Post Game Observations..........

[Jimmy3Putt]

It's very obvious that we've moved completely away from Crist.
That being said, I wish Hendrix got some snaps in the fourth.

My only other thought on a near perfect evening is that I wish we'd start using Riddick as a Percy Harvin type of player.
Give him some misdirection handoffs and bubble screens.
Let's see him in space.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

My only other thought on a near perfect evening is that I wish we'd start using Riddick as a Percy Harvin type of player.
Give him some misdirection handoffs and bubble screens.
Let's see him in space.

Kelly has pointedly refused to resort to gimmickry in order to get the ball into Riddick's hands. He feels that Riddick needs to get into the "flow" of our base offense, and it appears he's going to force the issue until Riddick gets settled.

 

[tommyIRISH23]

Kelly has pointedly refused to resort to gimmickry in order to get the ball into Riddick's hands. He feels that Riddick needs to get into the "flow" of our base offense, and it appears he's going to force the issue until Riddick gets settled.

Not sure I agree with that. Hes crazy fast, design 5 plays to get him the ball in space, and tell him to run. Pretty simple. Hes hacing trouble adjusting to being a WR, but we need him to get the ball in his hands

 

[Whiskeyjack]

When was the last time we rushed for ~300 yards in one game?

I was definitely hoping Jonas would break 100 yards. When's the last time we had two 100+ yard rushers in a single game?

In answer to my own question... NDatRivals via Twitter:

Last time #NotreDame had two 100-yard rushers in a game was in '02 against Stanford (Ryan Grant 108, Rashon Powers-Neal 103).

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Not sure I agree with that. Hes crazy fast, design 5 plays to get him the ball in space, and tell him to run. Pretty simple. Hes hacing trouble adjusting to being a WR, but we need him to get the ball in his hands

To be fair, our vanilla offense has been putting up impressive numbers without the gimmickry. I have no idea if this is actually the best way to get Riddick settled in the offense; I could just as easily see some Sweeps or Reverses for him increasing his confidence and spilling over into the passing game.

In Kelly we trust, I guess.

 

[InKellyITrust]

We have to have one of the worst punt return units in the nation

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

We have to have one of the worst punt return units in the nation

I just hate the word, "Punt" at this point. Everything associated with that word is pretty much Fubar to me. Everything else....running like a well oiled machine. Lovin' life. Go Irish.

 

[woolybug25]

I am sure the sky is falling over at ndnation.

ND going undefeated and winning a National Title would put that whole site on suicide watch. They wouldn't know what to do if they didn't have a reason to reminisce about 1973 and call Coach Kelly a shanty mick.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

ND going undefeated and winning a National Title would put that whole site on suicide watch. They wouldn't know what to do if they didn't have a reason to reminisce about 1973 and call Coach Kelly a shanty mick.

Just mention the word jumbotron and they go into fallout measures......

 

[BeatSC]

The Good:

Running game of course
No dropped passes
Good D
No turmovers
Solid Tackling
Purdue sucks
Solid Road team
O-line
Controlling both sides of the line of scrimmage

The Bad to Average:
Special Teams (All of them) What was with the short and high kickoffs?
Backup D
Stupid easy to avoid penalties
While Tommy played good he misses the wide open WR on several instances. I watched him try to squeeze another pass to Floyd on the left when Toma was waiving is arms WIDE open on the right side of the field.
Tommy's almost 3 Ints

I hope Kelly breaks out some new looks both on D and especially on offense. Really need a running option at our disposal in the red zone. I see more Ints against better competition. Tommy had 4 TO's against USC last year and he needs to keep up on the zero TO bandwagon. Didn't like seeing Dayne in there with the third stringers. They could have brought him in the one series earlier but I think Kelly would be afriad if he played really well. I like the screen pass under alot of pressure he made to Atkinson. I don't think Reese pulls that off. Too bad Atkinson trips over is shoelace which keeps Dayne off the field and allows the Purdue O to move the ball 95 yards on a weak group of ND backups. This game should have been about 52 - 6.

 

[pkt77242]

Just mention the word jumbotron and they go into fallout measures......

And we are any better? Post the words "Tommy Rees" and watch this site explode.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

And we are any better? Post the words "Tommy Rees" and watch this site explode.

