Post Game Impressions

[BobD]

Brian does not seem to have any imagination with his offensive playing calling. Wondering if he ever watches what works for other teams playing college football. We had a 2nd and goal at the 6 inch line and we have a deep(way to deep) handoff to Riddick for almost a 6 yard loss. A sneak and we are in. Had to settle for a lousy 3. I can figure out almost all his offensive plays as the game goes on so I'm sure the defensive coordinator for the other team can dial that in to. USC scares me.

Who is this Brian Keely you speak of and USC is the least of your problems.

 

[DillonHall]

But he needs to run more not just run when he is in trouble. The other teams would slow down the rush if he did that. Did not Kelly want to run an upbeat tempo type offense? Where the heck is that? Kelly wants a mobile QB but Golson does not run enough. Come on Kelly step it up.

Kelly runs the offense that gives his team that best opportunity to win. And going too up-tempo with a first-year starter isn't conducive to winning, especially when you have three good RBs and a veteran offensive line. Maybe it'll be different in a couple years, but we're 9-0 so far in 2012

 

[Whiskeyjack]

We could beat our next opponents by 30 points each and we'd still be behind the other three undefeated teams. We have to win out AND two of those teams need to lose. Style points the next three weeks aren't going to make up for all the close games we've had.

To be fair, a comfortable win over Pitt wouldn't have changed that scenario either.

2/3 of the BCS ranking is public perception. 'Bama and Oregon look like the best teams in the country, and I can't really argue with that. If they win out, both ND and KSU will be on the outside looking in.

A 13-0 season with our first ever BCS win over a legitimate KSU team in the Fiesta Bowl would do wonders for this program.

 

[Redbar]

To be fair, a comfortable win over Pitt wouldn't have changed that scenario either.

2/3 of the BCS ranking is public perception. 'Bama and Oregon look like the best teams in the country, and I can't really argue with that. If they win out, both ND and KSU will be on the outside looking in.

A 13-0 season with our first ever BCS win over a legitimate KSU team in the Fiesta Bowl would do wonders for this program.

No doubt!

 

[NDBoiler]

But he needs to run more not just run when he is in trouble. The other teams would slow down the rush if he did that. Did not Kelly want to run an upbeat tempo type offense? Where the heck is that? Kelly wants a mobile QB but Golson does not run enough. Come on Kelly step it up.

In all seriousness, please explain how if Kelly did "step it up", how many more games would ND have won this year so far?

 

[IrishinTN]

To be fair, a comfortable win over Pitt wouldn't have changed that scenario either.

2/3 of the BCS ranking is public perception. 'Bama and Oregon look like the best teams in the country, and I can't really argue with that. If they win out, both ND and KSU will be on the outside looking in.

A 13-0 season with our first ever BCS win over a legitimate KSU team in the Fiesta Bowl would do wonders for this program.

Seriously the pollsters only say 2 things after ND wins- either the opponent was weak or overrated. Now I guess they can say ND is overrated because they struggled with Pitt.

They win. They took the breaks they got and made things happen. That should say a lot about the team, but it wont.

 

[Rocky2820]

But he needs to run more not just run when he is in trouble. The other teams would slow down the rush if he did that. Did not Kelly want to run an upbeat tempo type offense? Where the heck is that? Kelly wants a mobile QB but Golson does not run enough. Come on Kelly step it up.

Kelly runs the offense that gives his team that best opportunity to win. And going too up-tempo with a first-year starter isn't conducive to winning, especially when you have three good RBs and a veteran offensive line. Maybe it'll be different in a couple years, but we're 9-0 so far in 2012

Agree with DH. And to add to it, that just isn't how this team is built right now. You go up tempo and you're putting your defense on the field way too much. Defense is our strength, obviously, so you gameplan around that strength. This means you sometimes play for field position, time of possession, minimize risk of turnovers, etc. Not overly conservative mind you, but also not full blown no huddle, up tempo. That approach would not increase our odds of winning, IMO.

 

[phgreek]

Pretty sure our D-line has been calling fake cadences for a while. Never seen as many early snaps as I've seen over the past two weeks.

