Chat Transcript: Dishing on problems and fixes for the Notre Dame offense
Eric Hansen: Welcome to a post-field-storming edition of 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.
► Look for this week’s Inside ND Sports Podcast to drop later today. We’ll be talking with NFL Draft analyst Mike Renner about Notre Dame’s NFL Draft prospects and the relative talent levels on the rosters of the Irish and several of their opponents. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean and Pocket Casts.
► And, finally, we’re off this week from radio duty, but 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 weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. We’ll be returning to regular programming next week. You can download episodes as podcasts.
OK, on to this week's chat …
PLEASE remember to include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s). If your name really is "guest", I'm going to need some ID.
Here are the rules:
Eric Hansen: Due to the most lopsided victory over a Top 10 team in 28 years, both the "No Bare Feet" and "No Drinking" rules have been rescinded for this week. No fighting/spitting/gambling all still in play.
OK off we go ...
Manny from San Pedro: Eric!!!!!!!!!! Great week!!!!!!!! Beating USC is always fun!!!! My question is our offense did nothing unless it was coming off a turnover. Is this a scheme issue or was the first few games inflated over some bad competition???
Eric Hansen: Manny!!!!!!!! Thank you for the enthusiasm, and I'm going to start with you, because I think this is the No. 1 theme of the questions this week, so let's not build up the suspense and get right to it. The answer is a combination of what you mentioned and a few other things, but the way out is improving offensive play-calling/scheme ... which also points to the No. 1 problem. Without getting into deep-dive matchups and stats, the first four games ND faced the No. 68 team in total defense, an FCS team, No. 32 and No. 102. In the four games after, they've faced Nos. 7, 16, 22 and 93 in USC. So the outliers in the two sets are NC State and USC. The Irish produced a Freeman Era low of 251 total yards against a USC defense that other teams had routinely exploited. Now, there were only 49 offensive plays in the game and ND did cash in the turnovers, but there were still elements to be concerned about.
The evolution of the offensive line, a wide receiver room that got depleted but is healing all play into the offensive regression. The bye week offers a chance for renewal. For a relatively inexperienced OC, what Gerad Parker is going through is not necessarily a rare hiccup, but Brian Kelly was a backstop for his OCs. Marcus Freeman, being a defensive coach, is not that at this point in his career. Parker has to show he's a fixer too, not just a guy with a deep catalog of ideas. He has to evolve and counterpunch. The Pitt and Clemson matchups both will provide ample testing grounds to gauge whether progress is being made.
Richard from Rochester, N.Y.: Eric, You are the best, and your Football Never Sleeps is top-notch. Thank you to you and Tyler. 2 questions, the first not too serious-----do you ever chat with your fellow pollsters on the Top 16? I mean, even good naturedly e.g. Chris Zorich not listing ND in his top 16 even after Sunday. I mean, Chris what's going on, ha,ha type of thing? Second, do you think Gerard Parker's real problem is that he hasn't been able to either discover or on second thought, forged an offensive identity for ND? I mean, we've used 50%, 50% running/passing until we didn't, overloading the offensive line till we didn't, two back sets until we didn't. I mean, other than repeating HCMF's rubric: run the football to open up the passing game, can you identify and/or provide a label to shat Parker is trying to accomplish?
Eric Hansen: Hi Richard, and thanks for watching and liking Football Never Sleeps. We have fun doing that show every Monday night on YouTube. ... I have never challenged, even kiddingly, another voter's poll, either when I voted in the AP poll for decades, or now in the Super 15 poll UNLESS it was egregious to the point it begged for scrutiny. And can you imagine how much fun it would be to challenge Chris Zorich about anything. You would be taking a big chance on the size of his sense of humor. I also think polls are more for fun and conversation now, since the CFP determines playoff spots, etc. Those are the ones that invite and deserve our attention.
I think Notre Dame has an offensive identity that it has strayed from, both in execution and innovation. This was supposed to be an offense that could toggle between opening up its run with the passing game, and opening up the passing game with the running game. It's got bogged down into doing neither particularly well. If the O-Line can replicate its performance from Saturday and build on that, and the wide receiver room gets healthy and prioritizes the right WRs moving forward, then it really will come down to game-planning and play calls.
