Chat Transcript: Will Notre Dame's investment in WR Merriweather pay off?

Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat brought to you by J&R Solutions.

Some quick programming notes:

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, it keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation. We’ve settled into our Monday night 7 ET time slot. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube. Tyler James and I are also doing a live postgame show of our takeaways after every game. Here’s what last week’s show looked like. We’re also partnering with WSBT-TV this season, including collaborating on highlights and analysis. Here’s sports director Pete Byrne and me doing a quick run-through of this week’s game.

► On this week’s Inside ND Sports Podcast, former Notre Dame wide receiver Bobby Brown, currently an attorney, podcast host and youth football coach. Brown discussed what he's seen from the Irish this season, where the program is headed under Marcus Freeman, how Notre Dame's healthy receivers played against Duke, what Tobias Merriweather needs to do to get back on track, the trust in Rico Flores Jr., if ND could convert someone to wide receiver in the middle of the season, how good Sam Hartman has been, what Gerad Parker has shown as ND's offensive coordinator and more. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean and Pocket Casts.

► Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey landed a massively impactful recruit on Wednesday morning, in 6-foot-5 center Kate Koval. If you haven’t checked out our story on the nation’s top center and top 5 overall prospect in the 2024 class, here’s your chance: Front and center, Notre Dame WBB lands top post prospect in Kate Koval.

► And, finally, thanks to all who have been listening to WSBT radio this season, as I have rejoined Darin Pritchett as a co-host on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com) on Wednesdays and Thursdays during the 2023 Notre Dame Football season. I'm also co-hosting the pregame shows with Darin and Tyler Horka (which is not a clever stage name for Tyler James). The pregame show on Saturday this week runs from 4-6:30 p.m. ET. The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. This week’s pregame show starts at 9 a.m. ET. You can download episodes as podcasts.

As far as this week's chat …

Please include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s),

Here are the rules:

Eric Hansen: Off we go ...

Dave from Ponte Vedra, Fla.: I’m sure I have the same concerns as many of your readers—penalties, poor tackling, interior offensive line play, etc. My question is, what’s going on with Tobias Meriweather? For all his obvious gifts, he doesn’t seem to show up. Other than one long completion, I can’t recall much of anything else.

Eric Hansen: I referenced this week's podcast with former Notre Dame wide receiver Bobby Brown, and I think his answer to that question would be worth listening to for more depth. So here's my take. The sophomore, who had 1 reception last season in limited opportunities, has seven catches halfway through this season for 147 yards and 1 TD. He has also had more snaps than any other Irish receiver this season (243). His talent is real. His impediment to tapping into that, in my opinion, is confidence. I think that's the biggest difference between freshman Rico Flores Jr. and Tobias Merriweather (they play the same position when everyone's healthy). Tobias may know the offense better, but Flores is oblivious to the crowds, to the expectations, to the pressure. And that's huge.

The shortened version of what Brown said re Tobias on the podcast is what will get Merriweather past his inconsistencies is making big plays in a game and then building on that confidence. Is it worth the investment? If/when Merriweather plays up to his potential, it changes the dynamic of what opposing defensive coordinators can do in terms of scheming up to limit the rest of ND's offense. If you're going to try to man up with him, you'd better have a corner like Ben Morrison. If you don't, you're taking a huge risk. Right now, there's not enough consistency to warrant that as a risk not worth taking.

► Film Analysis: What prevented Notre Dame's run game from thriving at Duke

► Front and center, Notre Dame WBB lands top post prospect in Kate Koval

► Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden's press conference transcript: Louisville week

► Transcript: OC Gerad Parker following Duke game, ahead of Louisville game

► Notre Dame football depth chart projection for the Louisville game

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Ray from East Wenatchee, Wash.: Eric, What has been the most surprising thing about the team this year from your perspective? Which players have surprised you the most?

Eric Hansen: Hi Ray. I'm assuming you're asking for the good kind of surprises? From a team standpoint — and I know this is going to get some tomatoes thrown at me right after the Duke game — but I would say offensive coordinator Gerad Parker's in-game adjustments over the entire season, and then DC Al Golden's ability to evolve the defense into a more difficult scheme to play against (yes, the tackling needs to be better). Since we got to see so much training camp practices, there haven't been too many individual surprises for me, and most have been rotational players like RB Gi'Bran Payne, WR Rico Flores Jr., TE Cooper Flanagan and then DE Javonte Jean-Baptiste. With JJB, I wasn't sure if he could be more than a timeshare guy. Now, I believe he has a chance to be a difference-maker.

