BYU Postgame

[MacIrish75]

I just still cannot get past, even 12 hours later, the playcalling after the Sanders INT. Go win the game. But instead we played like a group of eunuchs. Just insane how that played out. If you want to run the ball, fine. I do, too. But everyone in the building knew what was happening as soon as we motioned Larsen into an offset HB look. We’ve only run that same concept with ZERO success a dozen times this season. THEN, you run Carr on a designed run for no gain. Then you run a safe short pass to James so you can punt. Momentum was entirely on our side and we gifted it and the game back to BYU. Just awful, awful football coaching.

 

[Katzenboyer]

Not feeling any better after waking up this morning.

1. I hate that I defend this team when they're (now, apparently, rightly) criticized for their schedule. ND spent the entire offseason telling everyone they were coming for blood. That they had been screwed. That the best team in college football didn’t get to participate in the playoff last year. And the first real opportunity to show that, they blow it.

2. I just think back to the Georgia game in 2024. ND was FLYING…and they were talking shit while doing it. And it really felt that the program had rounded a corner. It felt like they were going to take on the role of the aggressor. And I haven't really seen that since the confetti fell on the 2024 season.

3. I just don't understand so much about the game last night. Why were BYU's CBs so sticky on our WRs, yet BYU's wideouts were running free? Why did we get away from the power running game we saw with Nolan James on the first TD drive? Why does it always seem like Carr is throwing outside the hashes? Why does it seem like ND is always lethargic and picking themselves off the mat?

4. Where the hell were our leaders/captains? I heard Bowen's name once. Shuler looked cooked - is he injured? The team doesn't look like it has a single alpha on either side of the football.

5. I'm not going to complain about the officiating. I just can't garner the energy to care. It should never have been at the point where we need the officiating to be perfect in order for us to have a chance at the win.

I have a lot more but most has been covered. BYU is fine, but they're not a great team and ND had no business losing that game. BYU is going to go 11-1 and lose to the first real team it plays in the playoff because good teams don't lose to middling Top 25 squads like ND does.

This is as low as I've been on the program since the NIU loss. College football is a game of emotion and Notre Dame just does not seem to want to have any part in that; they're buttoned up, they don't play mean, they're almost never the initial aggressor, and I'm tired of pouring so much emotion into a squad that seemingly feels like it wants to be anywhere else besides under the lights in a statement game.

C'est la vie, I guess.

 

[Katzenboyer]

I just still cannot get past, even 12 hours later, the playcalling after the Sanders INT. Go win the game. But instead we played like a group of eunuchs. Just insane how that played out. If you want to run the ball, fine. I do, too. But everyone in the building knew what was happening as soon as we motioned Larsen into an offset HB look. We’ve only run that same concept with ZERO success a dozen times this season.

Game was lost then and there. That was a "please don't hurt me" drive if I've ever seen one.

A true alpha is ripping out BYU's throats by driving the field, killing the clock, and scoring 6 to end any chance BYU might have had. And instead, ND turtled.

Just pathetic.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

If you want to be independent then you need to expect to be screwed over in every close game by the refs. Until the NCAA takes control and eliminates conference officials, this is the price you pay and that's why I don't complain about ref jobs anymore.

I can promise you that if we were in a conference, we would get every close call because we would be the conference darling.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

I know we’re not in good moods but this is gold.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

I just still cannot get past, even 12 hours later, the playcalling after the Sanders INT. Go win the game. But instead we played like a group of eunuchs. Just insane how that played out. If you want to run the ball, fine. I do, too. But everyone in the building knew what was happening as soon as we motioned Larsen into an offset HB look. We’ve only run that same concept with ZERO success a dozen times this season. THEN, you run Carr on a designed run for no gain. Then you run a safe short pass to James so you can punt. Momentum was entirely on our side and we gifted it and the game back to BYU. Just awful, awful football coaching.

I know these guys are football lifers and know more than I ever will, but sometimes it seems the answers are so simple and they continue to bungle it. Running Walton with his speed and power at that point in the game seemed so simple. Guess not.

 

[IrishLax]

If you want to be independent then you need to expect to be screwed over in every close game by the refs. Until the NCAA takes control and eliminates conference officials, this is the price you pay and that's why I don't complain about ref jobs anymore.

I can promise you that if we were in a conference, we would get every close call because we would be the conference darling.

