First thing Sunday morning one of my friends calls me and says, “It looks like ND is now going to be known for Defense.” My first reaction was:
I always hate it when people tout USC as a team to be feared, like they’re toughest kid on the block. They recruit in one of the Fertile Crescents of high school athletes, have virtually no admission requirements, have athlete degree tracks, great weather, beautiful women… you’ve heard all of this before. Despite all of these built in advantages, USC has the same number of NC’s as ND in the past 30 years. Also, Brian Kelly is 5-3 against USC in his tenure. I fully expected ND to win this game, and win it fairly easily and that’s what we got. This was an old school, power football, beat down and I dare say, it’s the new normal here at ND. There was an excellent thread “I Like Us By Double Digits Tonight” where @baron100 covered much of what I saw. He was spot on. Here’s just a part of it. Follow the link for the rest.
Clearly Evident, BK 2.0 > BK 1.0
Team Speed- I always hear a lot about ND lacking team speed or how great the USC team speed is, but I truly thought ND was the faster team on Saturday, and at worst, the two teams were roughly equal. I didn’t expect a great change in this category from the new S&C program, but this team has really gotten faster. I’d like to hear others thoughts on this.
Why I don’t Post During Games (Generally)- After the 1st play from scrimmage, I was apoplectic about the play calling. A run up the middle, followed by two incompletes and a near safety lead to a punt that puts USC in good field position. In the end, I would have looked foolish if I had posted what I was thinking at that moment, because, well, see the next comment
Defense (Generally)- She said it best:
^Spot on. That really changed the game. What’s changed?
D. Hayes, Kareem, Crawford, Watkins, Coney, et al- They all made huge plays and are turning this defense into real monster. I could go on and on but here isn’t space for that so tell me what you think. Very impressive
Geek Stats- Sam Darnold was sacked 5 times. Hold on, I can hear the disclaimer already; “USC’s OL is considered a weakness so that’s not such a big deal.” Reality: Our DL was considered a weakness (not anymore, that’s for sure) so it should have been a wash, and you were facing a QB that seemed to be a lock for the #1 pick in the next NFL Draft. Elko/Lea are Gangstas, and the Defense as a whole are smart, athletic, warriors. BTW, wake me when a USC QB in the NFL actually lives up to their lofty draft position. He had that deer in the headlights view through much of the game.
Post of the Game- “This Is Football Porn.”
Recruiting- The USC/Stanford games always sets themselves up as a big recruiting event, and too often we come out on the short end of the stick. Not this time. Although there weren’t as many recruits present as there normally is, it was a high quality group. Every one of those kids must have been impressed with what they saw and envision themselves making a future impact on this team.
OL vs USC Front 7- I heard so much about what a good front 7 USC has but they were absolutely dominated by our OL, which tells me and the rest of the country just how good our line is.
Newsome/Yoon/ST- Newsome dropping that punt straight down on the USC returner and causing the muff was a huge play. Yoon gets a tackle of a KO return. All kicks are well covered on the returns and Fink and Sanders are moving the ball on our returns now. The Polian hire was an important as any of the other coaches IMO. Specialty players like Newsome and Yoon are really 5 star recruits.
Geek Stat- 1st half- by my count, including sacks, USC rushed 12 times in the first half for -12 total yards. ND had 30 for 190 yards
Stepherson- He’s a dynamic playmaker and we really missed him these first 4 games. He might have really made a difference in the GA game.
Jay Hayes- I’ve always liked this kid and I’m so happy he’s doing well. He’s really been a difference maker. Pre took the words right out of my mouth.
Tillery- Instead of literally stomping on opposing players, he’s doing it figuratively now, and it’s paying off huge dividends for this team. He’s an absolute beast.
Impressive but Useless Geek Stats- Darnold was 20/28 passing for 229 yards, 8.2 YPC, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Pretty good, except Real Geek Stats tell a different story. By my count he was 10/16 for 107 yards with a fumble, an INT, and 3 sacks in the first half while ND built a 28-0 lead. ND shifted to a prevent defense in the 2nd half, allowing him to pad his stats. It may look like our secondary didn’t play their best, but that’s illusory. They stopped the big plays and kept arguably the best college QB in the country at bay.
