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

[kmoose]

1. I think the notion that the upperclassmen had quit on Brian Kelly should probably be put to bed, now!

2. Congrats to the defense! They played so much better against the option, this year, than in recent years. Navy ran for less than 200 yards, with a 3.9 ypc average. I think the biggest difference, from my untrained eyes, was that there seemed to almost always be two guys outside, on the option runs. In recent years, it seemed that it was always 2 on 1, forcing the defender to take either the QB or the pitchman. Today, it seemed like there was always 2 on 2 out there. THAT'S one huge key to defending the option: don't let them get numbers on the edge!

3. I'm really happy for the offense: finally hanging half a hundred on someone. Big step in the right direction! Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood with about a dozen carries each; very nice to see.

4. Is it me, or have sportscasters in general, and Hammond and Mayock in particular, developed a really annoying habit of talking through plays? It's as if they are so eager to show how smart they are, that they forget what the hell they are there for in the first place: TO COVER WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE GAME!!!! Especially late in the game, when the reserves were in, it was a little harder to see who was making tackles, etc. And these jackrags are blowing hot air about recruiting, while failing to tell us who made the tackle.

5. Ishaq Williams made some very nice plays. Granted it was Navy, but Ishaq is a true freshman, so I would call that a push!

6. Though many may disagree, I was glad to see Crist get in the game. This kid has been a model teammate, and deserves every break life can send his way. I know that getting Hendrix more experience would probably have been smarter. But I think that Kelly was sending a message that, if you truly exhibit a "team first" attitude, then good things will happen for you. Even if you are not a starter.

 

[Dizzyphil]

Funny thing,...when we don't beat ourselves, we win....how strange that works....

Go Irish!!!! Good Win...


Diz

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

Both Navy scores came off turnovers.


Biggest gripe today:
The rock music was blasting over the band while they played the victory march after a touchdown.
They need to figure out when it's time to play that crap and still keep the band involved.

 

[kmoose]

Biggest gripe today:
The rock music was blasting over the band while they played the victory march after a touchdown.
They need to figure out when it's time to play that crap and still keep the band involved.

I can't remember which TD it was, but it occurred to me(just after one of the TDs) that they did NOT play any music, yet I still didn't hear the Victory March. Not sure if the band just gave up, as I do remember that this was a second half TD, or if it was just a fluke. But you are correct........ one of the things that I love about games in South Bend, as opposed to road games, is hearing the band play the Victory March after touchdowns.

I do like the music, at the appropriate times, though.

 

[MacIrish75]

I think Brian Kelly's comment served the intended purpose: it pissed the upperclassmen off to the point they did something about it.

Coaching is gambling sometimes. Kelly hit 21 on this one.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

Victory March
Rakes
Victory Clog
Celtic Chant

Let's not let some pop rock end our great traditions.

I say keep the rock for TV timeouts, pre kickoffs, and team intros.
We already have GREAT music for everything else.

 

[kmoose]

I think Brian Kelly's comment served the intended purpose: it pissed the upperclassmen off to the point they did something about it.

Coaching is gambling sometimes. Kelly hit 21 on this one.

I think this remains to be seen. Notre Dame is significantly more athletic than Navy. ND can easily get up early and coast, most years. So it could just have been one of those years. I want to see how the next couple of weeks plays out, but I think any talk of controversy should just go away, at this point.

 

[MacIrish75]

Victory March
Rakes
Victory Clog
Celtic Chant

Let's not let some pop rock end our great traditions.

I say keep the rock for TV timeouts, pre kickoffs, and team intros.
We already have GREAT music for everything else.

I like the music. I notice (via NBC) that the crowd does seem that much more amped when a rock anthem begins to blare throughout the stadium. Call us "sheeple" but it works.

 

[PJWhitfield]

Does anybody know how good/bad Wake Forest is? What can Irish expect?

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

Don't get me wrong.
I like it (the music) too, just not the way it's being used.

Keep it for after TV time outs.
There's enough of them and the crowd needs a jolt after them.