It has been a constant my entire life:
-2005 Bush Push
-2010 Little Giants
-2014 FSU OPI/helmet toss
-2025 TAMU
-2026 BYU

Those all came down to single game defining call on the end of game winning play and every single one ND ended up on the wrong side of an egregious screw job from the refs. I can't think of a single time ND won a game "at the death" based on a controversial call going our way.

 

[Rizzophil]

Carr didn’t play his best

That fumble ‘spike’ was terrible. And pop warner. He looked spooked

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

Rat poison for all of our expectations. Not buying it anymore until the natty is literally in Freeman’s hands.

 

[irishff1014]

It has been a constant my entire life:
-2005 Bush Push
-2010 Little Giants
-2014 FSU OPI/helmet toss
-2025 TAMU
-2026 BYU

Those all came down to single game defining call on the end of game winning play and every single one ND ended up on the wrong side of an egregious screw job from the refs. I can't think of a single time ND won a game "at the death" based on a controversial call going our way.

ND comes out last night with the want to win attitude they do. That didn’t happen.

 

[MacIrish75]

I don’t feel like being optimistic right now, but we kicked ourselves in the gooch for 53 minutes of football and probably couldn’t have played worse and still probably should’ve won.

We’ve come a long way from 2017 Miami, and while I’m sick of just being *close*, college football is weird like that.

Miami is a one game playoff at home. Go win it. That simple.

 

[IrishFanForever23]

Not feeling any better after waking up this morning.

1. I hate that I defend this team when they're (now, apparently, rightly) criticized for their schedule. ND spent the entire offseason telling everyone they were coming for blood. That they had been screwed. That the best team in college football didn’t get to participate in the playoff last year. And the first real opportunity to show that, they blow it.

2. I just think back to the Georgia game in 2024. ND was FLYING…and they were talking shit while doing it. And it really felt that the program had rounded a corner. It felt like they were going to take on the role of the aggressor. And I haven't really seen that since the confetti fell on the 2024 season.

3. I just don't understand so much about the game last night. Why were BYU's CBs so sticky on our WRs, yet BYU's wideouts were running free? Why did we get away from the power running game we saw with Nolan James on the first TD drive? Why does it always seem like Carr is throwing outside the hashes? Why does it seem like ND is always lethargic and picking themselves off the mat?

4. Where the hell were our leaders/captains? I heard Bowen's name once. Shuler looked cooked - is he injured? The team doesn't look like it has a single alpha on either side of the football.

5. I'm not going to complain about the officiating. I just can't garner the energy to care. It should never have been at the point where we need the officiating to be perfect in order for us to have a chance at the win.

I have a lot more but most has been covered. BYU is fine, but they're not a great team and ND had no business losing that game. BYU is going to go 11-1 and lose to the first real team it plays in the playoff because good teams don't lose to middling Top 25 squads like ND does.

This is as low as I've been on the program since the NIU loss. College football is a game of emotion and Notre Dame just does not seem to want to have any part in that; they're buttoned up, they don't play mean, they're almost never the initial aggressor, and I'm tired of pouring so much emotion into a squad that seemingly feels like it wants to be anywhere else besides under the lights in a statement game.

C'est la vie, I guess.

Regards to Shuler, ISD said he was injured early during UNC and hasn’t looked the same since. I remember him leaving the game, but he came back in later. They need to figure out what to do with him.

 

[SportsingHard]

lIt has been a constant my entire life:
-2005 Bush Push
-2010 Little Giants
-2014 FSU OPI/helmet toss
-2025 TAMU
-2026 BYU

Those all came down to single game defining call on the end of game winning play and every single one ND ended up on the wrong side of an egregious screw job from the refs. I can't think of a single time ND won a game "at the death" based on a controversial call going our way.

What happened officiating-wise on Little Giants?

 

[ozzman]

What happened officiating-wise on Little Giants?

:00 on the play clock

 

[fightingirish26]

Early in the game, maybe first drive, Moore made a tackle on Lyons that rocked him pretty good. If he wasn't already hesitant about contact and how physical he would need to be last night, I think the impact from Lyons might have done it. I understand the staff not wanting to take him out, considering his accolades, but he was absolutely a liability all game.

 

[calvegas04]

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

Was Walton sick?