Wimbush- Believe me, I’m not calling anyone out because I agreed with the comment, but a poster that I really respect and who knows his stuff said before the game, essentially he didn’t see Wimbush ever being a great passer because he doesn’t look comfortable in the pocket. As I said, I agreed with that comment. Come game time, Wimbush proved us wrong. He had great protection all day long, but he showed a much better pocket presence and awareness than he has in the past. He really showed a lot of poise in the pocket and only took off when absolutely necessary. One thing I noticed was the snap of his arm during his TD throws. He really gets the ball off quickly and has a good, hard throw, with a tight ball. He wasn’t perfect and his receivers dropped a few, but the maturation that he showed yesterday is a sign of very good things to come. The Duck and I agree, he seemed unflappable:
It Was Over When- Despite what Flutie said, this was really over at halftime. I’ll give USC a bit more credit and say that it was truly over when ND answered USC’s TD to start the 2nd half with Wimbush’s TD run to go up 35-7. Ballgame.
RBs- Just incredible, particularly Adams. I could do a whole post on these guys. They beat up on USC. 377 yards as a team, good for an 8 yard avg. That’s News to Me Geek Stats:
Even More That’s News to Me Geek Stats – Adams rushing totals on the year:
Geek Stat- 3rd down conversion. Before calling off the dogs, ND was 7-11 on 3rd down conversions. You’ve heard me complain about this stat all season. Against USC, it was better than I had hoped. It is yet another good sign that things are coming together for this team.
Post-Game Post of the Game-
2nd and 3rd teamers- Congratulations to them. They got into a USC game during a ND blowout. Not a lot of players in recent history will graduate with that memory
Tirico/Tappan/Flutie- Keep the witty banter off of the air during the plays. I want to watch the game and hear the analysis. I don’t care what Tappan has going on on the sidelines or what the guys think of it.
“What To Look For Tonight” analysis by @Bryan_Driskell- Read it before the game. Spot on.https://notredame.forums.rivals.com/threads/what-to-look-for-tonight.114633/#post-2150466
Moving Forward- I saw an ESPN interview with Wimbush and this is what he said when asked how it felt for the team playing as one: “It’s a scary thing. I’m scared for other opponents.”
I’m very interested in your thoughts. It’s a new dawn at ND. Have a great week.
I always hate it when people tout USC as a team to be feared, like they’re toughest kid on the block. They recruit in one of the Fertile Crescents of high school athletes, have virtually no admission requirements, have athlete degree tracks, great weather, beautiful women… you’ve heard all of this before. Despite all of these built in advantages, USC has the same number of NC’s as ND in the past 30 years. Also, Brian Kelly is 5-3 against USC in his tenure. I fully expected ND to win this game, and win it fairly easily and that’s what we got. This was an old school, power football, beat down and I dare say, it’s the new normal here at ND. There was an excellent thread “I Like Us By Double Digits Tonight” where @baron100 covered much of what I saw. He was spot on. Here’s just a part of it. Follow the link for the rest.
Clearly Evident, BK 2.0 > BK 1.0
Team Speed- I always hear a lot about ND lacking team speed or how great the USC team speed is, but I truly thought ND was the faster team on Saturday, and at worst, the two teams were roughly equal. I didn’t expect a great change in this category from the new S&C program, but this team has really gotten faster. I’d like to hear others thoughts on this.
Why I don’t Post During Games (Generally)- After the 1st play from scrimmage, I was apoplectic about the play calling. A run up the middle, followed by two incompletes and a near safety lead to a punt that puts USC in good field position. In the end, I would have looked foolish if I had posted what I was thinking at that moment, because, well, see the next comment
Defense (Generally)- She said it best:
^Spot on. That really changed the game. What’s changed?
That along with a better scheme and stronger players has changed this defense.
D. Hayes, Kareem, Crawford, Watkins, Coney, et al- They all made huge plays and are turning this defense into real monster. I could go on and on but here isn’t space for that so tell me what you think. Very impressive
Geek Stats- Sam Darnold was sacked 5 times. Hold on, I can hear the disclaimer already; “USC’s OL is considered a weakness so that’s not such a big deal.” Reality: Our DL was considered a weakness (not anymore, that’s for sure) so it should have been a wash, and you were facing a QB that seemed to be a lock for the #1 pick in the next NFL Draft. Elko/Lea are Gangstas, and the Defense as a whole are smart, athletic, warriors. BTW, wake me when a USC QB in the NFL actually lives up to their lofty draft position. He had that deer in the headlights view through much of the game.
Post of the Game- “This Is Football Porn.”
