ACamp1900
Counting my ‘bet against ND’ winnings
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Sept 2 | Louisville
- Thread starter clashmore_mike
- Start date
hungryhippo
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You might be on to something. Ball security reminds me of the olden days of John 'Fair Catch' Goodman back there lol.
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stlnd01
Was away. Now returned.
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Well. I feel vindicated.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Notre Dame sent out a corrected depth chart after the press conference. But Simon and Genmark Heath now listed.</p>— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1166762295579615232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
FightingIrishLover7
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Kelly said something about needing a KR that can "break tackles" in today's modern/regulate league... Which leads me to believe Lenzy would be a bad fit.
IrishFaninTX
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He must really trust Williams then. He's a freshman. Either that or he feels we need to always have a Williams on KR.
phgreek
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That makes sense...
Always liked Crawford for the same reasons I like Gilman. IMHO they add something to your defense...attitude, toughness, hunger to take the ball, instincts for disruption. Both are solid at their position, but both have a hunger...having both out there should provide some moments...even if Crawford has some limitations. Hoped for Crawford to make it back...Looking forward to it.
Veritate Duce Progredi
A man gotta have a code
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I don't, I want Jafar to stay healthy since we all have high hopes for him this year.
phgreek
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I can't disagree here.
He seems to be a guy that is proven, versatile/dynamic...that is likely needed to do more than just run it now due to other injuries. He'd be a big loss on his own, but in context of what was already lost...man, that seems risky.
I'm sure he can do it just fine...just not wild about it.
Shortish corners....feed the Claypool
ulukinatme
Carr for QB 2026!
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ulukinatme
Carr for QB 2026!
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------------------NOTICE-------------------
Just a heads up, reached out to some of ya'll that have said you're going, but it looks like arndtjc and I are meeting up again for this one. Seems like a number of Irish fans will be at this one too. I don't know what yalls tailgating situation is, but I plan on bringing some beer, drinks, and snacks (Not cooking for this one). If you wanna come chill you're more than welcome, or we can migrate to your spot and bring something to your shin-dig.
Let me know before Monday if you wanna hang so I know what to bring and how many are interested. If you're there with a crew, that's never a problem, just give me a heads up. Send me a PM and I'll get you my info. Lets party and then upset Louisville's blackout in our Irish green!
Just a heads up, reached out to some of ya'll that have said you're going, but it looks like arndtjc and I are meeting up again for this one. Seems like a number of Irish fans will be at this one too. I don't know what yalls tailgating situation is, but I plan on bringing some beer, drinks, and snacks (Not cooking for this one). If you wanna come chill you're more than welcome, or we can migrate to your spot and bring something to your shin-dig.
Let me know before Monday if you wanna hang so I know what to bring and how many are interested. If you're there with a crew, that's never a problem, just give me a heads up. Send me a PM and I'll get you my info. Lets party and then upset Louisville's blackout in our Irish green!
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arndtjc
Dee Snutzs
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------------------NOTICE-------------------
Just a heads up, reached out to some of ya'll that have said you're going, but it looks like arndtjc and I are meeting up again for this one. Seems like a number of Irish fans will be at this one too. I don't know what yalls tailgating situation is, but I plan on bringing some beer, drinks, and snacks (Not cooking for this one). If you wanna come chill you're more than welcome, or we can migrate to your spot and bring something to your shin-dig.
Let me know before Monday if you wanna hang so I know what to bring and how many are interested. If you're there with a crew, that's never a problem, just give me a heads up. Send me a PM and I'll get you my info. Lets party and then upset Louisville's blackout in our Irish green!
Come drink Jameson until we talk with an Irish accent and have to navigate to the seats
greyhammer90
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If this game wasnt on a stupid Monday night I'd be all over this one.
stpeteirish
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not just short...bad. No new blood here and since they're both listed as "or" they haven't got anyone who stands out.
L'vile is small on D but they can compensate by bringing the LB's up to the LOS. The only way you can compensate for bad corners is to play zone. We should be able to execute the short passing game vs these guys.
