Eric Hansen: Welcome to a very caffeinated version of Notre Dame Football Live Chat. A special Friday edition.
And one in which I initially neglected to include the link for in the story post. Which is par for the course, I supposed at 3 a.m. But thanks for being here today.
I'll keep the announcements short, because we're still learning about our upcoming media schedule for next Thursday night's Orange Bowl and how that fits in with our programming. But two quick plugs: We had two fun postgame shows Thursday night ... Into The eNDZone with former ND O-lineman Bob Morton and me, and then Tyler James joining me on Postgame Takeaways.
As far as this week's chat …
PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question.
Here are the usual rules, none of which apply today.
Heck, I'm keeping my Christmas tree up-until the Notre Dame playoff run ends.
Eric Hansen: OK, let's get rolling ...
Manny from San Pedro: Eric!!!!!!!!!!! Semi finals baby!!!!! I feel like the dad in Rudy seeing ND for the first time. This is the most gorgeous thing these eyes have ever seen!!! How does the day chance affect ND game prep and is it a huge disadvantage having Penn st get two extra days of rest?
Eric Hansen: Manny, bringing the strong exclamation point game!!!!!!! I think this is an interesting question, but one with no remedy. Even if the CFP committee opted to move the game back a day (bad idea), Penn State is going to have a two-day edge on prep time and recovery. The prep time seems the lesser of the two advantages. ND has analysts who could get the prep work started before the Irish played Georgia. And all in all, it's the normal, seven-day turnaround that the Irish play with all season, so it makes the timeline simple and routine. But the advantage in recovery time could be the bigger issue. We'll get updates on players like Jeremiyah Love and Howard Cross III, who left the game with injuries, the next time we talk to Marcus Freeman.
Those questions did not come up in the postgame. Originally, there were going to be Orange Bowl press conferences today, but that's been pushed back to Saturday at 11 a.m. EST, because of the schedule change with the Sugar Bowl. Finally, on whether it's an advantage of disadvantage, I like Freeman's mindset and his messaging to his players about that. From Thursday night:
"We are always a glass-half-full group. And whatever circumstances are thrown at us, we're going to take advantage of it and prepare and maximize the opportunity ahead of us."
Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Eric, Happy New Year!!! Glad that no one from the ND family was injured in the tragic events of Wednesday morning. The Sugar Bowl seemed to epitomize MF's mantra of a team built on the OL and DL. I would also like to congratulate ALL of the coaches on a magnificent season in every phase of the game. Condolences and Congratulations to Coach Biagi on a very stressful time in his life off the field and yet the ST once again played a big part in a big win. All of our scoring was done by transfers which confirms ND's policy of building thru recruiting and using the portal to fill holes. Now for questions: 1)Who are the EE for this year? 2) I saw KVA in uniform, do you think he might be able to help for a few plays vs. PSU?? 3) Also, why do you think the TE's were not a part of the offense vs UGA? Do you think they can be vs PSU?? 4) Who is our most reliable deep threat at WR?? Thanks for being here for us all season and hopefully for a few more games. Go Irish!!!
Eric Hansen: Tom, thanks for sharing your thoughts about the bigger picture in New Orleans. ... And thanks for bringing up the circumstances regarding Irish special teams coach Marty Biagi. Our Yahoo Sports teammate Ross Dellenger did a phenomenal piece that captures that, You can read that HERE. To your questions …
1) There are 13 of them, four of whom participated in playoff practices (though not eligible to play in the playoff games): Those four are S JaDon Blair, S Ethan Long, LB Madden Faraimo and QB Blake Hebert. The other nine early enrollees, who start classes a week from Monday are: OT Matty Augustine, WR Jerome Bettis Jr., WR Elijah Burress, DT Davion Dixon, C Cameron Herron, RB Nolan James Jr., WR Scrap Richardson, OT Owen Strebig and CB Cree Thomas. 2) Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa actually played 13 snaps against Georgia, mostly in pass-rushing situations, so he's back.
3) With the tight ends, Mike Denbrock is going to take what the defense gives him. Mitchell Evans was targeted four times and made three catches. Maybe if the game were closer or ND had to play from behind, we might have seen them factor in more. I haven't done a deep dive into Penn State yet, just a toe-in-the-water look, although I've seen a couple of their games. 4) Jordan Faison is the most reliable deep threat and is finally coming into his own.
