Post Game NC State

[NDPhilly]

Yeah in the absence of a Foskey type, I thought Golden / Freeman did an excellent job scheming up blitzes. Sack numbers don’t tell the story at all.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Yesterday was a perfect example of a game where Kelly woulda let NC State back in it love that Freeman never takes the foot off the throat

 

[FDNYIrish1]

I love what the defense did yesterday. The Dline played very disciplined IMO. Kept Armstrong in front of them and played assignments well. Tearing upfield and getting behind a mobile QB is not a great place to be. We have guys that can cover, don’t let the QB kill us like Williams did last year. I think the coaches on both sides came up with great game plans. Some of the offensive failed plays early on set us up for big ones later in the game.

 

[irishandy]

Post Game Thoughts
1) Before play resumed McElroy said ND would have to make the most adjustments due to the delay- Estime takes it to the house for 80 yards on the first play
2) Great reporting by Molly McGrath from a viewership about the storms impacting the game
3) Happy with the 3 INT's, but Morrison should've had 2 (I didn't see the Christian Gray play)
4) Is ND saving for Tobias time? He plays is on the field, but I want to see more than 1 catch for 45 yards, the yards after the catch was impressive
5) Staes had a Mayer type day
6) It took time for Hartman to settle in, when he did he plays very confidently
7) Only Brady Quinn & Jeff Samardzija can do the short pass, take that out of the playbook
8) Harper made some nice pass break ups
9) Nice field goal by the kicker
10) Agree with all the posts about how Freeman coached this game- the team took the hostile out of the crowd

Go Irish!!

 

[Reaper97]

Post Game Thoughts
1) Before play resumed McElroy said ND would have to make the most adjustments due to the delay- Estime takes it to the house for 80 yards on the first play
2) Great reporting by Molly McGrath from a viewership about the storms impacting the game
3) Happy with the 3 INT's, but Morrison should've had 2 (I didn't see the Christian Gray play)
4) Is ND saving for Tobias time? He plays is on the field, but I want to see more than 1 catch for 45 yards, the yards after the catch was impressive
5) Staes had a Mayer type day
6) It took time for Hartman to settle in, when he did he plays very confidently
7) Only Brady Quinn & Jeff Samardzija can do the short pass, take that out of the playbook
8) Harper made some nice pass break ups
9) Nice field goal by the kicker
10) Agree with all the posts about how Freeman coached this game- the team took the hostile out of the crowd

Go Irish!!

You had me at Molly McGrath.
Fan of hers for a decade.
Don’t care she went to BC (where she was a cheerleader).

 

[irishandy]

You had me at Molly McGrath.
Fan of hers for a decade.
Don’t care she went to BC (where she was a cheerleader).

Thanks. When watching she gave some great updates.

 

[rtrn2glory]

I haven't watched enough film to blame the lack of a pass rush on the fear of getting out of our lanes on a scrambling QB or we just aren't very good getting after the QB. Possibly it was a mix of both

 

[IAIrish]

They were in State’s backfield the entire game.
Armstrong was running for his life, getting pressured, throwing it away or throwing picks.
I would rather have 3 INTS (should have been 5), because of pressure, than 3 sacks.
ND had 11 QB pressure, 3 INTs & a sack.
While only giving up 84 rush yards on 30 attempts. That’s winning defense in today’s scoring college football.

Agreed. The pass rushers did a great job staying disciplined in their pursuit, not getting out of rush lanes/gaps while creating the havoc Reaper mentioned.
Armstrong can make defenses pay that try to pin their ears back. Thought i heard this was the first time he didn't have a rush of at least 10 yards. That's coaching and execution.

Sign me up for this defense all season. Bummer about Bertrand. The beauty of depth is that we slide another 5th year guy in Kiser to replace.

 

[irishandy]

TB had two catches with one overturned for an off the ball penalty, but I catch your drift.

Early in the 2015 game vs USC ND went deep to Will Fuller for a TD, right now ND can do similar with TB. That would be a good save for the OSU game.