Some Irish Bloke
Five foot nothin', a hundred and nothin'
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RTDB on these puny defenders, play action, Book it.
ulukinatme
Carr for QB 2026!
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Looking at Louisville's entire front 7:
When one of our RB's trucks someone to get into the endzone:
When Ian Book hits Lawrence Keys III in-stride on a seam route for a long TD off of play action, previewing big things to come:
stlnd01
Was away. Now returned.
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Why the hell is this game on a Monday night again? Kids got school Tuesday morning (it's my older son's first day back). No way they can stay up past halftime. Great way to start the season off right.
Not to mention everyone will be pretty much over "the big first weekend of college football" by 11:00 Monday night. Sportscenter will be well onto the endless NFL hype by Tuesday morning.
I know Louisville practically invented the Big Weeknight Game. But it's stupid and I hope we crush them for it. College football's for Saturdays.
Not to mention everyone will be pretty much over "the big first weekend of college football" by 11:00 Monday night. Sportscenter will be well onto the endless NFL hype by Tuesday morning.
I know Louisville practically invented the Big Weeknight Game. But it's stupid and I hope we crush them for it. College football's for Saturdays.
FightingIrishLover7
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MOAR DAYS MOAR DOLLARZ
For real though, idk where the tipping point is, but if football (NCAA and NFL) continue to push the envelope and skew too far from "normal scheduled games" they're going to lose some viewership.
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I think I see it the other way...
The rest of the country is going to be tired (hungover) from the long weekend, so they're going to be content to sit on the couch and watch the only football game that's on.
I look forward to the Monday night game every year because it's the 5th consecutive day of college football, so it feels like a bonus round.
Some Irish Bloke
Five foot nothin', a hundred and nothin'
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This is where I'm at. By the time week 1 hits, because let's be honest, week 0 is generally garbage, I'm completely football starved. Thurs - Monday, good enough football every night. Bring it all on. No NFL anyways, and there's a huge audience for MNF.
I think a lot of folks will just put it on because football.
Veritate Duce Progredi
A man gotta have a code
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Some national media hope to use Monday to say, "See how far ND has regressed?" and when that doesn't play out, they'll just default to the old "Louisville is terrible".
But everyone who likes college football will have that game on, either in hopes of seeing ND drop a bomb or for pure schadenfreude. Either way, it will be on and it will be a lot of ND exposure.
Some of our guys will probably get their name out there because of this game.
But everyone who likes college football will have that game on, either in hopes of seeing ND drop a bomb or for pure schadenfreude. Either way, it will be on and it will be a lot of ND exposure.
Some of our guys will probably get their name out there because of this game.
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I am fully aboard the Lawrence Keys III Hype Train, so that's where my money's at.
Claypool will go off, but he's a name the analysts will recognize. Keys running wild as a new target for Book would be a story.
I'm curious to see how they deploy him. Is he 100% slot since Finke can probably be trusted to get things right on the outside?
Or are he and Finke interchangeable?
I'm gonna be honest, when I see Keys highlights, and now hear BK talking about how he catches the ball at full speed, I'm getting flashback to Mardy Gilyard at UC.
He moved around everywhere. Go routes and slants on the outside, seam routes and skinny posts from the slot, deep crossers to outrun everyone and find lanes, tunnel screens to use that speed, etc. etc.
I'm jacked up.
Everything sounds awesome.
It's football season.
stlnd01
Was away. Now returned.
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I think serious college football fans (like most of us here) will watch it. I suspect most national media, by Tuesday morning, will be so eager to start dropping their NFL Week One hot takes that most people outside CFB World won't even notice we played.
Irish2155
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<------this guy too!!
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From the Indy Star
https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...-revamped-notre-dame-running-game/2028923001/
Jafar Armstrong, Tony Jones Jr. set to lead revamped Notre Dame running game
Mike Berardino, Indianapolis Star Published 3:37 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2019 | Updated 3:49 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2019
SOUTH BEND – On the surface Jafar Armstrong seems calm enough, but something happens to Notre Dame’s sophomore running back as kickoff draws closer.