We have our fair share of unreasonable posters, but it's not the prevailing culture here. That's the difference.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

The Good:

Running game of course
No dropped passes
Good D
No turmovers
Solid Tackling
Purdue sucks
Solid Road team
O-line
Controlling both sides of the line of scrimmage

The Bad to Average:
Special Teams (All of them) What was with the short and high kickoffs?
Backup D
Stupid easy to avoid penalties
While Tommy played good he misses the wide open WR on several instances. I watched him try to squeeze another pass to Floyd on the left when Toma was waiving is arms WIDE open on the right side of the field.
Tommy's almost 3 Ints

I hope Kelly breaks out some new looks both on D and especially on offense. Really need a running option at our disposal in the red zone. I see more Ints against better competition. Tommy had 4 TO's against USC last year and he needs to keep up on the zero TO bandwagon. Didn't like seeing Dayne in there with the third stringers. They could have brought him in the one series earlier but I think Kelly would be afriad if he played really well. I like the screen pass under alot of pressure he made to Atkinson. I don't think Reese pulls that off. Too bad Atkinson trips over is shoelace which keeps Dayne off the field and allows the Purdue O to move the ball 95 yards on a weak group of ND backups. This game should have been about 52 - 6.

I think Kelly would be afriad if he played really well.

No way dude.

I like the screen pass under alot of pressure he made to Atkinson. I don't think Reese pulls that off.

Seriously? Why? I need to hear this. Also, it's Rees.

This game should have been about 52 - 6.

Let me guess.. It would have been if Crist started right?

 

[BGIF]

Gosh maybe I was drinking too much but I still only saw Rees throwing the ball to Floyd. TJ was minimal, Eifert minimal, and Riddick non existant. Floyd and the running game, that's all I saw. Could you imagine if Floyd wasn't on the field, what then would Tommy do?

Don't you get tired of posting the same BS each week? I posted the season receiving stats after your last rant. You apparently drink too much every week. Your perception isn't reality. Rees threw 3 TD passes, one to Floyd, one to Jones, one to Eifert. That's spreading it around!

If Floyd wasn't on the field Tommy or any other QB Throw most of his passes to the open man like he did this week. When Floyd was out last season, Crist, very logically, threw more passes to Rudolph. Last week when Floyd was heavily covered Rees threw more to Eifert.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Originally Posted by Jozodog1201
Gosh maybe I was drinking too much but I still only saw Rees throwing the ball to Floyd. TJ was minimal, Eifert minimal, and Riddick non existant. Floyd and the running game, that's all I saw. Could you imagine if Floyd wasn't on the field, what then would Tommy do?

Don't you get tired of posting the same BS each week? I posted the season receiving stats after your last rant. You apparently drink too much every week. Your perception isn't reality. Rees threw 3 TD passes, one to Floyd, one to Jones, one to Eifert. That's spreading it around!

If Floyd wasn't on the field Tommy or any other QB Throw most of his passes to the open man like he did this week. When Floyd was out last season, Crist, very logically, threw more passes to Rudolph. Last week when Floyd was heavily covered Rees threw more to Eifert.

I actually made the mistake of going back and reading this dudes previous posts... My head hurts.. It's awful, painful.. Troll like actually.. with tiny little troll bites.

 

[BeatSC]

Not sure if we win 52-6 with Dayne I think the final score with Toomy should have bee 52-6. We miss 2 FG and probably should have had more TD's instead of FG attempts. We could have run the ball on every play and won that game. Regarding the screen pass comment; I think Dayne was surrounded by either 3 or 4 Purdue players and I think Reese would have done one of 3-4 different things: Taken a sack with or without a fumble, thrown the ball into the ground. thrown the ball out of bounds, thrown and Int. I don't tink he would have been able to see over them the way that Dayne did.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I don't tink he would have been able to see over them the way that Dayne did.

Rees is 6'2''. Crist is 6'4''.

I guess 2'' makes all the difference?

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Not sure if we win 52-6 with Dayne I think the final score with Toomy should have bee 52-6. We miss 2 FG and probably should have had more TD's instead of FG attempts. We could have run the ball on every play and won that game. Regarding the screen pass comment; I think Dayne was surrounded by either 3 or 4 Purdue players and I think Reese would have done one of 3-4 different things: Taken a sack with or without a fumble, thrown the ball into the ground. thrown the ball out of bounds, thrown and Int. I don't tink he would have been able to see over them the way that Dayne did.

Well, that's the point of a screen play.. and Tommy has successfully executed a handful of them this season. Dayne is literally 2 inches taller than Tommy.

7-1.. The truth is no one knows anything about Hendrix, Golson or Crist besides the coaching staff. If they thought one of them gave ND a better chance of winning, they'd be starting. If Tommy starts playing terribly Im sure the coaching staff will make moves but right now he is winning and getting better, get used to it.

