Vandy Post-Game Thread

[Number3rockin]

Loved coaching last yr, until nd hesitantly got off the plane at Miami. 3-0, but no team is afraid to play nd this yr.

 

[ThePiombino]

I'm extremely concerned with the offensive coaching decisions:

* If BW can't handle the RZ offense, get him out of the fucking game entirely and give IB the reins. That said, BW was VERY good in the RZ last year. Why are the coaches neutering him this season?

* ZERO offensive identity

* Not sure who's actually calling plays, but whoever it is needs to consider taking a step back

* How on Earth do we get 1st and goal on the 2 and only manage 3 points? Quick getting cute and punch the fucking ball in

BW has enough challenges without the coaching staff making things even harder for him. Let him run. If he gets hurt, go to the other guy you claim can play championship football. This shit is frustrating to watch. It's like the inverse of Weis football.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Huntr]

Based on the way both ND and the remaining teams on the schedule are playing, I feel like this team could end up anywhere between undefeated/winning 11 games or losing like 4 and finishing with 8 wins.

Wins are better than losses, but I don't know how anyone can feel good about nail-biters with Ball St and Vandy. Ffs.

The offense is freaking putrid.

Passing Yards 169th 200.7 PYPG
Rushing Yards 129th 164.7 RYPG
Total Yards Per Game 179th 365.3 YPG

 

[EvilleIrish]

Sagarin has us at #26. Yikes.

 

[NDMIA]

Are we 3-0? Asking for a friend.

ND is 3-0 which is awesome. Faces their first road test of the season. Keep winning and everything works out. However, there are some issues that people are pointing out. Some even glaring.

OFFENSE
FBS Points Per Game: 82nd in FBS
FBS Yards Per Play: 87th in FBS

DEFENSE
FBS Points Per Game: 21st in FBS
FBS Yards Per Play: 21st in FBS

Obviously after 3 games teams haven’t played a lot of big time opponents so their stats are a little skewed. Like Vanderbilt is high in the defensive rankings and while I think they are improved, they don’t have a better defense than Notre Dame. I think Brandon Wimbush looked solid this weekend. I think the offense sputtered in the red zone quite a bit but he put up a QBR of 70.2 which would put him in the top 30 QB’s for last season if he did that week in and week out. The RB position is improving (should improve more with Dex) and I love what Tony Jones Jr did this weekend. I feel like he said, I’m the alpha guys and let me take this position group and lead them. For the WR’s, Claypool and Boykin need to get open more and it’s that simple. I don’t care how your QB throws, 1 reception when you play the whole game virtually is unacceptable. I also think they made more of an effort to go to the TE’s this weekend which should only help the offense because wow that is a dynamite group of blockers and receivers, especially when Cole Kmet comes back. The offensive line is improving and that’s what you can ask for. Liam Eichenberg is a first time starter (pretty much first time player) and improved his play. He should get better with each week hopefully. Hainsey hopefully improves as they improve his injury if that’s possible during the season. If not, I honestly think BK and Jeff Quinn are really dumb for not trusting any of the other 9 backups on the roster (especially Banks or Lugg) to get the job done in the first few weeks while Hainsey rehabs because when injured he’s just not the same player we saw last season. Play calling wise I’m not sure what the issue is because I’m not a football coach, but hopefully they can start putting points on the board in the second half because it’s embarrassing how this team can’t score in the second half at all. If they continue to do this in the second half then they will lose a lot of games. Defensively the biggest issue is Te’Von Coney and Drue Tranquill wearing down. That could be a big issue in the future. I would love to see their snap counts but I don’t know it.

 

[ickythump1225]

2012?

A season of fluke wins that was ultimately a mirage. We got absolutely curb stomped by Alabama.

 

[ACamp1900]

Just saw a bunch of tweets at Wimbush from Irish ‘fans’... made me ashamed to be one for a second...Twitter is the freakin devil.