“Dude’s kind of crazy a little bit,” quarterback Ian Book says. “Before games he’s in his own zone. We all joke about it.”
Losing breakaway threat Dexter Williams to the Green Bay Packers punched a hole in the Fighting Irish backfield, but it shouldn’t take long for Armstrong to help close it up in his own quietly intense way.
He’ll get his first chance of 2019 to work himself into a frenzy on Labor Day night at Louisville.
“Jafar really just loves the game,” Book says. “He wants to go out there, have fun and totally dominate his opponent. That’s just his attitude. That’s how he comes every day to play football.”
“I’ve been trying to deliver a lot more blows this year,” says Notre Dame wide receiver Jafar Armstrong (8). “As I’m delivering the blows I feel myself not feeling as much pain as I felt last year.”
The former Kansas high school sprint champion made a successful conversion from wide receiver last fall. He showed an early knack for reaching the end zone before an infected bursa sac in his knee required surgery and caused him to miss three games at midseason.
Ankle problems cropped up after his return, but Armstrong packed on eight pounds of muscle this offseason to gird himself for the physical challenges ahead.
“I’ve been trying to deliver a lot more blows this year,” Armstrong says. “As I’m delivering the blows I feel myself not feeling as much pain as I felt last year.”
Now he’s being counted on, along with senior Tony Jones Jr., to provide the sort of run-pass balance that kept opponents off guard last season.
“They’re a load,” Irish coach Brian Kelly says. “The way Jafar runs the football, he’s a physical presence, and Tony does for coaches a lot of the little things that help you win football games. Jafar obviously has a skillset that maybe has a brighter light to it at times, but both of those together make for a really fine tandem.”
Spreading the wealth
This could be the seventh time in Kelly’s decade-long tenure that Notre Dame fails to produce a 1,000-yard rusher. The Irish had an individual reach the plateau in 2017 with Josh Adams, 2015 with C.J. Prosise and 2011 with Cierre Wood, but a committee approach has been more the norm since Kelly’s arrival.
Look for that to continue this fall, especially with talented underclassmen such as Kyren Williams and Jahmir Smith pushing for opportunities under new position coach Lance Taylor. Like Armstrong, Williams is a former wide receiver who is comfortable splitting out in three- and four-receiver sets.
One of Armstrong’s favorite plays from last season didn’t result in one of his seven rushing touchdowns but in a 27-yard reception from Book on a broken play against Navy. Armstrong had five catches for 64 yards in all that night.
“Having the experience that I have at receiver, I definitely try to use that whenever I can in the pass game,” Armstrong says. “It’s just an extra weapon. They’re going to be keying on Chase (Claypool), they’re going to be keying on (Chris) Finke. Having that extra guy out there who can run routes and catch balls would be a huge asset to the team. Hopefully I can do that.”
Armstrong has studied film of several NFL backs, Todd Gurley and Saquon Barkley among them, to glean visual clues on how to run with better forward lean. But Armstrong connects most notably to dual threats Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints and Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers.
“I love to watch Alvin Kamara,” Armstrong says. “I like the way he’s physical, but he still can use the field and be a No. 1 receiver. Christian McCaffrey is another good guy. Those are guys who really excel in the pass and running game, and that’s what I’m going to try to do this year.”
It helps that Taylor, hired after Irish great Autry Denson jumped to FBS Charleston Southern as head coach, spent last season as the receivers coach for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Before that Taylor coached running backs at Stanford, where McCaffrey (2015) and Bryce Love (2017) each finished second in Heisman Trophy voting on his watch.
Taylor, whose father James played running back on Alabama’s 1973 national champions, was a wide receiver for the Crimson Tide, working his way up from walk-on status to special teams captain as a senior in 2003. Taylor also spent three seasons with the New York Jets at the start of this decade, where he worked with former Purdue tight end Dustin Keller.
“It’s been unique for me, having a background in both,” Taylor says. “That gives me a foundation of being able to coach both: running backs as runners but also as pass catchers. I’ll be able to give them a little more in terms of coverage recognition, route-running skills, press-release techniques. I’ve had backs that have had skillsets really situated in the pass game.”