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The Beaver from Grand Rapids, Mich.: Hey Eric and thanks for doing the chat the day after a loooong night for you. On the 4th down trick play in the 4th quarter, it looks like Coogan snapped the ball recognizing Georgia fell into the neutral zone. Was the plan a hard count to attempt to draw the defense offsides and to punt if they didn’t get the jump? Or was ND going to snap the ball and actually go for it from their own 18? Brilliant special teams call either way.
Eric Hansen: Hey The Beave... and thank you for being here on so short notice ... all of you chat-heads. This is a fun way to spend Friday. ... Yes, the plan was to either get Georgia to jump or get them to call timeout. They jumped and Riley Leonard had a free play and a guaranteed first down. They would NOT have gone for it had Georgia not jumped.
William Whitman from Pittsburgh: How did Notre Dame overcome loss of Rylie Mills and not allow Georgia to run the ball? Scheme? Particular players? Go Irish, Beat Nittany Lions.
Eric Hansen: Hi William. Al Golden had a great game plan and was smart with his rotations. Instead of dipping down to inexperienced players on the interior, he rotated three over the two positions -- Cross with 47 snaps, Gabe Rubio with a season-high 25 and Donovan Hinish with 35. Rubio actually has been one of ND's best run defenders once he joined the team in October after missing the first five games with an injury. Schematically, Golden used a lot of movement up front. He also made great use of the linebackers and safeties in the run game. Where ND figured to miss Mills most was his pass rush, and yet the Irish were great on the edges with that. I will say Penn State has a better running attack than Georgia, so another big challenge coming Thursday night.
Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: What a win, Eric. How happy are you? I am over the moon.
Eric Hansen: I had some friends come to a game in October for a bucket list checkmark. They had never been to an ND game. And they asked me what it was like covering a team with such rich history. And what I told them is that's what's really cool is covering the team when it walks into history, when it's actually making history. And so how ever this journey ends, this is a season I will never forget, and I've been in the market since the summer of 1988.
Marie from Atlanta: Happy new year Eric! What a great start to 2025 for the Irish. Assuming they are unable to switch the cotton bowl and the orange bowl dates, how much of an advantage do you feel the extra two days of rest are for Penn State? Are there extra pregame requirements/appearances for the team due to the fact that it’d a playoff game? This can also be tiring. Any update on the health conditions of Cross and Love? I know we’re only a few hours away from victory but looking ahead, what do you think Notre Dame will do to defend against Tyler Warren? Thanks for squeezing in the extra chat this week. I’m sure you’re extremely busy with everything going on. I know we all appreciate it.
Eric Hansen: Marie, if ND gets to Atlanta, you and your family (and probably Tom from Kennesaw too) will get that dinner I owe you. ... Thanks for being here ... and I've answered and non-answered some of your questions already, but let me get to the one I have not, and that's defending Penn State All-America tight end Tyler Warren. Two things, ND's pressure on the passer is going to need to be similar to the Georgia game ... and it's a tough ask. Penn State is more balanced offensively, QB Drew Allar more seasoned than Gunner Stockton and the PSU O-Line protects better. Again, this is more off the top of my head than studying, but my sense is you'll see several different players rotate on Warren when ND is in man -- Adon Shuler, Xavier Watts, Drayk Bowen, Jack Kiser make the most sense to me. I'll have a better answer in a couple of days. Thanks for being here today.
Jeff from Phoenix: Hey Eric, great night but you must be running on fumes. As ND advances, I have some questions/concerns about the portal process. Can ND take players after Jan 13 (when classes resume), and still have them officially enrolled in school? Is being enrolled a necessary status for practicing with the team in the spring? I realize ND is likely working on players coming in via the portal while the playoffs are advancing but it seems like ND could be at a disadvantage if decisions on overall roster management are delayed past Jan 13. Thanks!
Eric Hansen: Hi Jeff. Thanks, and it's a fun kind of being on fumes. But my coffee started snickering at me about 2 a.m. ... It's back to working today. ... As far as transfers ... yes, players must be enrolled at Notre Dame in order to practice. That's why Rod Heard II and Beaux Collins couldn't practice in the spring, even though Collins was taking Clemson classes remotely from South Bend and Heard lived in SB intermittently while finishing business at Northwestern. They could ATTEND practice and some meetings, just not actually practice until summer.
