Marcus Freeman Revisited

[NorthDakota]

In the end he’ll likely sink or swim based on CJ. If CJ is the real deal we should be making deep playoff runs.

I hear he's asking Clausen to come back for his last year of eligibility so CJ can learn from a good QB.

 

[HouseofPain]

4/10 coach, 8/10 cheerleader

 

[SeekNDestroy]

I hear he's asking Clausen to come back for his last year of eligibility so CJ can learn from a good QB.

Clausen would be nice insurance 😆. (It’s funny cuz he sells insurance.)

 

[NorthDakota]

Clausen would be nice insurance 😆. (It’s funny cuz he sells insurance.)

"Do you have a young five star QB that might need to sit and learn for a year?

Does he need someone he can talk to about the pressure that comes with being the latest cant-miss recruit to your blue blood school?

I'm Jimmy Clausen. Former ND quarterback and five star recruit. I know exactly what that young man is going through. And I have one year of eligibility remaining. Call me at 555-STAR to enquire further about my remaining eligibility or what life and casualty insurance is right for you!"

 

[tko]

4/10 coach, 8/10 cheerleader

10/10 looking strong in his gear.

 

[Rockin’Irish]

Agree. Given his lack of HC experience, I think it's unfair for some to think he's going to have all the answers from the start. He's learning and adapting.

I remember not too long ago when Kirby Smart was making a lot of in game gaffes when UGA was his first head coaching gig and that’s after having quite a bit of overall coaching experience under Saban. The UGA fans loved his recruiting but constantly ragged on his in game moves. MF has less overall experience and none of it was under a coach like Saban, I think he deserves some time to hone his skills. He makes a lot of money so I know criticism comes with the territory but he is absolutely working his ass off to recruit and make the team better. Less than 2.5 years is really not a fair evaluation period IMO. The losses against inferior teams are maddening, no doubt.

 

[sixstar]

The scoreboard. We had short fields and executed td’s?

Do you care about stats or do you care about wins? To answer your question, 4th down defense.

Doesn't show up on the stats, but they only allowed one score where Louisville had to sustain an entire drive. The other 17 points came off of turnovers and one turnover on downs, where their kicker broke a school record.

Feel free to be pissed off or miserable after a win against a top 15 opponent. Sounds like a great way to live.

Did you guys miss the context of my question?

Bloke asserted that this game was close to a blowout, held in check only by ND turnovers. He ignored UL's unforced TOs that directly led to ND points.

UL's TO drives were:
- 24 yards, TD, off the KO fumble
- 9 yards, TD, off the Price fumble

ND's TO drives were:
- 53 yards, TD, off the Shough fumble
- 4 yards, TD, off the punt fumble
- 6 yards, FG, off the Shough INT

TOs were nearly a wash

I don't care about stats, but this simply wasn't a blowout or anywhere close to it.
UL outgained ND by 115 yards, or by 160 yards if you add in the yardage lost on the UL snap.
Conversions (3rd + 4th down) favored UL 36% to 30%.
UL converted 73% more first downs than ND.
UL had the TOP advantage.

2022 BYU is an example of a close game that should've been a blowout.

I'm not pissed off or miserable. I'm mostly just a fan of reality.

 

[Pennick44]

4/10 coach, 8/10 cheerleader

2/10 poster

 

[irishff1014]

Did you guys miss the context of my question?

Bloke asserted that this game was close to a blowout, held in check only by ND turnovers. He ignored UL's unforced TOs that directly led to ND points.

UL's TO drives were:
- 24 yards, TD, off the KO fumble
- 9 yards, TD, off the Price fumble

ND's TO drives were:
- 53 yards, TD, off the Shough fumble
- 4 yards, TD, off the punt fumble
- 6 yards, FG, off the Shough INT

TOs were nearly a wash

I don't care about stats, but this simply wasn't a blowout or anywhere close to it.
UL outgained ND by 115 yards, or by 160 yards if you add in the yardage lost on the UL snap.
Conversions (3rd + 4th down) favored UL 36% to 30%.
UL converted 73% more first downs than ND.
UL had the TOP advantage.

2022 BYU is an example of a close game that should've been a blowout.

I'm not pissed off or miserable. I'm mostly just a fan of reality.

Just as close as it was a blowout, it could have been a ot game or a loss.