Jones actually outrushed Armstrong last season, 412-402, although his 4.7-yard average paled next to Armstrong’s 5.3 figure.
It might surprise some to know it was Jones, with a 51-yard catch and run for a game-clinching touchdown in the regular-season finale at USC, who produced the third-longest reception by any Notre Dame player last fall.
“Me and ‘Far can both catch out of the backfield and run routes,” Jones says. “I think it’s going to really help us in the long run when teams are scheming on our wideouts, and then we come out in the flat or do something crazy and they go, ‘Oh, the back’s there.’ I mean, wide open … gone.”
Jones also takes pride in his blocking ability, especially in terms of blitz pickup. His willingness to wait that extra second before slipping out of the backfield could mean the difference between Book getting sacked and connecting with a downfield target.
The Florida product credits former teammates Adams and Tarean Folston with teaching him the intricacies of blitz pickup in post-practice sessions early in his career.
“I think in the league, to get on the field early, you’ve got to block,” Jones says. “I always took pride in my blocking when I came here. All the older guys helped me find my punch and find my key.”
Even after waiting his turn, Jones doesn’t mind sharing the load with Armstrong. He likes the way they complement each other on the field and off, recalling their instant bond during Armstrong’s recruiting visit.
“Me and ‘Far hang out, we watch film, we do a lot together,” Jones says. “Me and ‘Far got close on his visit, and then when he came here we got closer. ‘Far is my boy. We want the same things. We want a degree and we want something past sports. That just connected with me.”
It’s not exactly Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, but an Armstrong-Jones tandem offers multiple paths to success.
“Teams have a 1-2 punch everywhere,” Jones says. “All the good teams have it. I think ours is going to be really good, and I really like that. But I think I’m the fast one, you know? I got the scats.”
Pause.
“No, I’m playing,” Jones finally says with a laugh. “Me and ‘Far are going to be a great 1-2 punch, and it’s going to be hard for teams to stop that.”
Fumble averse
No matter who is lugging the rock this fall for the Irish, Taylor wants to make sure the ball stays off the ground.
Not since Prosise in Game 11 of the 2015 season, a Nov. 21 win over Boston College at Fenway Park, has a Notre Dame running back lost a fumble in a game that counted. The streak has reached 40 games, not counting Armstrong’s lost fumble in the Blue-Gold Game this spring.
“Ball security is job security,” Taylor says. “We always start our meetings and every drill starts with ball security. That’s the first fundamental and technique that we work on. You obviously make it a point of emphasis. It’s one of the things we work on every single day.”
The high-energy Taylor has joined the grad assistants by poking and prodding his backs during practice drills with large blue foam “crayons” that wrap around the arm and simulate unexpected contact. The same goes for gold helmets welded onto the end of broomsticks and then used to poke at the ball as backs run the gantlet.
“He has us do these drills and he punches the ball from both sides, but sometimes it catches us on our jaw,” Jones says. “It’s fun until you get hit in the jaw. Then you’re all off balance. He tells us to focus on the (rope) ladder and not the stuff around you. It’s hard to stay in the ladder, but it helps.”
Taylor isn’t interested in having the streak end on his watch.
“We have brought up the streak,” he says. “It is an incredible streak, it really is, and the guys in the room take pride in it. I want them to continue to take pride in it and continue that streak. We’re going to continue to carry the football in the right way and continue to highlight the times that we don’t.”
The message has taken root.
“We were taking pictures this summer for some of the production stuff,” Taylor says. “One of the guys asked, ‘Hey, can you hold the ball like this for one of the cool shots?’ And (a running back) was like, ‘No, Coach Taylor wouldn’t appreciate that. That’s not great ball security.’ “
Taylor laughs at the memory.
“I appreciated that,” he says. “Even when they’re taking pictures.”
https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...-revamped-notre-dame-running-game/2028923001/
Jafar Armstrong, Tony Jones Jr. set to lead revamped Notre Dame running game
Mike Berardino, Indianapolis Star Published 3:37 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2019 | Updated 3:49 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2019
SOUTH BEND – On the surface Jafar Armstrong seems calm enough, but something happens to Notre Dame’s sophomore running back as kickoff draws closer.