Related Content
► Film Analysis: Notre Dame football didn't pass third-down tests against USC
► Saldate, Viliamu-Asa shine for Notre Dame commits in action last week
► Notre Dame football's bounce-back rout of USC plays to mixed poll reactions
► Snap Counts: Here's who played for Notre Dame football vs. USC
► What Freeman's Notre Dame football bye-week to-do list should look like
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tom from Sister Lakes, Mich.: Hi Eric, Three veteran starters were basically MIA in the 2nd half of the USC game: Thomas, Merriweather and Bothelo. Do you know why each one didn't play much, if at all, in the last half? I'm especially curious about Bothelo and wonder if he's in a coach's dog house. I'd be interested in what your sources have to say.
Eric Hansen: OK, let's start with Jayden Thomas, because that's the easiest. He played six snaps out of a potential 49. Still coming back carefully, slowly from the hamstring injury. A fully healthy Thomas would be a welcome re-entry into the lineup. I think to expect for that to happen after the bye week for Pitt makes sense. Tobias Merriweather is the tricky one. Notre Dame has invested in game reps to get him right, and he leads the team on the season, but has just eight receptions to show for it and just two over the last four games. The last two games he has season lows in reps -- 25 vs. Louisville and 16 in a catchless/targetless game vs. USC.
With Thomas coming back and Deion Colzie perhaps back soon as well ... and Jaden Greathouse getting healthy and the addition of Jordan Faison, the staff needs to decide how much to prioritize Tobias over the last four regular-season games. Perhaps the fair thing is to limit his game reps and show he can be productive with limited reps, as Greathouse and Colzie did earlier this season, before recommitting to Tobias. ... As far as Jordan Botelho, USC ran 74 plays but Pro Football Focus also counts six plays called back because of penalty... so 80 plays. Botelho played 28. Josh Burnham 14, Junior Tuihalamaka 21, Boubacar Traore 2, and then Jaylen Sneed played 16 reps, often as a pass rusher than a traditional linebacker. Botelho hasn't played dynamic like the Irish need the vyper end to be, so the other guys in the rotation and Sneed are getting longer looks to upgrade the position. I think it's a smart move.
Shane from White Deer, Texas: Hey Eric. What a difference a week makes. I really liked your question to Xavier Watts after the game he had at the presser. His answer seemed a little disjointed. Did you get the sense he is happy playing defense or misses offense? I really couldn’t tell from his answer. Also, during the presser, every player mentioned and talked “team effort”. From talking to coaches and players, is this their true nature and culture, or is it for image sake? I hope it is all real. Finally, how important are coordinators and assistant coaches when it comes to closing on recruits. Do most recruits come because of the Head coach or are they looking at their position coaches as well? Go Irish!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Shane, I like that you did not hit the 17-part question violation. All interesting topics, so let's get to them. ... Xavier Watts is such a humble guy and so driven by things that have little to do with personal gain and ego that it's hard for him to answer questions like that in the moment. His mind just doesn't work that way. I think given more time, he would have said he believed the coaching staff when they told him they thought he had a brighter future on defense. They always gave him the option to move back and he didn't take it. His transformation has been really fun to cover.
I do think there's a culture that puts team first. And it's not an accident. They build it through the offseason through their SWAT teams, an innovation introduced by former Notre Dame director of football performance Matt Balis, where the team is split into smaller units and they earn points for what they do in the weightroom, classroom, etc., in the offseasons. It's also where leadership emerges. It also builds competition. ... How important is it for assistant coaches and coordinators to close on recruits? It varies from program to program, year to year, recruit to recruit and position to position. There's no stock answer. Marcus Freeman considers himself the lead recruiter on every prospect from start to finish. Brian Kelly did not, but did have his moments. Charlie Weis did for offensive guys. Tyrone Willingham was passive. Bob Davie was hit and miss. Lou Holtz was a closer. But Vinny Cerrato did the legwork.
Even as you look at this recruiting cycle, the position coaches and Freeman seem to have more impact than the coordinators. And again some positions more than others. Gino Guidugli's relationship with 2025 QB Deuce Knight is huge.
Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, Happy Birthday Week! !I think it’s fair to say that the offense and in particular the offensive line have played much better at home then on the road. With Clemson being an Away game and probably the hardest game left on the schedule, this situation will need to be remedied. What can be done in the next two weeks to help improve performance away from ND stadium? Also, if you are Marcus Freeman, what areas are you the most concerned about improving over the next two weeks so that Notre Dame can finish the season 10-2. As always, thanks for hosting the chat, and the great insights.
Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. Thank you and I really enjoyed my Zoom visit with the Notre Dame Club of Atlanta last night. Can't wait to meet you all in person. ... I think the biggest thing is to continue to refine the pre-snap communication methods that were so severely lacking at Duke, for instance. While the players are getting a chance to get away from football this weekend, there has been some time to refine that process. Also, Clemson will be the best defense ND has faced this season ... not the best team, but the best of several really good defenses. ... Also deciding on the best five and either sticking with who you have or making the switch now. No in-game rotations unrelated to injuries. Better play-calling, better wide receiver play will also help the O-Line play and vice versa. ... Areas I'd be most concerned with improving I just kind of listed ... O-Line play, WR play, offensive play-calling/scheme .... on defense, third-down D, rush d (Clemson has a good running game), and coverage units on special teams.
Jim Tal from Valley Center, Calif.: Hello Eric, always appreciate these chats and having the chance to get your feedback on things. A great win for the Irish but despite the Tyree hookup, the wide receiver room remains the elephant in the room. It's hard to imagine ND running the table from here on out unless the output from the wide receivers increases substantially. So in your opinion, where does the problem reside? It is scheme, mediocre coaching, underachieving talent or something else. It's hard to understand why the wide receiver position would be in this rather unproductive state at this advanced stage of the season. If you can, help me understand what is truly going on. Thanks.
Eric Hansen: Hi Jim. Thanks, I've touched on some of those points, but let me go a little deeper with this thought. Experience and health can improve this group. Think about it, from 2010 to 2022, Notre Dame had three freshman receivers who garnered more than nine receptions their freshman year and four with more than six. None of them were Will Fuller, Miles Boykin, Chase Claypool or Equanimeous St. Brown. With Jordan Faison now in the mix, Notre Dame is relying on three of them at the same time, plus a guy switching positions in Chris Tyree. That's a lot of learning curve on the field at the same time. Getting back some true boundary receivers -- Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie -- should help balance things. And there's more help coming in the next recruiting class, led by Cam Williams. Some good news from a matchup standpoint. Pitt is 103 out of 130 in pass-efficiency defense. Wake is 61 and Stanford is 125, but Clemson is No. 9.
Kevin from Sleepy Eye, Minn.: Eric!!!!!!!:):) If I'm not mistaken; USC won't play us in November because its too cold. But now they joined BIGTEN, does that change things? I think they are going to regret this change:) Go Irish!
Eric Hansen: Kevin!!!!!! Congrats, you are second this week on the exclamation-point meter. Notre Dame is fortunate USC has been willing to play in November, period. Not a lot of Power 5 teams outside the ACC would be eager to do that. And ND likes finishing in California, alternating between Stanford and USC. That will be one of my questions when I get a chance to AD-in-training Pete Bevacqua ... how the Big Ten version of USC and the ACC version of Stanford will handle those dates moving forward.
Ryan mars pa: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play Of Xavier watts vs usc he looked Good Go Irish 🏈🏈☘️☘️
Eric Hansen: Easiest question of the day. Phenomenal.
Tom from Kennesaw, Ga.: Oh, thanks for the shout out at the end of the Chat last night. I was on line for the entire show. As usual you were informative, insightful and humorous when called for.
Eric Hansen: Thanks Tom. Really enjoyed the Atlanta event last night. So glad you were a part of it.
Tom from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hi Eric, thanks again for your time last night. The Atlanta Club is very appreciative. Have a Happy Birthday this weekend with your kids and grandkids!!! Also, thanks for doing the Chat on a bye week. Ok, where do we go from here?? After last year's great performance against Clemson I think many of us saw that as the start of something really good for the program. I'm not sure that has happened as there are still a lot of questions, particularly on Offense. Would you agree that one of the reasons that the Defense is ahead of the Offense at this point is that the D has a veteran DC leading the way over a relatively inexperienced OC? So what did we learn from the great win over USC as we head into the final 4 games of the season? Also, following a big recruiting night Saturday have you or Tyler heard of any pending commitments?? Enjoy some time off and Go Irish!!!