Now I think it's fair to say there are portal talks/visits going on that ND is not going to publicize to keep the focus on the playoff run, but let me finish answering your questions. School starts Jan. 13. I think transfer kicker Blake Grupe didn't get settled until about a week into that semester a couple of years ago, and that felt like it was right at the cutoff. Of course, ND can also get commitments from players who will enroll in the summer, including some who might enter the portal during the 10-day April window.
Brendan from Pittsburgh: How big of a play was Xavier Watts chasing down speedy Arian Smith and preventing a touchdown? And what do you think of O Line play after a few days? I know you and Bob addressed it on Into The eNDzone, but despite not playing well they only gave up 1 TFL and 1 sack.
Eric Hansen: Hi Brendan. Yes, Watts chasing that play down and the 15-yard sideline-interference penalty likely made a four-point difference at a critical juncture. So huge. I continue to say while Xavier Watts is not going to be a first-round draft pick, he will go down as one of the most impressive and impactful players I have covered in more than four decades of covering college football. And yes, I did have him third on my Heisman Trophy ballot as well as on the first team on my AP All-America ballot. ... The O-line needed to hold up, not necessarily dominate. And that they did. Aamil Wagner was ND's highest-graded player on offense at any position per Pro Football Focus in the game. So there's that.
Adam from Dayton, Ohio: Eric, hope your holiday was a great one with you loved ones! Biggest ND win of my adult life, I'm still floating on clouds, haha. For years, on that stage, against that kind of team, Notre Dame was going to get beat physically and athletically. Ohio St. last year (despite the loss) was the first time I realized that things may truly be changing...and Georgia just confirmed it for me. Do your eyes tell you the same thing, that ND is recruiting a different caliber of athlete than it has been for much of the last 30 years? Do you think Freeman can reach a higher recruiting level still...wide receiver and interior defensive linemen perhaps? Updates on Love and Cross, will they be available for penn st.?
Eric Hansen: Hi Adam. Thank you, I did. My grandkids all kind of realize what I do for a living, so we had Xmas on the 14th LOL. Although my 6-year-old granddaughter until that day thought I was here father's BROTHER LOL. Or maybe she just wanted extra presents. ... Yes, I think Chad Bowden taking over the personnel operation, now with the title of GM, and Matt Jansen becoming director of scouting were too huge hires that have nudged ND in this direction under Marcus Freeman. And the development model is huge. And yes, this is still more out there for them to reach for ... and you identified the positions. And getting the starting quarterback right for 2025 is also a big part of that, and there are some very good options.
Adam, I also think it's the culture that's driven the evolution. Culture is SO overused by us in the media. But in this instance, it's authentic. And Tyler James captured it beautifully (I can't believe I used that adjective and Tyler in the same sentence) in his column today/last night. HERE
Ken from Steel City: Hi Eric!!! Let’s go! Pandemonium, euphoria, pride. I am so excited for this team. Thank you for encouraging us and bringing us back from the ledge after NIU. Three questions: 1) is it safe to say this is no longer Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame? 2) Did we see the maturation of Marcus Freeman on display last night? This was the first time I felt like he really went out and won us a game. 3) Early thoughts on how we match up with PSU?
Eric Hansen: Hi Ken. It's cool to see Notre Dame fans this excited. ... 1) I have a lot of respect for Brian Kelly and what he did for the program when he was here and I really had fun working with him (all but part of the 2011 season), but this ceased being Brian Kelly's team when he implied his reason for leaving was he was giving up on them and ND's dreams of winning a national title. 2) I think we've seen the increments for it all year, beginning Sept. 8 with the way he picked up the pieces after NIU, and it's becoming more pronounced with each passing game.
3) Of the three teams left, I think Texas would be the most favorable and Ohio State the least favorable in terms of strengths and weaknesses of those teams and how they sync up with ND's strengths and weaknesses. And there are no glaring weaknesses left on anyone's résumé. The biggest gap here is turnover margin. And that came into play in the Georgia game. ND has to have that checkmark. Penn State is balanced on both sides of the ball. What they have not yet accomplished is finishing in a close big game, but they have taken care of business in the playoff vs. SMU and Boise.
