Elko is going to try and exploit our tackles, the question will be how much he also tries to stop Leonard from scrambling. Difficult to rush tackles hard outside and not leave qb running lanes.Quick rundown...
They are changing everything. D should get up to speed before the O but even Elko will struggle to have them ready for Week 1. He obviously knows how to game plan for Leonard's skill set. OL's been a prob but Cushing did a very good job with what he had at both NW & Duke and it's not like they don't have talent up front. But I don't expect he'll fix the OL by Week 1. They do have a very talented QB and good WR's coming back but Golden & Mickens are waiting. They are at home.
ND's changing O with a lot of new pieces. The pieces Denbrock has now are similar in skill set but not as talented as his last group. Running game needs to be set up by the pass and chain moving QB runs (whether designed or improvised... and that's what he's good at)
ND's D is the biggest constant in this game. It's probably a Top 5 unit with a line that can expose their OL's weaknesses and a secondary that can cut their production. LB's just have to be solid and they should be that and more.
On the backs of the D and the longer tenured staff of ND, I'd put the line at ND -2.5 and expect them to cover on the assumption Riley Leonard is healthy for fall camp.
Totally agree about Elko wanting to go after our tackles. Sounds like we're rolling with Jagusah and Baker. Have no clue about Jagusah other than he's athletic, huge, and fairly highly rated coming of hs. Haven't seen much from Baker yet encouraging, but reports infer he believes he'll be better this year. He better be. I would despise seeing this season go down the tube due to poor ot play. This game will quickly tell us how these boys are at tackle as TAM's def ends are no joke.Elko is going to try and exploit our tackles, the question will be how much he also tries to stop Leonard from scrambling. Difficult to rush tackles hard outside and not leave qb running lanes.
Baker scares the hell out of me., i feel theres a pretty good chance Jagusah will hold up. I almost wish Lambert had come in early enough to compete for the spot since its becoming more and more likely Wagner is never going to get big enough to seize the spot.Totally agree about Elko wanting to go after our tackles. Sounds like we're rolling with Jagusah and Baker. Have no clue about Jagusah other than he's athletic, huge, and fairly highly rated coming of hs. Haven't seen much from Baker yet encouraging, but reports infer he believes he'll be better this year. He better be. I would despise seeing this season go down the tube due to poor ot play. This game will quickly tell us how these boys are at tackle as TAM's def ends are no joke.
I think Lambert will be a good one but I wouldn't expect any freshman OL to be able to walk in and start in that sort of game.Baker scares the hell out of me., i feel theres a pretty good chance Jagusah will hold up. I almost wish Lambert had come in early enough to compete for the spot since its becoming more and more likely Wagner is never going to get big enough to seize the spot.
Yes agree about Baker to be honest. He needs to be decent for this to work. We cannot have a tackle that cannot hold down the fort regularly and expect the offense to work as intended. Defenses will overload his side and it will be disastrous. Fingers crossed but color me concerned until otherwise.Baker scares the hell out of me., i feel theres a pretty good chance Jagusah will hold up. I almost wish Lambert had come in early enough to compete for the spot since its becoming more and more likely Wagner is never going to get big enough to seize the spot.
That's actually a really good point.Elko is going to try and exploit our tackles, the question will be how much he also tries to stop Leonard from scrambling. Difficult to rush tackles hard outside and not leave qb running lanes.
My guess is he will start out seeing if his line can get adequate pressure on Riley without blitzing, thereby keeping scramble lanes tight. Of course now that I said that, watch him bring pressure on the first third down. lol"how does he keep Leonard from scrambling"
Something tells me, Elko might know that he can't just bring the house and let Riley run wild...
Something tells me he knows a thing or two about that
Until he finds out that Riley has WRs now and throws for 600 yards in the gameMy guess is he will start out seeing if his line can get adequate pressure on Riley without blitzing, thereby keeping scramble lanes tight. Of course now that I said that, watch him bring pressure on the first third down. lol
This heat dome is a nice preview of what Kyle Field feels like in September. It's going to take a lot of beer to stay hydrated.
I saw on the EA College Football game "toughest places to play" that Texas A&M is ranked #1.Scroll to the bottom. There's a lot to unpack there though.![]()
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I saw on the EA College Football game "toughest places to play" that Texas A&M is ranked #1.
I'm unsure if it's due to the noise, or if its the Sheep Lovin and Jizz Jars being so distracting....

I saw on the EA College Football game "toughest places to play" that Texas A&M is ranked #1.
I'm unsure if it's due to the noise, or if its the Sheep Lovin and Jizz Jars being so distracting....
I'm not sure about 'toughest', but might be the loudest. As nerdy as their cheer practice and milkmen thing is it's a very cool experience in person.This surprised me as well and I looked back on their recent schedules....
They have a 21-7 record their past four seasons (excluding COVID 2020). I'm not saying it's an easy place to play by any means, but THE toughest?
It’s about right. ND Stadium is a tough place to play not for the opposing team, but for ND since other teams’ fans take over our stadium.ND too high in my opinion
I think that's a relatively old talking point. ND has made a big effort in recent years to stamp down on that. The ND crowd has showed up for some of our biggest night games the past 3-4 years.It’s about right. ND Stadium is a tough place to play not for the opposing team, but for ND since other teams’ fans take over our stadium.
agree. Ohio state wasn't as bad as cinci. It's still a crazy destination one off game vs great opponents, but it's much more difficult to win at our place than it was 10 years agoI think that's a relatively old talking point. ND has made a big effort in recent years to stamp down on that. The ND crowd has showed up for some of our biggest night games the past 3-4 years.
Was surprised OSU was that high, outside of Top 10 night games that place is pretty tame. I think ND is about right.agree. Ohio state wasn't as bad as cinci. It's still a crazy destination one off game vs great opponents, but it's much more difficult to win at our place than it was 10 years ago