Fred from Richmond: Eric, I hope all is well with you and your family. I want to get your opinion on the number of penalties the Irish keep having almost every game. Is it a lack of focus, coaching or just players so amped up they are just too aggressive. I also don't understand the absence of Jadarian Price, I felt he looked like a stud when he got the ball in his hands. One last complaint our schedule makers really put us behind the eight ball with these consecutive late away games. The team loses a practice day because of travel, which hurts our preparation. GO IRISH!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Fred. We're all good, thanks. Birthday coming up this weekend for grandkid No. 4 in the birth order. Let me unpack the different questions you have here. Penalties have not been consistent in the cause or type. In the Duke game, a lot of it was attributed to the road environment at Duke, which will be magnified exponentially Nov. 4 at Clemson, by the way. That, to me, is on the coaching staff. I am a big believer in Jadarian Price as well. But I think two things are at play here ... being careful to an extent as not to overtax the surgically repaired Achilles tendon and Jeremiyah Love's ascendance. ... And ND only has control over the kick times for its own home games (Ohio State and USC). TV determines that Duke and Louisville are night games, which seemed fairly unlikely heading into the season. It might make you feel better that the team switched from practicing on Sunday this year and taking Monday off to practicing on Mondays and taking Sunday off.

The players love the change, especially in weeks like this. Here's offensive tackle Blake Fisher's thoughts on the change:

”It’s huge, especially a week like this. You get back at like four in the morning. Last year, we were in at like 11 practicing. It was crazy. This year, we showed up at like 12:40 and watched film, got treatment and whatever you do on Sunday. For me, Sundays are like my most stressful days. A lot of people always wonder why, but I’m thinking about school, football and trying to study for the next opponent, call my family and everything. I love to flip it and Mondays we have a walk-through and we watch the game. You’re really like getting two days off.”

Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: Did most fans (and media) underestimate how difficult it would be for the team to re-group and focus after the heart-breaking, last-second loss to Ohio State? Do you think the team will be more focused and play better this week? Thanks.

Eric Hansen: Hi Bob. I can see where it looks like a lack of focus and the ability to regroup, but I don't think that was the culprit. A few things ... with a healthy Riley Leonard and that defense, Duke is a legitimately good team. I think it's the brand name that throws people. The combination of missing its two best WRs and a tough game by the ND interior offensive line made it difficult for ND to have a smooth offensive operation. But this is a challenge of playing four straight night games and playing four straight top 25 teams four weeks in a row. I wrote about the sports science part of ND's approach earlier in the week. There's a mental challenge as well. Only ND, Washington and Kentucky are scheduled to face four ranked teams in succession this season.

Lorne from Reno, Nev.: I'm sorry that I didn't ask this last week, but I was still recovering from the game. Wasn't it a mistake for tOSU to kick the extra point at the end of the game? Had Notre Dame blocked it and returned it for a 2-point conversion, the decision would have seemed inexcusable. With only 1 second left, there is no way that Notre Dame would be able to kick a field goal, so the point was meaningless. Though I am sure this had nothing to do with it (this is solely for the benefit of the conspiracy-theory crowd), wasn't the betting line about 3 points? And no, I did not have Notre Dame +3.

Eric Hansen: Hi Lorne. Whether it was zero or one second left, I agree with your 100 percent. And that actually happened to an ND opponent late in the fourth quarter of a game in 2016, though not as late in the fourth quarter. Texas scored to make it 37-35, and with enough time for ND to come back and tie, so kicking the PAT made sense there. Still, it got blocked and Shaun Crawford return it for two points to tie the game at 37-37 and send it into OT. Texas ended up winning in the second OT, 50-47.

Larry from Topton, Pa.: Thanks for all the great writing Eric, and the (Wait – Flag on the play. False Start. Larry from Topton needs to move back 5 yards, but it is still first down). As I was saying Eric, thanks for all the great writing, and insightful podcasts, Football Never Sleeps, and especially your work on WSBT. You are the voice of reason and I really value your opinions. For my question – Ever since Hartman arrived in January, all through spring practice, and into summer camp, we heard something along the lines of: “Sam has never had an offensive line like he will have at ND; just imagine what he can do with the ND athletes surrounding him.” So now that we are ½ way through the season, can you please assess, how does this ND offensive line compare to what Sam had at Wake? Is what he has now a measurable improvement over what he had there?

