballart returned to campus last Saturday as a visiting recruit for the Wake Forest game.

Ballart, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker out of Aurora (Ind.) South Dearborn, has two early offers from Ball State and Miami (Ohio). He's drawing interest from the Irish, Indiana, Louisville, Marshall and Purdue.

He finished his sophomore season with 64 tackles including 31 solo, seven for loss and two fumble recoveries.

I spoke with Ballart to learn about his visit, recruiting goals and more. Ballart is friends with Ashton Craig who is from a nearby town, Lawrenceburg.

Inside ND Sports conducted an interview with Hola to discuss his trip, game takeaways, interest in the Irish and more.

On what he likes about interactions with Irish coaching staff:

"They make you feel at home and they don't lie to you," Ballart said. "They don't tell you what you want to hear. They tell you how it's gonna be and I take that into perspective. I think that's really good that they do that."

On message from speaking with recruiting associate Caleb Davis pregame:

"He just talked about how Notre Dame is more than football. Yes, football is certainly one of the big aspects of Notre Dame. But the people there ... they are great people and gonna own businesses one day and are smart. For him to talk about how great Notre Dame was ... I think it was really good to hear that."

On linebacker position, head coach Marcus Freeman and more:

"It's a tradition at Notre Dame. I mean, Marcus played at Ohio State. He's now the head coach at Notre Dame and just having that linebacker background ... I feel like he can get me to where I need to be and it would just be so beneficial to have that."

"I feel like when you look at Notre Dame and you see the head coach was a linebacker, you have [defensive coordinator] Al Golden who's really smart with linebackers, [defensive] assistant Max Bullough, he was a linebacker. The way they think about football, you know, their defensive mind. That's where that's where you ultimately want to be."

Link to full story:


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Has he been hurt or just playing on teams and packages?

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Rivals released its new class of 2025 player rankings on Thursday. The full rankings can be found here.

Inside ND Sports analyzes where Notre Dame men's basketball targets and prospects stack up in the new rankings. I also give my thoughts on where the Irish stand with each recruit.

TARGETS (have Notre Dame offers)

No. 8 overall - Five-star SG Jalen Haralson

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School: La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere School

Offers: 24, including Notre Dame, Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue.

Last visit: Oct. 14

My read: Head coach Micah Shrewsberry's relationship with Harlason goes back to Penn State, and Harlason is big on Shrewsberry's NBA background and developmental history. But Harlason is seen as a one-and-done caliber talent and the blue bloods are heavily involved.

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No. 13 overall - Five-star SG Trey McKenney

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School: Flint (Mich.) St. Mary's

Offers: 32, including Notre Dame, Florida State, Illinois, Georgetown, Michigan State, Ole Miss and Rutgers.

Last visit: NONE

My read: Irish have ground to make up to Michigan State, Ole Miss, Rutgers and Georgetown. Shrewsberry traveled to see him workout this fall but he didn't visit campus this fall.

No. 51 overall - Four-star PF Malachi Moreno

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School: Georgetown (Ky.) Great Crossing

Offers: 24, including Notre Dame, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Last visit: Sept. 23. Story here.

My read: Notre Dame is in a good spot and he fits their play style as a stretch big. My guess is it's between the SEC schools, Indiana and ND. Kentucky extending an offer in October was big after hosting him for Big Blue Madness.

No. 63 overall - Four-star PF Trent Sisley

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School: Santa Claus (Ind.) Heritage Hills

Offers: 10, including Notre Dame, Indiana, Iowa, Purdue, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Last visit: Oct. 28

My read: Arguably ND's top target in the class, has visited campus twice since getting his offer. Projects as a highly contested battle between the Irish, Indiana and Michigan State. Sisley has multiple family members who either graduated from Indiana or currently attend the university. Play style perfectly aligns for what Shrewsberry wants at the position.

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No. 93 overall - Four-star SG Braylon Mullins

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School: Greenfield (Ind.) Central

Offers: 16, including Notre Dame, Butler, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa and Virginia Tech.

