NIU Postgame

[arrowryan]

i waited at the entrance of his subdivision until he got home and just started boo’ing him.

Hopefully you put a paper bag of dog shit on his front porch and set it on fire.

 

[FWIrish4]

Give the horrible playcalling not related to execution why weren’t we running more? Screen passes? Bubble screens? Bootlegs? Maybe play action then? Does Denbrock have the juice to bench Leonard and try something different? He has the tools to work with and choose from. Non performing lawyers at less important positions get pulled for playing terrible. Leonard is a poser and we wasted one important game believing he would somehow deliver but it’s clear and should be when they look at film that he just isn’t that good. Get out the bowl game film of Angeli and pull the trigger!

Exactly my gripe. We stopped running heavy after the first drive of the game that was a touchdown. 9/14 plays were run plays - why go away from it?

I see eerily similar lack of creative routes being ran by our pass catchers from last year. I thought Denbrock would solve this as an actual OC. Why so many stick routes and no ones feet are moving with they catch the ball? Where are the layered routes putting a defender into a position they have to make a decision who to cover?

We have ran ZERO plays from under center all year. We are an OL, TE and RB team historically. You have to lean into it some as it also helps a young oline running the ball. We have zero creativity with our run plays as well because it’s always a shotgun handoff and the RB is just standing on either side of the QB.

So disappointing as I thought we were over this shit and blamed it on Parker last year, but this was malpractice as an offense yet again.

 

[IrishTusker]

I'm not sure why, but this one hurts more than the others.
Year 3 man... year 3.

Asked and answered. This shouldn't be happening in year 3.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

Hopefully you put a paper bag of dog shit on his front porch and set it on fire.

Jokes on him, it was my own.

 

[MacIrish75]

Being at the game, my four year old son—who I have been trying to raise as an ND fan, but I now realize I actually may be an awful parent subjecting him to this form of emotional waterboarding—was asleep when we got home.

He comes bounding in this morning and we’re looking at pictures of the game. “The Boys are Back” is his favorite song. He goes, “Dad we lost. But we scored some points, right?” So we watched Love’s TD run ten times and he turns to me and says “Dad, we hate that team don’t we?”

I couldn’t respond bc I didn’t know whether he was talking about NIU…or ND. And in reality the answer is probably both lol.

 

[OhioIrish]

One loss doesn’t take us out of the playoffs. It’s an uphill climb, but let’s see how the rest of the season plays out.

Unless NIU goes undefeated it probably does take us out, and it should. Losing at home to an unranked MAC school is really too much to justify. Every two-loss SEC and Big 10 school just moved ahead of us.

 

[Domer Dude]

Our defensive scheme kinda sucked, like we were playing not to lose. Felt a bit like playing Navy. 3 yards, 4 yards, 5 yards, repeat. We kept giving up the edge. We did not have difference makers winning the position battles up front.

 

[stlnd01]

Unless NIU goes undefeated it probably does take us out, and it should. Losing at home to an unranked MAC school is really too much to justify. Every two-loss SEC and Big 10 school just moved ahead of us.

If we win out we will be fine. This will be a distant memory, an aberration.
The problem is if our passing game doesn’t improve not only will we not win out, we could easily lose three or four more.

 

[IrishTusker]

Our defensive scheme kinda sucked, like we were playing not to lose. Felt a bit like playing Navy. 3 yards, 4 yards, 5 yards, repeat. We kept giving up the edge.

Yeah, but this is partly the fault of the offense. NIU could play like Navy because we never took control of the game. If we go up a few scores they start throwing more.

 

[50milesSE ND]

I can’t believe that maybe Parker would have got us more points than Denbrock!

 

[stlnd01]

Our defensive scheme kinda sucked, like we were playing not to lose. Felt a bit like playing Navy. 3 yards, 4 yards, 5 yards, repeat. We kept giving up the edge.

Yeah maybe the most dispiriting part (after Leonard) was how NIU seemed able to run for 4-6 yards on every play. I know they have a veteran line but our front seven should be better than that.

 

[MacIrish75]

Yeah maybe the most dispiriting part (after Leonard) was how NIU seemed able to run for 4-6 yards on every play. I know they have a veteran line but our front seven should be better than that.

Their RB was incredibly patient, had good balance, broke tackles, and had some burst. That’s a P4 back.

 

[irishff1014]

If we win out we will be fine. This will be a distant memory, an aberration.
The problem is if our passing game doesn’t improve not only will we not win out, we could easily lose three or four more.

You are foolish if you believe this team wins out. That’s damn near impossible

 

[NDFAN2008]

A few problems. Maybe someone on here can answer. Who the hell is calling the plays when it’s 2nd and 1 you should always run is this Riley? Denbrock? Fuck you got a running QB we dropped back 4-5 times in this situation. Why no fake plays or handoffs to Collins behind the line of scrimmage coming across. He seems to be the only one getting yards after the catch.
2. The DL has been atrocious 1 sack in 2 games for a DL that was supposed to have 3-4 NFL guys start playing Burnham,

 

[OhioIrish]

If we win out we will be fine. This will be a distant memory, an aberration.
The problem is if our passing game doesn’t improve not only will we not win out, we could easily lose three or four more.

It’s possible. But, right now USC is likely our only chance for a win over a ranked team. A two loss Penn St, Oregon, Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, or Texas — to name a few — will all have stronger claims.

 

[IrishTusker]

A few problems. Maybe someone on here can answer. Who the hell is calling the plays when it’s 2nd and 1 you should always run is this Riley? Denbrock? Fuck you got a running QB we dropped back 4-5 times in this situation. Why no fake plays or handoffs to Collins behind the line of scrimmage coming across. He seems to be the only one getting yards after the catch.
2. The DL has been atrocious 1 sack in 2 games for a DL that was supposed to have 3-4 NFL guys start playing Burnham,

I jumped out of my chair and yelled. It was beyond belief given the game situation/personnel. No throwing deep all game and then you throw deep?

 

[ThePiombino]

If we win out we will be fine. This will be a distant memory, an aberration.
The problem is if our passing game doesn’t improve not only will we not win out, we could easily lose three or four more.

We have a snowball's chance in hell of winning out based on the current depth chart. IF...we make a QB change before our next loss then maybe we can start to think about winning out. Until then, we're probably looking at another 2+ losses.

Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[NDFAN2008]

We have a snowball's chance in hell of winning out based on the current depth chart. IF...we make a QB change before our next loss then maybe we can start to think about winning out. Until then, we're probably looking at another 2+ losses.

Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

If we roll with Angeli or Carr I think we win every game left. UL will be a toss up, USC is probally a loss. So we would be looking at 9-3 I’m guessing if Leonard is it then 7-5

 

[mrmcgrail]

Defensively scheme wise we can be run on teams just don't do it coordinators want to push the ball not run 45 times like niu did those coaches out coached Notre dames. Offensively Leonard just can't throw it's hard to win when you don't have an imposing oline and they are crashing and stacking the box

 

[IrishLion]

A few problems. Maybe someone on here can answer. Who the hell is calling the plays when it’s 2nd and 1 you should always run is this Riley? Denbrock? Fuck you got a running QB we dropped back 4-5 times in this situation. Why no fake plays or handoffs to Collins behind the line of scrimmage coming across. He seems to be the only one getting yards after the catch.
2. The DL has been atrocious 1 sack in 2 games for a DL that was supposed to have 3-4 NFL guys start playing Burnham,

In hindsight, in that situation you should be running the ball, running the clock, and trying to put all the pressure on NIU to score and need a 2-point conversion to tie.

But the reality is that this team was likely gameplanning to get an early lead and then take some shots to get Leonard warmed up and settled in for the long haul.

2nd-and-short is 100% the time you do that, ESPECIALLY because you have Leonard’s legs as a fall back. Chances are you’re gonna pick it up on 3rd if your 2nd down shot doesn’t work, and then you’ve still got 4th down if needed.

The problem honestly wasn’t the play call, even in that situation… the problem is a QB that has erratic accuracy in the best of times, and apparently has zero confidence throwing down the field.

Is ND cursed at QB?

I watched a freshman for Nebraska hitting dudes on the move 20 yards down the middle of the field last night. I know Colorado’s D is trash, but it is astounding that Notre Fucking Dame can’t find a QB with the confidence to try and hit a throwing window with receivers on the move.

If I see another 8-yard hitch in the middle of the field, I’m gonna drive to Mike Denbrock’s house and cut his grass so short that his yard is dead next spring when vegetation starts to grow again.

 

[MacIrish75]

I’m going to be haunted for the rest of my life watching Kris Mitchell coming right at me, open by a step or two, with a safety not quite over the top and the corner breaking off his coverage to catch that “pass” by Leonard like it was a punt.

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

Disgusting. Not sure whose fault this is (Freeman, Denbrock, both), but this was also an issue last year so I lean Freeman.

 

[FWIrish4]

Disgusting. Not sure whose fault this is (Freeman, Denbrock, both), but this was also an issue last year so I lean Freeman.

This is completely unacceptable with our current stable of RBs and how mobile our QB is. NIU ran PA almost 80% yesterday!

 

[indianamouse]

Hopefully you put a paper bag of dog shit on his front porch and set it on fire.

Then ran and knocked on the back door

 

[domerfreak]

Disgusting. Not sure whose fault this is (Freeman, Denbrock, both), but this was also an issue last year so I lean Freeman.

Just brought this up in the RL thread. He has thrown only 2 passes over 20 yards this season. One dropped the other intercepted. Urban Myer was right. What the hell are the doing at the qb position!?!

 

[stlnd01]

The problem honestly wasn’t the play call, even in that situation… the problem is a QB that has erratic accuracy in the best of times, and apparently has zero confidence throwing down the field.

Yeah I don’t mind the call. Thrown correctly it’s a (likely game-sealing) touchdown, and if you don’t connect you still have third down to get the yard.

But that assumes that your big-armed, third-year-starter, potential first-day-draft-pick QB can throw one over the top of a MAC defensive backfield, which I guess is something we shouldn’t assume.

 

[K9&3]

I’m confused.

Did you come in here for “honest input,” or to argue everyone’s response to your question seeking “honest input” and explain why the input you requested is wrong?

Seems like you have created your own input, and are wasting people’s time. We are too busy fighting each other right now, take a number.


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I wanted opinions on the integrity of the officials in the closing 30 seconds. Not responses about a missed call in the 2nd quarter. Again, ive seen those calls be the lead of the story in couple of the national articles and was trying to get your fan bases view. I know from your POV right now it's meaningless, but had ND pulled this game out I can guarantee you people would be bringing those 2 calls up into the post season depending on the Irish's ranking.

Outside of the officiating, if you wanna know anything about this NIU team for a reference to how you think the Irish did feel free to ask.

 

[SoIll]

I had to watch on my phone, was at the Illinois game, but were the receivers not getting open yesterday?

 

[MacIrish75]

I had to watch on my phone, was at the Illinois game, but were the receivers not getting open yesterday?

They were open fine, Leonard just had an inability to work through progressions and then once he does unleash the ball from his squirt gun of an arm, receivers have to dive all over the place to attempt to catch his passes.

 

[Huntr]

I had to watch on my phone, was at the Illinois game, but were the receivers not getting open yesterday?

He couldn't hit them when they were, and he had time.