Eric Hansen: Ha, Larry. I lined up offsides and started to answer your question prematurely, so penalties offset. .... and thanks for the compliments and for watch/reading/listening. This is where some of the advanced analytics go off the rails for me and I need to lean into the conventional ones. ... So from that standpoint, ND is 19th nationally in sacks allowed out of 130. Wake is 126th out of 130. ND is 33rd in rushing offense and 15th in yards per carry. Wake is 46th and 90th, and that's with Wake playing total defenses ranked 113, 105, 83 and an FCS team (Elon).

Tom from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hey Eric, Happy Birthday a few days early if memory serves me right. Also, looking forward to your zoom call with the ND Club of Atlanta on the 17th. Were the struggles of our interior OL vs Duke more to do with the Devils not respecting our WR's than the performance of the players who played so well the week before against a very good OSU DL?? Also, I don't think even the most ardent ND fan expected us to block 7 punts again in 2023, but it doesn't even look like we are getting close enough to force some shanked kicks. Your thoughts?? Thanks and GO Irish!!!!

Eric Hansen: Tom, wow what a memory. It is coming up this month. Thank you. And yes, I'm really looking forward to the digital visit with the group in Atlanta. Marie from Atlanta, as you know, set that up. I told her NO questions that require calculus (I only got a C+ in that). ... With the running game woes, you nailed two important factors with your question ... not respecting the wide receivers and allowing Duke to add a safety to the run defense, and then the interior line having a bad day and putting ND behind the chains and making it more difficult to produce results in the pass game that would move that safety out of the box. Tyler James' outstanding film review goes into more depth with all this. I'll try to post a tweet that shows the safety problem after I post this answer.

As far as the blocked punts, I do think there have been some rushed punts, and I asked first-year special teams coach Marty Biagi about his philosophy last night.

"There’s definitely some elements where we don’t want to exploit ourselves too much. It’s been weird, there’s been multiple teams this year — and it’s probably because of how good coach Mase was last year, multiple teams have used their snappers in protection which adds one more person. Almost every single team this year has used their snapper into the protection, so it’s hard to gain that advantage, that Plus-1.

"So between that and finding that right time to go after it without just being out of control, because obviously you have to still play for the fakes."

Kevin from Sleepy Eye, Minn.: Eric!!!!!! Let's talk Eli Raridon. What should we expect? Can he make an impact? Go Irish!

Eric Hansen: Kevin!!!!!! Sophomore tight end Eli Raridon is expected to make his season debut Saturday night against Louisville. The mental and physical recovery from a re-torn ACL in his right knee took just about a year, roughly 51 weeks. I still think ND eases him in. I would expect his snaps and production to pick up after the first bye week and for the final four games of the season. Yes, I think he can be another dynamic piece to the offense that could use another one.

Dave from DC: Hi Eric - the football program put out a fantastic and insightful video yesterday that showed the communication between offensive staff during the final series against Duke. My question is, how on god's green earth does the end of the OSU game happen if this sort of system is in place with the defensive staff?!?

Eric Hansen: Dave, I can only write how inexcusable and inexplicable it was so many times and in so many ways. The most puzzling aspect was that it came AFTER a timeout to set the defense. But at this point, Marcus Freeman isn't going to spill the tea. Unless it happens again, we probably need to move on at this point. I understand your frustration and bumfuzzlement.

Ced Walker from Saginaw, Mich.: we need to get the ball more to chris tyree run some reverse plays jet sweeps all tobias merriweather need is confidence trust the process god bless the golden standard rally we are nd god country go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us

Eric Hansen: Hi Ced, No. 1 not a bad idea. No. 2 a very good idea. No. 1 would be good against a defense that overpursues.

Mark from Orange County, Calif.: Hi Eric, thanks for hosting these chats. really appreciate your insights. Some old familiar feelings started creeping in during the Duke game but then ND prevailed and a win is a win. With our starting receivers back this week do you think there will be a significant increase in passing plays as compared to the Duke game? What are the defensive strengths of this week's opponent. Fake punt deserves several !!!!!