 

[notredomer23]

*A+ by the defense. Manti T'eo and Stephon Tuitt were the MVPs IMO

* 6 rushing touchdowns today. Gotta love it. Actually 7 I think because they counted Floyd's as rush.

*Ishaq Williams is relying right now on his athletic ability alone. When he learns the game he will be amazing.

* Time to remove that lateral pass play from the playbook. Rees and the backs can't execute

*Austin Collinsworth quietly had a nice game on special teams

*Eiffert was quiet, not like we needed him.

* I see us in the future using a four man front with Tuitt and Nix as our DT's and Lynch and someone else as the DE's. Too much talent to leave off the field.

*Navy is bad. But we destroyed

*Feelsgoodman

*Good to see Crist complete a pass or two.

*Atkinson is going to be special, like we already didn't know. Next year I see him getting significant PT if he bulks up a little more. Should be definite back up to Cierre.

 

[NDFan537]

I think the team responded well to whatever was intended by the comments. I was glad to see Jonas score on short yardage three times and not fumble. Builds confidence. I think I have no idea what the intentions of BK are most of the time, but I think in the presser he was pissed and that is why he "called out" most of the team...........

 

[Irish Houstonian]

I am liking the Tuit/Nix tandem at 4-3 DT's. They stuff the run and Tuit collapses the pocket like a mofo.

 

[notredomer23]

Can someone tell me the last time an ND team rushed for 7 touchdowns in a game? I'd imagine it happened under Holtz but idk.

 

[Riddickulous]

* Great gameplan from Bob Diaco.

* Rees had a solid game.

* Jonas > Cierre. Both played very well today.

* Floyd was Floyd.

* Riddick and Jones had their moments, as usual.

* Eifert was quiet.

* Pass protection was flawless. Run blocking was also excellent.

* Tremendous game from a young DL.

* Manti Te'o had a remarkable game.

* Dan Fox made some great plays.

* How about the young linebackers? Ishaq, Niklas, and Kendall Moore all made some great plays at the end.

* Secondary wasn't tested.

* Despite not being tested, Zeke Motta is godawful.

* Collinsworth is a champ on special teams.

* George Atkinson is an electric return man.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

* I see us in the future using a four man front with Tuitt and Nix as our DT's and Lynch and someone else as the DE's. Too much talent to leave off the field.

I think #1 plays the other end position in that scenario.

One last thought:
I wish Jonas had another year of eligibility left.
He's getting it and is becoming a total force.

 

[jason_h537]

Great job by the D. Played smart. Te'o stepped up big today. Tuitt was solid inside.

O line was great

Jonas Gray was huge today

ST is slowly improving

Tommy gave up 14 points

Not much to complain about today, good job

 

[meowmix]

I think this win was important because the team is now at the level where they beat horrible teams soundly. Next up is consistently beating mediocre teams, and eventually, beating good teams.

 

[IrishLax]

Our OL is playing so well right now. Played awesome against USC too... they got absolutely no pressure on Rees. If they continue to play at this level we should win the next 3 games and have a shot at Stanford. That's all we can ask for.

 

[BGIF]

1. ...

2. Congrats to the defense! They played so much better against the option, this year, than in recent years. Navy ran for less than 200 yards, with a 3.9 ypc average. I think the biggest difference, from my untrained eyes, was that there seemed to almost always be two guys outside, on the option runs. In recent years, it seemed that it was always 2 on 1, forcing the defender to take either the QB or the pitchman. Today, it seemed like there was always 2 on 2 out there. THAT'S one huge key to defending the option: don't let them get numbers on the edge!

In the post game PC Kelly noted Tuitt and Cywnar took out the fullback forcing Navy's hand.

Congrats to Diaco particularly with the injured upperclassmen DLs.

3. I'm really happy for the offense: finally hanging half a hundred on someone. Big step in the right direction! Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood with about a dozen carries each; very nice to see.

ND beat AF 3 weeks ago with 59 points.