Last visit: Sept. 23. Story here.

My read: Mullins is in no rush to make a decision. Staff watched him closely this spring and summer and offered right near the end. Shrewsberry went down and saw him workout at school this fall. Indiana is a major factor and Purdue could become one if they offer. Plays on Indiana Elite with Sisley and Moreno, has close friendships with both. All three know Braeden Shrewsberry and Logan Imes from their previous stint with Indiana Elite.

No. 94 overall - Four-star C Eric Reibe

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School: Potomac (Md.) Bullis School

Offers: 25, including Notre Dame, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Ohio State, Purdue, Villanova and Xavier.

Last visit: NONE

My read: Notre Dame offered in August but little traction has been made. Did not visit this fall but could schedule a date for this winter.

No. 123 overall - Four-star SF Cam Ward

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School: Upper Marlboro (Md.) Largo

Offers: 24, including Notre Dame, Arkansas, Georgetown, Maryland, Michigan State, Syracuse, Tennesee, Villanova and Virginia.

Last visit: Sept. 16 (OV)

My read: Visited in September with all three of ND's 2024 commits. Seems to be a top target on the board but plenty of competition in DMV area.

No. 128 overall - Three-star SF Colt Langdon

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School: Raleigh (N.C.) Millbrook

Offers: 20, including Notre Dame, Butler, Illinois, Iowa, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

Last visit: NONE

My read: Was offered by Shrewsberry in October. Could schedule a game-day visit for this season.

No. 137 overall - Three-star PG Azakvier Robinson

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School: Indianapolis Lawrence North

Offers: 16, including Notre Dame, Butler, Illinois, Ohio State, St. John's and Xavier.

Last visit: Sept. 2

My read: The top point guard target on ND's board. Has visited campus twice in his recruitment and Irish seem to be high on list along with Illinois and Ohio State. Defensive pest who works hard on both ends of the court. Notre Dame being the first in-state school to offer could pay dividends.

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It's time for round 11 of Place Your Bets for the 2023 season with Saturday's home game against Wake Forest (3:30 p.m. EST on NBC).

I detailed the results of the Clemson prop bets here and updated the standings for the season.

@Scottclarisey has been momentarily dethroned. @jbm19 and @rover219 jumped into first place with 29 correct answers on the season. @Scottclarisey and @CURTVI95 are right behind at 28.

I also have 28. @Eric Hansen's sitting with 25.

We'll share our predictions for the Wake Forest game Friday on YouTube, but you can start submitting your predictions through the Google Form now.


Here are the five prop bets for Notre Dame-Wake Forest:

• Over/Under 2.5 touchdown passes for Sam Hartman
• Over/Under 99.5 rushing yards for Audric Estimé
• Will someone other than Xavier Watts intercept a pass for ND?
• Over/Under 3.5 sacks for Notre Dame’s defense
• Over/Under 6.5 punt return yards for Notre Dame

Remember the top two subscribers in the Place Your Bets standings at the end of the 2023 season will get one year (first place) and six months (second place) of a free subscription.

Get your picks in before voting closes prior to kickoff on Saturday. Make sure you include the same email address with your submission as you did last week. And if you haven't shared the username associated with your entry, please email it to insidendsports@gmail.com.

In this format only, we also need you name and hometown ... please ... here's a shortcut to the question queue: https://live.jotcast.com/chat/notre-dame-football-live-chat-nov-22-2023-17041.html

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2025 three-star CB Cree Thomas out of Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy Prep has committed to Notre Dame.

@Tyler James has the story with quotes from Thomas and Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney.

"It has been a dream of mine to play on the biggest stage ever since I was little," Thomas wrote in a message to Inside ND Sports on Monday. "Notre Dame will make this dream a reality! Thank you God and Go Irish!”

Link to full story:

I feel like this is going to happen.

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One of the highest rated and ranked recruits regardless of class that Notre Dame hosted last Saturday vs. Wake Forest was 2026 defensive tackle prospect Tiki Hola.

Per Rivals, Hola is a four-star recruit and the No. 84 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.