...I was scratching my head on that...fortuitous...

I know we made alot of adjustments on D in my day, and they were called out, and I never recall the opposing center snapping it to...no one. It really has happened a bit.

... I know on that flag, the entire right side of our line shifted...I assumed their movement did it to Pitt...maybe not.

 

[phgreek]

Farley has some experience to gain, but I have tons of confidence that this kid is going to be a difference maker sooner than later. He plays with tenacity and heart. Not to mention, he was battling with a hand that was recently operated on and not at full strength.

well, and...ever try and tackle someone with a club hand...thats REALLY difficult.

 

[Irish#1]

Here are my thoughts:

-The coaches abandoned the gameplan way too early. Stopped running the ball... panicked into a QB switch... just an all-around poorly called game.
-First time all year we've given up big plays.
-Our 4th quarter... where a Charlie Weis team would've quit... we instead manhandled Pitt. Even after a soul crushing INT in the endzone we got the ball back immediately and marched right down the field.
-Our special teams are all-around atrocious. By far the worst part of our team right now. Incredible that it hasn't cost us games.
-A win is a win is a win... probably not going to the NC... effing Les Miles... but we're staring down a worst case scenario of 11-1. Just great desire and mental toughness to gut out these victories.

You're spot on. This was an even bigger trap game than BYU and it showed. Pitt had a good RB and solid senior QB which is what you need to win on the road. They played a near perfect game. I thought what hurt us was moving the ball so easliy the first two series and only coming away with FG's. At that point it appeared the team put it on cruise control until the fourth quarte figuring something was going to happen, but it didn'tr. Pitt's OC out-coached Diacco most of the game and kept the defense guessing too much. I also thought BK did a poor job of calling plays until the heat was on.

This team showed that it has "it" the way they responded in the fourth. I feel sorry for BC next week. Not really.

 

[Irish#1]

To be fair, a comfortable win over Pitt wouldn't have changed that scenario either.

2/3 of the BCS ranking is public perception. 'Bama and Oregon look like the best teams in the country, and I can't really argue with that. If they win out, both ND and KSU will be on the outside looking in.

A 13-0 season with our first ever BCS win over a legitimate KSU team in the Fiesta Bowl would do wonders for this program.

I think a comfortable win would have kept us at #3 for now, but I agree that Bama and Oregon look to be the best.

Having said that, LSU handed Bama that game and Oregon does not know how to play defense. Unfortunately the pollsters give more credit to teams that can light up the scoreboard over teams who know how to keep the scoreboard dark. Stanford will take care of Oregon. Not sure Bama or KSU is going to lose.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I think a comfortable win would have kept us at #3 for now, but I agree that Bama and Oregon look to be the best.

We led Oregon in the BCS ranking by a tiny margin, and only because the computers liked our SoS much better than the Ducks. Even a 2-3 TD victory over Pitt would not have kept us ahead of them after hanging 62 points on USC.

 

[Ndaccountant]

We led Oregon in the BCS ranking by a tiny margin, and only because the computers liked our SoS much better than the Ducks. Even a 2-3 TD victory over Pitt would not have kept us ahead of them after hanging 62 points on USC.

What will be interesting to see is how we match up on commont opponents, like KSU. If we beat USC by more, what will voters think? It probably depends on the Oregon - Stanford game, but would the voters be more impressed with a 31-17 win?

 

[kmoose]

We led Oregon in the BCS ranking by a tiny margin, and only because the computers liked our SoS much better than the Ducks. Even a 2-3 TD victory over Pitt would not have kept us ahead of them after hanging 62 points on USC.

I agree with you, but it does bring up a point that bothers me. Oregon hung 62 on USC, yes; but they also gave up half a hundred points. What are they going to do, when they run up against an elite defense that doesn't allow them to score at will? Will their defense be able to stop the opposing offense, or will Oregon find itself down, 35-17, at halftime?