 

[LifelongFan]

Malpractice from Seider. I'm sure Aneyas is a great guy. He should not be playing for this team.

 

[SportsingHard]

Aaron Glenn is the head coach of the Jets.

Doesn't mean he's not part of the problem.

 

[fightingirish26]

Most of the Williams snaps were obvious passing downs. I thought we've already established he's probably our best blocking and receiving back.

I think the RB usage problem has been blown way out of proportion.

 

[MacIrish75]

Most of the Williams snaps were obvious passing downs. I thought we've already established he's probably our best blocking and receiving back.

I think the RB usage problem has been blown way out of proportion.

Agreed as it pertains to last night. NJJ was great in the 1H. The issue isn’t with personnel, for me, but rather the plays we’re asking personnel to execute.

 

[pumpdog20]

Most of the Williams snaps were obvious passing downs. I thought we've already established he's probably our best blocking and receiving back.

I think the RB usage problem has been blown way out of proportion.

Agree. James was doing good. Williams was mostly in for blocking, again that is fine. What was malpractice was going away from the run by Denbrock

 

[jpachuta33]

Unacceptable.

 

[BeatSC]

UGA has a coach who has proven that he can his team over the hump. I get that those teams were years ago and all of that, but he has built in credibility that quite frankly, Freeman and anyone associated with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program don't have. When the media has faith in UGA, it is because it has been rewarded and the faith is probably warranted. We actually had a lot of people go to bat for us this last week and well, now we see why people hesitate to do that. When do we ever reward that?

Kirby was 1-7 against Bama until he got a gift this year.

 

[SportsingHard]

Questions I would ask Freeman:

1. With arguably an extremely talented secondary, was there a reason for staying in zone so much?

2. What was the thought process on the offensive possession after the interception? The play calling seemed more about playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Where was the “leave no doubt” mentality? Reason Walton didn’t get looks? Thought process on running CJ there?

3. Was there opportunities to exploit the middle of the field passing more instead of simply trying to fade your way to a win?

4. Two years in a row the Irish have lost games where they were clearly the better, more talented team. Last season it cost you an opportunity to potentially play for a national championship. This season’s margin for error just took a major hit. What’s the message to the team? The fans? What are you going to do to try and eliminate this recurring issue of losing to teams you clearly should’ve beat? What have you learned over the course of last year and so far this year?

For the record I’m a MMFF fan. Really good young coach. But he’s going to have to look inward for improvement and he’s going to have to have some tough conversations with his staff. The season obviously isn’t lost at this point. But not learning and improving as a staff will make it difficult to get the results wanted moving forward. It cost the Irish last season… it can’t cost them again this year.

My guess would be the running threat at QB. More eyes on the QB in zone.

 

[BeatSC]

Y’all can thumbs-down it, but give me three legit reasons that Denbrock should currently be employed—even before tonight.

Don’t hold your breath. Maybe ask for two if not one. Go ahead and ask for three reasons or maybe ten why he should be canned?

 

[IrishinSyria]

Yeah so confirmed there was a second left and we should've had another play. Nice job Big 12 replay booth.

I have a hard time getting too upset about this because (a) of everything that came before and (b) because a second or two running off the clock after the play is technically over is just how football works. Nothing more classic than the game winning field goal that crosses the goalposts with like 3 seconds left.

But if you’re going to have replay look at this you really should get it right.

 

[NDMatt91]

Greg from ISD has been going off on Mike Brown this morning. He said Brown has done a really bad job of developing the WR's since no one else can see the field outside of Faison, Gilbert, and Greathouse. Also talked about the portal production since they brought Graham in to play but Brown doesn't play him.

 

[EvilleIrish]

McKinney had to be carried to the locker room. Good news for the Miami game.

 

[IrishinSyria]

We deserve every ounce of crap talk we get on social media. Marcus and Denbrock need to eat every bit of it.

Edited to add: If we don’t beat Miami and go 10-2, we’re at a worse point than we were after 2016. That seat gets REAL hot for MF.

No, it doesn’t. In that world ND will have gone 31-5 over three seasons, with four of those losses to top 10 teams, elite recruiting, and we’ll be entering a 24 team playoff era where 10-2 is an autobid for ND. You’d have to be crazy to fire him unless shit goes way off the rails—ND’s navigating a very rapidly changing era of college football about as well as anyone.