2019 Virginia Post Game Thread

[Valpodoc85]

Seems like the word up front on Virginia was D was better than O who lacked play makers. Virginia’s O skilled players made some nice plays the turn overs killed them. Their D was a problem for our offense. Was it Book or the general game plan? Virginia played well enough to win the game minus the turnovers. We get out with the W. I was worried this would be the let down game. Just beat meat chicken preferably by 30 and all is well

 

[BGIF]

Sure, but who can say that Phil would be better? How do you know he has the "it factor". No one has seen much, but he wasn't great in the BG game. My point is that us arm chair QBs can pretend we know who is the best QB, but do we know more than the coaches who know and see these guys everyday?

At Notre Dame the fans favorite quarterback is the one NOT playing.

Lou Holtz

 

[arrowryan]

Views from the stands...

-Okwara was so damn close to picking off that pass that eventually ended up being a 40 yard gain. If he would've turned a half second earlier, that was 6 points going the other way.

-I was not impressed at all by the UVA QB. He made a few nice throws, especially the touchdown throw that put them up 17-14. But Lea wasn't very aggressive in the first half and I think that is why he made some of the throws he did. Once Lea made some adjustments and turned up the heat....goodnight.

-I thought Book looked alright *shoulder shrugs*. We knew all week that UVA had a good defense and would be aggressive. That is exactly what they were yesterday, so I'm not sure what everyone was expecting. It isn't Books fault that Avery Davis stinks and can't catch a football. A blitzer that isn't picked up by anyone will throw off any quarterback, unless your name is Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. When you don't know where that blitzer is coming from, its hard to audible to something else. So, all in all, I'd give Book a B- from yesterday.

-That defense is so damn good. The interior DL and linebackers have impressed me that last two games. The defense reminded me of a boa constrictor that continues to tighten as its prey continues to struggle. The second half is the most dominant I've ever seen them play under Lea. Okwara played like a top 10 pick; he might get arrested for murdering the QB on that strip sack touchdown. Just incredible QB pressure in the second half.

-Overall, considering the team is coming off a very physical, emotionally draining game against Georgia, I'll definitely take a 15 point win against a top 20 team.

 

[BGIF]

You mean after Books 13th game he Isn't...
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Or even his predecessor......

In case your lack of my drinking has enabled you. Joe Montana was that guy.

Joe was that guy in the NFL NOT in college.

At ND he was a career 52% passer with 25 INTs thrown and 25 TDs.


ND fans vividly recall Joe's legendary 4th quarter comebacks where he hit "7 out of 10 passes" or was "8 for 8" depending on which fan you speak to. He was magic.

What ND fans of today forget was that if Joe threw 70% in a 4th quarter just how terrible was he in the first three quarters when the other team was building up the lead that he would overcome?

Keep in mind Joe was a 52% passer with 25 INTS and 25 TDs. He was streaky. If he hit 7 of 10 for a couple of TDs in the 4th Q, he had to hit something like 3 or 4 of 10 with a some picks earlier in the game. He was incredibly good on some drives and mediocre on others. Early in his career he came off the bench but later on his comebacks came when he was the starter that moved the team inconsistently for a couple of quarters before he turned on the magic that people remember.

Or they confuse his NFL success with his college days. He's one of the NFLs All-Time Greats but never made College All-American.

If Joe had been the QB Captain starting the Virginia game Saturday you would have been posting in the game day thread "What's the matter with these coaches? Enough of this inconsistency, PUT IN BOOK!"

 

[BGIF]

PRE-Game Analysis From Irish Illustrated

PRE-Game Analysis From Irish Illustrated

Not perfect but pretty close preview. Dominant defense, ND by 2 TDs.

Tim O’Malley

Bounce back. Trap Game. Re-focus. Run the table. Traits.

Okay, maybe not the last one, but there’s been ample fan and media catch phrases surrounding the Notre Dame Football program this week in the wake of its lather-rinse-repeat close call at Georgia.

I just want to see football at the team’s highest level. Again.

I consider unit rankings for Saturday as such:

1.) Notre Dame’s defense—The Dime package is key to this end…

2a.) Virginia’s defense

2b.) Notre Dame’s offense

4.) Virginia’s offense


I believe Virginia’s 3-4 scheme and its myriad resulting blitzes will confuse Ian Book and the Irish offense enough to produce 6-7 fruitless drives, but that the playmaking ability of Chase Claypool, Cole Kmet, rising rookie Tommy Tremble, and a couple creative wrinkles from coordinator Chip Long will result in enough scoring drives (4-5) for the Irish offense to get away from their guests in a two touchdown Irish victory.