 

[WilliamWallace]

They were in State’s backfield the entire game.
Armstrong was running for his life, getting pressured, throwing it away or throwing picks.
I would rather have 3 INTS (should have been 5), because of pressure, than 3 sacks.
ND had 11 QB pressure, 3 INTs & a sack.
While only giving up 84 rush yards on 30 attempts. That’s winning defense in today’s scoring college football.

Agreed, though I am somewhat concerned about the boys up front getting off blocks going forward. Possibly by design thus far? Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t the emphasis on contain to prevent the QB run? If so they did their job while also pressuring the QB.

 

[WilliamWallace]

Agreed. The pass rushers did a great job staying disciplined in their pursuit, not getting out of rush lanes/gaps while creating the havoc Reaper mentioned.
Armstrong can make defenses pay that try to pin their ears back. Thought i heard this was the first time he didn't have a rush of at least 10 yards. That's coaching and execution.

Sign me up for this defense all season. Bummer about Bertrand. The beauty of depth is that we slide another 5th year guy in Kiser to replace.

Sorry, didn’t see your post, just replying as I read along.

 

[Reaper97]

Lots to like, then there’s a lot to work on,

Agreed, though I am somewhat concerned about the boys up front getting off blocks going forward. Possibly by design thus far? Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t the emphasis on contain to prevent the QB run? If so they did their job while also pressuring the QB.

Yeah, Armstrong, with those receivers, & ND’s secondary, wasnt beating ND with his arm.

Keeping him behind the LOS was key.

Also thought it was funny that State’s gameplan was to attack ND in the run game.
I’ve heard multiple places now that State thought they could bully ND up front & run on them.
State’s entire team; 30 carries for 84 yards.
Estime; 1 carry for 80 yards.
LOL

 

[NDVirginia19]

The Lamest thing on planet earth is that in Carter Finley they have the year of all of the bowl games that they went to up on the end zone in the stadium. Not even bowl games they won! Just appearances lol

 

[WilliamWallace]

Yeah, Armstrong, with those receivers, & ND’s secondary, wasnt beating ND with his arm.

Keeping him behind the LOS was key.

Also thought it was funny that State’s gameplan was to attack ND in the run game.
I’ve heard multiple places now that State thought they could bully ND up front & run on them.
30 carries for 84 yards.
Estime 1 carry for 80 yards.
LOL

We did struggle some running up the the middle in what little bit I could watch. Idk if that was Estime being a little slow to get rolling or what. I believe @Old Man Mike eluded to the Offensive Line scheme being offset for the game? I guess to counter the rush. If so that may have contributed to some of the struggles.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Post Game Thoughts

3) Happy with the 3 INT's, but Morrison should've had 2 (I didn't see the Christian Gray play)

During the replay it looked like Morrison easily could have had it if he stretched out for it, but he thought he was going to collide with the other two players if he did, so he pulled back a little. On the replay, Gray's play looked more difficult than it did in real time.

 

[Domina Nostra]

We did struggle some running up the the middle in what little bit I could watch. Idk if that was Estime being a little slow to get rolling or what. I believe @Old Man Mike eluded to the Offensive Line scheme being offset for the game? I guess to counter the rush. If so that may have contributed to some of the struggles.

I think it was a matter of running straight into numbers.

 

[Reaper97]

We did struggle some running up the the middle in what little bit I could watch. Idk if that was Estime being a little slow to get rolling or what. I believe @Old Man Mike eluded to the Offensive Line scheme being offset for the game? I guess to counter the rush. If so that may have contributed to some of the struggles.

State was selling out in pressure.
So there will be run stuffs.
But ND countered with off balance sets & passes to TDs, which blew the game open.

 

[OKCDomer23]

I love what the defense did yesterday. The Dline played very disciplined IMO. Kept Armstrong in front of them and played assignments well. Tearing upfield and getting behind a mobile QB is not a great place to be. We have guys that can cover, don’t let the QB kill us like Williams did last year. I think the coaches on both sides came up with great game plans. Some of the offensive failed plays early on set us up for big ones later in the game.

I was also happy with the d yesterday. Love the aggression from the secondary which paid off with numerous picks. Dline rushed the passer well and contained the run. All of this in a hostile environment with a gunslinging qb. Cannot wait to see what Golden dials up v. Ohio St.