 

[BGIF]

From the UND post game show:

Cowart left with an injured hand. Jack Nolan refused to speculate on how he hurt it.

Ethan Johnson was reported to have an ankle sprain and was in a boot as a precaution. He walked without assistance or crutches.

Wood did run for 200 yards but his TFLs totaled 9 yards for a Net of 191.

Mulvey did run the victory formation. He's listed in UND stats under Team Participation. Nice move Coach Kelly.

 

[BGIF]

... THE BS TROLL:

... Didn't like seeing Dayne in there with the third stringers. They could have brought him in the one series earlier but I think Kelly would be afriad if he played really well.

Third stringers ... I saw McDaniel on one play, and Atkinson on another. AND there was Koyack who has been the #2 TE until Welch came off injury and who plays with the First Team in multiple TE sets. Lombard, Nuss, and Golic are second string. Toma plays with Rees he runs with the twos.

Kelly would be afraid (sic)... If Crist had played well to start with, Rees would have taken his first snaps tonight. But this thread would still be here with you bitching about Kelly not giving Rees a fair shake.

... I like the screen pass under alot of pressure he made to Atkinson. I don't think Reese pulls that off.

We all like the screen Crist executed. But Rees has already made that throw if you've been watching games. Did you notice the correct spelling. Trolls usually have trouble spelling players name.

... Too bad Atkinson trips over is shoelace which keeps Dayne off the field and allows the Purdue O to move the ball 95 yards on a weak group of ND backups.

His shoelace. Really. A defender got a piece of him and saved a big play. Had Te'O or Lynach had got a hand of a defender you'd be extolling the big play saving stop but rediculing the technique.

... This game should have been about 52 - 6.

They all should be on paper but right now Kelly has one less game scoring that many than Holtz and Rockne did in the same number of games. He's tied with Layden, Leahy, Parshegian and Devine. Holtz did it against the Death Penalty SMU Mustangs and Rocke did it against a Division III team. ND has NOT played that caliber of school in 75 years.

Troll On!

 

[woolybug25]

From the UND post game show:

Cowart left with an injured hand. Jack Nolan refused to speculate on how he hurt it.

That made me giggle. I loved what Kelly said at halftime about it. "He has got to be more poised than that..... I mean... hes a long snapper." So true.


When did a screen pass become a difficult throw? Last time I checked, it's one of the easiest to make.

 

[EifertPower]

The Good
*That's how you start a game! Interception on their first play. 40 yard TD on your second play
*Looked like we added some new plays to the offensive repitoire that looked good. I really like the play action plays and like to see Rees throw it long ocassionally
*Rees played well enough to quiet down talk about QB controversy this week. Let's be honest, if he played really poorly yesterday Kelly would've been forced to do something. Whether I'm crazy about Rees or not, i don't want us to have a QB controversy all season.
*Our offensive line completely dominated Purdue and regrouped from a really bad game against Pitt.
*No turnovers
*TJ Jones seems to be finding his niche on the team this year
*I don't believe or defense missed any glaring tackles. Great job tackling this game.
*No significant injures. Call me a pessimist but once the game became a blowout I figured a major injury would happen to leave a sour taste in our mouths.
*Our running game is looking great this year. Gray and Wood are excellent and so are our offensive line.

The Bad
*Our kickoffs yesterday were consistently terrible. There landed at around the 10 yard line at best
*Have we had a good punt return since Golden Tate left (besides the one against Michigan State last year that got called back for a block in the back?). It's gotten to the point where the best case scenario for us on punt returns is a John Goodman fair catch.
*Why are field goals such a struggle for us this year?
*Can we get Riddick more involved in the offense? I can't decide whether it's him or Rees or Kelly but something needs to be done.
*So much for having Kona Schwenke redshirt this year
*Gary Gray still isn't turning his head on those fades.
*We are very dependent on Michael Floyd on offense. Floyd is a stud and good enough to carry the load but it worries me because I'd like to see one game where Floyd is contained and either Riddick or TJ Jones really steps up and makes like 8 or 9 catches. Plus, in the back of my mind I know we won't have Floyd next year and we'll eventually have to learn to not be so dependent on him
*Once it was 35-3 in the third quarter i was hoping see the second and third stringers get more snaps. They don't get too many opportunities and I'd at least like to see more what they can do in games like this. Besides if Wood got injured in the 4th quarter I never would've forgiven Kelly.