Scott from Greenville, S.C.: Eric!! After last night's incredible game, my shoes are still off and I am enjoying an over 21 beverage! ND just shows every week that you can't focus on any one player. This week it was the group of transfers! Jeter, RL, Oben, Harrison, and the list goes on. It's great seeing different players step up. Injuries hit hard but the 2nd and 3rd string hit harder. Can ND keep the momentum, and can both lines continue to carry the team to another couple victories? I asked Santa for 4 victories. Halfway there. I do want to offer a shoutout to You, Tyler, and Bob for the impressive coverage and analytics. I look forward to seeing/listening to more shows. Happy New Year to you and your family!
Eric Hansen: Hi Scott. .. no rules today, so make yourself comfortable! And thanks for the compliments. Getting Cross backs is critical. Asking Hinish and Rubio to play 60-some snaps each is a tall, tall task against a team that good. There's also some mystery surrounding the status of Penn State's best player, All-America DE Abdul Carter, who left the Boise State win Tuesday night with an apparent arm injury. ... My deeper dive is still ahead ... but ND can buy itself some margin for error if it can win the turnover battle and continue to get big special teams plays. The one thing I am confident in, ND is not AFRAID of the big stages.
Denny from Beaverton, Ore.: Hi Eric: Turning point win for Coach Freeman and the Notre Dame team in national perception. Our defense is GREAT, despite the injuries we've had, and they are what got us here. Running the football is getting especially hard the past two games. Better teams and better athletes are a big factor. I know you will put out the 5 important categories for the remaining 4 teams but I was wondering how our run game against Georgia did compared to other teams that have played them. Maybe I am being picky, but I just feel that we will need to have effective rushing yardage in the coming 1 or 2 games. Perhaps Coach Denbrock needs to find new wrinkles to get that yardage. What are your thoughts about this? So grateful for your chats Eric. We look forward to them!
Eric Hansen: Notre Dame won the rushing battle 154-62. And Marcus Freeman is now 29-3 when his teams get that check mark and 3-6 when they do not. So you're on point. In both of ND's playoff losses, in its BCS Championship Game loss, in its ACC title game loss to Clemson, it was outrushed in all of those games. I'll update the numbers this week, but going into the playoff ... Penn State was 9th in rush defense and sixth in total defense, Ohio State 7th/1st, Texas 15th/3rd. Riley Leonard as a passer becomes a factor, but Riley Leonard as a runner is more valuable than ever, so keep on eye on that. We saw some wrinkles with the wide receivers getting some jet sweeps. A healthy Jeremiyah Love would help. One thing Denbrock has done during his career when teams sell out on stopping the traditional running game, he'll lean heavier into the QB run game and he'll get his RB involved in the downfield passing game.
Stan, now from Glen Allen: First of all, thank you and Tyler for the best commentary I have read ever. I enjoyed reading your work that is long on meat and devoid of filler. I get the sense that you think that the Irish can wind up in the championship game. If they do and have to face the Buckeyes, what is the scenario that would favor Notre Dame?
Eric Hansen: Sorry, Stan. My brain froze over that first line. Thanks for being so complimentary, whether you're enjoying the rescinding of the "no drinking" rule or not today. Heartfelt appreciation. .. In my bracket, I picked Oregon and Notre Dame to arrive there. But I felt Ohio State was the worst matchup for anybody ... just didn't know how their post-Michigan psyche would play. If Notre Dame does face THE Ohio State University in the finals, and we can have fun and speculate here, where the Buckeyes' fault lines are (and they aren't pronounced) is turnover margin, red zone offense and defense, third-down efficiency, an intermittent goodness in the running game. That's really nitpicking it. And at least ND has the No. 1 pass-efficiency defense to pair against those great Buckeye receivers.
Jonathan from Addison, Texas: Eric!!! Longest season ever!!! Happy 2025!!! Big picture, what have we learned from the playoffs thus far? That the ACC is way, way behind the field? That the SEC ain’t head/shoulders ahead? But the B1G might be? What’s your sense?