 

[ThePiombino]

I agree with you, but it does bring up a point that bothers me. Oregon hung 62 on USC, yes; but they also gave up half a hundred points. What are they going to do, when they run up against an elite defense that doesn't allow them to score at will? Will their defense be able to stop the opposing offense, or will Oregon find itself down, 35-17, at halftime?

To play devil's advocate...

What team, say you, has the defensive prowess you speak of AND the offensive prowess the likes of USC? Certainly not us, not Alabama. So who is this mythical FBS school you speak of?

 

[Black Irish]

To play devil's advocate...

What team, say you, has the defensive prowess you speak of AND the offensive prowess the likes of USC? Certainly not us, not Alabama. So who is this mythical FBS school you speak of?

Maybe a team doesn't need great offensive firepower against Oregon; maybe the Ducks just suck on D. I give the Irish a good shot against them.

 

[kmoose]

To play devil's advocate...

What team, say you, has the defensive prowess you speak of AND the offensive prowess the likes of USC? Certainly not us, not Alabama. So who is this mythical FBS school you speak of?

USC points per game: 36.78
Alabama points per game: 38.44

I will agree that Alabama doesn't have the raw talent on offense that SC does, but they appear to be using what they have as well as, if not better than, SC does.

 

[koonja]

USC points per game: 36.78
Alabama points per game: 38.44

I will agree that Alabama doesn't have the raw talent on offense that SC does, but they appear to be using what they have as well as, if not better than, SC does.

When people talk about 'talent' they most often are talking QBs, WRs, RBs. Seldom do we pay attention to the offensive line. Alabama's line is much better than USC's, and that's a big reason why they score so big. IDK that Alabama doesn't have the offensive talent of USC.

 

[ickythump1225]

USC points per game: 36.78
Alabama points per game: 38.44

I will agree that Alabama doesn't have the raw talent on offense that SC does, but they appear to be using what they have as well as, if not better than, SC does.

Yes but Alabama's been in the bakery this year feasting on cupcakes and creampuffs most of the year and have rolled up big scores in those games.

 

[RDU Irish]

I can't wait for the Bama vs TA&M line comes up, I'm betting it heavily for A&M. I think they win outright and hope they light it up on offense.

 

[kmoose]

Yes but Alabama's been in the bakery this year feasting on cupcakes and creampuffs most of the year and have rolled up big scores in those games.

And SC hasn't?

 

[RDU Irish]

A team that makes 14 and 18 play drives on Oregon will keep their offense off the field. They feed off of speed and someone slowing it down might throw them off.

Then again those 14 and 18 play drives are probably 5 or 6 play drives against Oregon ending in TDs.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

Yes but Alabama's been in the bakery this year feasting on cupcakes and creampuffs most of the year and have rolled up big scores in those games.

Ha true. However, USC plays in the PAC. They don't exactly play a whole lot of defense in that conference. And they played Hawaii.

Hawaii: 122nd in pts against 42.6 (that is third to last, I believe)
Syracuse: 57th 26.1
Cal: 64th 27.6
Washington: 59th 26.3
Colorado: 124th 46.2 (that is last, I believe)
Arizona: 108th 35

The only teams who Bama has played who are ranked that low are:

Arkansas: 78th 29.1
Florida Atlantic: 30.3
Ole Miss: 65th 27.8
Tennessee: 110th 35.4

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

-Golson is the dude. He is still slow on his reads and receivers are open and it's like a split second before he realizes it, but man he has all the physical tools. He can throw it deep and he throws so many passes right where they need to be. And he's a redshirt freshman! In 2 or 3 years how good will he be? Man, a 2 QB system with Gunner Kiel and Everett Golson will embarrass teams.

-Tommy Rees should only see the field because of injuries. Personally I think his importance in our 3 wins he finished is overstated (Everett was leading us just as well on that drive against Stanford, he played awful for most of the Michigan game but without turnovers, but Purdue was a nice drive), but now it's clear he is just not a good quarterback. Don't play him if you don't have to. In a perfect world we thank him for his time spent on the team and that pick was the last pass he ever throws for Notre Dame.