“Dude’s kind of crazy a little bit,” quarterback Ian Book says. “Before games he’s in his own zone. We all joke about it.”
Losing breakaway threat Dexter Williams to the Green Bay Packers punched a hole in the Fighting Irish backfield, but it shouldn’t take long for Armstrong to help close it up in his own quietly intense way.
He’ll get his first chance of 2019 to work himself into a frenzy on Labor Day night at Louisville.
“Jafar really just loves the game,” Book says. “He wants to go out there, have fun and totally dominate his opponent. That’s just his attitude. That’s how he comes every day to play football.”
“I’ve been trying to deliver a lot more blows this year,” says Notre Dame wide receiver Jafar Armstrong (8). “As I’m delivering the blows I feel myself not feeling as much pain as I felt last year.”
The former Kansas high school sprint champion made a successful conversion from wide receiver last fall. He showed an early knack for reaching the end zone before an infected bursa sac in his knee required surgery and caused him to miss three games at midseason.
Ankle problems cropped up after his return, but Armstrong packed on eight pounds of muscle this offseason to gird himself for the physical challenges ahead.
“I’ve been trying to deliver a lot more blows this year,” Armstrong says. “As I’m delivering the blows I feel myself not feeling as much pain as I felt last year.”
Now he’s being counted on, along with senior Tony Jones Jr., to provide the sort of run-pass balance that kept opponents off guard last season.
“They’re a load,” Irish coach Brian Kelly says. “The way Jafar runs the football, he’s a physical presence, and Tony does for coaches a lot of the little things that help you win football games. Jafar obviously has a skillset that maybe has a brighter light to it at times, but both of those together make for a really fine tandem.”
Spreading the wealth
This could be the seventh time in Kelly’s decade-long tenure that Notre Dame fails to produce a 1,000-yard rusher. The Irish had an individual reach the plateau in 2017 with Josh Adams, 2015 with C.J. Prosise and 2011 with Cierre Wood, but a committee approach has been more the norm since Kelly’s arrival.
Look for that to continue this fall, especially with talented underclassmen such as Kyren Williams and Jahmir Smith pushing for opportunities under new position coach Lance Taylor. Like Armstrong, Williams is a former wide receiver who is comfortable splitting out in three- and four-receiver sets.
One of Armstrong’s favorite plays from last season didn’t result in one of his seven rushing touchdowns but in a 27-yard reception from Book on a broken play against Navy. Armstrong had five catches for 64 yards in all that night.
“Having the experience that I have at receiver, I definitely try to use that whenever I can in the pass game,” Armstrong says. “It’s just an extra weapon. They’re going to be keying on Chase (Claypool), they’re going to be keying on (Chris) Finke. Having that extra guy out there who can run routes and catch balls would be a huge asset to the team. Hopefully I can do that.”
Armstrong has studied film of several NFL backs, Todd Gurley and Saquon Barkley among them, to glean visual clues on how to run with better forward lean. But Armstrong connects most notably to dual threats Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints and Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers.
“I love to watch Alvin Kamara,” Armstrong says. “I like the way he’s physical, but he still can use the field and be a No. 1 receiver. Christian McCaffrey is another good guy. Those are guys who really excel in the pass and running game, and that’s what I’m going to try to do this year.”
It helps that Taylor, hired after Irish great Autry Denson jumped to FBS Charleston Southern as head coach, spent last season as the receivers coach for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Before that Taylor coached running backs at Stanford, where McCaffrey (2015) and Bryce Love (2017) each finished second in Heisman Trophy voting on his watch.
Taylor, whose father James played running back on Alabama’s 1973 national champions, was a wide receiver for the Crimson Tide, working his way up from walk-on status to special teams captain as a senior in 2003. Taylor also spent three seasons with the New York Jets at the start of this decade, where he worked with former Purdue tight end Dustin Keller.