Awesome!
Recruiting- The USC/Stanford games always sets themselves up as a big recruiting event, and too often we come out on the short end of the stick. Not this time. Although there weren’t as many recruits present as there normally is, it was a high quality group. Every one of those kids must have been impressed with what they saw and envision themselves making a future impact on this team.
OL vs USC Front 7- I heard so much about what a good front 7 USC has but they were absolutely dominated by our OL, which tells me and the rest of the country just how good our line is.
Newsome/Yoon/ST- Newsome dropping that punt straight down on the USC returner and causing the muff was a huge play. Yoon gets a tackle of a KO return. All kicks are well covered on the returns and Fink and Sanders are moving the ball on our returns now. The Polian hire was an important as any of the other coaches IMO. Specialty players like Newsome and Yoon are really 5 star recruits.
Geek Stat- 1st half- by my count, including sacks, USC rushed 12 times in the first half for -12 total yards. ND had 30 for 190 yards
Stepherson- He’s a dynamic playmaker and we really missed him these first 4 games. He might have really made a difference in the GA game.
Jay Hayes- I’ve always liked this kid and I’m so happy he’s doing well. He’s really been a difference maker. Pre took the words right out of my mouth.
Tillery- Instead of literally stomping on opposing players, he’s doing it figuratively now, and it’s paying off huge dividends for this team. He’s an absolute beast.
Impressive but Useless Geek Stats- Darnold was 20/28 passing for 229 yards, 8.2 YPC, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Pretty good, except Real Geek Stats tell a different story. By my count he was 10/16 for 107 yards with a fumble, an INT, and 3 sacks in the first half while ND built a 28-0 lead. ND shifted to a prevent defense in the 2nd half, allowing him to pad his stats. It may look like our secondary didn’t play their best, but that’s illusory. They stopped the big plays and kept arguably the best college QB in the country at bay.
Wimbush- Believe me, I’m not calling anyone out because I agreed with the comment, but a poster that I really respect and who knows his stuff said before the game, essentially he didn’t see Wimbush ever being a great passer because he doesn’t look comfortable in the pocket. As I said, I agreed with that comment. Come game time, Wimbush proved us wrong. He had great protection all day long, but he showed a much better pocket presence and awareness than he has in the past. He really showed a lot of poise in the pocket and only took off when absolutely necessary. One thing I noticed was the snap of his arm during his TD throws. He really gets the ball off quickly and has a good, hard throw, with a tight ball. He wasn’t perfect and his receivers dropped a few, but the maturation that he showed yesterday is a sign of very good things to come. The Duck and I agree, he seemed unflappable:
Bear in mind, that was only Wimbush’s 6th start, and in a new offense. My point? The kid is only going to get better. Much better.
It Was Over When- Despite what Flutie said, this was really over at halftime. I’ll give USC a bit more credit and say that it was truly over when ND answered USC’s TD to start the 2nd half with Wimbush’s TD run to go up 35-7. Ballgame.
RBs- Just incredible, particularly Adams. I could do a whole post on these guys. They beat up on USC. 377 yards as a team, good for an 8 yard avg. That’s News to Me Geek Stats:
Wow. Thanks for the info!
Even More That’s News to Me Geek Stats – Adams rushing totals on the year:
His career stats against USC alone are as follows:
Some people shine a bit more when the lights are brightest.
Geek Stat- 3rd down conversion. Before calling off the dogs, ND was 7-11 on 3rd down conversions. You’ve heard me complain about this stat all season. Against USC, it was better than I had hoped. It is yet another good sign that things are coming together for this team.
Post-Game Post of the Game-
2nd and 3rd teamers- Congratulations to them. They got into a USC game during a ND blowout. Not a lot of players in recent history will graduate with that memory
Tirico/Tappan/Flutie- Keep the witty banter off of the air during the plays. I want to watch the game and hear the analysis. I don’t care what Tappan has going on on the sidelines or what the guys think of it.
“What To Look For Tonight” analysis by @Bryan_Driskell- Read it before the game. Spot on.https://notredame.forums.rivals.com/threads/what-to-look-for-tonight.114633/#post-2150466
Moving Forward- I saw an ESPN interview with Wimbush and this is what he said when asked how it felt for the team playing as one: “It’s a scary thing. I’m scared for other opponents.”
I’m very interested in your thoughts. It’s a new dawn at ND. Have a great week.