Eric Hansen: Time off LOL? What language are you speaking ... It's all good. Where ND goes from here is building off that defensive performance. I think there are elements of personnel usage, roles, concepts that can be translated and tweaked from week to week. But you're not going to get five takeaways every week, so the offense must improve. I don't have a blanket issue with an inexperienced offensive coordinator at a Power 5 program, but I think it's a huge risk when you have a relatively inexperienced head coach, whose expertise is defense. I think Gerad Parker is a bright guy who will get better in time, but ND needs to microwave the process a bit, and outside of bringing in a veteran consultant cold two-thirds of the way though the season, that's a pretty tall task. Not impossible, but difficult.
Rui from Ossining, N.Y.: Any pros/cons towards the program will ND football have with a new incoming president?
Eric Hansen: Hi Rui. Marcus Freeman next season will be dealing with a new president and athletic director. That can be (not always) sticky if down the road there are hiccups, because they're not the people that hired you. Probably more practically, are they going to be as invested and influential in helping you make big-picture changes relative to facilities and policies, such as ND's approach to transfers?
Len from the Jersey Shore: Hi Eric, Thanks for hosting. It has been a long time since the season began in Ireland. Marcus Freeman wants his team to always be competing; whether it is spring football, summer workouts, fall camp, or during the season. Always competing can lead to mental fatigue, a lack of discipline and penalties. Morrison gave a penalty back to USC when he demonstrated this last game as one example. Moreover, the team has shown a lack of discipline too many times evidenced by too many penalties in some games. Is this team too jacked up at times? Coach has also stressed one play, one life. I love this concept. In its simplest form that means you can only win the play that is happening. But how do you learn from what a team/player did to you earlier that game if you are trained not to think about what happened previously? In short, I believe the method to have your team stay in the moment and to compete all the time are great concepts but need to continue to evolve in practice. What say Eric?
Eric Hansen: Hi Len. I don't want to defend penalties, but there are many reasons for penalties ... sometimes touchdown-saving ones. Sometimes it's crowd-noise related. I think Marist Liafau's facemask penalty vs. Louisville was more about him losing his balance than anything else. BUT some are discipline, not- thinking types of penalties. If you look at the seven teams that are the least penalized (yards) per game this year, two are service academics and four have losing records (Michigan, Air Force, Iowa, Army, Baylor, Minnesota and Temple). Of the seven teams that are most penalized, four have losing records and one might be the best overall team in the country: Colorado St., New Mexico, Washington, Bowling Green, Colorado, USC, and UMass. ND is 57th fewest so just a hair above average. Last year they were 21st.
The second question might be above my pay grade or my level of brain cells. The concept of one play, one life isn't to forget the plays or the technique you learned in practice but to not mentally distress or celebrate the result of the previous play and start anew with a chance to improve. I hope I lucked into an answer that makes sense and gets to the heart of what you were asking. Otherwise, I will revert to my one-question/one-life mantra,
Joe H from Williams Bay, Wis.: Hi Eric Thanks again for all you do keeping us sane during this wild roller coaster season so far.Two questions for you First I feel that Sam Hartman hasn’t been the same since he got rolled up on in the C Mich game High on a lot of throws and not as accurate Could he be favoring a lower leg injury and secondly While I’m excited to see Eli Reardon get back on the field I’m wondering why he hasn’t been targeted at all especially with the problems with the wide receivers and I’m also hoping ND doesn’t burn a redshirt year for him Thanks.
Eric Hansen: Joe. He said he was fine. The coaches say he is fine. I do understand your curiosity, but I don't think there's evidence that is the case. I think I've cited all kinds of other reasons why Sam Hartman's stats aren't the same as they were in the Central Michigan game. That's the best I can do without going to med school. As far as Eli Raridon, I think they just want to ease him into things. I think I mentioned in a previous chat (or maybe it was on YouTube) my expectation was that his larger impact would come after the bye week. There's a mental and physical recovery coming back from two ACL tears to the same knee in a 10-month span. I am encouraged that his run blocking improved from game 1 back to game 2 back. Unless there is a setback, I think he's better off playing this year than redshirting him.
Eric Hansen: Quick news item ... the AP midseason All-America team was just released. RB Audric Estimé, OT Joe Alt and DL Howard Cross III were all first-teamers for Notre Dame.
Denny from Beaverton Ore.: Hi Eric; What a difference a week makes. Problems remain but the way the coaches and team bounced back was impressive. Offensively I see three areas of concern that need fixing. 1. Offensive line play 2. Lack of wide receiver performance this year and 3. Ineffective play calling. Maybe you won/t rate them in this order but what do you see as the main problems in these areas? Your insight is always appreciated because you are measured and thoughtful in your responses.
