JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 13, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 13, 2021

Eric Hansen

3:35

That's it for this week. Sorry if I got a little feisty. Great questions and conversation. I'd like to buy all of you a beer -- if I had the budget. We'll be back next week to do it all over again -- at noon ET. (The chat part, not the beer buying.)

3:33

I thought there was tangible evidence that there was. Is it sustainable? We have Mike Golic Jr. on our podcast Thursday to get his take on those kinds of questions.

Dan,Grand Rapids, Mi.

3:33

Hi Eric, The highlights showed that the ND line looked much improved....running game included. Was it? What;'s your opinion of it the rest of the year....Thanks as always.

Eric Hansen

3:32

Thank you, Dave.

Dave

3:32

from cincinnati ohio home of a rising highly rated football team. thanks for all your great work in spite of Gennet taking over the SBT

Eric Hansen

3:32

In some cases, the difference is staggering: Total offense. Ohio State is No. 1. Oregon is 53rd. Pass efficiency. OSU is 3, Oregon is 70. That's below Notre Dame. ... Both teams are top 11 in turnover margin. The great thing about an October poll is the are more games to play. The Buckeyes have at least three against top 10 teams --- and a fourth if they get to the Big Ten title game. So we'll find out soon enough if the defensive improvement is real.

3:28

That was a seven-point game in Columbus, and OSU's defense looked bad. But teams aren't static. Some improve. Some regress. I didn't put Stanford ahead of Oregon and they won by the exact same margin Oregon did in Columbus. If you look at the two teams statistically, OSU is better than Oregon in every significant statistical category: rush offense, pass offense, total offense, scoring offense, pass efficiency, rush defense pass efficiency defense, total defense and scoring defense. (more)

Steve Findlay Ohio

3:20

Eric. I didn't mean to make an accusation. I just wanted to know how you justified putting a team that was beaten soundly in a head to head matchup in columbus ahead of the other team with the same record. I wasn't impressed with OSU win over Minnesota (who BG beat) or other wins over teams like akron

Eric Hansen

3:20

Culture beats scheme, but it's great to have both. I think ND's team chemistry has been strong since Kelly's coaching reboot after the 2016 season.

Will from Seattle

3:19

Hello Eric, thanks as always for doing this. ND’s locker room chemistry looks great on Instagram. Is this chemistry truly as good as it’s ever been under BK, and will it translate to recruiting results?

Eric Hansen

3:19

I think ND has positioned itself well with a lot of elite 2023 guys. If I had to name one, I'd feel pretty good about linebacker Drayk Bowen from Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind.

Jeremy from Goshen, IN

3:16

Which 2023 QB recruit do you think ND has the best chance to land?

Eric Hansen

3:16

I think he wants to accelerate Buchner's growth curve, as well as some of the other freshmen's -- particularly on offense. They all responded well to their increase in responsibility and opportunity.

Jake from Saratoga

3:15

Hi Eric, my thought is that after watching the game this past weekend and hearing Brian Kelly speak afterwards that when reading between the lines I believe Kelly wants to hand the keys over to Buchner. Do you have the same impression?

Eric Hansen

3:14

Tom, if you and I were coaching the team, that would have happened already. I think Botelho missing a couple of weeks to start with had limited his opportunities. If the coaching staff can get him right during the bye week, I think the exact scenario you laid out makes some sense, and I may run it by BK this coming week.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

3:12

Hi Eric, I noticed in one of your recent articles you suggested the possibility of playing Foskey and Bothelo at the same time. Coming out of the spring I always thought that was going to be the plan with moving MAT inside on key passing downs. Why has this not been done yet this year? There were too many opportunities for a sack or hurry in the Cincinnati and VT games that broke down because the back side lost contain. What is your expert take on this situation? Go Irish!!!