Hola attends Bastrop (Tex.) High and has mostly just been in contact with schools in the Mid-South. He has nine offers, including Baylor, Georgia, Houston, Tennessee, Texas and Texas Tech. He's taken game-day visits to Baylor and Texas this season.

Inside ND Sports conducted an interview with Hola to discuss his trip, game takeaways, interest in the Irish and more.

On his first visit to Notre Dame:

"It was great," Hola said. We flew up there and people were just really welcoming. I had met one of the football players up there, I had met [recruiting analyst] Dre Brown and [recruiting associate] Caleb Davis. Everybody was just really welcoming."

On what he saw while watching the defensive line:

"They were really good with their hands. They were really elusive and came off the ball really strong. They played a real big difference ... it was dominant."

On future recruitment with Notre Dame:

"I really did enjoy Notre Dame. I really enjoyed the coaches and I really do want to build a relationship with them. But I put it into God's trust. I'll put that into God's hands to where he will take me and where I'll be destined to."

On what he pays attention to the most on visits:

"The coaches and just the defense, the personalities of the d-line coaches and the coaching staff is what I look at. The academics and education there too."

Link to full story:


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Notre Dame 2024 running back commit Kedren Young became Lufkin (Tex.) High’s all-time leading rusher as a senior.

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I'm sorry to say so, but I don't think Fred Hale is getting the job done. I'd love to see us steal David Ballou back from Alabama.

Here's the transcript of Notre Dame Al Golden's meeting with the media on Monday night after practice. These are generally done on Tuesdays, but the media availability was compressed into one day this week because of Thanksgiving.

Any advantages for this Stanford matchup from having played them last year?

“I think last year, the one thing we can glean from them is their personnel. But other than that, it’s a new system. I have a ton of respect for Coach [Troy Taylor], his system. Especially on offense, the challenges it presents — the personnel groupings, the formationing, the shifts, the motions.

“In terms of [Stanford] having nothing to lose, I don’t believe that. I believe there’s a whole building of guys over there trying to build a program. I know a lot of those guys over there, and I know how they’re going to work, and I know the opportunity that presents itself in playing us. We’re on high alert, and we know exactly what we need to do. We had a good start to the week [Monday], but we’ve got to study the film, wake up tomorrow and do it all over again. We’ve got to stack days right now.”

Marcus Freeman said the board in your office looks like you’re a mad scientist. Without giving away trade secrets, what’s on that board?

“Well, Sunday morning, I try to get in early and just clean up the previous game for us, and then I move on pretty early. So by 9:30, 10 o’clock, I'm on to the next opponent. And in this case, I was just finishing the last two games, because we started in the bye week. So, just see what direction they're going, write thoughts up on the board, look at the challenges that are presented, and they're numerous. They are. Some people might say there's gimmicks. I think it's clever, what they do. I do. I think they're clever. I think coach Taylor is really good. Watched his body of work, and there's challengers all over the field.”

What makes a coach or a staff good at in-game adjustments, and to what do you attribute your ability to do that?

“You just said it right, right? The staff, our unit strength, our ability to work together and solve problems. Generally, I've said to you guys when you've asked, I said most of the adjustments that you make are done before halftime. In this particular case, we were trying to get to halftime to make adjustments, because everything we had practiced wasn't there. It wasn't on the field. It wasn't in front of us.

“So, we were just trying to make calls that could get us to the half, and then I thought that the coaches did an amazing job. I can't believe that you're asking the question, because I said to them, ‘Unbelievable job at halftime. Clear, concise, simple and delivered in a tone that they can understand.’ And it's 17-7 at the half, and sometimes you can be like — because we weren't, we weren't in control on defense. We were playing hard, but we weren't in control. And sometimes you can get, you know, ‘Come on! We’ve got to do this, we’ve got to do that!’ And all they hear is the tone.

“And I just thought what those guys did, our staff did, and then to have the leadership on defense that can take it and execute it — because I called probably eight plays the entire second half on early downs, eight different calls, maybe seven — and they just executed it magnificently.”