 

[PutuporShutup]

I was also happy with the d yesterday. Love the aggression from the secondary which paid off with numerous picks. Dline rushed the passer well and contained the run. All of this in a hostile environment with a gunslinging qb. Cannot wait to see what Golden dials up v. Ohio St.

Only thing confusing to me is why our nickel and safeties were always giving up the middle and taking away outside… much easier quick throw over middle than to outside

 

[IRISHDODGER]

- Loved the way MF managed the clock/game. Both coming out of the 2-hr delay and the final drive before half was handled perfectly by the 2nd year HC

- Secondary looked great overall. They had just enough miscues to have some teaching moments in the film room but helluva job overall.

- Thought Marist had one of his better games. He was flying all over the place but not out of control. His speed was on display

- Loved seeing Tobias make a key reception at an opportune time. Hated seeing his 2nd catch get nullified by an offensive pick. At least refs called it on NCST later on as well.

- Hartman didn’t have a perfect game but is so reliable and calm under pressure that he’s really spoiling ND fans w/ what he brings to every drive of every game.

- For those worried about TE involvement, they should feel good about getting at least 3 involved in the passing game yesterday. Staes led the way w/ his breakout game

- I’ll take Greg McElroy over most other analysts and over Jason Garrett 100% of the time. He’s not that far removed from the game that his knowledge as a QB is Uber relevant. I liked his opinions on the rules…even the ones that favor QBs which he doesn’t necessarily agree with (Specifically that Jason Onye call). He’s great on SXM College Football Talk as well. Shoots pretty straight when it comes to biases.

- Kudos to both the PK & the Punter. Schrader lived up to the hype of having a big leg & MF didn’t hesitate. NCST had a helluva punter too. I swear ND had horrible FP on every possession yesterday other than after a turnover.

- I think McElroy compared Love to Darren McFadden (assuming he continues to progress based on his measurables). Should be fun to watch the true freshman.

- The consensus seems to be that Rylie Mills still doesn’t get off blocks. Hope he can put it all together.

- The Estime run was uniquely set up w/ Joe Alt lining up to the right of Fisher. Great call by Parker.

 

[IrishBoognish]

Nice breakdown Dodger. I agree with almost all of it... I especially loved the Love/McFadden comp too. That got me excited.

However, I've been saying it since the 2nd half yesterday. It seemed pretty clear to me that the DLine's job yesterday was *not* to necessarily shed their blocks unless they saw a run by the RB or QB. Then they did.

I thought it was a great plan.

 

[Edge]

Agreed. The pass rushers did a great job staying disciplined in their pursuit, not getting out of rush lanes/gaps while creating the havoc Reaper mentioned.
Armstrong can make defenses pay that try to pin their ears back. Thought i heard this was the first time he didn't have a rush of at least 10 yards. That's coaching and execution.

Sign me up for this defense all season. Bummer about Bertrand. The beauty of depth is that we slide another 5th year guy in Kiser to replace.

Nice to have your leading and best tackler on deck to fill in at all three LB positions
Kiser leads team in tackles after 3 games while only playing 86 snaps (Liufau 147, Bertrand 123, Sneed 70)

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Nice breakdown Dodger. I agree with almost all of it... I especially loved the Love/McFadden comp too. That got me excited.

However, I've been saying it since the 2nd half yesterday. It seemed pretty clear to me that the DLine's job yesterday was *not* to necessarily shed their blocks unless they saw a run by the RB or QB. Then they did.

I thought it was a great plan.

That’s a great point about the DL and makes sense. I need to to go back and re-watch b/c if that was the strategy it worked to a tee.

 

[StPaul_Irish]

That’s a great point about the DL and makes sense. I need to to go back and re-watch b/c if that was the strategy it worked to a tee.

100% , Jamie U has some clips on Twitter showing this, and rewatching clips, it looks like they aren't even trying to shed blocks and just keeping their lanes.

 

[NDohio]

100% , Jamie U has some clips on Twitter showing this, and rewatching clips, it looks like they aren't even trying to shed blocks and just keeping their lanes.