Eric Hansen

3:10

Notre Dame would like to take four. They are focused on trying to make the Amorion Walker commitment more stable foremost. There are a handful of other prospects they're monitoring and that list will likely become more relevant after the USC game.

cederickwalker

3:09

ced walker saginaw michigan will nd take a 4 wr in this recruiting class any offers new offer who we leaning right now rally we are nd go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us

Eric Hansen

3:08

Hi Mike, and thank you for being a part of the chat. Those guys are very supportive of the line, and Kyren Williams leads the way. It's one of many reasons why he's such a good captain.

Mike from Santa Barbara

3:08

Greetings, Eric, and thanks for the great coverage that keeps ND fans on oxygen as the team evolves. How is the morale among running backs as their production is held back by challenges in the evolution of the O-Line? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

3:07

He pushed back the date to take more visits and hasn't set a new one.

Matt from Los Angeles

3:07

I read that Carnell Tate was going to announce his college choice on 10/8, but I haven’t seen anything publicized. Did he change his decision date or did he commit silently?

Eric Hansen

3:07

In terms of combining offensive coordinator and QB coach duties, that was something Brian Kelly found very attractive in promoting Rees. He wanted that combination. So do a lot of teams that win national titles. Five of the seven champions in the Playoff Era were set up that way. The two exceptions were the Clemson teams in 2016 and 2018. Now if you're asking if Rees can handle those two roles, my answer would also be yes. If you're questioning Rees' experience level and how quickly he can become an elite play caller, I think that's a fair question.

RustyIrish from Cincinnati

2:57

Thanks for the chats Eric, always enlightening to hear your perspective. Do you think Tommy Rees is in over his head as bothering the OC and QB coach? Our QB’s continue to regress with predictable consistency every year, Book included. Does BK not see this or does he have a blind spot relative to Coach Rees? I can’t envision ND reaching the college football summit with him as. OC and QB coach.

Eric Hansen

2:56

If ND was purely committed to go with Jack Coan the rest of the way, it would need to look like the fourth quarter at Virginia Tech. Quick decision making and delivery on his part and improved offensive line play. That's the blueprint. But it has to be executed.

Tom from Grand Rapids thru Dowagiac

2:55

Eric, welcome to midterms!! Hope your week off (so to speak) allows you to recharge your batteries. BK has created the situation that presents itself at qb, going forward does the offense need to tweak to fit Coan’s skill set? I don’t understand a read option look, when Coan isn’t going to keep the ball or can it become an RPO?

Eric Hansen

2:55

I do think how you practice should mean something, but not everything. If Pyne's game stats were clearly better, then he'd have a better case. I do think his window is closing if he doesn't get another shot soon and if there aren't any serious injuries. The absolute best part about Pyne, though, is the kid will work his butt off to get better and continually make that a difficult decision.

John from Mexico, MO

2:48

Hey Eric, I always love the great coverage! Why is Kelly relying on Jack “feet of stone” Coan and mistake prone Buchner when you have Drew “Brees Jr.” Pyne on the bench? He seems like the best option having been in the system for a year and more mobile than Coan. It seems like he isn’t getting a fair shot. Your thoughts?

Eric Hansen

2:48

He implied Coan (and Buchner) practiced much better and typically do.

Ted Witte

2:48

Ted from st.paul mn. Did Brian Kelly ever talk about why Drew Pyne didn't play? Does he look bad in practice?

Eric Hansen

2:48

Thanks Robert. I'd give Brian Kelly a B at this point. There's been a lot of fixing to do, and the Irish have been able to do it while winning for the most part. I'll keep my answer short there. ... There really has been a lull with commitments nationwide since C.J. Williams' commitment to ND on Aug. 8 nudged the Irish into the No. 1 spot in the Rivals national team recruiting rankings. They've been there ever since. What you're seeing now is a lot of elite guys taking their official visits. ND will have some key 2022 visitors in next Saturday for USC, as well as some elite 2023 guys. So I would say as we get into November and those visits are concluded, you'll start to see commitments pick up again -- at ND and across the country.