Assuming the Cavaliers are in catch-up mode against Notre Dame entering the fourth quarter, look for a Julian Okwara/Khalid Kareem-led pass rush to finally take its toll.


Notre Dame 27 Virginia 13

 

[stlnd01]

Again, just because a guy does it in practice doesn't mean that translates to live action.

To paraphrase Mike from ISD, we won't know if Phil has "it" until he's out there.

We don't know if Phil is better or has "it", but as of right now, Book doesn't have "it" and it would be very difficult to be worse.

It helps that Phil's ceiling is drastically higher than Book.

Oh it wouldn’t be hard. Book is completing 63 percent of his passes. He has only thrown two picks, one of which was really on Finke. The lack of a running game (until the second half yesterday anyway) isn’t helping.
I agree he’s weirdly skittish back there this year, making too many mental errors, and doesn’t have the sort of top-end talent to excuse that sort of stuff. Phil might be better. Or not. We don’t know. But things could certainly be worse.

 

[IrishLax]

On the Hayes shoulder injury... the brace he was wearing looked like the one a kid on my team wore after dislocating his shoulder and tearing his labrum. I don’t know how a DL could possibly play on that, and I’m also trying to remember what his shoulder problem was in HS. But I’m not optimistic about a quick return to play.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

.

 

[notredomer23]

Haven’t seen enough love for JOK in this thread. He’s a monster

 

[greyhammer90]

C'Bo carried the ball like he was "the dude" in his limited reps.

 

[AKRowdy]

On the Hayes shoulder injury... the brace he was wearing looked like the one a kid on my team wore after dislocating his shoulder and tearing his labrum. I don’t know how a DL could possibly play on that, and I’m also trying to remember what his shoulder problem was in HS. But I’m not optimistic about a quick return to play.

If this is a significant injury the only possible positive would be a redshirt year and will be a full time starter when Kareem and Julian leave.

 

[stlnd01]

C'Bo carried the ball like he was "the dude" in his limited reps.

He did. Was impressed (though, man, he’s tiny.)

 

[Irishize]

On the Hayes shoulder injury... the brace he was wearing looked like the one a kid on my team wore after dislocating his shoulder and tearing his labrum. I don’t know how a DL could possibly play on that, and I’m also trying to remember what his shoulder problem was in HS. But I’m not optimistic about a quick return to play.

I don’t recall specifics but it was pretty serious in HS. Shouldn’t he be eligible for a redshirt? If so, take it and get healthy. Regardless, shoulder issues don’t go away when one plays in a collision sport so his future could be limited.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

Welcome back, Mr Okwara! You were missed.

 

[Dizzyphil]

- If you think that Wimbush would be a better alternative than Book, see yourself out. You're an idiot.

- If you think Book played well, you're an idiot as well.

- If you think this game was close because we lack talent on the defensive side of the ball, go a way, you're an idiot.

I'm not a football guy, but the only reason this game was close was because we decided to try to force them to do something, and they did it. Spectacularly. Like, I've watched a few UVA games, and Perkins hasn't NEARLY been like that. Not even close. It's like Nick Chubb turning into Barry Sanders. I joke, but I can't come up with any other valid comparison.

Maybe Kelly won't say it, but we forced UVA to do exactly what we wanted them to do in the first half. Perkins pass, from the pocket, with tight man-to-man, while we brought pressure.

He was freaking Dan Marino and his receivers caught EVERYTHING.

In the second half, we played base 4-3? We killed these guys.

Book played ok. He still has happy-feet. He needs to keep his cool, but this was a good defense, and we won by double-digits. It's a good week.

Umm...


Nevermind, it's still early.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

Lea is incredibly bright and able to make adjustments at the half as good as anyone. Honestly our coverage was pretty damn good in the first half, they were just making plays. Not much to be said about the defense except it’s a lot of fun watching some of these kids make plays. Great day on this side.

Offensively, I’m confused by Book. I think he’s a rhythm type passer who excels at the quick hits and doesn’t read the defense very well post snap. I also wish we would throw more of that back shoulder pass with our big physical receivers. Incredibly difficult to defend without committing PI. TJ played well as did C’Bo, who did make one comically bad read in the fourth quarter but ran hard. We’re not elite at RB but there’s enough there to get the job done.

Not going to complain too much, this program is now at a point where we can do this to top 20 teams on what is supposed to be a letdown week. Go Irish!

