BlueandGold.com's
Mike Singer and former Fighting Irish linebacker
Mike Goolsby went live on YouTube 15 minutes after the conclusion of Notre Dame's road matchup with North Carolina to break down the 31-17 triumph and what's next for
Brian Kelly's squad.
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Transcription from the opening few segments of the show...
Instant Takeaways
“Holistically, looking at the team, Notre Dame takes a professional approach. I would like to see them let their hair down some at times, but that professional approach has become our identity and it has served us well. Notre Dame came into this game down two starters on arguably its best unit which creates a big hole in the offensive line and then you lose probably your best overall player on defense, or at least one of the top two players on the team next to Owusu-Koramoah on defense when Kyle Hamilton went out with the targeting penalty. Then the defense handled business like it can and should. That is a championship level mentality to me.
“Notre Dame lost some kids today and got it done. If there was a weakness to this team, it is the secondary and losing Hamilton hurts. Then you play North Carolina with Sam Howell who just put up 50-something points last week and threw a bunch out of touchdowns, but you go out and hold him to 17 and a shutout in the second half? The [Notre Dame players] stepped up and we saw that today.
“That has been the question all year long for Notre Dame was whether or not they had the depth to get it done and be a championship level team in situations like today and they did. That is the mark of a championship-level program. Sure, everybody wants to win every game by a four touchdown margin but today we showed some of that mental toughness and got out of there with a good win.
Who Flashed?
“Number one for me has got to be
Javon McKinley. What a feel good story for this kid. There were question marks surrounding him for years at Notre Dame and rightfully so. Now, we have seen him get progressively better and become a deep ball threat. His hands have gotten much better and that is evident with some of the great catches he has made not only in this game but all-season long.”
“Defensively speaking, I think the secondary played well today but that was largely due to how well the
front four played today as a whole. We put up some sacks but it was really about making Howell uncomfortable and making him make throws he did not want to make and getting in his face. He did not look like the quarterback he was touted to be today and a lot of that was down to the front four getting consistent pressure on Howell and making him uncomfortable.”
“Another on defense that flashed for me was
Marist Liufau. We did not see a lot of Shayne Simon this week or last week, so that will be something to watch as the season continues. I love Marist as a player, and I love his body type and stature. I know I called him a liability in the past and it was true at the time, I think he is best served as a blitzer and it’s best to keep things simple for him and let him use his athleticism. I think he really showed up today and made a difference.”
“I will even give
Drew White some love today, he played well. He flashed and made plays today and inserted himself on defense.”
On Kyren Williams
“Kyren looks fresh! I think the coaches sat him down about mid-way through the Boston College game to give him a rest because he got his butt kicked against Clemson, not in a bad way though! He was so great against Clemson and took a lot of hits, so coming out of a bye Kyren looked very fresh and he and Tyree both are a legit threat to break one at any time in the game. What you saw today is what you get with a fresh Kyren Williams. The speed and everything that he has is obvious during the game but the contact he created is remarkable. Later in the game in the fourth quarter two UNC players tried to hit him pretty hard and he managed to stay on his feet and scoot for another three yards or so. His ability to keep his feet in traffic is just tremendous.
UNC Thoughts
“I don’t think a team like UNC, as many years as we have been watching, teams develop personalities. Notre Dame has picked up a workman-like approach, while the SEC teams and teams like North Carolina don’t want to get in a fistfight with a team like Notre Dame. Heading towards the end of the game you saw it get a little chippy with them. Notre Dame really limited UNC’s splash plays and limited their momentum by not allowing those big plays that allow them to get on you in an instant. When you don’t allow those big plays, more often than not a team like that will fold and we saw that today.”
Notre Dame new winning formula
“It’s not rocket science! Look at the NFL model right now. When the weather gets cold towards playoff time, you have to run the ball. You have to. If the opposite were true, Peyton Manning would have more than one super bowl ring. It is something you can lean on, play good defense, run the ball, and don’t turn the ball over. Then, you can allow Ian Book to play some ‘backyard football’ and do some things and let him be creative. We saw that today and it is good when he can be creative. It is a traditional-type of football approach with running and the backyard football with Book and he is a guy that you trust to not turn the ball over and still be able to be creative because they trust him to get it done. The staff trusts him and while he makes some crazy throws like the flip passes we saw today, they trust he will not turn the ball over and he has not in a long time for Notre Dame.”