Armel Mukam, Devan Houstan, Ben Minich, Tyson Ford all played against. Wake Forest. What are your thoughts on them, going forward?

“Yeah, let's start with the D-lineman first. As you get to this bowl game, you would hope some of those guys understand — like, I think about [Jaylen] Sneed a year ago. I know there were others that they get to the end of the year, and you don't use a redshirt year, and all of a sudden, they have two or three weeks to get ready for a game. And you'd love to see some of those guys make a big jump and, hopefully, contribute, somehow, in the game.

“So we're all looking for those D-linemen to continue to do that. And, hopefully, one or two of them say, ‘All right, I'm good enough to get a couple series in this game. I'm to the point where I can do that.’ In terms of Ben, I'm excited about Ben. He's a smart kid. He's tough, he's fast. We’re excited. Same thing with him, all of a sudden he's going to be eligible for the bowl game, and does take significant reps somewhere, including special teams?”

Your name was tied to the Syracuse head coaching opening?

“I don’t know. I don’t look at any of that.”

What do you like about Notre Dame? Could you see yourself being in this role?

“I think the biggest thing right now is we’ve got our hands full. I mean, that's it. It is all day, every day, trying to win as many games as we can win. Obviously, we have a goal of winning 10, and to do that, we have to win this one. We have to find a way to win this one. So, if names are being mentioned, it's because of the success of the staff and the players, and that part of it is humbling.”

Marcus Freeman talked about starting fast on the road. What does that mean for the defense?

“Execute right from the get-go. Play fast. Play with clarity. Do the little things right, right from the get-go. Don't need an event to create a certain response. I think that's a fair way of looking at it. We don't need a negative event to all of a sudden lock us in, like, we’ve got to be ready to go. And I think our guys know, obviously we lost to Stanford a year ago. Now we're going out there. There could be perceived distractions because of the timing of the game, and that's not part of our M.O. We’ve got to eliminate all that and get ready to play our best game.”

What stands out about the Stanford offense?

“Just a lot of formations. A lot of personnel groups. Two quarterbacks. Two quarterbacks on the field at the same time. A couple of running backs that can really go. Number 3 [Bryce Farrell], wideout, can really go. He was a 10.5 guy in high school. He's becoming comfortable with 13 [WR Elic Ayomanor]. He's becoming comfortable with 86, the other tight end. There's a lot there to digest in a short period of time, and we’ve just got to make sure that we handle what we need to handle and execute what we need to handle. And whatever things occur on game day, we have to adjust to.”

What’s difficult about the two-QB system?

“Well, first of all, I really think they're both really good athletes. They're a little bit different. You know, 8 [Justin Lamson] is a little bit bigger between the tackles, but 14 [Ashton Daniels] has done that too. So, 14, a little bit more elusive. Both can throw the ball, so 8 could be on a jet sweep, for instance, and all of a sudden decide he's gonna throw the ball, and that's difficult.

[Lamson’s] lined up at one, taking a reverse, and then throws the ball. We saw that last week. [Daniels] can line up out there, so, just makes it challenging. You’ve got to have your antennas up and limit what we need to limit, to play fast and execute.”

Marcus Freeman talked about planning for everything but not actually preparing the players for everything. How do you go about that with this offense?

“Yeah, I think that's a great point. In 11 personnel, which four or five passes do we want to prepare for and eliminate in our base coverages? And then if they hit us with a new one, OK, can we withstand that play in coverage X, Y and Z? And then if not, do we A) throw it out, or B) have to install something else on the sideline? It's pretty simple in terms of that. If they do get a checkmate on you, you have two choices: Don't call that or add something. And last Saturday, it was, ‘We need to install a bunch of things.’ And that's what we did.”

What’s your pitch to Xavier Watts to come back for the 2024 season?

