Postgame Thoughts:
1) ND lost by 3, not 33. The meltdown mode that some posters go into...
2) ND should've closed this game out at 4:32 in the 4th qtr. and they didn't
3) ND should've stopped Ohio St. on 3-19 and they didn't
4) Hartman didn't play his best, but Hartman kept ND in this game
5) I am really liking the combo of Estime/Love at running back- Estime is a bulldozing RB and Love is a shifty RB
6) Freeman has talked about how Shrader has got a leg, he does for kickoffs, 3-7 on field goals so far will need to improve
7) ND gave McCord too much time in the pocket
8) We've gotten 2 '25 commits since the game so far, the recruits are buying in
9) Freeman said it perfect in his postgame interview, ND didn't execute, OSU did
10) Duke was a trap game for me this season, ND can't be a letdown
Go Irish!!
1) It's how they lost that has people up in arms
2) Yes, and why didn't they? That analysis is key. Learning from it and never letting it happen again is even more important.
3) Brutal defensive scheme on those last plays. Just totally unacceptable to play soft coverage there.
4) Hartman wasn't given a whole lot of chances to show what he can do. He's a huge asset to this team, and I don't feel like Parker schemed the offense show that.
5) Estime and Love are proving to be the top two. So why was Estime not in at the end to close the game out? Why did we get cute? I've lost two nights of sleep over that. For what it's worth, JDP and Payne have a nice complimentary role as well. I don't mind them getting work but not at the expense of Estime's touches when ND needs to be running out the clock to secure a win. RTDB, Parker! That's basic football 101. Protect the lead, lean on the run game, get the first down, run out the clock, force opposing teams to use timeouts.
6) Shrader is a liability. BUT....Freeman seems to have an identity crisis going on. He talks about being aggressive and playing to win, but in the first half he had 25 seconds left and two timeouts. He has Sam MF Hartman at QB and a kicker with alleged 60 yard range. Why not try and get 3 points before half?
7) ND needs to start manufacturing some sacks. But their pressure rate isn't terrible, is it? They 100% need to finish tackling better. They're awful at that.
8) Keep 'em coming.
9) The coaches failed their players in this game. Yes, there are some key moments where the players didn't execute and you can't have that. But this loss is on the coaches.
10) Duke is not a trap game. It's a real test. ND better come ready and not be hungover.
All the emotion aside, it is Freeman's second year. We have seen improvement in recruiting, and both sides of the ball. Have there been mistakes sure but there has also been progress. MFMF is a young coach doing some learning on the job. I'm happy with his attitude and the direction. Things like time management and playing with ten guys are maddening mistakes but part of the learning process. Rome wasn't but in a day
My one gleam of hope at the moment is that in Freeman's young HC career he's had some huge program moments that just fell short. If he can correct some of these mistakes and continue to grow, ND will be just fine. He's gone toe-to-toe with OSU twice now. For better or worse, the outcomes aren't what we want, but very few teams can hang with OSU like ND has under Freeman. He also beat the will to live out of Clemson last year with a JV level QB. Notre Dame cannot be in the position to beat itself. He needs to fix that and a lot of this will correct itself.
