Jan 20 | National Championship

[stlnd01]

Kid played great but I think there are plenty of quarterbacks who could do what he did. Plenty of protection with the best weapons in college football. Looked like he was playing 7 on 7 most of the game. RL and Hartman would both be great in that situation.

Dude I love Riley Leonard but he couldn't start a game 13 for 13 passing even if he's behind the Great Wall of China and throwing to Jerry Rice and Calvin Johnson.

 

[CTIDANDREW]

Stetson Bennet a few years ago had a 99.5

Haha. Fair point.
I guess I should have prefaced it by saying, best performance in an actual competitive game where there was actual game pressure on the QB.

Bennet was playing pitch and catch out there vs TCU.

 

[NDRock]

Dude I love Riley Leonard but he couldn't start a game 13 for 13 passing even if he's behind the Great Wall of China and throwing to Jerry Rice and Calvin Johnson.

Probably true but I bet he could lead a team that loaded to over 34 points. I doubt we would have been more successful with Howard under center with the type of team we had this year. IMO.

 

[NDRock]

Haha. Fair point.
I guess I should have prefaced it by saying, best performance in an actual competitive game where there was actual game pressure on the QB.

Bennet was playing pitch and catch out there vs TCU.

Edited my original post. Interesting that most NC games the last 5 or 6 years have been blowouts.

 

[irishnd31]

Cheese?

Of course. LOL

 

[CTIDANDREW]

Edited my original post. Interesting that most NC games the last 5 or 6 years have been blowouts.

Yeah, I started going through the game logs on ESPN as well.
I was wrong to assume this was an outlier.
A lot of great performances lately by QB’s in title games.
I guess I went for the hyperbole, because I had to watch Howard do it to us for four hours last night.

 

[stlnd01]

Probably true but I bet he could lead a team that loaded to over 34 points. I doubt we would have been more successful with Howard under center with the type of team we had this year. IMO.

Oh for our team/offense across the season, I competely agree Leonard was the better choice. But Howard was excellent last night. To win, we probably needed him to make a mistake or two, and he didn't (nor did we make him).

 

[Terry Jillery]

I know the defense played awfully, but they were really banged up. I think I’m more disappointed we didn’t take more downfield shots to Greathouse earlier in the game. He clearly was underutilized and has the potential to be a star. Too little too late in this one. But man, we had the wideout.

 

[Dale]

Thought it was Watts in zone and Shuler blitzing but it was Shuler in zone and Watts doing….nothing?

Only guess I have is QB spy. That kinda hurts. Best player essentially didn’t do anything

EDIT: probably had the TE

JR is also in not Young or KVA even Oben so they definitely expected run was possible still

 

[KMac151993]

Play reminded me of the screen pass that essentially won the OSU/Texas game where the safety was caught doing nothing.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

it was Shuler in zone and Watts doing….nothing?

What are you talking about? Watts is clearly blitzing. Delayed, late, and doesn't even come close to getting home. Ball released before he got to the line.

 

[Dale]

What are you talking about? Watts is clearly blitzing. Delayed, late, and doesn't even come close to getting home. Ball released before he got to the line.

That doesn’t look like a blitz from Watts

He’s barely running, eyes are on Howard makes it look he got to the line but was seeing if either the back or TE went out or he was spying

If you think that’s a blitz, that’s a really shitty blitz.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

That doesn’t look like a blitz from Watts

He’s barely running, eyes are on Howard makes it look he got to the line but was seeing if either the back went out or he was spying

Maybe it is a spy. Maybe he was assigned to watch a hole? Regardless, he wasn't "doing nothing". Golden gambled and lost.

 

[Dale]

Maybe it is a spy. Maybe he was assigned to watch a hole? Regardless, he wasn't "doing nothing". Golden gambled and lost.

Clearly my implication wasn’t that his play design was specifically to do nothing

He was absent an ability to truly impact the play, if that’s better wording

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Clearly my implication wasn’t that his play design was specifically to do nothing

He was absent an ability to truly impact the play, if that’s better wording

That is better wording. I took it as a shot that Watts was absent minded in the play. IE doing nothing for the team etc. The play design was just flawed, clearly.

 

[Kingbish01]

I know the defense played awfully, but they were really banged up. I think I’m more disappointed we didn’t take more downfield shots to Greathouse earlier in the game. He clearly was underutilized and has the potential to be a star. Too little too late in this one. But man, we had the wideout.

Real unpopular opinion coming, but I think our defense played exactly like I expected. As a unit, they got pretty lucky in multiple areas this year...and I won't call it a complete glass house, but not super far off. Weak schedule, lucky breaks with IU and UGA down their starting QB. PSU may not truly have been that great either since they lost to everyone with a pulse, and we got A&M week 1.

All I'm saying is they had a statistical amazing defense playing (Plug anyone in from the regular season). But that in no way shape or form lead me to believe they were built to stop an OSU or an Oregon.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

All I'm saying is they had a statistical amazing defense playing (Plug anyone in from the regular season). But that in no way shape or form lead me to believe they were built to stop an OSU or an Oregon.

I half agree with you, If you're talking about the D sans Mills, Bothello, Traore and Morrison. Add those guys and I'd have to reassess

 

[Terry Jillery]

I believe our only shot at being back in this game next year is if Leonard somehow returned.

 

[dublinirish]

I believe our only shot at being back in this game next year is if Leonard somehow returned.

i'd like to see them roll Buchner in there for the QB power run game then CJ/Angeli can handle the rest hopefully

 

[Kingbish01]

I half agree with you, If you're talking about the D sans Mills, Bothello, Traore and Morrison. Add those guys and I'd have to reassess

Oh I agree, but the lack of drop off when we lost those guys was more indicative of our opponents than our bench. IMO

 

[Terry Jillery]

i'd like to see them roll Buchner in there for the QB power run game then CJ/Angeli can handle the rest hopefully

That’s not a bad idea at all. In fact, I thought many times this year, why can’t Tyler do this. He’s as good a runner and as a recruit, was a far better passer. I don’t understand what’s holding him back.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

That’s not a bad idea at all. In fact, I thought many times this year, why can’t Tyler do this. He’s as good a runner and as a recruit, was a far better passer. I don’t understand what’s holding him back.

Um. Please do not make me post Tyler Buchner's college passing stats compared to Riley Leonard. Please don't make me, please.

What does "as a recruit" mean? Both Tyler and Riley have had full/close to full careers of college ball now.... Tyler played in god awful SD competition. Something clearly changed in his mechanics, and frankly, I do not think he has the alpha dog shake it off mentality of a Leonard.

 

[greyhammer90]

Based on the 2 point conversion, Tyler Buchner isn't a far better passer than Faison let alone Leonard.

 

[Kingbish01]

Based on the 2 point conversion, Tyler Buchner isn't a far better passer than Faison let alone Leonard.

What a great play call that was.

 

[Dale]

Leonard was 37/54 (69%) for 473 against 2 of the best defenses in the country the last two games

A large chunk of those completions were throw aways or he honestly looks gassed from just taking a hit

He had a rough stretch in the 2Q on two balls but besides that, I don’t know understand how you can think our walk on QB is a better passer

 

[Terry Jillery]

Um. Please do not make me post Tyler Buchner's college passing stats compared to Riley Leonard. Please don't make me, please.

What does "as a recruit" mean? Both Tyler and Riley have had full/close to full careers of college ball now.... Tyler played in god awful SD competition. Something clearly changed in his mechanics, and frankly, I do not think he has the alpha dog shake it off mentality of a Leonard.

All I’m saying is he was a higher rated recruit and touted passer of the ball. Everyone was drooling over him coming out of HS. Obviously RL is the better passer. That was my point. I don’t know why Tyler never got better.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

I don’t know why Tyler never got better.

It is 2025, we do not have to continue to wonder about this. There is no more to glean. The damage has been done and let's talk about stuff that can be fixed.

 

[Terry Jillery]

Leonard was 37/54 (69%) for 473 against 2 of the best defenses in the country the last two games

A large chunk of those completions were throw aways or he honestly looks gassed from just taking a hit

He had a rough stretch in the 2Q on two balls but besides that, I don’t know understand how you can think our walk on QB is a better passer

Nobody said he is.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Nobody said he is.

No - but I did have dipshit family members texting me the whole 2nd quarter that Riley is god awful and always has been and only Steve can score on OSU...

 

[Terry Jillery]

No - but I did have dipshit family members texting me the whole 2nd quarter that Riley is god awful and always has been and only Steve can score on OSU...

Love that kid. Wish he had 1 more.