Post Game Observations........

[Old Man Mike]

Personal BS comments:
1]. We played great. The opponent was a bunch of high-octane athletes who, regardless of their qualities as a football team, did NOT look faster nor stronger nor more athletic than us, and in fact on almost every play we looked the better athletes.[let alone the better football players];

2]. Some have said that we looked shaky defensively in the first quarter. I say BS. We looked shaky on TWO plays --- two busted coverages. Defense was great and will get even better. Might mention that neither of the two "shaky" plays were by the corners;

3]. The O-Line played in a relentless manner so that Miami actually quit [in a competitive give-it-he!l-every-play sense] by early in the second half. Niklas had more "sweep-the-entire-side-away" plays than I've ever seen a blocker exhibit in a game. Despite Miami's putrid D, I believe that this "lights-on" finding of how to use Niklas as edge destroyer is the greatest offensive development discovered this day;

4]. I cannot resist this even though it's bittersweet. Cam McDaniel. When he signed, my brother, who knew about him, said we'd gotten a major prize. Everybody rightly hates Craig James, but he was a great football player/athlete. My brother said that Cam was a better back, both athletically and speed/quickness, than James. Cam McDaniel is VERY quick, great "eyes" and cutting ability, very tough and leg-powerful in the interior holes, faster than anyone wants to believe --- this guy could be a terrific back.

I wasn't surprised one tiny bit when he ripped gain after gain, with phenomenal seeing and cuts, all the way down the field. And did you see Manti on the sidelines zoned in and wanting to see Cam do this and score? But I am afraid that we'll never get to see what he can really do, due to "circumstances". Cam McDaniel deserves some real touches --- I doubt he'll get them.

 

[fightingirish26]

Wood should be involved earlier in the game he looked far superior to riddick

 

[kmoose]

Wood should be involved earlier in the game he looked far superior to riddick

I don't think he looked "far superior" to Riddick. I think that Kelly uses the two differently. Each has his strengths, and each contributes something to the offense, and the game plan. I think we ought to all be happy that we have not one, but two legitimate tailbacks that we can put in there to run the ball.

 

[fightingirish26]

I don't think he looked "far superior" to Riddick. I think that Kelly uses the two differently. Each has his strengths, and each contributes something to the offense, and the game plan. I think we ought to all be happy that we have not one, but two legitimate tailbacks that we can put in there to run the ball.

You're right, woods weakness is his blocking if he could get that corrected it would be a no brainer to get him in there more and I do love the depth

 

[PANDFAN]

If Miami didn't drop those 2 Td passes on opening drive I wonder how our team would have responded and then we went 3 in out....lucky for us Golson was accurate..elusive..and made great reads on the.def....

The good:
Discipline team on both sides of ball which was very key to our success
Oline and the running game
Golson
Opening up of the playbook
Sound tackling
Sustainable drives
Great effort by all
A big thanks to the wr's of Miami who had at least 10 drops

The bad:
Koyack not sustaining his blocks...getting beat at point of attack and then a bad holding call
Really shocked we didn't get pressure...the announcers were saying we were but morris never really looked under duress

 

[Buster Bluth]

I don't think he looked "far superior" to Riddick. I think that Kelly uses the two differently. Each has his strengths, and each contributes something to the offense, and the game plan. I think we ought to all be happy that we have not one, but two legitimate tailbacks that we can put in there to run the ball.

Riddick gets arm-tackled way too easily. He is not the "elite" back that many said he was. He is extremely quick and can make guys miss, but if someone gets a single hand on his legs its over.

You can see it in the running style. Wood gets his knees up to his waist, Riddick barely gets his knees up. He gets tripped up way too often. Wood is far superior.

 

[PANDFAN]

You're right, woods weakness is his blocking if he could get that corrected it would be a no brainer to get him in there more and I do love the depth

Wood has no issues w his blocking

 

[Chris P. Bacon]

Their offense has the potential to be very good. Theyll be an up and down team this year. FSU is not doin well against NC State.

Great win for sure. Miami definitly has some skill players, now they just have to trust their coach and play hard. Gotta learn from these mistakes.

One of the announcers made a good point last night. Golden is like KElly was his first year, a lot of talent just no execustion. I'm glad were making the turn before Miami, they could definitly be a good team in a couple years.

 

[jimmymac]

Michael Floyd walked by me at a tailgate and he was with James Onowalu it was pretty cool to see them together

 

[Patulski]

There's a lot of Faust in there though, isn't there?

/obvious lack of italics
//eating crow implied

Well, we have improved. But I'll give you another example, which is Faust-like and strange. At the end of the half, we didn't block their punt team. So, when the punt hit around the 5, they had 5 players to down it inside the 5. We go three and out and they get a field goal to end the half. In the midst of this beatdown of a lousy team, people will overlook this. But in a struggle against a great team, this kind of mistake can mean the difference between winning a NC and not.

So wail away. We look better, but the fact is that the team did play a lot like a Faust team in that game, and there are lingering attention to detail things out there. Let's hope he gets it fixed before it bites him in the ***.