Eric Hansen: Hi Denny. You may have been able to piece my answer together from previous questions .. but here it is: 1. Play-calling, 2. Wide receivers, 3. O-Line ... not saying O-line is the least important, but they made strides against USC.
Mike Costa Mesa Ca.: I am 69 yr's the game that I think was similar to sat. nite was the 1977 game. Both games USC could not do anything right. I was at the 1995 game & the 1966 51-0 out here .This just had a more INTENSE feel. Do YOU GET A BYE TOO ?
Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. The 1977 game predates my venture into sports journalism, so I will take your word for it. My first ND-USC game as a sports writer (or any other capacity by a coach potato) was in 1983. I do not get a bye, but I do not have to stay up until 6 a.m. after a Saturday night game, so I am looking forward to being less caffeinated.
Mark, Orange County CA: Hi Eric, I am still on cloud nine after ND's dismantling of USC. I honestly did not feel confident that the Irish could keep the USC qb from having the success he had last year. So happy that the defense played so well. I am still concerned about the offense. They did a lot of punting against USC which statistically has a weak defense. Hartman's throws have not been accurate. 3rd down conversions have been around 30% successful. Rumors on social media are that Hartman is not 100% healthy. What is your take on the offense? Will the pieces come together for the remainder of this season? Thank you for these chats and your insights. Your work is very much appreciated !!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Mark. Without feeding the rumors, I'm not sure any football player who's not a bench ornament is fully healthy after eight straight grinding weeks, but Sam Hartman is healthy enough to play and be effective and run the ball and throw it and hug Joe Montana. Just keep in mind when an uber-experienced QB is playing with inexperienced wide receivers, sometimes the accuracy issues stem from running routes less than correctly/precisely/consistently. And some of it's play-calling on first and second downs that puts you in a situation where the defense and the opposing defensive coordinator knows you have very limited options on third down. Will the pieces come together? I don't have anything to base it one one way or another, but I do have confidence the O-line will improve and the wide receivers will show at least moderate improvement with better health. Thanks for the kind words.
Bob in Rome, Italy: I was unable to see the game live BUT I did see detailed highlights and was totally impressed with the special teams andt the entire defense.. but in reality the defense and specials teams scored 34 of the points…counting field goals, kick off returns, interception returns to an almost TD … so really…after reading that we were 3 for 10 in third down conversions…give me your opinion of the offense. This may be more involved than you can get into here - or maybe it's much easier to explain because I don't know - which is why I'm here and relying on your infinitely superior knowledge and expertise.
Eric Hansen: OK Bob, the last line got me. .... Tyler James did an excellent piece for us on third downs in his film analysis. So if you're looking for depth, this will get you all the detail and nuances. ... The short answer is that ND isn't doing itself a lot of favors on first and second downs. And there have been questionable choices for the last four weeks on third down.
Jerry, Portland ME: Eric, how about BOO!-bacar (Boubcar spelling has been stylized for October, trademark pending {jk}).. Love seeing the emergence of young talent and the integration of promising/skilled youth at big moments in the season. How much more do you think we will see of Traore and who else among the under classmen might you guess makes an introduction in the remainder of the season?
Eric Hansen: Well Jerry, you made me chuckle ... so mission accomplished. Boubacar (traditional, uncopyrighted spelling) Traore played two snaps and got one sack and one extended celebration that required a timeout. I call that a net win. There was a media-open practice about halfway through training camp, and Traore caught my eye over and over again against admittedly the second and third offenses. I spend every Tuesday night (except the bye weeks) talking to DC Al Golden and he's brought Boubacar up before in terms of a guy he was pondering using more. If the developing guys on defense (and there's a bunch of good ones). I think he's the one who has the best chance of meaningful snaps in the back third of the season, not just mop-up time.
Andy from Wilmette, Ill.: Thanks again for saving ND fans from their heads popping off. I really like Sam Hartman and appreciate his experience. Do you think Sam will ever be allowed to run the offense and call his own plays? Also, did Coach Freeman have any influence on the defensive schemes last week? The D seemed different. Best regards to you and yours.