Eric Hansen: Hi Jonathan and Happy 2025! I want to wait until it's all said and done before I get too big-picture on the playoff. But the one thing I feel like I can declare is 12 is the right number, if not 14. Either one is better than four. If it were four, guess who did not make it into the playoff? Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Matt from Muscatine, Iowa: Hi Eric, thank you for doing these! What are the two biggest advantages and disadvantages ND has versus PSU? Also, I’m curious, as an OSU alum, do you cheer for the Buckeyes? I know you try to treat ND professionally and just enjoy the ride each season gives you, but, when ND has played OSU, what’s that like for you? (Hopefully, this question or your answer to it doesn’t get some of your readers mad—I appreciate your coverage, whatever your response is). Thank you, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Eric Hansen: Matt, Happy New Year. I think it's a fair question to ask about fandom and allegiances. So let me answer it. I grew up a STAUNCH Ohio State fan. My first fistfight of my life, as a Kindergartener, was over who was going to win Ohio State/Michigan. I used to have a bumper sticker in my room that read: Directions to Ann Arbor: North 'til you smell it, west 'til you step in it. OK having said all of that, the best thing that happened to me was my first full-time job was covering Indiana University football and basketball. It was a program I felt pretty neutral about growing up. On top of that, my mind works very analytically. So to be the best version of me, losing the fandom was a must and playing into my analytical mind was an asset.
And so, I am able to watch games and dive into the WHY and yet still appreciate the emotions from fans but not let that cloud my work. So, I'd say I am a fan of college football. I am a fan of people with integrity. And both of those things make me smile. So no rooting interest. It's kind of like asking which is your favorite kid? Or does this dress make my butt look big? There is no right answer to those questions if you want to live in a peaceful world.
JoeP from Los Angeles: Happy New Year, Eric! Love the work you do, and looking forward to more of your great insights from you in 2025. As I generally like to do, I'm anointing you ND's defensive coordinator again, this time for the Penn St. game. While I know AG likes to mix things up, how do you scheme to prevent #44 and the two RBs from wreaking havoc on our depleted defense? Thanks again.
Eric Hansen: I need more time to scheme for Ty Warren LOL, No. 44. I mentioned earlier rotating different players on him when ND is in man. The running backs are a big problem, because of Penn State's offensive balance and because Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are both big backs with speed. Ohio State really was the only team that hit the trifecta there in getting a handle on all three in a 20-13 Buckeye win. Minnesota did a good job with the running game in a 1-point loss but had no answer for Warren. That would be my starting point in terms of putting together a game plan. More to come after some more research. Happy New Year.
Matt from Muscatine, Iowa: Thank you for sharing so frankly. I appreciate it, and your coverage. Too bad we can’t bond over disliking Michigan though… I think the second half of my question upstaged the first part about advantages and disadvantages in the ND-PSU game. Thank you!
Eric Hansen: Matt, thanks. There are no glaring advantages ND has ... nor really Penn State either. These start to become games where winning in the margins start to add up -- special teams, turnover margin, penalties, innovation, depth. ND is in a good position in most of those areas. And their win against Georgia is better than anything Penn State has done this season to date. But a really, really close matchup.
Matt from Austin: Hi Eric, sorry that I'm so late to the chat this week, but thank you for all of your work with probably no sleep. Kirby Smart kept saying that the eleven player switch was illegal in the SEC and ND should have been penalized, negating the brilliant first down when Georgia jumped offside. Is that really true and do the conferences have different interpretations of the rule. I believe the game officials were a Big 10 crew. Happy New Year my friend. Thank you, Matt
Eric Hansen: Happy New Year, Matt. My radio partner, Darin Pritchett has the bandwidth and initiative to look at the rulebook, and his interpretation in the NCAA rulebook, that includes the SEC, was that since the long snapper never touches the ball it was as if ND didn't break the huddle and so it was legal. No, the SEC doesn't have its own set of rules. Not yet anyway. I think those were Big 12 officials, but I don't want to break the flow of the chat right now to check. I will for the transcript. ... But here's the deal. Whether Kirby thought it was legal or not, he could have called itmeout -- and didn't. he could have warned his team not to jump offsides, and they did jump offsides.