 

[tadman95]

Riddick gets arm-tackled way too easily. He is not the "elite" back that many said he was. He is extremely quick and can make guys miss, but if someone gets a single hand on his legs its over.

You can see it in the running style. Wood gets his knees up to his waist, Riddick barely gets his knees up. He gets tripped up way too often. Wood is far superior.

I tend to agree. Love Riddick, he runs hard but his running style is leaning forward as opposed to Wood who keeps his weight over his center. With Riddick's style, he's more susceptible to be tripped up. Glad we have him though, he has stepped up when we needed him.

 

[Patulski]

I don't think he looked "far superior" to Riddick. I think that Kelly uses the two differently. Each has his strengths, and each contributes something to the offense, and the game plan. I think we ought to all be happy that we have not one, but two legitimate tailbacks that we can put in there to run the ball.

It seems to me that Kelly had issues with Wood not being patient with the zone read blocking scheme. He said Wood had his best week in practice and Wood alluded in his postgame interview to how repetition has helped him adapt to the blocking scheme. I think he'll still play all three, but my guess is that if Wood continues to adapt well to the blocking scheme, he'll be the Rb when the game is on the line.

 

[Dizzyphil]

If Miami didn't drop those 2 Td passes on opening drive I wonder how our team would have responded and then we went 3 in out....lucky for us Golson was accurate..elusive..and made great reads on the.def....

The good:
Discipline team on both sides of ball which was very key to our success
Oline and the running game
Golson
Opening up of the playbook
Sound tackling
Sustainable drives
Great effort by all
A big thanks to the wr's of Miami who had at least 10 drops

The bad:
Koyack not sustaining his blocks...getting beat at point of attack and then a bad holding call
Really shocked we didn't get pressure...the announcers were saying we were but morris never really looked under duress

we would have won 41-10 is the only difference I could see.... The second-half of this game was the total difference in the game.

Diz

 

[DillonHall]

Let's not get carried away with the offense just yet. We were facing one of the very worst defenses in the nation. We put up more points against Navy and have looked lethargic on offense up until last night. As I'm sure Kelly would tell you, we need consistency.

 

[PANDFAN]

we would have won 41-10 is the only difference I could see.... The second-half of this game was the total difference in the game.

Diz

By score yes at the end...but it would have put nd down 7 and the momentum would have been w Miami...I'm glad it didn't but def would have given them confidence and would have deflated ours..

 

[Dizzyphil]

By score yes at the end...but it would have put nd down 7 and the momentum would have been w Miami...I'm glad it didn't but def would have given them confidence and would have deflated ours..

I see your point on the turn-around.... but this Kelly-coached team is different than teams coached by others since Holtz. If Dorsett catches one of those passes for a touchdown, yes the landscape changes. But still, the second-half was dominated by the Irish and the boys are doing something under Kelly they have not done in many years and that is close football games and finish strong.

Diz

 

[Buster Bluth]

Let's not get carried away with the offense just yet. We were facing one of the very worst defenses in the nation. We put up more points against Navy and have looked lethargic on offense up until last night. As I'm sure Kelly would tell you, we need consistency.

This is very true. If they can put up yards and points against Stanford and BYU, then that'll be different.

Still though, things could have clicked. The OL could have turned the corner on adjusting to the zone scheme. If that's the case, the offense will be alright. Golson looks confident for the first time all season. I'm loving this right now.

 

[Dizzyphil]

This is very true. If they can put up yards and points against Stanford and BYU, then that'll be different.

Still though, things could have clicked. The OL could have turned the corner on adjusting to the zone scheme. If that's the case, the offense will be alright. Golson looks confident for the first time all season. I'm loving this right now.

^^+1^^

I cannot say that I have seen the same offense or defense yet this year through 5 games for the Irish. I really believe Kelly and his staff are making the adjustments to the team's style we are playing. I think we are actually playing consistent and that consistency is based on how the scheme is set up for the team we are playing.

Diz

 

[Riddickulous]

Not much you can draw from this game offensively other than Miami's defense is absolutely terrible. I expect a low-scoring game next week.

 

[kmoose]

It seems to me that Kelly had issues with Wood not being patient with the zone read blocking scheme. He said Wood had his best week in practice and Wood alluded in his postgame interview to how repetition has helped him adapt to the blocking scheme. I think he'll still play all three, but my guess is that if Wood continues to adapt well to the blocking scheme, he'll be the Rb when the game is on the line.

I think Wood is the better back, myself. But I would not demean Riddick by dismissing him as "far inferior" to Wood. Riddick is a legitimate tailback. Not great, but legitimate.

 

[tommyIRISH23]

Not much you can draw from this game offensively other than Miami's defense is absolutely terrible. I expect a low-scoring game next week.

I think it will be relatively low scoring, probably around 24-10 ND. I think Brian Kelly is getting more comfortable openning up the playbook and adding more of his offense to our arsenal.

Golson looks much more comfortable understanding what hes seeing. He is not starring down recievers as much and going through his progressions. I liked how he manipulated the safety to go towards his (Golsons) left then checked back and hit DD perfectly in the window.

