NC State Post Game Thread

[EifertPower]

1) Mike Elko is god.
2) Special Teams needs to improve. It's been our weak link the last couple of weeks. (Sanders bad kickoff decision against USC nearly set the tone for the game had Coney not forced a Darnold fumble, poor punting this week, huge kickoff return by NC State right after we went up 28-14, blocked punt in endzone for TD).
3) Tevon Coney is playing really well
4) Durham Smythe had the game of his life. I'm amazed that we are finally figuring out how to use a tight end
5) Stepherson is a difference maker.
6) Key is minimizing turnovers and penalties this season
7) The missed pass interference call on NC State against Boykin was so outrageously bad. Good thing it wasn't a closer game. Even still, 42-14 sounds a lot better than 35-14, especially since Clemson will go out of its way next week to be sure to beat NC State by more than 21 points.
8) Shocked Greer Martini is still playing this season given his surgery 10 days ago

 

[woolybug25]

1) Mike Elko is god.
2) Special Teams needs to improve. It's been our weak link the last couple of weeks. (Sanders bad kickoff decision against USC nearly set the tone for the game had Coney not forced a Darnold fumble, poor punting this week, huge kickoff return by NC State right after we went up 28-14, blocked punt in endzone for TD).
3) Tevon Coney is playing really well
4) Durham Smythe had the game of his life. I'm amazed that we are finally figuring out how to use a tight end
5) Stepherson is a difference maker.
6) Key is minimizing turnovers and penalties this season
7) The missed pass interference call on NC State against Boykin was so outrageously bad. Good thing it wasn't a closer game. Even still, 42-14 sounds a lot better than 35-14, especially since Clemson will go out of its way next week to be sure to beat NC State by more than 21 points.
8) Shocked Greer Martini is still playing this season given his surgery 10 days ago

Not so fast my friend... I think NC State can beat Clemson. There... I said it...

 

[Cackalacky]

Not so fast my friend... I think NC State can beat Clemson. There... I said it...

I think Clemson loses 1 or more before the end and may not even play in the ACC CG

 

[aubeirish]

Not so fast my friend... I think NC State can beat Clemson. There... I said it...

I think so too, but NC State seem to be pretty banged up. Interesting matchup nonetheless.

 

[NDRock]

Not so fast my friend... I think NC State can beat Clemson. There... I said it...

Hope so. Would love to see a NC State vs. Miami ACC championship game and a Stanford vs. USC championship game in the PAC 12. Would be nice to have wins over two conference championship teams on our resume.

 

[Free Manera]

This NC State team is good. They were thoroughly outcoached and their specimens on the D line didn’t have a chance to win them the game. They could beat Clemson. But anyway, my postgame ND thoughts:

 

[Dizzyphil]

Smythe played great.

Elko and Hiestand are working wonders with these kids.

Matt Balis - Thank you, it shows this year!!!

Adams is a thoroughbred. Should be in New York in December.

Wimbush - who cares about stats. He has become the leader of this team. Reminds me of Tony Rice big time.

 

[Fbolt]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bED4uOm5y1c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It's not about winning. It's about dominating our opponent.

#Badassery


I have waited a long time to see a Notre Dame team play like they have this year and can only hope this is the beginning of a new culture with the team.

 

[koonja]

Hope so. Would love to see a NC State vs. Miami ACC championship game and a Stanford vs. USC championship game in the PAC 12. Would be nice to have wins over two conference championship teams on our resume.

We dont have to worry about our resume anymore, barring everyone just tanking completely, just win baby.

Now we need to route for who we want to actually play. I'll personally be pulling for PSU/TCU/Oklahoma hard and routing against OSU/Georgia/Bama.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

Wasn’t able to watch the game fully due to commitments, but saw them block the punt and us respond with a 2 play touchdown drive and knew we were going to be just fine. Love this team and it’s attitude and toughness. What a difference a year makes. This is fun again.