Mike from Rochester, N.Y.: Eric, loved the ITE with Bob Morton last night, hopefully we’ll have two more before the season ends!!!!!! I was really worried about our run defense with the loss of Mills and our problems stopping the run often this season. Big kudos to last night’s DLinemen and Coach Wash for an outstanding effort and loved seeing Hinish close GA out with a sack! My question is, we seem to be incredibly deep at Vyper with the way Junior T has come on and assuming Botelho and Traore fully bounce back from their injuries. Do you think one of them flips to the other end spot with Oben done after this year? Or are Burnham and Young the starters there and we just have a great depth problem at Vyper?
Eric Hansen: Mike, thanks for tuning in. We had a blast. And we'll keep them coming, Had our largest live audience yet last night. ... The timelines with both Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore can be tricky. In interviews in New Orleans, both expressed optimism they will be healthy before the start of the season, but timelines can be tricky and so can mental hurdles. But let's say everything goes perfectly, Josh Burnham will move back to the field end side, joining Bryce Young over there. Let's say Loghan Thomas puts on weight and is ready to roll in 2025, then maybe bounding Junior to both positions or Boubacar makes some sense. It's a first-world problem. Chris Burgess is likely the most camera-ready among the freshmen ends, and he might end up inside in the long run, which isn't a bad thing.
Tom from Sellersburg, Ind.: Hello Eric, Long time reader and thank you for your work. I really enjoy it. Long time ND football fan beginning with Ara and the great times from the 60s through the 90s; not so much since. Marcus Freeman is the real deal as coach and human being. I'm very happy ND extended his contract. It looks to me you and coach Freeman have a good relationship by the way he reacts to you during media interviews. So, how do we keep coach Freeman from burning out from the bright, hot spot light ND football is? Now that I've got this good feeling back, I want it to go on past the Ara and Holtz years. Ask Coach Freeman for me to follow his own advice, one play, one life and stay in the moment for his own sanity. For example ignore, ignore the crazy who wanted him fired after the NIU game! Thanks Eric, I enjoy your "stuff"!
Eric Hansen: Tom, really appreciate the kind words for me and for Marcus. My oldest son is just a little younger than Marcus and had six kids all about the same ages, and knowing what he has to do to balance all the demands of family and work gives me appreciation and insight into how tall a task that is for Marcus Freeman. But the people who have longevity in the coaching business tend to be the ones who strive for balance. Yes he works hard, but he also has a life around work that keeps it in perspective and also allows him to renew and refill. And that is a great lesson to already be putting into practice without having to get that force fed to you by circumstances.
Palm Beach Irish: Please have everyone calm down....we have played 2 games in past month so players are conditioned for a one week turn around...do you know of transfer commits but cannot divulge?...Can you confirm the chatter about ND taking a QB in the portal?....thanks Eric for all you do.
Eric Hansen: Hi Palm Beach. ND is coming your direction. The Irish are really going to bury the portal proceedings as much as they can until the playoff run is over, whenever that may be. The QB thing is weird. I don't see the Irish going down that road.
Robert from Dunedin, Fla.: Eric- Bryant Young is going to be an unstoppable force! He gave me flashbacks of Forrest Whitaker on FAST Times at Ridgemont High. Can you recall any recruiting class ND has had whose freshman class has contributed as much as this one?
Eric Hansen: Robert, I am going to type Bryant Young too in one of my stories, and I know you mean Bryce. Heck, I called Bryson Daily “Carson Daly” on Football Never Sleeps during Army week AND called Gunner Stockton “Tyler” Stockton in this chat before I fixed it, so we're even. Wow, great Fast Times reference. Impressive. I think Marcus Freeman has been really good at identifying freshmen who can help early, whether they be January or June enrollees. I think sometimes Brian Kelly wasn't open-minded about some freshmen who could have helped, especially if they were not early enrollees.
Don in Scottsdale, Ariz.: Wow. The preseason stuff was so positive regarding this team, then NIU happened. Freeman did a GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! job from that day forward. Feels like he created a template for the future. (not quite 17) Did you see this coming after NIU? Did Mills have surgery? Any chance of him playing against PSU? I don't think he traveled with the team. Is that a surprise or is he done with his college career? Think Love will be able to go in six days?