 

[IrishTusker]

Are we 3-0? Asking for a friend.

We were 12-0 in 2012, 7-1 in 2014, 10-1 in 2015, and 8-1 in 2017. In each case were exposed when we played top teams. So we'll see how the Stanford and VT games go. And unfortunately the tendency under BK has been for problems to get worse over the course of the year.

 

[texbender]

1. Will take a W and 3-0 record, but not a top 10 team...yet
2. Don't get going for 2, almost cost you a L if Vandy scores late
3. Good day for Punter; Yoon can't miss 30 yd FGs at home!?!
4. Receivers not helping BW, dropping catchable balls and no deep threat for opposing D to account for
5. Not a fan of bringing Book in for RZ play; go with a QB either way
6. I don't see BW having fun; almost playing with caution afraid to make mistakes
7. If I know Book is going to hand off to Armstrong, then so does the D
8. Go to WF and win
9. Stanford and VT will be challenging

 

[OhioIrish31]

Just saw a bunch of tweets at Wimbush from Irish ‘fans’... made me ashamed to be one for a second...Twitter is the freakin devil.

Totally agree...hate that shat!

 

[BeatSC]

I think BW has done enough to boost his confidence at this point and hopefully will repeat his good performance from last year against Wake. We need more quick pitches to let Jafar get the edge. I think this week will be our confidence building blowout game which should have us on the right trajectory for Stanford. We will find out over the next two games if BW will remain the starter for the rest of the year or if the BW experiment goes the way of Dayne Crist. Question will be if we finish this season a little better than last year with BW as our starter and still improving does he come back for his 5th year and do we want him back?

 

[Old Man Mike]

"Against the run of play" comments (#s5-10):

1). Quite Happy. 3-0.

2). OLine is gelling --- a bunch of running yards. (every play cannot be a gasher.) A lot of those runs went over the right side.
3). I saw an RB pick up a blitz --- halleluja! We're getting this figured out a bit. WRs also made some blocks.

4). Defense is VERY good. Winning games till the O gets going.
4a). We've played THREE very good QBs, and those people will gain yards and eat clock on us, and score a little. We still win.
4b). The "lucky" strips and recoveries aren't coming by accident, our guys are good and trained.
4c).With some reasonable amount of true holding calls, we would be killing these opponents more. As it is, we'll have to blitz more.

5). Kelly's own offense (QB standing tall and quick reading and delivering with running used more as a slash and shock than a staple) is designed to score about 6-8 times a game. --- 30+ points. Wimbush (nor Golson nor Zaire) can run that offense. Rees could and couldn't because of refusing to run (QB slash and shock running is an integral part.) Kizer could (until his head went a little sideways.) We will not likely score in classic Kelly-offense numbers with Brandon Wimbush not seeing the field, reading progressions quickly and delivering accurate short to medium range passes.

6). We have an experienced QB (of the Pike mold) on this team who can run the Kelly offense. Due to Chip Long remodeling things, and some sort of awkward hybrid emerging to try to play to a mismatched talent (read: some plays look "right" for Brandon; some look horribly wrong), and Coach's famous loyal-to-a-fault/loss inner make-up, I fear that we may never make the needed shift. The only "solution" might be that somehow Long and Wimbush muddle through. That is not the best solution.

7). {{ Now for the complete insanity --- but I don't care; it's my opinion and that's all it is }}: Ian Book can be not only good, but (in college football terms) great. I see qualities of poise, decisiveness, vision, understanding, and ability to inspire confidence in his teammates that can reach HIGH ceiling levels. Whether, even if given the keys tomorrow (which will not happen --- see "loyalty" above), Book can accomplish this in this season (even Tom Brady looked Book-like this early in his Michigan career), is probably asking too much --- but he would be GOOD --- IS good.