“I'm not going to — that's for X and his family. And if there's any conversations, those are private. Listen, I don't believe in pitching. If young people ask questions, I just came from the other side [the NFL]. I spent six years there. I know the inner workings of it, what all goes into those decisions, what they're looking for, how it’s scouted, how it's evaluated, and ultimately, how those decisions are made. So, I can help them with the secret sauce on the other side, but in terms of making a decision, I'm not here to influence anybody. Just make sure they understand how important they are and the role they would have, moving forward. But other than that, we give them the facts, and then they have to make the decision.”

Any thoughts on who will be on the offensive and, more importantly, the defensive line next year? I know we lose alt in several of the defensive line players. Thank you in advance.

Apologies, gang. In the condensed Monday schedule, I failed to post this sooner. We'll give you to at least noon Tuesday to get questions in.

...

@Eric Hansen and I will record our weekly Inside ND Sports podcast Tuesday. Send us some questions you'd like us to discuss. We like to give priority to questions submitted on The Insider Lounge.

If you have multiple questions, try to be succinct and ask them separately. Thanks!

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker spoke to local writers Monday night following Saturday's win over Wake Forest and ahead of this Saturday's game at Stanford.

Below is a transcript of that conversation. Questions may be paraphrased.

GERAD PARKER

I wanted to ask about the freshmen we haven't seen much: Kenny Minchey, Braylon James and the four offensive linemen Charles Jagusah, Sam Pendleton, Sullivan Absher and Joe Otting. How have you seen their growth this season?

“It’s good. You got me there. So, Minchey. Great promise. When you start, you’re like, ‘Man, OK, what’s his stinger (unclear what he said for that previous word) about?’ You didn’t know, because he is super chill. But there's a lot there. He has gained a lot of respect from the guys in the locker room, has strong arm talent, really studies, has become a part of that quarterback room. Those guys hang out a lot, because they spend a lot of time around the place to study and prepare. So, really happy there.

“Braylon James has continued to improve and work. Does he have to continue to develop? Absolutely. I think you guys know that. Braylon has stayed in it, stayed with us and stayed with the older guys to learn how to continue to develop to get there. Really pleased with him as far as what he’s going to have to do to develop. Those young guys need bowl practice, need spring practice, need summer development. And it’s going to be good for them. Coach Freeman probably puts it best: those young players, you can’t compare yourself to where another person is in your class or where other guys are. This is your road. This is your bumpy road to better. Stay on your road, get better and improve. If that happens, young players, you see them turn into really good players. He has that possibility.

“And we couldn’t be more pleased with the four offensive linemen. Those guys show great promise. What they’ve done for the defensive scout team, looks, and what they’ve done for our defense has been a lot of compliments from the defensive staff, and there is a lot of promise there.”

Did Sam Pendleton ever practice with varsity? Anybody else?

“A couple of those guys, because we had two bye weeks, got a lot of work. Jagusah, Otting, all those guys, they’ve all kind of stepped up and played roles. Had to snap the football with [Otting]. I’m trying to think of when they did. I know Jagusah came up and had to do some stuff to fill in. Sam Pendleton and Sully, all those guys, we feel really good about those guys as young linemen. They needed to redshirt and needed some time, but it’s going to be fun to see them develop.”

More play action vs. Wake Forest. Is that because of something the defense was doing?

“This word, I am like — this word, play action, I feel like we need to — play action. Um...”

What does play action mean to you? (said half-jokingly)

“Yeah, there we go. Yeah. Who they were as a defense promoted it. We want to be that. Be anything that gives us a chance to make the ball go that way (points ahead). But they did. They showed some things that allowed you to think you could put the ball and create conflict against them, and it paid of for us. There were some things that hit for us that was good to see. Yeah. Every week we have to find ways. I think sometimes ‘play action’ is like these big, heavy, under center, crazy good fakes and lift the ball. But sometimes it can just be action nakeds. I thought it was good to get some of our nakeds up too. Got some good play out of that, especially coming out of the second half with the big one. It helped us, and we moved the pocket a little bit from them. There are many different ones. But it was good for us.”

Why was the ball moving as well as it had for you since September?