Eric Hansen: Thank you, Mark. I think you mean SUCCESSFUL pass plays, not just pass plays. The 31 pass plays the Irish ran against Duke was the most in a game this season ... not by a ton, but it was the most. it's ranged between 24 and 30 in the five games prior. Louisville's defense is pretty balanced, and with the two WRs back, I think you'll see a fairly balanced offensive attack from ND.

What Louisville does best defensively is defend in the red zone and create turnovers. ... The team remaining on the schedule in which its so much weaker defensively against the pass than the run is Pitt. So maybe that's the game you'll see the most pass attempts. And yes exclamation points for the fake punt, please!!!!

Myliah from El Cerrito, Calif.: Eric, I have a math background (I work in fintech now) and am always interested in that side of the game (as well as lingering camera shots of Hartman's kingly beard). My interest was further piqued when I read that Freeman leans on analytics, as I suspect more coaches do these days. I've been wondering about calls for running plays on 3rd and very long (10+). Rees frustratingly did it more than a few times last year, if I remember correctly, and then Parker did it again during ND's last possession against OSU. Depending on the QBs completion rates for the game or even the season, the likelihood of gaining 1st down by running is often statistically lower than when passing in those situations. And the way Hartman was playing, another pass attempt after that failed screen pass seemed in order. Incomplete? You punt it anyway. I get it, ball security, etc. but 3rd and very long running plays seem weak, even with ND's running back talent. What other variables play into these decisions? Opponent defensive looks?

Eric Hansen: First of all, Myliah, I get distracted by how cool of a name you have. Give your parents a pat on the back from me. ... So this is a pretty straightforward question but with a lot of tentacles. What goes into running on third-and-10? Let's start with game circumstances. How much time and whether you have the lead (and by how much) I'd put at the top of the list. OK, now let's take that all-important first priority out of the equation. Let's say it's a tie game very early in the third quarter. Then what would come into play for me as an offensive play-caller is the look I'm getting on defense and whether I can get the matchups I want in the passing game against that. If I can't, and I think I can fool the defense, I'd consider a run there, especially if my defense is playing well. Complementary football should always come into play. For instance, I'd be much more reluctant to give the ball to USC's Caleb Williams than say Brennan Armstrong at NC State (who's officially broken).

Maybe your offensive line has had a rough series in pass protection and you need some time to adjust between series to some new defensive wrinkle, so maybe you don't risk a pass there. Maybe a sack would take your out of field goal range. Lots of variables. Wind direction. Rain. All those things can come into play. So there are analytics and instincts that need to be leaned into as well.

Adam from Dayton, Ohio: Eric, been hard for me to make a chat this season, but we fans appreciate everything about you! Was listening to an ND podcast, and one of the hosts mentioned Marcus Freeman's comments about the end of the game...both about wanting Audric to go down at the one...and also Freeman (with audio proof in the video ND media released--which was awesome) seeming to just want to center the ball for a long field goal attempt to win the game. And the host mentioned hearing that and thinking "man, I hope we didn't bring Tressel-Ball to South Bend". This is something I have feared and mentioned to you as well, and I believe you have pushed back on. But, I would love to hear your current thoughts on Freeman's plan to finish the Duke game, because it does sound A LOT like Tressel. Also, does the game against Ohio St. give you more or less confidence the Irish can beat USC and what did you see to make you think that?

Eric Hansen: Well, Adam, glad you're back and glad it wasn't my answers, my cologne or the reinstatement of the "no bare feet" rule that chased you away. First, I think to completely dismiss the coaching principles of a guy who won eight national coach of the year awards, five FCS/Div. I-AA national titles and FBS national championship with an Ohio State team that ranked 70th in total offense doesn't have a lot of merit. Granted, if Jim Tressel were still coaching, he would have had to evolve, but some of his concepts still work quite well. Defensive excellence, an emphasis on special teams to name a couple. And I think that's what Marcus does, adapts the parts of Tressel's philosophy that work in 2023 and leave the rest on the table.