8). Our WR/TE corps + Brandon = mediocre.
Our WR/TE corps + Ian = very good. --------------- why? Fast on-time deliveries to big bodies in the right spots. I don't give that much of a hoot about how miraculous Brandon's scrambles are. I'd rather the pass be gone before that had to happen, and the down and distances be shorter.

9). The "cute" Book packages just might be Coach's way of easing Brandon more and more to the sidelines, while giving him more than enough chances to play into true competence.

10). If 9 doesn't work for Brandon, more Ian please and quickly.

 

[ND88]

Just saw a bunch of tweets at Wimbush from Irish ‘fans’... made me ashamed to be one for a second...Twitter is the freakin devil.

People are what they are. Twitter is perfect for exposing dumbass people. And they definitely aren’t fans of Notre Dame. Bunch of lowlife armchair scumbags sucking off a sport they could never play. Take every opportunity to set these ND fakers straight in real life, because they troll the stadium too, booing the players as they sit in their own cloud of farts with mustard stains on their poser shirts like they’re Michigan fans.

 

[NDRock]

We never hang 50-60 on anyone. And don't let BK say he doesn't believe on running up the scores. Late game tds, collapses happened last season as well. Msu late in game made it a little interesting i believe, Stanford, F Stanford. The program lacks it.

Just last year we scored 48, 49, 49, 49, and 52 points in a game. One of those was against USC.

 

[BabyIrish]

Just last year we scored 48, 49, 49, 49, and 52 points in a game. One of those was against USC.

Thank you. This narrative of lack of killer instinct or we don’t stomp people is insane. We’re off to a slow start. Let’s all relax. We’re 3-0 and we markedly improved from week 2 to week 3. Let’s see if the coaches and players can continue that improvement.

 

[NDRock]

A season of fluke wins that was ultimately a mirage. We got absolutely curb stomped by Alabama.

Oh please. We had an elite defense that year that carried us. The offense was average at best. Bama was a terrible match-up and were (and still are) in a class by themselevs.

 

[ND88]

Oh please. We had an elite defense that year that carried us. The offense was average at best. Bama was a terrible match-up and were (and still are) in a class by themselevs.

Exactly.

 

[IrishTusker]

Oh please. We had an elite defense that year that carried us. The offense was average at best. Bama was a terrible match-up and were (and still are) in a class by themselevs.

Georgia nearly beat Bama in the SEC title game that year but ran out of time at the end. Alabama was the best team but was far from being in "a class all by themselves." We were just overrated and were lucky to be undefeated.

 

[NDRock]

Georgia nearly beat Bama in the SEC title game that year but ran out of time at the end. Alabama was the best team but was far from being in "a class all by themselves." We were just overrated and were lucky to be undefeated.

Almost every undefeated team gets “lucky” at some point. That’s why Bama has only gone one season under Saban, without a loss. That 2012 team was very good and had a great year. Just get tired of people down playing the entire year based on the last game. I get it, the success under Kelly is all luck and fluky. If that fits your narrative, fine.

 

[Number3rockin]

We can hang on to USC last yr if you'd like. But USC got miamied in south bend.
If we weren't up so big on wake, nd would've lost. Nd does not know how to close out games. Up second half Georgia, "but Georgia is Georgia", at home. Wake game, nd lost the second half to make it close., Miami was Miami, beating Stanford, lost second half. Michigan, lost second half and couldve lost, ball st(not a good team) lost second half, nd should've lost. Vandy nd lost second half, nd should've lost. You close out games in second half. Nd hasn't even been punched in the mouth in 2018 yet!!! We'll see what nd has when they get punched in mouth. Glad Irish are 3-0, Irish aren't good yet.

 

[MacIrish75]

We can hang on to USC last yr if you'd like. But USC got miamied in south bend.
If we weren't up so big on wake, nd would've lost. Nd does not know how to close out games. Up second half Georgia, "but Georgia is Georgia", at home. Wake game, nd lost the second half to make it close., Miami was Miami, beating Stanford, lost second half. Michigan, lost second half and couldve lost, ball st(not a good team) lost second half, nd should've lost. Vandy nd lost second half, nd should've lost. You close out games in second half. Nd hasn't even been punched in the mouth in 2018 yet!!! We'll see what nd has when they get punched in mouth. Glad Irish are 3-0, Irish aren't good yet.