“There is a lot. One, is a lot of two weeks of prep. There's a lot of stuff. That was a hard two weeks on all of us. This program, me, our staff, everybody. It should be. We understand expectations. But there's a lot of good there. There is. I’m not saying that to defend myself. I’m talking about to our staff and our players. There's a lot of good there. And when you get caught in big games and road games and tough looks and all those things, the margin, just the room for error, kind of shrinks. Sometimes in conflict games, man games, whatever it is, small errors turn into big errors. We’re trying to close the gap with that, no matter who we play. For two weeks of prep, we went through the game with four missed assignments as a full offense. That’s extremely low. Missed assignments equal execution. Execution equals efficiencies on first and second down. Takes us to a lower number of third downs. That rolls the points. That’s as simple as it really is. We were more efficient, we executed at a higher level, we knew the game plan and didn’t make as many mistakes at times. Those things turned out to obviously push us.”

How much more do you know about Steve Angeli now from this season?

"We do. We do. There is a lot of belief in Steve Angeli to be honest with you. I'll take all of it when it doesn't go well, but just like the last one he threw, I didn't call that play. We had a different set on. He checked to the play, because he saw man coverage and they brought 'Saw 0.' They brought Saw 0, he gives a little 'hootie hoo,' taps it out and does his deal, because he's empowered to do so, and he did it and lit it up. Touchdown. That's a quarterback play and being prepared from [quarterbacks coach] Gino [Guidugli] to do so. And he felt empowered enough to not come over to the sideline and be like, 'Coach, are you made that I ...' No. They brought Saw 0. You knew the adjustment and answered. It's good."

What’s the worst number of missed assignments you’ve had in a single game?

“Golly, thanks. Nothing like ‘oh my goodness,' but we’ve been to 10 or 12s. We’ve been to 10 or 12s. And then when you tack on big moments, that goes ‘boom.’ Some of the moments we’ve already discussed and little things maybe you don’t see. We ran through a zone window when it was zone instead of man. I can go on and on, but we’ve been there before. You tack on the big moments and it just multiples.”

How do you replicate what you did against Wake Forest?

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Easy question, not an easy answer?

“Yeah, that’s right. I think that — I hope, I pray — our guys and our staff would say our process, the way I’ve behaved to our staff, our players and all the leadership of it, hasn’t changed. You have to stay true to this thing. Believe in your staff and players. Empower people around you and stay the course. And even at 42 years old say, ‘Hey, we’re doing the right things. You’ve got to believe in this thing.’ Empower people to feel like they belong on that football field for a reason to make great plays and do that. I hope that’s what they feel. I hope that’s what we continue to do through this one and our bowl game. Just continue for this offense to take steps toward what everybody wants it to. And then I hope it creates a little bit of this momentum and multiplying effect to where you’re going to see something that we’ll all be very proud of when this thing finishes.”

What does it say about wide receivers Chansi Stuckey and your development that you can rely on freshman wide receivers? How does that illustrate how far that position needs to come to avoid a repeat of that?

“It speaks volumes to what Chansi has done with the room. There's no way to give guys empowered feeling, get experience and make plays other than to do it. And that’s the growing pains of it. That’s a tough position to be in, let’s be honest. But it’s one we’re in and we’ve got to fight through to get there. And then it’s got to be a position where that room, us as a staff, me as a coordinator have to make sure we never get in that position again. We certainly are taking strides to it. And it’s a testament to those kids who have put in extra time into learning how to be pros at their level and committing to what the process is and what they’ve got to do to play at a high level on game days. It’s a process, and sometimes at this level you don’t get that time to do so.”

Did Eli Raridon need that moment for his development?

“Yes. I think so. I would not be telling the truth if we said no. I think he did. And not that he was in a bad place. It's just when you unlock another key to your game coming back from what he’s went through. And you get to that point, catch the football the way he did and run with it and kind of have both worlds come together in block and pass, I just think it put him in a confidence mode that he had not yet gotten to. And now, he played his best football minus the touchdown. Throw that into it, you’ve got yourselves a chance for him to continue to grow and become a special player.”