Plays of the Game
1. Gary Gray's INT to start the game
2. Michael Floyd's 40 yard TD on the 2nd play on offense
3. The personal foul penalty on Purdue late in the first quarter when they otherwise would have forced us to try a field goal. If I'm a Purdue fan i'm still livid about that call.
4. Wood's 55 yard TD run.
5. Tommy Rees falling on that fumble late in the second quarter in our own territory. If he doesn't I can easily see Purdue scoring a TD on that right before the half and having it be 21-10.

 

[Irish Man3]

After watching the game again this morning:

1. Cierre Wood's vision is unreal. That is by far his best running back quality. He played a great game all the way around. He was a big reason Rees had a lot of time to throw as well.

2. The one, two punch of Cierre and Jonas is among the top five in the country. I'll say you still have to have Richardson and Lacy as number one and perhaps Demps and Rainey as number two. After that, I don't see a better tandem in college football.

3. Tommy Rees played a solid game. My favorite play of this entire game was the touchdown pass to Jones. You saw for the first time in awhile, Tommy came off his initial target and went through his progression. He didn't have to throw the ball to the turf or throw it out of bounds. He was able to stand tall in the pocket and go through his progression. Very nice to see.

The downside to Tommy seems to be when he misses, he misses late and high. That is a recipe for turnovers. He had a couple arrant throws throughout the game. The one to Toma in the end zone comes to mind first and for most. The slant on the outside to Jones was high and late as well. All in all, I was excited to see Tommy mature a little more on the field tonight.

4. Notre Dame's offensive line is in great shape. They are all 300+ pounds but extremely athletic. They have really played solid football this year but especially tonight.

5. I have a question about Ishaq? Anyone else notice how slow off the edge he's coming? It's a very hesitated move off the snap. My hope is that as he becomes more comfortable in the defensive schemes, the faster the game comes to him.

6. If Ethan Johnson is out for an extended period of time it's really going to hurt this defense. He and KLM have been the cornerstones of the defense this year. His absence will show up against Air Force if he is not able to go.

7. Fleming is establishing himself off the edge finally. It started two weeks ago against Michigan State, continued last week against Pittsburgh, and again last night against Purdue. The dude is a serious weapon if he can put it all together.

8. Michael Floyd has the best hands in college football. He may not be the best receiver in some minds, but few can question his hands.

9. John Goodman could be the worst punt returner in college football. I kid, but honestly, he's not very good. My guess at this point is that Kelly just wants the ball to be caught. More or less damage control at this point than anything else.

10. The true freshman on this team are extremely talented. I don't have to say a whole lot about Tuitt and Lynch, but George Atkinson is someone I'm impressed with. I would really like to see him moved back to wide receiver after this year. If we can add another running back in this cycle, and with Roberson coming back next year with Wood, the numbers should allow that. The kid is special with the football in his hands.

Great win and Go Irish!

 

[irishfanjho15]

Plays of the Game
1. Gary Gray's INT to start the game
2. Michael Floyd's 40 yard TD on the 2nd play on offense
3. The personal foul penalty on Purdue late in the first quarter when they otherwise would have forced us to try a field goal. If I'm a Purdue fan i'm still livid about that call.
4. Wood's 55 yard TD run.
5. Tommy Rees falling on that fumble late in the second quarter in our own territory. If he doesn't I can easily see Purdue scoring a TD on that right before the half and having it be 21-10.

Letter of the rule and one of the main points of emphasis for NCAA referees this year. You can't draw attention to yourself individually or taunt. Finger wagging at the crowd AND THEN high-fiving multiple fans SITTING IN THE STANDS following a play is excessive, whether you personally agree or not. I for one don't, but it's the rules. I think college football should be fun and they should be able to celebrate but this is one of the only ways the NCAA has any say in what goes on. They sure as hell don't control a thing off the field.

 

[Riddickulous]

After watching the game again this morning:

1. Cierre Wood's vision is unreal. That is by far his best running back quality. He played a great game all the way around. He was a big reason Rees had a lot of time to throw as well.

2. The one, two punch of Cierre and Jonas is among the top five in the country. I'll say you still have to have Richardson and Lacy as number one and perhaps Demps and Rainey as number two. After that, I don't see a better tandem in college football.

3. Tommy Rees played a solid game. My favorite play of this entire game was the touchdown pass to Jones. You saw for the first time in awhile, Tommy came off his initial target and went through his progression. He didn't have to throw the ball to the turf or throw it out of bounds. He was able to stand tall in the pocket and go through his progression. Very nice to see.