Guess it's a good thing there's a first half, then! Lot's of "would've" and "could've" in there...You must be a joy to watch games with on Saturdays.

 

[Number3rockin]

We can all cheer for the first half!

 

[Number3rockin]

Have your been ok w ND's second half? It's a big problem.

 

[irishff1014]

Guess it's a good thing there's a first half, then! Lot's of "would've" and "could've" in there...You must be a joy to watch games with on Saturdays.

The defense is getting tired in the second half. They will continue to get tired and the will have a bad second half and it’ll be their fault the that offense sucks in the 2nd half. 19 points after half in 3 games. That’s pathetic.

 

[ickythump1225]

Thank you. This narrative of lack of killer instinct or we don’t stomp people is insane. We’re off to a slow start. Let’s all relax. We’re 3-0 and we markedly improved from week 2 to week 3. Let’s see if the coaches and players can continue that improvement.

Last year was out of the norm and that faded by year's end. We ended the year getting absolutely embarrassed on national TV (again) (to make it worse we were probably a better team than them too), squeaked out a win against a bad Navy team, and choked a big one against a (lesser) Stanford team getting embarrassed (again). We then got a play of the decade type play to beat LSU.
2012 was full of "meh" wins over mediocre teams (Boston College, Purdue, Michigan, BYU, Pittt, and USC). We were exposed by Alabama and would have been routed by UGA too. We could have beat KSU and been competitive against Oregon.

BK's tenure is littered with solid wins/routes that turn into meh wins or nail biters (often against lesser opponents). 6 games last year doesn't override 8 years of history.

 

[BabyIrish]

Last year was out of the norm and that faded by year's end. We ended the year getting absolutely embarrassed on national TV (again) (to make it worse we were probably a better team than them too), squeaked out a win against a bad Navy team, and choked a big one against a (lesser) Stanford team getting embarrassed (again). We then got a play of the decade type play to beat LSU.
2012 was full of "meh" wins over mediocre teams (Boston College, Purdue, Michigan, BYU, Pittt, and USC). We were exposed by Alabama and would have been routed by UGA too. We could have beat KSU and been competitive against Oregon.

BK's tenure is littered with solid wins/routes that turn into meh wins or nail biters (often against lesser opponents). 6 games last year doesn't override 8 years of history.

2012 we also throttled Navy, Miami and Wake Forest
2014 we did the same Rice and Michigan
2015 we also got Texas and UMass
There were blowouts in 2011 and 2013.
Enough with the we never blow out teams. It’s embarrassing as a fan base.
If you want to argue that we don’t do it enough be my guest.
But this over dramatic reaction when we win a close game to an inferior opponent as if that’s how every single game has always gone is ridiculous.
It happens to every team top team in America. How often do we have undefeated champions? It’s rare. Let’s take a step back from the ledge.

 

[Number3rockin]

"It happens to every team in America" is every year talk for those that aren't good enough to compete for playoff spots. At the end of the day, I believe we all want ND in playoffs. ND doesn't win like they(top teams) do.

 

[fightingirish26]

This is depressing. We fucking won, guys. You all must literally go on suicide watch when we lose. ffs.

 

[Irishize]

Saw this tweeted by an ND fan and thought it was appropriate for most, if not all, ND fans (including me).

Cheering for a flawed team that will likely break your heart at a critical juncture is college football at its essence. If your response to winning is to focus on the impending doom you anticipate so you arent enjoying the games, may I redirect you to 1) Bama or 2) another sport

 

[ACamp1900]

3-0, how many times has ND gone 3-0 since Holtz left? 3 or 4 times (including this year) would be I guess...