Postgame Thoughts

[drayer54]

Lotta hate for Rees, but he manufactured 38 points during regulation in a game where we were starting several new guys on offense in a hostile environment in prime time. Look at all the extra motivation FSU had too, and we still found a way to win thankfully. I think this offense has some real weapons if they can continue to improve. Our OL definitely needs work, and I sincerely hope Big Fish is okay. I don't see Kyren getting the yards he got last season unless our OL finds a way to gel, but maybe behind Coan, and hopefully Mayer/Austin/Lenzy we keep defenses from loading up the box and we end up passing to setup the run.

Freeman, on the other hand, definitely has a lot of work to do. This was a very experienced defense that should not have given up 38 points to FSU.

I really liked Rees’ first quarter script. The flea flicker would have been amazing had it connected. I thought he went with what worked and it wasn’t the run game. The run game needs fixed, but I still thought Rees was fine.

 

[Dale]

Took a really bad angle and was a big reason that 1st long td run happened.

Actually wasn’t Griffith or a bad angle. DJ Brown just arm tackle ole’d it

 

[Bluto]

Actually wasn’t Griffith or a bad angle. DJ Brown just arm tackle ole’d it

You’re right. Rewatched it. Brown just stopped moving and the guy ran right past him.

 

[T-Boone]

BK was good in the press conference.

 

[T-Boone]

Actually wasn’t Griffith or a bad angle. DJ Brown just arm tackle ole’d it

I thought it was 33 missed the tackle on that play maybe it was several missed tackles

 

[Irishize]

Remember 2018, beating Ball State at home by one score? Or Vanderbilt at home the next week by one score? Didn’t matter because ND kept wining.
This FSU team is better than both those teams & was on the road. If ND keeps winning, regardless of how, people will forget this game & ND will move up while others lose.
If FSU goes 8-4, then this will be a good road win.

If FSU can’t go 8-4 in a weak ACC, then they’ve got bigger problems than we thought.

 

[NewEnglandGuy]

Positives:
Doerer - 5/5 PATs, 48 yard FG, 41 game winning OT FG
Coan - 74% comp despite drops and Hail Mary INT, 366 yards and 4 TDs
Austin - 37 yd TD fade was #1 WR stuff.
Offense feeding playmakers - all the targets/touches to Meyer, Austin, and Williams was great to see
Hamilton - ball hawking his way to 2 INTs personally and tipping Lewis’s INT
Hart - nice to see aggressiveness and solid play

Negatives:
Defense - where to start - 1. Giving up the big play. 89 yd run and 60 yd slot go route TD to name a couple. 2. Total D allowing 442 yards and 38 points to middle of the road team. To take a page from Solid Verbal - after first two possessions for FSU - TD, punt, TD, INT, punt, Half, TD, INT, INT, TD, TD, FG. 3. Tackling. Lots of blitzes didn’t get home and their RB turned more TFL and stuffs into gains. See below.
OL - out rushed 264 to 65. Nearly 200 yds rushing. We were one dimensional team and 6 for 17 on 3rd down showed.
Missed roughing the punter penalty. Had to be mentioned.
Mayer drops - both were critical.
Flashbacks of Van Gorder days in the 4th quarter.

 

[Irishize]

WTF?!?!

 

[bkess8]

Can someone tell me why they didn’t call intentional grounding on the fumble/incomplete pass late in the game?

 

[Bluto]

Actually wasn’t Griffith or a bad angle. DJ Brown just arm tackle ole’d it

Looks like it was Griffith that got torched on the long TD pass.

 

[ulukinatme]

Can someone tell me why they didn’t call intentional grounding on the fumble/incomplete pass late in the game?

Noticed fans on Buckeye Planet and Surly Horns also commenting about that. Most of those guys hate the Irish, so if they're commenting on it you know it was a blown call by the refs.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Played out how I thought it would, minus the 3 part margin of win (I was expecting 10).

I think Florida State is the second or third best team in the ACC this year if they stay healthy. They are clearly better and I hope they don't mail it in after this loss. The ND offense still needs to run the ball and I think that will come once people understand how good the passing game can become. I think ND will morph into that quickly. Coan looks poised, he played as well as I could have hoped.

The defense was gassed towards the end and I mentioned in the Freeman thread, the 3 TO's were the difference in the game. So we need to take the good with the bad and Norvell knew what he was going to get from Freeman. It was the first game in a new system and all that, but the tackling was what surprised me the most. The defense will get better, but I think we need to come to grips with the fact that big plays will happen both for us and against us. But ND will trade some big plays for more sacks / INT's / fumbles (3 INT's tonight versus 7 all last year). The key is that the offense delivers when it needs too. It was too hot and cold on offense tonight and it was what enabled FSU to stay in the game in the 1H.

 

[NDPhilly]

Besides the 2 incredible interceptions, Hamilton also deflected the 4th down throw in the 3rd which Lewis intercepted.

Outside of Manti, he’s probably the most impactful defensive player of the Kelly era. Definitely up there with JOK and Jaylon.

 

[ulukinatme]

It's been mentioned on other boards, but how appropriate that FSU lost on Bobby Bowden night by going wide?

 

[Dale]

Brown got torched on the long TD pass too. Rough night.

That was Griffith lol. You might just have Brown and Griffith’s #s mixed up.