Marcus' job is to win games, not set offensive records doing so. I think whether to put the game in the lap of a kicker with great range but a 50 percent success rate is debatable. But you could argue that continuing to try to push the ball downfield with an offense running with a couple of flat tires may not have been the right option given those circumstances. ... and risk a sack or turnover that would have eliminated the field goal option. Again up for debate, but Duke is light years better on defense than USC. The challenges the Trojans bring are very different.

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Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. I want to preface my question by saying that I am a huge Marcus Freeman fan and I do think he is the guy to get the job done at Notre Dame. That being said, what grade would you give him for preparing the team last week as well as for the game plan and adjustments during the game? My grade would not be very high. I would also like to add shouldn’t you have a back up plan if your original game plan is not working? When your offensive line is getting pummeled as badly as ours was, shouldn’t there be a completely different set of plays“plan B “to utilize? Completely unrelated, what would you do about the kicking situation? They must have absolutely no confidence in Yoakam or he would at least be kicking the shorter ones. Because of the kicking situation. Do you think we will be seeing ND go for it more than usual on fourth down now? As always, thanks for hosting the chats and the great insights.

Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. Thank you for your questions and for not giving me a bad grade ... yet. So let's give Marcus a grade for adjustments. I'm giving him a B. Why? I think there were some areas that simply couldn't be fixed against a very good Duke defense without Jayden Thomas and Jaden Greathouse miraculously healing. Where I get my red pen out is not having a backup plan for non-verbal communication when crowd noise affected the clap/first sound strategies that didn't work. ... Where I give him credit is the 95-yard drive. That's the longest drive since at least 1970 that Notre Dame has put together to produce game-winning points. With all the big-picture pressure in the world on that drive.

Could there be an alternative game plan completely different from the one your team studied and practiced all week? You are MUCH better staying with the original and adapting it. Let's say you hated this answer and wanted to drive up and put a "For Sale" sign in my yard. So you jumped on I-75 and ran into detours and bad weather. You'd be better off dealing with those and staying near I-75 than you would going way out of your way to come up I-55, which had no detours and you're completely unfamiliar with. As far as the kicking situation, it's not akin to changing relievers in a baseball game, so there's an investment that Freeman is willing to make in a guy who holds the school record for longest field goal that his accuracy, with a new kicking motion that was changed after four years, will come around and pay dividends yet this season. We shall see.

After seeing both Zac Yoakam and Spencer Shrader kick in practice multiple times in August and knowing Shrader made 19 of 20 FGs in practice last week and was tested while doing so, I'd sticking with Shrader (and crossing my fingers). ... and I think you'll see Freeman go for it on fourth-and-1 liberally no matter who the kicker is. The Irish are 6-of-8 on fourth-down conversions this season, 15th best in the country. ... Is 8 tries a lot? South Florida and Temple have tried the most at 19 this season. Alabama has done it the least, with one attempt.

Mike from Rochester, N.Y.: Hi, Eric, just returned last night from a 12-day vacation to Greece and watched the recordings of the OSU and Duke games. The defense was impressive in both games and would have been even more so if not for some sloppy tackling and penalties. The O-line was not so impressive although they did have some great moments in both games. Mitchell Evans is a stud, almost looks like Michael Mayer out there. My question is whether the O-line has measurably improved since the start of the season. We knew there would be growing pains with the new starters but it sometimes feels like they’re regressing rather than progressing.

Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. Welcome back and Yiamas! Progress isn't always linear, and that's even more true with the O-Line. I'd say given the two defenses they just faced, the Ohio State game was their best of the season and Duke somewhere in the middle. Louisville won't be as big of a test, but still not an easy assignment. Clemson will be the next front that will test the Irish to the level Duke and THE Ohio State University did.

Newt in Midlothian, Va: Don’t worry Irish fans. Reinforcements are on the way. In the Duke game, WRs caught 4 passes. With Thomas and Greathouse returning for the Louisville game, I think our passing game will return to form. What say you? Also, did you get a chance to take in College Gameday? It was a fun time. Ken Jeong is hilarious. I think Pat McAfee will always pick the home team to get the crowd hype. Anywho, thanks for the chats and as always, Go Irish! See you in Louisville!

Eric Hansen: Hi Newt. Great to see you in the chat. I do think having healthy versions of Greathouse and Thomas back opens up the ND playbook and also makes it very risky to bring that safety down and cheat in the run defense. I saw parts of GameDay this week and Ken Jeong is funny. If you like the YouTube show Hot Ones, his episode is pretty entertaining. Thanks again for the kind words.