 

[STLDomer]

Looking at Adams home run touchdown again, NCST’s defense made no sense at all lol. They had only two guys in the center of the field and on the second level, and one shot the gap. Make the other slightly miss and gone. Touchdown.

 

[Irishman77]

The way this season is going is like a magnificent flashback to being an ND fan as a kid. This is how we used to beat up opponents! Enjoy it, fellas!

My sentiments exactly!

 

[Me2SouthBend]

This team is a thing of beauty. Keep focus see you in CFP. Sorry if already posted but the stat last night that this is first time since 66 that they’ve won 6 straight by 20 plus points.

 

[SouthSideChiDomer]

I found it interesting how they said during the broadcast how the era of spread offense might be over. The game is cycling back to physical offense and stopping the run on defense, though I don't know if it really ever went away from that at the highest level. This is the perfect time for us to be getting good again because this is the system ND is good at and the system that we can actually recruit for. If we are able to keep the coaching staff in place, I think we might be in for some good years.

 

[NDRock]

We dont have to worry about our resume anymore, barring everyone just tanking completely, just win baby.

Now we need to route for who we want to actually play. I'll personally be pulling for PSU/TCU/Oklahoma hard and routing against OSU/Georgia/Bama.

I agree but I just like talking shit to people and tell them there is no reason for us to join a conference when we can just beat the conference champions from other leagues.

My dream scenario is we beat the PAC 12 champ (USC or Stanford), the ACC champ (Miami or NC State), then beat the big 10 and SEC champions in the playoffs. Not likely but would still be awesome.

 

[Irish YJ]

I agree but I just like talking shit to people and tell them there is no reason for us to join a conference when we can just beat the conference champions from other leagues.

My dream scenario is we beat the PAC 12 champ (USC or Stanford), the ACC champ (Miami or NC State), then beat the big 10 and SEC champions in the playoffs. Not likely but would still be awesome.

Mich St could still end up being the Big10 champ, so your dream is alive.

 

[pumpdog20]

The end of the ICON teaser...

That was awesome!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r2DZZVeg8rE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Old Man Mike]

1). Drue Tranquill is an All-American;
2). Quenton Nelson is an All-American;
3). Mike McGlinchey is an All-American;
4). Josh Adams is an All-American;
5). We have several other guys who play like near All-Americans; (*)
6). This team isn't dirty, but it hurts you. Opponents need to recover after they play us;
7). Every team left on our schedule can be beaten, but ALL of them are badass. It's still a rocky road.

(*): Martini, Coney, Morgan, Mustipher, Wimbush, Bars, Smythe, six guys on the DLine, four guys in the DBackfield.

As to "is it possible that we could win?": Georgia is about about to be named #1 or #2 by the selection committee. Does anyone here think that it's impossible that we could beat THEM?

Standing ovation for Coaches Kelly, Elko, Long, ... and the whole staff.

 

[texbender]

- defense continues to play strong
- DBs had great game with all the PBUs
- Special Teams is shaky, still
- Stepherson presence will open things up for passing
- did not hear of any significant injuries....Martini?
- good game from Smythe
- OL the heart & soul of team
- Toney playing great
- take these upcoming games one at a time, just win baby

 

[Dizzyphil]

I found it interesting how they said during the broadcast how the era of spread offense might be over. The game is cycling back to physical offense and stopping the run on defense, though I don't know if it really ever went away from that at the highest level. This is the perfect time for us to be getting good again because this is the system ND is good at and the system that we can actually recruit for. If we are able to keep the coaching staff in place, I think we might be in for some good years.

Just really tough to do in today's coaching era. Money talks and the difference in being an assistant to head-coach is big-time for some. Elko, and Long for that matter will be head-coaches some day. If you go back and look at all the assistants and GAs the Irish have had over the years since about the late 80's when the coaching staffs started to grow, ND has put out some HCs from the staff. Just tough to keep anyone anymore.

 

[Irish Man3]

I've watched the full game 3 times now.....