-The fact that Cierre Wood only gets 10 carries a game is driving me insane. He has such good vision and carries makes it look like a 10 yard gain is a light job. He is patient but doesn't dance and has breakaway speed. If it wasn't for the holding on his big run he hits 100 on 11 carries. His fumble was bad but he is definitely our best back. It's a bummer Atkinson is still sick because we need his versatility, and Riddick was his usual self. Pretty good running, a very reliable receiver, and nothing to complain about really.

-Man, the TJ Jones and Davaris Daniels combo is going to be nice next year. Both of those guys are playing great this year. Golson to Daniels will be something we hear a lot over the next 3 years if Daniels doesn't go pro early, and I believe he will have the option to if he wants. TJ Jones is a smart receiver. He runs good routes, can get YAC, and is quick. He's the type of receiver every QB wants. Eifert also was thrown at today which is great.

-Offensive line was really disappointing against the run IMO. I felt like Pitt lived in our backfield on some of the running plays, but they always give Golson a good amount of time and space to run around and do his thing. It will be great if Martin and Watt come back, but if they don't there will be a bit of a concern there for me.

-Defense overall was off. I blame Nix being sick for a lot of it, but Te'o was invisible for most of this game. Russell is a very good cornerback but I feel like our secondary misses way too many tackles. Farley played well through his injury, and Shembo is becoming a better player all-around.

-I was so disappointed in Kelly's decisions on Saturday. Putting in Rees was way too reactionary and none of the justifications make any sense. Golson wasn't killing us but that interception almost did. It was an awful choice that made no sense when it happened and it still makes no sense. Handing it off at the half yard line doesn't work when the offensive line isn't doing well. Golson has scored on QB sneaks before this year, and the 5 yard loss made it so we couldn't even go for it on 4th. Awful calls there. Overall Kelly did his worst job of the year, but when his worst job of the year still ends in a win it's clear we have a great coach.

-This game should have been a blowout and having it be this close was unacceptable because it hurt us in voters' eyes. These games needed to be blowouts for us to have a chance of being close enough to Oregon or KSU to have the computer polls lift us. Now we are on the outside looking in and it's going to be a huge bummer being undefeated and not playing for the national championship.

 

[ThePiombino]

USC points per game: 36.78
Alabama points per game: 38.44

I will agree that Alabama doesn't have the raw talent on offense that SC does, but they appear to be using what they have as well as, if not better than, SC does.

Wouldn't that be just as much a product of their defense giving their offense endless chances? Again, just playing DA here...

 

[theclassickiller]

Not K State. I'm still firm we should be 3. AL, OR, ND, KSU. We had better wins than KSU over like opponents. AL and OR, yes, but not by much IMO. If AL and OR get through without a L, then I'll concede, but never KSU.

I agree 100%. The only problem is that humans are stupid. It doesn't matter what our strength of schedule is, the human voters look at box scores 75% of the time and make their judgment based on the stats. If we go beat USC 21-10 at the Coliseum it won't matter. It just doesn't "look" as good as 62-51, even though the margin is the same. The computers understand that box scores aren't everything, which is why Oregon is 4th in their metrics. Alabama and ND are the only teams ranked #1 by the computers.

K State has no business being in the conversation really. They've had a couple lousy games like we have, playing down to North Texas and Iowa State. And their SOS is miserable compared to ours (33 to 10). And like you said, against like opponents we've been the better team.

You can argue that the ranked teams we've played didn't deserve the ranking, but look at their schedule. It's even worse. Texas Tech? OK State? West Virginia? The toughest games on their schedule are Oklahoma (who we dismantled), and... Texas? Seriously? Kansas just ran all over Texas. Oklahoma made them look like a D2 team. They're giving up 32 points a game to horrible teams. Seriously, K State has no business being in the BCS NC discussion assuming Alabama, Oregon, and ND win out.

You can attribute a lot of our human ranking to two things: Notre Dame hatred, and the media's perpetual Big12 hard-on, even when the entire conference is God-awful in every way. Then the rest can be blamed on the Pitt game .