“It’s been unique for me, having a background in both,” Taylor says. “That gives me a foundation of being able to coach both: running backs as runners but also as pass catchers. I’ll be able to give them a little more in terms of coverage recognition, route-running skills, press-release techniques. I’ve had backs that have had skillsets really situated in the pass game.”
Jones actually outrushed Armstrong last season, 412-402, although his 4.7-yard average paled next to Armstrong’s 5.3 figure.
It might surprise some to know it was Jones, with a 51-yard catch and run for a game-clinching touchdown in the regular-season finale at USC, who produced the third-longest reception by any Notre Dame player last fall.
“Me and ‘Far can both catch out of the backfield and run routes,” Jones says. “I think it’s going to really help us in the long run when teams are scheming on our wideouts, and then we come out in the flat or do something crazy and they go, ‘Oh, the back’s there.’ I mean, wide open … gone.”
Jones also takes pride in his blocking ability, especially in terms of blitz pickup. His willingness to wait that extra second before slipping out of the backfield could mean the difference between Book getting sacked and connecting with a downfield target.
The Florida product credits former teammates Adams and Tarean Folston with teaching him the intricacies of blitz pickup in post-practice sessions early in his career.
“I think in the league, to get on the field early, you’ve got to block,” Jones says. “I always took pride in my blocking when I came here. All the older guys helped me find my punch and find my key.”
Even after waiting his turn, Jones doesn’t mind sharing the load with Armstrong. He likes the way they complement each other on the field and off, recalling their instant bond during Armstrong’s recruiting visit.
“Me and ‘Far hang out, we watch film, we do a lot together,” Jones says. “Me and ‘Far got close on his visit, and then when he came here we got closer. ‘Far is my boy. We want the same things. We want a degree and we want something past sports. That just connected with me.”
It’s not exactly Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, but an Armstrong-Jones tandem offers multiple paths to success.
“Teams have a 1-2 punch everywhere,” Jones says. “All the good teams have it. I think ours is going to be really good, and I really like that. But I think I’m the fast one, you know? I got the scats.”
Pause.
“No, I’m playing,” Jones finally says with a laugh. “Me and ‘Far are going to be a great 1-2 punch, and it’s going to be hard for teams to stop that.”
Fumble averse
No matter who is lugging the rock this fall for the Irish, Taylor wants to make sure the ball stays off the ground.
Not since Prosise in Game 11 of the 2015 season, a Nov. 21 win over Boston College at Fenway Park, has a Notre Dame running back lost a fumble in a game that counted. The streak has reached 40 games, not counting Armstrong’s lost fumble in the Blue-Gold Game this spring.
“Ball security is job security,” Taylor says. “We always start our meetings and every drill starts with ball security. That’s the first fundamental and technique that we work on. You obviously make it a point of emphasis. It’s one of the things we work on every single day.”
The high-energy Taylor has joined the grad assistants by poking and prodding his backs during practice drills with large blue foam “crayons” that wrap around the arm and simulate unexpected contact. The same goes for gold helmets welded onto the end of broomsticks and then used to poke at the ball as backs run the gantlet.
“He has us do these drills and he punches the ball from both sides, but sometimes it catches us on our jaw,” Jones says. “It’s fun until you get hit in the jaw. Then you’re all off balance. He tells us to focus on the (rope) ladder and not the stuff around you. It’s hard to stay in the ladder, but it helps.”
Taylor isn’t interested in having the streak end on his watch.
“We have brought up the streak,” he says. “It is an incredible streak, it really is, and the guys in the room take pride in it. I want them to continue to take pride in it and continue that streak. We’re going to continue to carry the football in the right way and continue to highlight the times that we don’t.”
The message has taken root.
“We were taking pictures this summer for some of the production stuff,” Taylor says. “One of the guys asked, ‘Hey, can you hold the ball like this for one of the cool shots?’ And (a running back) was like, ‘No, Coach Taylor wouldn’t appreciate that. That’s not great ball security.’ “
Taylor laughs at the memory.
“I appreciated that,” he says. “Even when they’re taking pictures.”