I was actually pretty impressed with the D-Line. They were walking the NCST O-Line back into the pocket putting pressure on Armstrong and held those running lanes so he couldn't escape. It was a great game plan and the D-Line executed perfectly. I thought both JJB and Botelho showed real strength Saturday.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

The penalties bugged me, but that's easily cleaned up. Those games can happen from time to time. If it's a regular thing, not good.

The interior OL still leaves me with concerns. Not necessarily against CMU, but NC State showed a few things.

Golden was way too blitz happy.

Apart from that, it was a very good performance on the road against an ACC team likely going to a bowl game.

 

[IrishLax]

- Loved the way MF managed the clock/game. Both coming out of the 2-hr delay and the final drive before half was handled perfectly by the 2nd year HC

- Secondary looked great overall. They had just enough miscues to have some teaching moments in the film room but helluva job overall.

- Thought Marist had one of his better games. He was flying all over the place but not out of control. His speed was on display

- Loved seeing Tobias make a key reception at an opportune time. Hated seeing his 2nd catch get nullified by an offensive pick. At least refs called it on NCST later on as well.

- Hartman didn’t have a perfect game but is so reliable and calm under pressure that he’s really spoiling ND fans w/ what he brings to every drive of every game.

- For those worried about TE involvement, they should feel good about getting at least 3 involved in the passing game yesterday. Staes led the way w/ his breakout game

- I’ll take Greg McElroy over most other analysts and over Jason Garrett 100% of the time. He’s not that far removed from the game that his knowledge as a QB is Uber relevant. I liked his opinions on the rules…even the ones that favor QBs which he doesn’t necessarily agree with (Specifically that Jason Onye call). He’s great on SXM College Football Talk as well. Shoots pretty straight when it comes to biases.

- Kudos to both the PK & the Punter. Schrader lived up to the hype of having a big leg & MF didn’t hesitate. NCST had a helluva punter too. I swear ND had horrible FP on every possession yesterday other than after a turnover.

- I think McElroy compared Love to Darren McFadden (assuming he continues to progress based on his measurables). Should be fun to watch the true freshman.

- The consensus seems to be that Rylie Mills still doesn’t get off blocks. Hope he can put it all together.

- The Estime run was uniquely set up w/ Joe Alt lining up to the right of Fisher. Great call by Parker.

Yeah this is a good point that I hadn't really considered... Freeman, for an inexperienced HC, seems lightyears ahead of The Former Guy in terms of getting production in low-clock situations. And having a home run dialed up out of the delay instead of "easing back into things" caught NCST napping.

 

[StPaul_Irish]

The penalties bugged me, but that's easily cleaned up. Those games can happen from time to time. If it's a regular thing, not good.

The interior OL still leaves me with concerns. Not necessarily against CMU, but NC State showed a few things.

Golden was way too blitz happy.

Apart from that, it was a very good performance on the road against an ACC team likely going to a bowl game.

I think this was on purpose/by design for this game. Push the pocket back and make Armstrong throw it up for grabs. Pretty sure this worked like a charm, 3 picks and 2 others that should have been? He had what 2 really nice throws 1TD and that diving grab on Hart (who was in great position). I don't think the goal was to "Sack" Armstrong as much as it was to put in in distress and not allow him to escape. Jamie was saying he isn't good vs the blitz, and that showed.

 

[allenm5333]

100% , Jamie U has some clips on Twitter showing this, and rewatching clips, it looks like they aren't even trying to shed blocks and just keeping their lanes.

Be ready for this against USC

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

I think this was on purpose/by design for this game. Push the pocket back and make Armstrong throw it up for grabs. Pretty sure this worked like a charm, 3 picks and 2 others that should have been? He had what 2 really nice throws 1TD and that diving grab on Hart (who was in great position). I don't think the goal was to "Sack" Armstrong as much as it was to put in in distress and not allow him to escape. Jamie was saying he isn't good vs the blitz, and that showed.

I'd have to see the numbers, but from my vantage point having watched the game back twice, Armstrong didn't particularly do much of anything against ND's coverage when they didn't blitz. I don't think he's very good. I think ND's secondary is quite good.