1. NCState is legit in their front seven but only for bursts during the game. They wear down and they don't play consistently hard. ND and the big dogs up front straight wore them down and punished them. Big Mike struggles with a speed rush against elite players. Mustipher is underrated as an athlete and as a technician in the center of this great line. The bond between the three on the left is special. Q is just a monster.

2. Josh Adams is getting better. I'm not sure if it's confidence or if the game is slowing down for him. The difference yesterday compared to his film against BC and Georgia is night and day. He sees it faster and he's trusting his eyes. The jump cuts at his size, the breakaway speed, the YAContact, and the vision. Dude is getting better.

3. Wimbush is transitioning from superior athlete to a high level quarterback. Changing arm angles to fit the ball into tight windows, standing in the pocket and trusting his line, and going through his progressions. He is really evolving into exactly what ND needs in this offense. This offense on every level is getting stronger and better.

4. This defense is beast, period. Every level has outplayed any expectations coming into the season. All three levels are playing better. The defensive backs played great yesterday. Love, Watkins, Crawford, and Pride are all solid. Pride is the future at CB. He has the swagger, he has the speed, he has the ability, and he has the coaching to be elite.

Get hyped about this team. Be as hyped right now as everyone was negative after last year's debacle. This team is the truth. They are dominating good football teams. 316 yards rushing against the 6th best rush defense in the country and they took their foot off the gas. Kuddos to Long on the play calling yesterday. Loved the late deep shots, loved the throat stomp, and I love this offense having an identity. Elko continues to show how important he was to this turn around. Balis ������

 

[Valpodoc85]

Did Bonner ever come back after he was injured? There was a tweet from "Bonner" about Adams on the video board after the 77 yard run.

 

[NDRock]

Mich St could still end up being the Big10 champ, so your dream is alive.

I like it. MSU wins out and takes the Big 10. A Big 12 team (TCU) gets in over them. We beat them and the SEC champ. All five Power conference champs in one season!

 

[irishfanjho15]

“6th ranked rushing defense against one of the top rushing offenses, they say something has to give....well something gave!!!!”

 

[irishfanjho15]

Honestly, don’t know what everyone else thinks but Coney seems to be the most improved player on this team. It’s like he was a 5 star JuCo transfer.

 

[irishandy]

My postgame thoughts:
1) Kudos to the University of Notre Dame for sticking with Josh Adams in his recruitment process. He got injured in high school, ND still believed in him, and it is paying off.
2) I thought yesterday Josh Adams played his most patient game. He let the holes open, found them, and did his thing (yes some might say he's done that all year).
3) Excellent game by the d-backs, 7 pass break-ups against a good NC State QB. First interception thrown by Finley this year.
4) I love the teams attitude, when Josh gets interviewed about the Heisman he makes it about the team and not himself.
5) This defense impresses me week after week. Give Elko an extension...quick!
6) Nice to hear people not b!tching about Kelly!

Go Irish!

 

[SouthSideChiDomer]

I think the point I realized Kelly was different this year was in one of the games early on this year when we called the swinging gate on a PAT and the play clock was about to run out and Kelly was the one on the sideline telling everyone to calm down, take the penalty, don't waste the timeout, and don't worry about it because it didn't really matter. I feel like in previous years he would have blown up at somebody and it would have changed the feeling of the game from the joy and momentum we had from scoring to worrying about who messed up.

 

[wizards8507]

The one thing that really bothered me is that we didn't attempt to punch it in from five yards out on the last drive. We don't know whether the committee looks at any of the efficiency metrics or computer rankings, and an extra touchdown always helps.

 

[tko]

The end of the ICON teaser...

That was awesome!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r2DZZVeg8rE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Lil Ric Flair, "Woo," at the end there, love it.

 

[Dizzyphil]

The one thing that really bothered me is that we didn't attempt to punch it in from five yards out on the last drive. We don't know whether the committee looks at any of the efficiency metrics or computer rankings, and an extra touchdown always helps.

35 points
300+ yards rushing
2 TD passes

against #6 defense says it all