Frank from Royse City, Texas: Do you think ND will have success running the ball against Louisville?

Eric Hansen: Notre Dame actually had bottom-line success running the ball against Duke -- 159 yards, 5.0 per carry, but that is a bit misleading when you consider 80 of those yards came on a fake punt, Hartman's fourth-down scramble and Audric Estimé's kind of unintentional TD burst with 31 seconds left, but yes a better passing attack will open up the run Saturday night, I believe, against a better-than-average Louisville run defense.

Bill Kaufman from Windsor, Colo.: Eric, I just signed up with Rivals. I did so because I discovered that Tyler and you were with Rivals. My question: How do you rate the performance of ND’s offensive line for the season through the Duke game? As always thanks for all you do to keep us informed about the Fighting Irish

Eric Hansen: Hi Bill, thanks so much for joining us. The trick in evaluating is context. Duke, Ohio State and NC State are formidable, difficult defenses. The other three the Irish faced in the first half of the season? Not so much. Only Clemson among the remaining six should be in the class of the first three I mentioned. Louisville's defensive balance, it's history with Sam Hartman and it's ability to create turnovers makes it one that shouldn't be overlooked however. OK before this turns into a work salad, I think the offensive line has improved since opening night in Dublin, not to where they'll need to be against Clemson, but I still think that potential is there after how they held up against Ohio State. And Joe Alt is every bit as good as advertised.

Steve from St Louis: Eric. Hope all is well. Before the season where did you think Sam Hartman would go in the draft? After six games, where do you see him now? If he continues on this trajectory how high could he end up? Thanks.

Eric Hansen: Hi Steve. The analysts looked at him as late-rounder, possibly an undrafted free agent, and I think it's safe to say he's at least pushed himself into the draft. How much he moves up will be determined by the next six regular-season games and the postseason. He can help himself a lot still.

Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric, Great coverage all week long. I loved the post contrasting different offensive coordinators. Some of those coordinators are having trying situations at QB. Last week reinforced what I knew already, it is hard for a team to run the ball, even with an experienced & talented QB, if your receivers cannot keep a defense honest. I am looking for that to change this week. If you don't have a good QB, it is even harder. My question is how good is Louisville? They are ranked 37 in total defense having played offenses ranked 64,97,107 & 18. # 18 O Georgia Tech scored 34 on them. Their O is ranked 13 in total offense having played defenses ranked 65,85,113 & 34. #34 D being NC State who they scored 13 points on. ND cannot take any team lightly. I am sure the coaches will have the team ready to play. But how good is Louisville?

Eric Hansen: Len, good observations and we're getting to the point in the season where those numbers matter more, because there's more reliable context behind them. I think the most dangerous part of Louisville's potential against ND are their explosives. NC State did a masterful job of limiting those (and more defensively) with a very different scheme that's hard to borrow from. But sometimes a team with a lot of new pieces gains confidence playing weaker competition and is then able to apply it to better competition later in the season.

That's what makes this game so pivotal for Louisville. They got the most benevolent bounce in their ACC schedule (no Florida State, no Clemson, no Syracuse, no North Carolina). All of those are potential losses. I think a healthy Duke team beats Louisville at any location. I think the Irish are better as well, but I don't think this is an easy game.

Matt from Aldie, Va.: Hey Eric, thanks for doing these as always. There was much talk this week about Coach Freeman’s preference to essentially run out the clock at the end of the Duke game and kick a long field goal instead of continuing to run the normal offense to score a TD (or get closer for a chip shot). It’s one thing to kneel at the 1 yard line (I still wouldn’t love that), but it sounds like Coach Freeman was content to line up for a 45ish-yard field goal with the game and season on the line. That scares me a bit. Do you think it’s a justifiable position? Do you know what the analytics percentages are? Spencer Shrader hasn’t built confidence in his ability to nail a win-or-lose kick. Bonus question: Has Coach Freeman reacted to Coach Day’s rant after the OSU game? I’m curious what his thoughts might be. I’ll hang up and listen. Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Hi Matt. I could have lived with the 45- to 47-yard field goal try. I vehemently disagree with the notion of Audric Estimé going down on his own at the 1 and trying an 18-yarder there. I don't know what the percentages are. Maybe Myliah can help? But I don't care what they are, I would vote against that if I had a vote. Or if I were on the team, I'd throw up as a distraction to try to keep that from happening. As far as the coach Ryan Day rant, I think that's in a file of the furthest things from his mind. Don't think he'd give it a second's thought.