The downside to Tommy seems to be when he misses, he misses late and high. That is a recipe for turnovers. He had a couple arrant throws throughout the game. The one to Toma in the end zone comes to mind first and for most. The slant on the outside to Jones was high and late as well. All in all, I was excited to see Tommy mature a little more on the field tonight.

4. Notre Dame's offensive line is in great shape. They are all 300+ pounds but extremely athletic. They have really played solid football this year but especially tonight.

5. I have a question about Ishaq? Anyone else notice how slow off the edge he's coming? It's a very hesitated move off the snap. My hope is that as he becomes more comfortable in the defensive schemes, the faster the game comes to him.

6. If Ethan Johnson is out for an extended period of time it's really going to hurt this defense. He and KLM have been the cornerstones of the defense this year. His absence will show up against Air Force if he is not able to go.

7. Fleming is establishing himself off the edge finally. It started two weeks ago against Michigan State, continued last week against Pittsburgh, and again last night against Purdue. The dude is a serious weapon if he can put it all together.

8. Michael Floyd has the best hands in college football. He may not be the best receiver in some minds, but few can question his hands.

9. John Goodman could be the worst punt returner in college football. I kid, but honestly, he's not very good. My guess at this point is that Kelly just wants the ball to be caught. More or less damage control at this point than anything else.

10. The true freshman on this team are extremely talented. I don't have to say a whole lot about Tuitt and Lynch, but George Atkinson is someone I'm impressed with. I would really like to see him moved back to wide receiver after this year. If we can add another running back in this cycle, and with Roberson coming back next year with Wood, the numbers should allow that. The kid is special with the football in his hands.

Great win and Go Irish!

1) Agree.
2) I wouldn't go that far. Maybe Top 10.
3) Agree.
4) Agree.
5) I thought I was the only one who noticed how hesitant Ishaq looks engaging blockers.
6) Agree. You could feel his absence last night at times.
7) Agree. He should be even better in the NFL if he lands on a team that can maximize his potential.
8) He doesn't even have the best hands on his own team. Eifert has better hands.
9) No blocking.
10) He's (GAIII) shown some bright flashes, but I want to see more. The potential's certainly there, though.

 

[NDinL.A.]

Didn't like seeing Dayne in there with the third stringers. They could have brought him in the one series earlier but I think Kelly would be afriad if he played really well. I like the screen pass under alot of pressure he made to Atkinson. I don't think Reese pulls that off. Too bad Atkinson trips over is shoelace which keeps Dayne off the field and allows the Purdue O to move the ball 95 yards on a weak group of ND backups. This game should have been about 52 - 6.

Did you even watch the game when Tommy was in? No, seriously, do you just look for bad things with Tommy and ignore the good? As BGIF said, Rees ALREADY COMPLETED THAT SCREEN PASS - TWICE! That's embarrassing to be THAT much against a ND player that you'll purposely ignore the good he does just to rip on him and prop up your boy Crist.

And LOL at Kelly 'being scared that Crist might play well'. Haven't you already seen that it doesn't matter what Crist does from here on out - Rees is the guy until he melts down completely and the team loses. You really think Kelly was scared that Crist would look so good that people like you would start calling for Rees to be benched? Seriously? HINT: He doesn't give a flying f**k what you, me, or anyone else outside the team thinks.

Sad that even in a clear victory, you have to make up things about Rees to b!tch about (and the sad thing is, there were things to complain about on Rees, and yet you whiffed on those).

 

[kmoose]

2. The one, two punch of Cierre and Jonas is among the top five in the country. I'll say you still have to have Richardson and Lacy as number one and perhaps Demps and Rainey as number two. After that, I don't see a better tandem in college football.

As much as it pains me to say.......Oregon's duo of LeMichael James and Kenjon Barner/DeAnthony Thomas is better.

 

[Irish Man3]

As much as it pains me to say.......Oregon's duo of LeMichael James and Kenjon Barner/DeAnthony Thomas is better.

That is certainly another duo that I would throw in ahead of ours. I don't see 7 more that would push ours out of the top 10 though.

 

[Anchorman]

That is certainly another duo that I would throw in ahead of ours. I don't see 7 more that would push ours out of the top 10 though.

Lattimore/Whoever is behind Lattimore is another. It really depends on if we're evaluating top RB or the duo. Both have been stellar, but both also have costly mistakes. Hard to really evaluate across the board.

 

[Irish Man3]

Lattimore/Whoever is behind Lattimore.

There is nobody behind Lattimore, that's why he is carrying the ball 30+ times a game. I personally, would take Jonas and Cierre over just Lattimore.