Golson looked faster and more elusive tonight. He seemed very comfortable with the read option. He was quick through the hole and showed great vision and elusiveness. I think we are going to expand on that package. If we can run that successfully, opponents D-lines are going to be 1 step slower reacting.

Also, I think we have been capable as an offensive group all along. It didn't seem like 2002 where we just couldnt get anything done nomatter what we tried. I think our lack of offense was more due to Kelly being (overlly maybe?) cautious in protecting the ball and playing field position on the backs of our defense. But, if you look back, when ND needed a first down...ND got the first down...When ND needed to score...we scored.

Kelly knew just how dangerous of a team Miami can be, they are extremely talented and athletic, and can score very quickly. They are also very young, and we all can remember how momentum can inspire young talented teams. If Miami got on a roll, and was in the game during the fourth quarter...it couldve been ugly. This was not the type of team you play field position with while leaning on your defense. Momentum can also cause young talented teams to come apart at the seams when it goes the opponents way. Kelly controlled the flow of the game and never let Miami get on a roll.

Stanford matches up well with our defense. We're going into a slugfest. But, I think ND has the athletes to score points if Kelly doesn't play "ball control".

24-10 ND

 

[tommyIRISH23]

I think Wood is the better back, myself. But I would not demean Riddick by dismissing him as "far inferior" to Wood. Riddick is a legitimate tailback. Not great, but legitimate.

Wood is definetly better. He gets the hard yards consistently. When riddick gets touched he seems to leap or jump forward throwing his body in the air lol. If he got low and kept his knees pumping he'd be much more effective.

GA3 should get atleast 8-12 touches a game. He will eventually break one

 

[Dizzyphil]

Wood is definetly better. He gets the hard yards consistently. When riddick gets touched he seems to leap or jump forward throwing his body in the air lol. If he got low and kept his knees pumping he'd be much more effective.

GA3 should get atleast 8-12 touches a game. He will eventually break one

...again

Diz

 

[koonja]

Random facts. ND is 4-1 against the spread, and I believe this week makes Mark May 0-5 in ND game predictions.

 

[rikkitikki08]

GAIII is freakishly fast....that is all

 

[BurningRiver]

When GAIII broke his long TD run, my dad was walking by and asked when the last time ND had speed like that was. I couldn't come up with an answer.

 

[rikkitikki08]

When GAIII broke his long TD run, my dad was walking by and asked when the last time ND had speed like that was. I couldn't come up with an answer.

Rocket!

 

[PANDFAN]

When GAIII broke his long TD run, my dad was walking by and asked when the last time ND had speed like that was. I couldn't come up with an answer.

Tate..only one since rocket

 

[arrowryan]

Tate..only one since rocket

GA3 is faster than Golden tate

 

[Irish To The Core]

Personal BS comments:
1]. We played great. The opponent was a bunch of high-octane athletes who, regardless of their qualities as a football team, did NOT look faster nor stronger nor more athletic than us, and in fact on almost every play we looked the better athletes.[let alone the better football players];

2]. Some have said that we looked shaky defensively in the first quarter. I say BS. We looked shaky on TWO plays --- two busted coverages. Defense was great and will get even better. Might mention that neither of the two "shaky" plays were by the corners;

3]. The O-Line played in a relentless manner so that Miami actually quit [in a competitive give-it-he!l-every-play sense] by early in the second half. Niklas had more "sweep-the-entire-side-away" plays than I've ever seen a blocker exhibit in a game. Despite Miami's putrid D, I believe that this "lights-on" finding of how to use Niklas as edge destroyer is the greatest offensive development discovered this day;

4]. I cannot resist this even though it's bittersweet. Cam McDaniel. When he signed, my brother, who knew about him, said we'd gotten a major prize. Everybody rightly hates Craig James, but he was a great football player/athlete. My brother said that Cam was a better back, both athletically and speed/quickness, than James. Cam McDaniel is VERY quick, great "eyes" and cutting ability, very tough and leg-powerful in the interior holes, faster than anyone wants to believe --- this guy could be a terrific back.

I wasn't surprised one tiny bit when he ripped gain after gain, with phenomenal seeing and cuts, all the way down the field. And did you see Manti on the sidelines zoned in and wanting to see Cam do this and score? But I am afraid that we'll never get to see what he can really do, due to "circumstances". Cam McDaniel deserves some real touches --- I doubt he'll get them.

I have to say that you are likely the most level headed and logical contributor to this forum Mike. But on this point I will have to respectfully disagree.

Yes the two deep balls were the obvious problems, but there were many other problems that the d had with Miami early on. The pass rush was not there early on and Miami receivers dropped more passes than those two bombs...drops that snuffed drives. Miami also ran pretty well early on but drops and penalties came to our aid. BUT the defensive problems were corrected and as the game progressed the ND defense took over entirely. This d was facing a very potent offense.

Maybe "shakey" was not the best adjective to use, but Miami gave them some problems early on. I don't want to be critical of the d. I am impressed the way they adapted and really shut down Miami for the bulk of the game.