Rick from the OC: New subscriber but long time fan of your chats, thanks! My question is how many first down passes has ND thrown this year? I know they want to establish the run, but the other team knows that too! A play action pass to Tyree down the middle on a post would let him run until he got tired. Continuing to try an run into a loaded 8-man box is the definition of stupidity. Also, with a nose guard kicking the snot out of our center, don't they have a good old fashion trap play or a screen to slow him down. It's easy critiquing while in my recliner with a cold one, but some things just seem obvious.

Eric Hansen: Hi Rick, thanks for subscribing. Much appreciated!!!! Under normal circumstances, Notre Dame has the quarterback, coordinator and talent around the QB to make teams pay for that eighth man in the box. And unless both Jayden/Jadens miss another game, they won't have that issue the rest of the season. ND tried early to prove that playing the safety in the run game would cost Duke, but when they couldn't make plays on the deep shots, Duke got more comfortable with the concept. All your observations are on point, but let me give you some perspective that might help you understand why it was done. Here's a similar question from last night and Gerad Parker's answer:

Q: Their interior D-line was pretty good against your interior offensive line. And they were getting the best of you a lot of the times. You stayed with Estime to the point where he finally finally broke one at the end when you really needed it. But what what prompts you to stay with that when you know that maybe your offensive lines not at its best?

“Here's honest, I think the schemes we had to use for how they were attacking us was pivotal in that, good and bad. Meaning we had to be downhill to stay efficient, try to get the ball back through the line of scrimmage because of how they were attacking us edge wise and through us. So it limited a little bit of what we do. We can't let that happen, right? Anymore or as much. But it limited us but it's also kept us pretty efficient, minus our long yardage situations because of drop balls and penalties. So in that realm that kind of applies to Audric maybe more than some other plans where you get the ball out on the perimeter, more of those things. So I think it's a little bit of both, you know what I mean?”

Rick from the OC: Hello again, just a quickie, if Shraeder has such a strong leg, why can't he kick it through the end zone on kickoffs?

Eric Hansen: He can. Sometimes they want hang time from him, and they're trying to bait the opposition to returning it and getting trapped inside the 15 or 20.

Jordan from South Bend: Hey Eric, I saw an article from one of your former colleagues discussing the non-reviewable touchback call. I don't like to blame officiating but that one could have helped determine the outcome of the game. I know Coach Freeman said they submit questions to league officials to get feedback/clarification. Could they just employ an official like the media does, to instruct them during the course of the game?

Eric Hansen: Hi Jordan. Special teams coach Marty Biagi and Marcus Freeman both knew that was not reviewable. And they protested and got dismissed by the officiating crew. It was turned into the ACC office, which acknowledged and owned the mistake. So the attempt was made to change it in real time and ignored.

Tanker from New Mexico: Hi Eric, thanks for the chat as always. As we are a bit thin at WR, do you anticipate Braylon James breaking into the rotation in the second half of the season and gaining a bit of experience?

Eric Hansen: Hi Tanker. He's really talented. We saw that in some of the August practices and has a chance IN TIME to catch up to Flores and Greathouse. I could see him getting some opportunities perhaps against Wake and Stanford late in the season. Next spring, he should be fun to watch.

Mike from Phoenix: Eric, Have you ever seen a penalty flag picked up 3 straight weeks against any team other than ND in your life? Targeting to the hip? Spotting the ball wrong? A few places for food/drink in Louisville.. Wild Eggs or Con Huevos for breakfast, The Eagle for some fried chicken and cornbread, Agave & Rye for tacos, and O’Shea’s for a pint. Hope you get to enjoy your time in the ‘Ville. IRISH by 100! Cheers!

Eric Hansen: Mike, not that I can remember, and thanks for the recommendations. And Cheers back!!

Eric Hansen: I have unfortunately run out of time, and that is NOT reviewable. Thanks for all the great questions, both those answered and those still sitting in the queue. We'll be back next Wednesday at noon ET to do it all over again.

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