Robert from Minnesota

2:41

Awesome chat! First, I think Brian Kelly deserves more credit for being 5-1. If we are rebuilding, we are looking good. How would you grade BK thus far? Second, it’s been a while since we have had a commitment. Who will be the next to commit to ☘️?

Eric Hansen

2:41

Hi Alan, we took a deep dive on the topic of quarterback recruiting and development on our last podcast, with Steve Wiltfong. I think you would find it interesting, based on your question. There was a time you could win a national title without those kinds of guys, but with a great defense and a QB who didn't make mistakes. Now you need a great defense (or at least very good one) AND an elite QB. ND has recruited Gunner Kiel, Brandon Wimbush and Phil Jurkovec during the Kelly Era. But they need to do that consistently and have those QBs pan out. I think until the 2023 cycle ND was making two mistakes ... not offering the elite guys early enough and not aiming high enough sometimes. They certainly are doing so with the 2023 QB crop, and it should play off.

Alan from Whiteland, Indiana

2:34

Eric, in your opinion, what prevents Notre Dame from securing commitments from the top high school quarterbacks, like a Caleb Williams of Oklahoma or a Bryce Young of Alabama? I feel this is the core difference that prevents Notre Dame from defeating the top programs in college football. I would be interested in reading your perspective on this.

Eric Hansen

2:34

You know, I loved your opening line. And you know what? You lived up to it. And that's OK. Pepto Bismol is making a fortune on Irish fans this fall. Your question is almost as broad, though, as: What is the meaning of life. ... and maybe somehow they are connected. I've done extensive stories on this ... I'll try to sum it up succinctly. After 12 years, BK has knocked down a lot of challenges. This is one of the two that are still out there for him. That doesn't mean there hasn't been progress, but it's a necessary step in his coaching evolution if he is going to coach a national championship team. I think that's fair to say.

The Polish Prince from Steubenville Ohio

2:29

Good morning Eric. I wish I could be more optimistic however that is not my nature. While the win last week was a pleasant surprise and the QB shuffle worked. I fear we are headed into another poorly handled QB situation. This is Coan's last year and Buchner looks like the heir apparent. I think Pyne can read the writing on the wall, and word out of New Jersey is Steve Angeli our 2022 QB recruit is none to happy with Notre Dame trying to flip LSU recruit Walker Howard. I wouldn't be surprised to see Pyne in the transfer portal, Angeli decommitting and Howard staying put. I could go down the list of highly recruited QBs that never panned out, but we all know their names. How would you rate Kelly's QB development during his tenure at Notre Dame

Eric Hansen

2:29

I Pat. I like that you minimized the math here. ND's schedule hurts. There are not many opportunities to impress other than lopsided scores, and even that has limited appeal. The two best things that can happen for ND regarding the rankings (even for New Year's Six consideration): Cincinnati going undefeated and looking good doing so, and a lot of conference champions having two or more losses. .. and of course ND going 11-1.

Pat H. Springfield, Ill

2:26

Does this scenario work for you to get ND into the Final Four? Ga, beats Ala. in SEC title game, eliminating Ala. OSU loses to anybody whether in regular season or Big 10 title game. Oklahoma loses at least once. Winner of Big 10 title game and Cincy go undefeated. Does this leave a spot for a one-loss Irish team, even though schedule won’t be as demanding as originally thought. That was a mouthful and maybe unanswerable now, but thanks for reading and thanks for your fine work.

Eric Hansen

2:25

Dave, I know some people get mortally wounded by it. I guess if it were a consistent drumbeat of it, I might ask Brian privately why his shorts are in a knot about it. But it's very isolated, and I take it as BK kind of being in the moment after an emotional game. To be honest with you, he gets what we do as well or better than any coach I've ever covered. I've been around the guy for 12 years. It will pass. My VERY first beat out of college was IU basketball and Bob Knight. So everything since then has been much more normal, not that I didn't learn a lot from that experience.

Dave from Houston

2:19

Do you think it offends the press that follows ND when Kelly is openly antagonistic about the coverage being too critical of the team? Seems to be fairly evenhanded for the most part.

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