Eric Hansen: Wow, you guys are on fire with your opening lines. Not sure if there's a direct correlation to the rescinding of the no-drinking and no-bare-feet rules, but maybe we should extend those. ... No, I don't think Sam Hartman will get a chance to call his own plays. Perhaps a nice happy medium is giving him MORE power to change plays at the line of scrimmage. .. I don't want to take anything away from Al Golden, but the game plans are always a collaboration, with Marcus having his fingerprints on them, but Golden did a great job of looking at teams that had some success against Caleb Williams and then retro-fitting it to ND's own offensive scheme. ... and best regards to you, Andy.
Jim from Oakwood, Ohio: Hi Eric, I hope you can get a well deserved rest/break during this bye week. GREAT job with your excellent coverage and writing! Thank you. My question concerns the chat last week where you mentioned the importance of each athlete developing the right competitive mentality required of their position. You’ve also written about Coach Free’s belief in Sports Science … and I ‘m wondering if there is a current staff member doing what Dr. Amber Selking did so well (she departed 18 months ago?) in the field of Sports Performance? Be Well.
Eric Hansen: Hi Jim, and thanks for the compliments and thanks for the wishes for less work on the bye week. To be honest, we don't dial it back too much. There's so much interest in this team ... and a lot to catch up on behind the scenes ... and hitting hoops harder this week and a special NIL story coming soon as well that I can't get to on a game week but has been percolating for a few weeks. ... I need to get specifics about the sports psychology aspect for the next time it comes up in chat. It does exist, though not in the same form of the Brian Kelly/Amber Selking model. I think it's more voluntary now. I think with Kelly/Selking post-2016 a lot of it was baked in. So there were regular meetings for players and staff. I like that Marcus Freeman does have an open "question everything" policy, so if there's enough of a demand to reconsider that, I think it will get a good look this offseason.
Newt in Midlothian, Va: WHAT A WIN!!!!!!!! I was trying to explain to my son what Xavier Watts did Saturday night was historic! Can you remember a better performance from a defensive player? Only thing that comes to my mind was Manti Te'O at Oklahoma, which was probably more just a Heisman moment. Anywho, thanks for the chats and your continued work and Go Irish!
Eric Hansen: Hey Newt, great to hear from you. I got asked this question with a 20-year time frame from the Atlanta club last night, and I would have to research it to make sure I'm not missing someone. But yes, Manti Te'o. He was a Heisman runner-up, so he had big, impactful games and especially when the offense wasn't scoring much in 2012. Pete Sampson of The Athletic mentioned Mo Crum in 2007 vs UCLA. Ben Morrison last year vs. Clemson was epic. I would have to put Xavier Watt's performance in that same category. Not only the turnovers, but his hits and coverage outside of those plays was phenomenal.
Andrew (NWI_Irish96): What are the odds a 10-2 team would make a NY6 bowl?
Eric Hansen: A 10-2 Notre Dame team with a road win at Clemson in November? Odds I'd be willing to take.
John from Scottsdale: I have a theory on the offensive line rotation against Louisville and I want your thoughts on it. MF never calls out anyone when asked about problems, it always comes back to him (an excellent quality in my opinion). I think he was not happy with the interior line play and to light a fire under the starters he made some in game substitutions. So without saying a word to the press he sent a clear message play needed to improve because changes in a game speak louder than words at a practice. I know it’s easy to propose this theory after the interior line played much better against USC but I was going to ask this last week but work obligations made me miss the live chat.
Eric Hansen: Hi John. I think trying to light a fire against a defensive front with that much pre-snap movement and in that loud of an environment and with that much tread on the tires of chemistry and working to see plays through one set of eyes instead of figuring that out and lighting it in practice -- ff true -- would be a huge coaching miscalculation in my estimation.
Matt In Augusta NJ: Hope all is well Eric. Is the offensive staff making a mistake by not getting Jeremiah Love more involved in the game plan? He brings a lot to the offense that we are lacking currently in my opinion...SPEED. I know he is limited by Estime at RB, but why not get him involved in the pass game. I think ND missed an opportunity to get him trained at WR (slot only if its too much to learn) and could have used him against Duke and Louisville. As much as i like the walk on, having Faison playing shows where the WR room is now. Love needs touches, especially in the transfer portal days....If Love cannot catch I apologize.
Eric Hansen: Hi Matt. Jeremiyah Love's elevation from option 5 to option 2 during the course of the season does speak to the coaching staff's agreement about his ability to positively affect the offense. He did not have a lot of touches against USC ... but to you point, it's actually a very good one. I think he could have helped out -- not fixed, but helped -- in the passing game more than he's been given a chance to. Perhaps they don't want to put too much on his plate, being a freshman, but I agree about the missed opportunity. Good stuff, Matt.