 

[IrishFanJMercy]

Finke has no business seeing the field at WR or punt returns end of story. There are much better players

 

[IrishFanJMercy]

You got two talented Sophmore WR’s did either one see the field yesterday?! Keys had no catches and I didn’t see Lenzy

 

[Irishize]

Per Pete Sampson...

Some national statistical rankings for Notre Dame through four games:

Turnover Margin: No. 1 (+9)

Offensive Plays Run: No. 123

Sacks Per Game: No. 20 (3.0)

Third Down Conversions: No. 114 (32 percent)

Opposing Passer Rating: No. 21

 

[AllTimeIrish]

Book appears to have reached his peak. He does not have the patience to read defenses or the vision to see the field. Witness the TE running wide open down the middle of the field at least once in every game this year, and Book bailing out of the pocket and running. How do you miss an open receiver in the MIDDLE of the field right in front of you, consistently?

The defensive line is a monster and championship caliber. Too bad most of the DE rotation is leaving after this year, perhaps the young ones can step it up quickly next season. MTA appears to be Tillery version 2, hell he might even be better. The DTs are much stronger at this point in the year than I thought they would be.

LBs are playing very well and that is a tribute to the many that rotate in to make plays. This is a deep position that just needs more experience.

The CBs are a tad disappointing but that is probably because Love is gone. Pride is not the same guy, but he is solid. With his speed, I expect him to get drafted higher than Love did even if he is not as good a cover CB. Bracy is solid, and you can see that he will develop into a good player.

The safeties do not appear to be as good as hyped (exception Hamilton). My personal opinion was that they were a bit over-hyped from last year, and it appears I was right. Hamilton is an absolute stud, however.

The offensive line pass blocks well, and their run blocking improved today. Virginia has a solid defensive line and their performance should be respected. I have a feeling this line will be playing very well by the end of the year.

The RBs are limited which is why I would like to see Kelly and Co. develop the young ones. I doubt we get into the playoffs and we won't win because of QB limitations, so we should use this season to get as many young players experience as possible (other than the redshirt candidates).

Jones finally stepping in at DE and made a huge play. The depth there this year is stupid good, not sure even teams like Clemson have had the type of quality depth in their DEs that we have this year. What an anomaly after what seemed like a decade-long drought at the position.

Also reps to C'bo for making two really big plays. TJJ probably had his career game, and good for him. He is a try-hard guy that is hard to find fault with, even if he is not an elite runner. Love to have guys like him in the program to model the "right kind of guy" attitude.

Cannot wait to see Phil. Would like to develop him more in 3 games this year, assuming we get ahead early. The next two years are his to prove what he can do with this offense.

We have time to work out the offense before bowl season. Long needs to call more single- read, rhythm plays. Work in younger RBs. Wouldn't mind Book even running some varied option plays every game to take advantage of his running ability.

 

[drayer54]

It was a huge victory! I took my wife to her first Irish game! She got to see the touristy stuff and walk the campus. She loved it and is on board for more games. It was my first time on the Irish caravan from Indy to South Bend on 31 (traffic) but fun!

Next game (VA Tech) needs some tailgaitng, but can't wait!

Loved that defensive second half.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Two cents:
A. Virginia's a good team. Some really good D-Players and WRs. We were favored by a TD and a half and won by 15. Sounds like a good game for good old ND.

B. What can you say about the defense and Clark Lea? Just amazingly fun to watch. Had that QB not thrown some passes in places that he'll never be able to duplicate again (He!l, Crawford even had his hand on one of them), Virginia scores ten less points and we win 35-10 (and still get the same negative comments anyway.)

C. Right side of the OLine was very good in the first half. Left side was not. (If someone wants to watch the game as an OLine aficionado, count how many plays Tommy has his guy actually on the ground --- a couple of opponents were "moved" to take swings at him. Also note how many times Hainsey is still running his guy out of the picture somewhere.)

D. We made some decent gains running right in the first half, but our backs are not strong at the point of contact running between tackles. We made the yards in the second half when we utilized two TE alignments (essentially a fullback) and let the backs run left and wider --- Eichenberg and Banks can apparently handle that sort of run with Kmet helping.

E. Claypool was hurt by a clearly dirty play by that All-ACC thug DBack of theirs. The continued overt ankle twisting was clear enough that the ACC or the NCAA people who look at such things should suspend him for a few games.

F. Without a healthy Claypool, Book was again reduced to no break-open WRs. These guys DON'T GET OPEN!!!. Book cannot just zip it out there. This plus the semi-regular caving of the left OLine side --- SURE he doesn't trust it!; who would? He ducks, spins and scrambles "early". HE STILL WON THE DAMM GAME, even under those conditions.