 

[Katzenboyer]

One of my larger frustrations with the Freeman tenure thus far is ND's inability to dominate overmatched opponents.

With Freeman emphasizing that the program should be built behind strong offensive and defensive lines, it's disheartening that we can't/don't run right at teams until they quit. I saw it somewhat last year against Navy and Pitt, and Purdue this year was nice (although it appears to be an outlier); and I also know the OL is young this year. But we should be stronger in the trenches in year 3 and I never get the feeling that ND is manhandling its opponents.

 

[NDPhilly]

https://atozsports.com/college-football/notre-dame-fighting-irish-news/notre-dame-football-has-the-best-coach-in-the-country-and-in-time-that-will-be-shown-to-the-world-/

Kiser (BK guy) with a lot of praise for him.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

https://atozsports.com/college-football/notre-dame-fighting-irish-news/notre-dame-football-has-the-best-coach-in-the-country-and-in-time-that-will-be-shown-to-the-world-/

Kiser (BK guy) with a lot of praise for him.

Well now I feel better.
Thanks!

 

[Pennick44]

Bama has a 17 year old dominating defenses. We need Gilbert and Williams on the field. Stop overthinking things. These guys should be contributing.

Not sure what Alabama 's exceptional frosh WR has anything to do with Gilbert and Williams.

 

[Pennick44]

4/10 coach, 8/10 cheerleader

2/10 post.

 

[WildMan1]

Cam Williams is struggling majorly atm. I have connections and even Cam has acknowledged he's not ready. Micah is probably ready but the WRs aren't really the issue atm. Protection for Riley and his reading/accuracy are the biggest pass game issues.

Struggling with what? The playbook?

 

[jprue24]

Struggling with what? The playbook?

Probably route running.

 

[T-Boone]

So you think the passing game issues are due to the receivers? Don't we first need a qb that can deliver the ball accurately?

It’s part of the issue. There has been some bad drops from almost everyone.

 

[ThePiombino]

It’s part of the issue. There has been some bad drops from almost everyone.

Of all the issues with the offense (and there are multiple), drops probably rank no higher than 4th or 5th.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Not sure what Alabama 's exceptional frosh WR has anything to do with Gilbert and Williams.

Absolutely nothing, but the diatribe has more lives than Freddy Krueger.

Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams are not normal prospects. In just about every sense of being a prospect.

As for Cam Williams and Gilbert, anyone here or within this fanbase that set expectations in their own mind that these guys were going to get serious meaningful reps as true freshmen set those expectations themselves. It would not have come from the coaches or anyone in the program. So when these expectations are not realized, suddenly the football QAnon brigade takes to the internet and starts calling the coaching staff incompetent. It's bullshit. The shiny new thing is always the best until it isn't.

To be consistently good and 100% dependable day in and day out as a true freshman is not easy. It's incredibly hard to adjust to going from a high school like Glenbard South (In Williams' case) to the University of Notre Dame. Cam Williams might not be there just yet. He's obviously talented. There is nothing being "over complicated" in these situations. Most true freshman dudes just ain't ready yet. That's the reality of it.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Struggling with what? The playbook?

Sorry - just saw this - replying now
As someone said, route running is #1. From what I've heard he's really struggling getting off the line. While also struggling with the route itself. Really struggling all around, but not about talent. Just a frosh wall.
But I've heard he has a great head on his shoulders and is committed to learning his craft.
So - I'm not expecting Cam to bust. And I'm certainly not expecting a Jordan Johnson misevaluation/head not on straight situation.

Just a frosh that needs some time to learn the college game who still has a very high ceiling.

 

[Irish du Nord]

Not sure what Alabama 's exceptional frosh WR has anything to do with Gilbert and Williams.

Gilbert almost had a TD against Purdue’s starters, fwiw

 

[allenm5333]

Sorry - just saw this - replying now
As someone said, route running is #1. From what I've heard he's really struggling getting off the line. While also struggling with the route itself. Really struggling all around, but not about talent. Just a frosh wall.
But I've heard he has a great head on his shoulders and is committed to learning his craft.
So - I'm not expecting Cam to bust. And I'm certainly not expecting a Jordan Johnson misevaluation/head not on straight situation.

Just a frosh that needs some time to learn the college game who still has a very high ceiling.