Jay from Granger, Ind.: if Parker doesn’t turn around an underperforming offense in the last four games and Freeman is forced to replace him how many recruits is he directly responsible for bringing to the team? Would it be more likely he takes a step back on the coaching staff because of fallout on recruits decommit?
Eric Hansen: Jay, keep in mind the offense COULD turn things around, but I'll take on this hypothetical if I can make it more generic. If a coordinator is performing to a level that a change would be necessary, wouldn't it stand to reason that recruits would understand and maybe even applaud the change? I think it's far more difficult when an assistant leaves for another job on his own volition to win back over certain recruits.
Tom from Grand Rapids: Eric, thankful as always for this opportunity, does a bye week bring a brief respite for you or are they just as hectic as a game week? From your objective analysis / opinion where would you grade the ND wide receivers. From a talent standpoint are they underperforming, where they should be, or overachieving? Is this grade influenced by the perceived growing pains of the O.C? Do you honestly feel #5 stays at ND past this year, or does he jump ship, could this offense move him around (different sets) to get him more involved? Bye week, two games, bye week, two games - that’s how the regular season ends, will this allow the coaching staff to really dial this team in, or will recruiting be the primary goal? GO IRISH ☘️🏈☘️
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom. I won't go too deep into the wide receivers since we've hit it pretty hard. But for a grade, I'd give them an incomplete ... and it's not just an awful pun. I'm not big on midseason grades or partial scores. I think the dominant storyline for this position group will be written over the last four games. And I am giving my grade independent of other factors. ... I really don't think it's fair to speculate on specific players transferring unless it's very veiled. This is not. What you could ask yourself is whether No. 5 is being given an opportunity to prove himself? If the answer is yes, then does a transfer still make sense? Recruiting is always part of the equation, whether it's bye week or game week. You can do both and must do both to be successful. Not a one-or-the-other proposition.
David Hudson Fresno, CA: One of the broadcasters said the ND defensive backs were playing man coverage. A few years ago this would have been impossible; the SC receivers were too fast. Williams would probably have picked an ND zone apart. Can the Irish keep this up through good recruiting? Also, TheIirsh offense needs to get much better if ND is to win its remaining games. Does Freeman and his staff have good plans for this?
Eric Hansen: Hi David. To your first question, cornerback recruiting continues to be strong. To your second question, they better have. We haven't spoken with Marcus Freeman since the USC game, so on-the-record specifics won't happen until next week.
Matt (KC): Hi there, hope you are well, here are my five rapid fire questions. 1. ND won big against USC, but gifted great field position, the offense didn't have long sustained drives, is this worrying coaches behind the scenes? 2. Why did Marcus Freeman call timeout at the end of the 1st half? Time was likely to run out before the snap and even if it didn't, USC gets the ball moved 5 yards closer to kick the same field goal? Seemed like a better play is to take a chance the clock runs out before the snap. 3. Joe Alt keeps getting moved lower in the first round (late 20s) in mock drafts, is there any chance at all that he and Blake Fischer both return next year? 4. When Estime leaves, will Love be the primary back next year, the guy seems electric, even between the tackles with a slight frame (though who isn't slight compared to Estime)? 5. Just a comment, haters that talk about ND being overrated then try to use a win against us to prop up how good their team is (can't have it both ways folks)!
Eric Hansen: OK Lightning-round questions. ... 1. It should concern them and it's their job to fix it. 2. That was a 48-yard and that kid has been up and down. A 43-yarder is much more manageable. 3. If he leaves, he'll be the first true junior offensive lineman in ND history to do so. So there's a chance he comes back, but I would not expect it. Fisher is more likely to come back then not. 4. Love would have the inside track. I think Price, two years removed from the Achilles injury, would challenge him. 5. Oh yes, they can. It's called whiplash.
Eric Hansen: OK, that's going to do it for this week. I have a hard out today with our podcast recording session stacked right after this. Thanks to J&R Solutions. If you live somewhere where you have trouble getting internet, check these guys out. ... Thanks for all the great questions. We'll be back next Wednesday at noon ET to do it all over again.
---------------------------------------------------------------
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports channel on YouTube.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND, @TJamesND and @cbowles01.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsports