Oct 2 | Cincinnati

[greyhammer90]

The more I read about this Cincinatti team, the more I think we'll see something like this on Saturday:

 

[stpeteirish]

Line hasn't moved, Cincy -2 1/2.

 

[Irish#1]

In the fraudulent box score, offensively ND versus Wisconsin but also UC versus IU fit the bill.

Ridder was 20/36 for 210, 1/1 TD/INT. 5.8 YPP
Ford ran 20 times for 66. 3.3 YPC

They were 4/14 on third down.

How did they win? Ridder scrambled for a decent chunk and IU had 4 turnovers while going 3/6 in the Red Zone and losing All B1G LB McFadden. It was really looking like a 2 TD win for IU before that.

Their D is solid but not anywhere close to Wisconsin, though with potentially more talent in the secondary. They only got to Penix once and IU’s OL is not good.

I’ll toss UC a small bone and say they shot themselves in the foot at times with penalties and their own turnovers. But a lot of the penalties were false starts due to IU crowd noise, need the crowd to bring it.

Anyone that knows much about IU football is probably laughing after reading that part. They're famous for using the Ohio State game for their photo of the stadium, because OSU usually fills it up. No disrespect, but I wonder how good of a comparison it is using IU? They aren't coming close to what they were expected to do this year.

Cincy is going to be in for a rude awakening. After Saturday, the crowd is going to be electric.

 

[IrishLion]

CINCINNATI'S OFFENSE:

QB - Desmond Ridder is a very good QB, and a long strider when he decides to run. The problem for ND's defense is that as a fourth-year starter, he understands when it's time to stand in the pocket and take a shot, and when it's time to escape. When he decides to run to the edge, it looks like a DE or LB has the angle, but Ridder still somehow gets 5+ by virtue of his stride. The BIGGEST problem for opposing defenses in general is that he is a 3rd-and-long magician. If you play at the sticks, he's going to buy time and then find a receiver, or he's going to take off at the first open patch of green and beat the pursuit. It doesn't make any sense at all, but he sometimes seems to be at his best when he's behind the chains and able to freestyle a little bit.

RB - Jerome Ford is good at running through contact. Arm tackles won't do it, so Bertrand, White and Co. need wrap up and the rest of the unit needs a 'help is on the way' mantra going through their heads all week. He's got enough speed to run away if he gets to the second level, though Hamilton mitigates that risk. Charles McClelland is supposed to be the big-play threat, but is slow returning from an ACL. Ryan Montgomery is a guy they will use in the red zone as a receiving back. They will motion him or swing him out, and let him beat a linebacker to the pylon on a high-percentage throw.

TE - Kiser and Hamilton will have their work cut out for them. Josh Whyle and Leonard Taylor are both quality options at TE for the Bearcats. Whyle is a really nice playmaker with the ball in his hands. Getting him down without YAC is the key. Taylor is a good blocker, but will also hurt you down the seam if you're focusing too much on Whyle and other playmakers when they're in 12 personnel.

WR - Michael Young, Jr. is basically what he was at ND as an under-utilized inside guy, though UC DOES give him his chances, as he seems to be their no.1 target.. basically, he should be getting more work than he does. He's going to get targeted on short-yardage plays running slants if Freeman is using the aggressive man scheme. They will also line him up on the outside and target him deep when the defense is too worried about Alec Pierce and/or Tyler Scott also getting deep. Pierce is a physical WR that gets down the field well. He can catch a go-route behind a CB, or go up-and-over someone at the sticks on 3rd. Tyler Scott is Will Fuller as a sophomore... game-breaking speed (4.2's) that they are still figuring out how to use (and how to get consistency from him). Jadon Thompson is their 4th WR, also a tweener like Pierce that can kind of win however they need him to when given chances. Tre Tucker is their hybrid guy with elite speed. Not a great pure WR, but they will put him in the slot to motion through for a carry, or target him on a screen; he's also their kickoff return guy, and can break one if you aren't sound in your lanes (sounds like a guy we know that just took one back against Wiscy).

OL - Here's where ND wins the matchup and erases all of Ridder's opportunities to escape/make big plays on 3rd down. ATTACK THEM. They have potential, but they have been shuffling a lot, between new starters and injuries (also sounds suspiciously familiar...). Lorenz Metz at guard is good for a couple of penalties per game, and will also get abused by any of the ND DT's that line up across from him. Their OT's are susceptible to outside speed rushers, so Freeman needs to let our edge guys get after it, while keeping a spy on Ridder if possible. Even if you crash off the edges AND get inside penetration, Ridder is going to find a way to buy time or escape, so the DL needs someone on standby behind them.



GENERAL NOTES: You guys remember how we were always bitching about the offense starting the game with a delay, or needing to burn a timeout on the first drive, followed by being generally out of rhythm and not appearing to have a good plan or script while Mike Denbrock was part-time OC here at ND? Mike Denbrock is OC at Cincy... and they have the same issues. I am VERY curious to see how they look to start the game playing in South Bend. The crowd will probably be relatively friendly (not a red-out, but UC will travel well), and they will be jacked up in general to play a team like ND, so I expect their defense to come out firing. But their offensive operation depends on Denbrock having them ready for timely communication and play signaling. He's going to want to stick it to ND for the way the OC thing shook out prior to 2017, and will probably have some goodies planned based on reciprocal familiarity with BK... this is the game he's been waiting for, but UC's lackadaisical starts against both Indiana and Murray State are concerning. Maybe they've been in prep for ND for three weeks already, and that was part of the problem, but I doubt it.

 

[IrishLion]

The more I read about this Cincinatti team, the more I think we'll see something like this on Saturday:

That's a better scouting report than mine

 

[notredomer23]

There are two certainties in life; death, and ND taking the opening kickoff and going three and out with at least one sack being taken by Coan. I don't expect anything different for this game.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

CINCINNATI'S OFFENSE:

. Maybe they've been in prep for ND for three weeks already, and that was part of the problem, but I doubt it.

Thanks for the scouting report, Lion. It will be a pretty fun cat and mouse game with the familiarity both coaching staffs have with one another. Freeman vs. UC's offense led by Denbrock. That's exciting stuff.

That being said, I highly doubt UC is good enough to head into Bloomington and beat IU with their eyes already on ND. I just think they were overmatched for the first three quarters, that's how it looked to me.

They made enough plays at the end of the day after that big-time kick return in the 4th quarter.

 

[Irish#1]

There are two certainties in life; death, and ND taking the opening kickoff and going three and out with at least one sack being taken by Coan. I don't expect anything different for this game.

It's part of Tommy's opening drive script. Lull the opposing defense into a sense of false security.

 

[Wild Bill]

There are two certainties in life; death, and ND taking the opening kickoff and going three and out with at least one sack being taken by Coan. I don't expect anything different for this game.

We scored on opening drive against FSU and Toledo so maybe tommy scripts something nice for saturday.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

As I understand it,… All the games are, but the only game exclusively on Peacock was Toledo.

https://www.onefootdown.com/2021/9/...nnati-on-peacock-nbc-youtube-tv-news-irish-nd

So apparently anyone who has YoutubeTV as their main streaming option...you might need Peacock this Saturday after all.

 

[dublinirish]

There are two certainties in life; death, and ND taking the opening kickoff and going three and out with at least one sack being taken by Coan. I don't expect anything different for this game.

we've come a long way since the days when BK had to call timeout before the first snap of the game then

 

[dublinirish]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/NDFootballPR/status/1442518510526242819?s=20[/TWEET][TWEET]https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1442518711408209921?s=20[/TWEET]

 

[notredomer23]

We scored on opening drive against FSU and Toledo so maybe tommy scripts something nice for saturday.

Fair, clearly short memory because the scenario I stated really only happened against Purdue and Wisconsin. Just feels much more frequent.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

we've come a long way since the days when BK had to call timeout before the first snap of the game then

I used to place bets on that.

 

[Riddickulous]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1442520823588290562[/TWEET]

Interesting quote here.

 

[BeauBenken]

Like this not because I like it, but because it may be pretty important for some of our fans to see!

 

[Free Manera]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1442520823588290562[/TWEET]

Interesting quote here.

That is interesting. "If" x 2. Good to hear Buchner seems greenlighted. You know he is throwing over the top to Lenzy at some point. He is the only QB on the roster that can actually make that throw and let Lenzy run under it. And it's going to be awesome.

 

[dublinirish]

I used to place bets on that.

i need to remember what game that was but i do remember Tommy was at QB and Niklas was on the field too at TE and he possibly lined up at the wrong spot or something and that forced BK to take the timeout to prevent the delay of game penalty

 

[zelezo vlk]

i need to remember what game that was but i do remember Tommy was at QB and Niklas was on the field too at TE and he possibly lined up at the wrong spot or something and that forced BK to take the timeout to prevent the delay of game penalty

Maybe the 2013 opener vs Temple?

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

That is interesting. "If" x 2. Good to hear Buchner seems greenlighted. You know he is throwing over the top to Lenzy at some point. He is the only QB on the roster that can actually make that throw and let Lenzy run under it. And it's going to be awesome.

You mean like the one against Purdue that Lenzy had in the bread basket and didn't catch? Got it lol

 

[ThePiombino]

You mean like the one against Purdue that Lenzy had in the bread basket and didn't catch? Got it lol

That one was on Braden. Literally every other one is on Jack.

 

[stpeteirish]

I like the fact that Kelly digressed on one question to point out "He needs to get the ball out quicker" regarding Coan. He attributed it to our system being different than Wisky's (not so sure about that) but at least they are treating this as a priority that needs to be fixed.

I'm not sure its really fixable. But there are plenty of teams with bad OLines that don't get sacked 5 times a game. The QB escapes, or gets the ball out quickly. We have a couple guys who can do that.

 

[IrishLax]

I like the fact that Kelly digressed on one question to point out "He needs to get the ball out quicker" regarding Coan. He attributed it to our system being different than Wisky's (not so sure about that) but at least they are treating this as a priority that needs to be fixed.

I'm not sure its really fixable. But there are plenty of teams with bad OLines that don't get sacked 5 times a game. The QB escapes, or gets the ball out quickly. We have a couple guys who can do that.

We need to have a checkdown (ideally Williams or Tyree or Mayer) where Jack is told "if you count to 2 and someone isn't open, you throw it to this guy every time." There is absolutely stuff that is Coan's fault, and there is absolutely stuff that is the OL's fault. But I think we have some scheme issues where there is not any Plan B when everyone is covered... with Book, Plan B was take off and run. Coan's is "eat a sack." He is not able to reliably escape the pocket.

There were multiple times against Wisconsin where he ate a sack and I was like "I don't know what he's supposed to do there, he has nowhere to throw the ball and can't throw it away because it'll be grounding." That's a scheme problem.

 

[Luckylucci]

CINCINNATI'S OFFENSE:

OL - Here's where ND wins the matchup and erases all of Ridder's opportunities to escape/make big plays on 3rd down. ATTACK THEM. They have potential, but they have been shuffling a lot, between new starters and injuries (also sounds suspiciously familiar...). Lorenz Metz at guard is good for a couple of penalties per game, and will also get abused by any of the ND DT's that line up across from him. Their OT's are susceptible to outside speed rushers, so Freeman needs to let our edge guys get after it, while keeping a spy on Ridder if possible. Even if you crash off the edges AND get inside penetration, Ridder is going to find a way to buy time or escape, so the DL needs someone on standby behind them.

I only watched the 1st half of the Indiana game but one of the big takeaways I had was, they got pretty easy pressure on Ridder. That LT looks like he could be something in time (I believe he's a underclassmen right?) but, he was getting beat like Baker and Lugg out there. I have a hard time seeing them consistently blocking our DL.

Like you said, hopefully we let our guys get after it on the DL and then leave a LB/S to spy Ridder. I don't think we'll need to do much more than that to generate pressure.

 

[Dale]

We need to have a checkdown (ideally Williams or Tyree or Mayer) where Jack is told "if you count to 2 and someone isn't open, you throw it to this guy every time." There is absolutely stuff that is Coan's fault, and there is absolutely stuff that is the OL's fault. But I think we have some scheme issues where there is not any Plan B when everyone is covered... with Book, Plan B was take off and run. Coan's is "eat a sack." He is not able to reliably escape the pocket.

There were multiple times against Wisconsin where he ate a sack and I was like "I don't know what he's supposed to do there, he has nowhere to throw the ball and can't throw it away because it'll be grounding." That's a scheme problem.

It was such a small sample size and there is some situational aspect to it but to put the numbers on it Pyne was pressured 40% of his dropbacks. Sacked on 20%. Sacked on 50% of pressures. Those are unfortunately in line with Coan. I also side on the reporters and coaches are not dumb. I think most practice reports mentioned Pyne turning it over. With Pyne you likely see an equal amount of overwhelming pressure but over time less sacks but run the risk of more turnovers, unless you’re (in general not literally you) advocating for Pyne to scramble for his life 10-15 times a game. The turnovers have a chance to go away if you buy that Pyne is a “gamer” which may certainly be the case.

 

[dad4aa]

We need to have a checkdown (ideally Williams or Tyree or Mayer) where Jack is told "if you count to 2 and someone isn't open, you throw it to this guy every time." There is absolutely stuff that is Coan's fault, and there is absolutely stuff that is the OL's fault. But I think we have some scheme issues where there is not any Plan B when everyone is covered... with Book, Plan B was take off and run. Coan's is "eat a sack." He is not able to reliably escape the pocket.

There were multiple times against Wisconsin where he ate a sack and I was like "I don't know what he's supposed to do there, he has nowhere to throw the ball and can't throw it away because it'll be grounding." That's a scheme problem.

All of our pass plays have one route that is down the sideline or is an out pattern. He should be able to "overthrow" that receiver when he throws it away so it is not grounding. He just does not seem to have a good pocket presence to do that and covers up and drops when the pocket collapses.

 

[ulukinatme]

There are two certainties in life; death, and ND taking the opening kickoff and going three and out with at least one sack being taken by Coan. I don't expect anything different for this game.

I'm pretty sure BK has a set of the 10 Commandments in his office, and the first Commandment is "Thou shalt not defer till halftime."
The second Commandment is "Thou shalt not open up the playbook until Year #2, then thy QB shall struggle mightily."
I haven't seen the other Commandments yet.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

All of our pass plays have one route that is down the sideline or is an out pattern. He should be able to "overthrow" that receiver when he throws it away so it is not grounding. He just does not seem to have a good pocket presence to do that and covers up and drops when the pocket collapses.

Idk how anyone can have good pocket presence when the pocket is "clean" for 1.5 seconds.

I'm not saying none of this is Coan's fault; he should know by now that he's not going to be able to go through all 3-4 of his progressions and have time to chuck it away, but the guys has also done a lot of good things for us despite the OL play, too.

We saw a small sample size of Pyne. There is a reason why Coan was picked to start.

It's just a tradition among ND fans to love QB2...I'll tell ya.

 

[clashmore_mike]

https://www.onefootdown.com/2021/9/...nnati-on-peacock-nbc-youtube-tv-news-irish-nd

So apparently anyone who has YoutubeTV as their main streaming option...you might need Peacock this Saturday after all.

It looks like this is likely to happen. I just got an email from YoutubeTV saying they are going to drop the monthly price from $65 to $55 if they are unable to reach a deal by Thursday and are encouraging users to then sign up for Peacock to get their live sports.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

It looks like this is likely to happen. I just got an email from YoutubeTV saying they are going to drop the monthly price from $65 to $55 if they are unable to reach a deal by Thursday and are encouraging users to then sign up for Peacock to get their live sports.

Same here. I wonder how long NBC has known they were going to do this (I don't see them coming to an agreement, per the email). I kind of think that the Toledo game was a test run to see if they could support the amount of viewers this break up would cause.