He was always an athlete who played WR. He knew that and there is a plan to get him prepared. But he is raw. HS offense was "here is the ball be a freak". Ryan Williams played in an advanced HS scheme..think his QB is a d1 guy

 

[CanadalovesND]

He was always an athlete who played WR. He knew that and there is a plan to get him prepared. But he is raw. HS offense was "here is the ball be a freak". Ryan Williams played in an advanced HS scheme..think his QB is a d1 guy

His QB was '26 Texas commit K. J. Lacey

 

[BleedBlueGold]

One of my larger frustrations with the Freeman tenure thus far is ND's inability to dominate overmatched opponents.

With Freeman emphasizing that the program should be built behind strong offensive and defensive lines, it's disheartening that we can't/don't run right at teams until they quit. I saw it somewhat last year against Navy and Pitt, and Purdue this year was nice (although it appears to be an outlier); and I also know the OL is young this year. But we should be stronger in the trenches in year 3 and I never get the feeling that ND is manhandling its opponents.

Which ND team have you been watching? The one I'm watching is down 4 of its 5 OL starters. Seems relevant.

 

[Katzenboyer]

Which ND team have you been watching? The one I'm watching is down 4 of its 5 OL starters. Seems relevant.

It's not an unfair point, but against the NIUs of the world, this should not matter.

 

[stlnd01]

Interesting. The Athletic polled coaches/ADs/whatnot on the top coaching jobs in college football right now, and Notre Dame came in 12th.

None of the 50 voters put us in the top four jobs (Georgia, Texas, OSU, Bama). Other programs of interest we trail include LSU (#5), Michigan (#7), USC (#8), Miami?? (#10) and A&M (#11).

Personally I think we have a lot more to offer than some of those places but I might have green-shaded glasses. Either way it's an indication of what we'd be up against if we moved on from Marcus.

The top 5 jobs in college football: Which programs do coaches, staffers consider the best?

Nine schools received first-place votes — five from the SEC and four from the Big Ten.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Katzenboyer]

Interesting. The Athletic polled coaches/ADs/whatnot on the top coaching jobs in college football right now, and Notre Dame came in 12th.

None of the 50 voters put us in the top four jobs (Georgia, Texas, OSU, Bama). Other programs of interest we trail include LSU (#5), Michigan (#7), USC (#8), Miami?? (#10) and A&M (#11).

Personally I think we have a lot more to offer than some of those places but I might have green-shaded glasses. Either way it's an indication of what we'd be up against if we moved on from Marcus.

The top 5 jobs in college football: Which programs do coaches, staffers consider the best?

Nine schools received first-place votes — five from the SEC and four from the Big Ten.

www.nytimes.com

With regard to LSU, Michigan, USC, Miami, and A&M, I think a lot of that has to come down to the ability to recruit athletes that ND can't get admitted, and/or the access to local talent ND doesn't have.

 

[T-Boone]

Interesting. The Athletic polled coaches/ADs/whatnot on the top coaching jobs in college football right now, and Notre Dame came in 12th.

None of the 50 voters put us in the top four jobs (Georgia, Texas, OSU, Bama). Other programs of interest we trail include LSU (#5), Michigan (#7), USC (#8), Miami?? (#10) and A&M (#11).

Personally I think we have a lot more to offer than some of those places but I might have green-shaded glasses. Either way it's an indication of what we'd be up against if we moved on from Marcus.

The top 5 jobs in college football: Which programs do coaches, staffers consider the best?

Nine schools received first-place votes — five from the SEC and four from the Big Ten.

www.nytimes.com

Is #6 Oregon?

 

[stlnd01]

With regard to LSU, Michigan, USC, Miami, and A&M, I think a lot of that has to come down to the ability to recruit athletes that ND can't get admitted, and/or the access to local talent ND doesn't have.

LSU does for sure (that's why BK left). USC is the premiere program on the West Coast. Michigan is defending national champs. I can see those.

Miami and A&M have local talent and a demonstrated willingness to spend outlandish sums on players and coaches, but also if they were really top-tier jobs you'd think at some point some coach would figure out how to succeed consistently, and no one has at either of those places in a long time.

 

[stlnd01]

Is #6 Oregon?

Yes. And 9 is Florida.