G. We won. Easily after the D got their mojo really going. We stomped them so bad in the third quarter that the Offense almost didn't get any "turns." Good game. Good opposing QB made it a challenge, but the other guys have players too. We however are the better team, and we have Clark Lea.

 

[Irish#1]

Lot of thoughts...

-First half was a classic “let down” game. Virginia brought their “A” game and was the hunter. ND did not have the focus, attention to detail, or positive body language to be successful. Things like Avery Davis dropping a pass on a play where he would’ve scored. Dumb penalties. Missed throws.
-Second half was dominance by the defense.
-For ND to play a bad first half, give up an onside kick, and have everything going against them... and still cover the spread and win by 2 TDs is amazing. It is *hard* to win in college football. We saw that today with loaded #1 Clemson coming within a 2 point conversion of going down to UNC. We should not take for granted how healthy the ND program is right now.
-If ND is going to take the next step they simply need more consistency on offense. It’s not just Book, it’s not just the OL, it’s not just Finke... it’s basically everyone. This starts with coaching getting the guys ready to play and it ends with recruiting better players if these guys aren’t capable of playing at a championship level. They have not played a “clean” game yet this year.

Was at the game and can say that you are spot on with all of your points.

 

[arrowryan]

You got two talented Sophmore WR’s did either one see the field yesterday?! Keys had no catches and I didn’t see Lenzy

It’s been said on II for months that Lenzy won’t arrive till next year.

Two reasons why they probably won’t play a lot this year:

1.) Brian Kelly, like he does with running backs, seems to go with the vets because of experience and trust.

2.) Michael Young says hi and his return basically blocked them from getting pt.

 

[IrishFanJMercy]

It’s been said on II for months that Lenzy won’t arrive till next year.

Two reasons why they probably won’t play a lot this year:

1.) Brian Kelly, like he does with running backs, seems to go with the vets because of experience and trust.

2.) Michael Young says hi and his return basically blocked them from getting pt.

Understood but both are better than Finke. Keys may have the best hands on the team

 

[arrowryan]

Understood but both are better than Finke. Keys may have the best hands on the team

We don’t know if Lenzy is better. Lenzy is faster, but I doubt he’s a better route runner.

 

[IrishFanJMercy]

We don’t know if Lenzy is better. Lenzy is faster, but I doubt he’s a better route runner.

Well I’ve seen enough of Finke where it’s time for a change twice now it’s 3rd and 6 or 7 and he runs his route in front of the first down marker. He has dropped passes and lost a punt. I’ve seen enough where most of our WR’s struggle to get separation. If we want to compete with the Bamas and Clemson’s you need your fastest guys on the field

 

[texbender]

The replay booth has gotten out of control on ND games. It's one thing to review, but why does it take so long?
On one, they broke for commercial (cuz they knew it would take so long?), so I switched to the UW/USC game. They ran a play, then broke for a commercial, but somehow came back from commercial before ND game game back from commercial and replay review. What a beat down...to go along with a multitude of bad calls by the crew.

 

[irishandy]

Post Game Thoughts:
1. PAY. CLARK. LEA.
2. I like 2018 Ian Book vs. 2019 Ian Book. What does 2019 Ian Book lack from 2018 Ian Book? Confidence. He seemed to be able to handle the offense much better last year. This year he seems to have more happy feet when being rushed, he is missing many open wide targets, and more of his throws are off.
For all those calling for PJ, his time is next year.
3. Big day for our running backs against a very good rush defense. All of our guys fought for extra yardage. We needed that kind of game for our backs.
4. Kareem and Okwara needed 1 game to breakout and they found it.
5. I've been impressed with the play of Jacob Lacey and Jayson Ademilola up front, I see them as future starters.
6. I am with everyone else about Finke. My fix find a way to have Michael Young and Lawrence Keys on the field at the same time....I'd also like to see more of Javon McKinley.
7. For anyone who was there, how about Bo Bauer pumping up the crowd in the south end zone after a kickoff. Loved it!
8. Too bad to hear about Shaun Crawford, get well soon!
9. Another Kyle Hamilton pick, this kid is going to be special. Question: over or under 5 picks this year? I think he has 7.

Go Irish!!

 

[Luckylucci]

C'Bo carried the ball like he was "the dude" in his limited reps.

Needs more touches. He clearly has a step on Jones and needs the ball more. Really glad they took the chance to do so in a game like that.