 

[irishog77]

I agree 100%. The only problem is that humans are stupid. It doesn't matter what our strength of schedule is, the human voters look at box scores 75% of the time and make their judgment based on the stats. If we go beat USC 21-10 at the Coliseum it won't matter. It just doesn't "look" as good as 62-51, even though the margin is the same. The computers understand that box scores aren't everything, which is why Oregon is 4th in their metrics. Alabama and ND are the only teams ranked #1 by the computers.

K State has no business being in the conversation really. They've had a couple lousy games like we have, playing down to North Texas and Iowa State. And their SOS is miserable compared to ours (33 to 10). And like you said, against like opponents we've been the better team.

You can argue that the ranked teams we've played didn't deserve the ranking, but look at their schedule. It's even worse. Texas Tech? OK State? West Virginia? The toughest games on their schedule are Oklahoma (who we dismantled), and... Texas? Seriously? Kansas just ran all over Texas. Oklahoma made them look like a D2 team. They're giving up 32 points a game to horrible teams. Seriously, K State has no business being in the BCS NC discussion assuming Alabama, Oregon, and ND win out.

You can attribute a lot of our human ranking to two things: Notre Dame hatred, and the media's perpetual Big12 hard-on, even when the entire conference is God-awful in every way. Then the rest can be blamed on the Pitt game .

You're giving them too much credit to say they even look at box scores and stats. Even that would require effort and work on their part.

 

[Patulski]

In all seriousness, please explain how if Kelly did "step it up", how many more games would ND have won this year so far?

None. But style points are taken into consideration by voters. Of course, when you're dealing with a young QB who is growing by the week, that has to be placed in context as well. Golson is a different QB today than he was in week 1.

Kelly was concerned with Golson's ball security and his durability, but it is evident that Golson is a dangerous dual threat with the ball in his hands. When you see how Golson played Saturday when he was given the green light in a wide open offense, you see a much more dynamic offense. Of the 188 yards (not including positive penalty yardage) and two TD's plus the 2-point conversion our offense had in 9:49 of TOP for the last 4 drives, Golson accounted for 163 of those yards through running and passing. Of course he threw the pick in the end zone as well.

I don't know if Golson could sustain that pace all game long today, but from listening to yesterdays conference call Kelly appears to be less concerned about Golson's durability and ball security issues. It will be interesting to see if Kelly opens up the offense more for Golson earlier in the game against BC. We do need style points now imo.

 

[NDBoiler]

None. But style points are taken into consideration by voters. Of course, when you're dealing with a young QB who is growing by the week, that has to be placed in context as well. Golson is a different QB today than he was in week 1.

Kelly was concerned with Golson's ball security and his durability, but it is evident that Golson is a dangerous dual threat with the ball in his hands. When you see how Golson played Saturday when he was given the green light in a wide open offense, you see a much more dynamic offense. Of the 188 yards (not including positive penalty yardage) and two TD's plus the 2-point conversion our offense had in 9:49 of TOP for the last 4 drives, Golson accounted for 163 of those yards through running and passing. Of course he threw the pick in the end zone as well.

I don't know if Golson could sustain that pace all game long today, but from listening to yesterdays conference call Kelly appears to be less concerned about Golson's durability and ball security issues. It will be interesting to see if Kelly opens up the offense more for Golson earlier in the game against BC. We do need style points now imo.

I agree 100% with this, but I don't think the part in bold is what the original post was even alluding to, it was just blowing off steam on BK.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

I have a confession to make. After Golson threw the INT in the end zone, all the ghosts of past ND seasons (including '93) came rushing back and I kind of gave up. I really thought they were going to lose.

My text messge to NDinL.A. right after the pick - "Well we had the opportunities and we just **** the bed. Oh well. Now it makes the BC game really important. No national championship hopes..."

Then after they won NDinL.A.'s response back to me - " PHENOMENAL reverse jinx!!! Holy crap what a game!"

I should know to never give up. I love this team and I am so proud of what they have done. I honestly don't really care if we end up on the outside of the National Championship picture if we finish 12-0. I couldn't be prouder of this team right now and if they finish undefeated, this will go down as one of my favorite teams in ND history.