I was originally WTF Freeman on that one but have come slightly around it. Was far and away not even close Travis’ best play of the night. He held Hamilton, delivered a perfect ball. Foskey maybe could have tried to bull rush his man instead of trying to find a way around, might have been making contain his top priority . Griffith wasn’t really flat footed the guy just absolutely exploded on his cut. Douglas looks like from some quick search is a backup “RB” but mainly a gadget pass play target so maybe pre-snap should have recognized who he was covering if anything

 

[bkess8]

Noticed fans on Buckeye Planet and Surly Horns also commenting about that. Most of those guys hate the Irish, so if they're commenting on it you know it was a blown call by the refs.

Like usual I was loosing my mind at home! I can’t believe that no one on our staff pointed this out to BK or that he didn’t argue it!

 

[Luckylucci]

I was in the middle of an insane IDP fantasy football draft but that was total ass on defense. 0% chance ND plays and tackles that poorly under Lea. 0% chance.

 

[IrishBoognish]

If Freeman hadn't started letting them run... we'd all be singing a different tune.

Pretty much everything I wanted to see happened in this game. Coan was letting it go deep with success and looked pretty damn great. Mayer blew a couple catches and the OLINE gave up in him a couple times. He looked fantastic, especially for game 1.

Tommy.had a couple bad calls... Power QB? Come on. But all things being said, I saw i a lot of dynamic play calling and willingness to go big.

D looked GREAT for a lot of the game. They weren't wrapping up... then the debacle in play calling in the 3rd and 4th.

I think Freeman is going to see what happened and stop it. And I think this offense can be explosive as f word.


Austin looks unbeatable too.

This O could be crazy.

 

[T-Boone]

That was Griffith lol. You might just have Brown and Griffith’s #s mixed up.
g

That was Cam Hart. We need names on jerseys.

 

[Dale]

That was Cam Hart. We need names on jerseys.

No it was Griffith

 

[Rockin’Irish]

Plenty of things to clean up but glad to get out of Tallahassee with a win. There were some high points but too many low points to give us a feel good win. I think FSU is better this year than last but I suppose we’ll see if that is true over the season. I especially want to see the OL perform more consistently which will improve the passing and running game, a bit less conservativeness on offense and defense when holding a lead and improved tackling. If ND can tighten up on those areas (and I’m confident they will), this team will be fun to watch this year. Going through a whole box of Depends undergarments during the game tonight was uncomfortable for me……..

 

[T-Boone]

No it was Griffith

I am going to allow you this but only because you turn out to be correct.

 

[T-Boone]

In the age of NIL I think they should settle down on calling that Hamilton taking off of the helmet thing a 15 yard penalty. He looked great doing that and he was 5 metres off the field.

 

[GATTACA!]

Can someone tell me why they didn’t call intentional grounding on the fumble/incomplete pass late in the game?

Why wouldn’t it be grounding in this case?

It should have been if they were saying it was a pass. The problem was that they called it a fumble and then reviewed it. You can't then add intentional grounding on afterwords.

 

[T-Boone]

It should have been if they were saying it was a pass. The problem was that they called it a fumble and then reviewed it. You can't then add intentional grounding on afterwords.

It was totally a fumble. He pump faked then panicked under pressure.

 

[ulukinatme]

Tommy.had a couple bad calls... Power QB? Come on. But all things being said, I saw i a lot of dynamic play calling and willingness to go big.

To be fair he beat Michigan in 2012 with the Power QB himself, Coan just wasn't as lucky

Austin looks unbeatable too.

This O could be crazy.

Love that McKinley, Ben, and Avery Davis stepped up last season when the other WRs didn't seem to want the job, but Austin was definitely a breath of fresh air after last season. Maybe Lenzy can finally be consistent too if he and Coan can get a rhythm down. With Mayer, Kyren, and Tyree we're just missing a WR or two from having a truly dynamic offense again. If Austin stays healthy and keeps his head on straight...things could indeed be crazy.

 

[NDShark]

lol ESPN.com headlines this morning:

• FG gives Notre Dame the victory vs. Florida State in OT
• FSU's Milton leads TD drive in 1st snaps since '18
• Irish's Kelly: Execution remark an old coach's joke

 

[NDBoiler]

I thought it was 33 missed the tackle on that play maybe it was several missed tackles

Yes, it was Simon who missed the tackle at the LOS, Brown got juked, then Hamilton took a terrible angle in pursuit.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Jonathan Doerer came out in a high pressure situation and drilled it. Fully expected a shank based on the build up to that moment. I tip my hat to him.


I noticed Michael Mayer started without receiver gloves, had a drop, put gloves on, then had a drop.

All I can say about that is stay out of your own head big fella, you are gonna be fine.


Coan had a fantastic debut, but Im gonna be a Debbie Downer for a second. Thats really the first time Ive seen him play, and call it a hunch, but he appears to be a guy who will suffer from the YIPS at some point when facing immense pressure. Hope Im wrong.


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[notredomer23]

Jonathan Doerer came out in a high pressure situation and drilled it. Fully expected a shank based on the build up to that moment. I tip my hat to him.


I noticed Michael Mayer started without receiver gloves, had a drop, put gloves on, then had a drop.

All I can say about that is stay out of your own head big fella, you are gonna be fine.


Coan had a fantastic debut, but Im gonna be a Debbie Downer for a second. Thats really the first time Ive seen him play, and call it a hunch, but he appears to be a guy who will suffer from the YIPS at some point when facing immense pressure. Hope Im wrong.


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I’m curious what gives you that impression about Coan? If Mayer didn’t have an inexcusable drop with 6 seconds left, Coan got us into FG range in 50 seconds and ND wins in regulation.