OLine was a force on both passing and rushing plays.

4. Is it me, or have sportscasters in general, and Hammond and Mayock in particular, developed a really annoying habit of talking through plays? It's as if they are so eager to show how smart they are, that they forget what the hell they are there for in the first place: TO COVER WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE GAME!!!! Especially late in the game, when the reserves were in, it was a little harder to see who was making tackles, etc. And these jackrags are blowing hot air about recruiting, while failing to tell us who made the tackle.

They did the same last week interviewing Hayden. The Crist commentary from the booth followed by the Flanagan monologue was overkill. They ran with it pregame and again during the game. They were like rookie reporters, "I spent the past two days working on that piece you have to show it now. I don't care if it interferes with the game."

...

6. Though many may disagree, I was glad to see Crist get in the game. This kid has been a model teammate, and deserves every break life can send his way. I know that getting Hendrix more experience would probably have been smarter. But I think that Kelly was sending a message that, if you truly exhibit a "team first" attitude, then good things will happen for you. Even if you are not a starter.

One of the first question post game was, "Why Crist?" Kelly responded, "He's the next man in. He practiced well and he played well. Good play and made a couple of good checks."

 

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

* Rees had a solid game.

Is that right? My definition of solid doesn't include two turnovers. Just sayin...

 

[Riddickulous]

Is that right? My definition of solid doesn't include two turnovers. Just sayin...

He was 16/22 passing and never should've been on the field for his interception.

 

[MacIrish75]

I think this win was important because the team is now at the level where they beat horrible teams soundly. Next up is consistently beating mediocre teams, and eventually, beating good teams.

This. I am totally on board with this. The sporadic and maddening nature of teams during the Weis era where we'd look awesome, then terrible, then even more terrible, then good again, then play with bad teams for 4 quarters seems to be dissipating. It's a progression. We haven't started off like we did with Weis and I'm okay with that. It's building. We're achieving things in levels. Should we have beaten USF and UM? Yeah, probably. But the fact that we're soundly beating inferior opponents is a step forward that we haven't seen in a long time.

 

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

He was 16/22 passing and never should've been on the field for his interception.

That hardly makes it ok. I'm not slamming him, just saying he wasn't particularly solid.

 

[meowmix]

He was 16/22 passing and never should've been on the field for his interception.

Does that excuse the interception? And how long until Kelly realizes that Rees can't throw a decent swing pass?

 

[IrishinSyria]

He was 16/22 passing and never should've been on the field for his interception.

Doesn't absolve him of responsibility. That being said, I think he had a nice game: got the ball in the hands of his studs (especially Floyd) who did the rest.

 

[Te'o4Heisman]

He was 16/22 passing and never should've been on the field for his interception.

Rees was pedestrian, but it was good enough to beat a bad Navy team with our ability to run the ball the way we did. He still missed a ton of reads and made some boneheaded plays.

 

[meowmix]

This game gave us proof that it doesn't matter who's returning punts if they're surrounded by members of the punting team when they catch the ball. I don't understand our punt return philosophy. We rush three but they just stop in front of the three blockers, not even trying to block the punt (the punt where the punter dropped the ball should have been easily blocked) and there is literally no blocking for the returner.

 

[meowmix]

Rees was pedestrian, but it was good enough to beat a bad Navy team with our ability to run the ball the way we did. He still missed a ton of reads and made some boneheaded plays.

I'm pretty sure 99% of D-1 qbs could have won this game easily thanks to the running game.

 

[IrishinSyria]

This game gave us proof that it doesn't matter who's returning punts if they're surrounded by members of the punting team when they catch the ball. I don't understand our punt return philosophy. We rush three but they just stop in front of the three blockers, not even trying to block the punt (the punt where the punter dropped the ball should have been easily blocked) and there is literally no blocking for the returner.

I think the logic is that all we need to do is fair catch the ball and not rough the punter and our O will take care of the rest. Still, it's frustrating to see us not even attempt to set up a return.