Eric Hansen: Hi Don. I apologize. I finished working at 3:30 a.m. and started working today as soon as I woke up, but haven't had a chance yet to talk to anyone from ND or dig around on some of the things you're asking. I should be able to do so tomorrow. In fact we have a press conference with Marcus Freeman at 11 a.m. EST, so please check out our work as we move forward. Let me answer what I can from what you asked me. Mills is out for the rest of the playoff. He will not return. Here are a couple of excerpts from my column after the NIU game:
So, how does Notre Dame move forward with 10 regular-season games left and a perceptual mountain to scale to reinstate a CFP trajectory? By focusing on the little picture that the outside world is baiting them not to.In other words, just a whiff of social media can be toxic.
“I think everybody’s going to be looking at me,” quarterback Riley Leonard offered. “So, how I approached today, how I approach tomorrow, how I approach this afternoon is going to be indicative.
“And, hopefully, people will follow how I approach things. Obviously, all the eyes are on me, so I’ve got to lead by example right now.”
Whatever a redemptive road can look like, this is where it starts. Doubling down on the quarterback who emerged out of a four-deep QB room as the No. 1 option and owning the coaching deficiencies, the preparation deficiencies that led to an underwhelming pass-efficiency mark (92.8) on Saturday.
Eric Hansen: AND THIS:
This shouldn’t be a crossroads stretch not only for this season, but setting the stage for where this program is headed. But here the Irish are one week after being the nation’s feel-good thread.
There’s opportunity, though, and that can’t be dismissed any more than the real urgency playing the team next Saturday picked to finish 18th in the Big Ten, Purdue, like the ND players’ hair is on fire.
Freeman has been authentic enough, consistent enough, transparent enough that he didn’t lose the locker room on Saturday along with the game. And that matters big time.
“This isn’t the end of our season, and we know that,” All-America nose guard Howard Cross III said. “Yeah, this sucks. We know that. Everybody knows that. All of our fans know that.
“But I’m going to tell you all what I told everybody: ‘Use that. Use what everybody’s telling you. You’re going to be hearing all week that we suck. All right, use that, because in all due respect, in seven days, we’re on the field again. So, are we going to be all right? I guess it’s over in game 2? Or are we just going to keep rolling.’
“And I think that’s what we’re going to do. Let’s keep rolling.”
Tony, Lake Mary, FL: Did you notice Jadarian Price jump on the not punt play.
Eric Hansen: I did not.
Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Eric, with Antavious Richardson an EE, do you think the coaches will use Spring ball to help figure out which side of the ball will be the best for ND and for the player??? Do you have any info as to where he might wind up playing?? He just seems to have skills that could work either at WR or DB. Thanks and Go Irish!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom. It's nice to have that position flexibility. And given that ND landed two strong receivers in the portal, they don't have to fast-track Richardson. My sense is he stays on offense, which is where ND recruited him to play. But injuries or unexpected departures could always alter tha plan.
Ryan from Frankfort, Ill.: Good Afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Riley Leonard he looked good yesterday vs Georgia i think we beat Penn State Next Week 35-21 or something like that GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈
Eric Hansen: Ryan, Riley showed great toughness and poise and they'll need another dose of that in the semis. You have been nailing the scores pretty well all year. I might need to take your lead. I do think it will be a game played in the 20s, though. Not ready to make an actual prediction. You are way ahead of me.
Bob from Loganville, Ga.: Eric, Seems I am the only happy person at work today. Maybe it is because my office is 25 minutes from the University of Georgia campus! Were you surprised MF didn't let the clock run down at the end of the 1st half and kick the FG with no time left on the clock. Or worse case make Georgia use their time outs? I was literally screaming at the TV to take the 10 second run off and run the clock down as ND had TOs to stop the clock it it needed. Obviously I was wrong with how it played out.
Eric Hansen: Bob, I don't think it crossed my mind, and that feels like a trick question LOL
Eric Hansen: OK I am out of gas. Thanks for all the great questions today, especially since the dum-dum typing this forgot to include the question link originally. We just got a media availability schedule, and it all starts Saturday. So keep glued to insideNDsports.com for all the injury and team updates. As far as the next chat, likely won't be before next Saturday, since the next game is a night game. Win or lose. I'll keep you posted on my social media, website and message board, Thanks again.
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