It’s the midpoint of the season, the Irish are 6-0 and the Notre Dame defense has managed to throw the Heisman discussion for a loop by elevating Manti Te’o into the mix. There’s a lot to be very positive about, but there are also some burning questions, especially when it comes to the offense.
This week, I posed some of these questions and accolades to the Subway Domer. His answers, as only he can give them, are below and you can catch my responses to his five questions (being the godfather of the IBG allows you to cheat) over at his site later today.
Also, make sure you stop by our other two IBG members today as well as Keith Arnold from Inside the Irish and Josh Flynt from Strong and True exchange questions and answers this week.
1) Let’s assume that Golson is healthy for BYU. Do you start him and, if you do, is he on a short leash after the Stanford struggles?
You absolutely start him. Kelly named Golson the starter for the year, and if he’s healthy there is no real reason to bench him. I am not as drab about Golson’s play against Stanford as some appear to be. In fact, with all of the pressure Stanford’s defense was applying and with the rain, you know, raining… I can respect what he did, even though he did make some mistakes.
As far as the “short leash” goes, I think it’s always there with Kelly anyways. If he screws up continually, you pull him. Also, with Golson coming off of a concussion, you have to be very aware about any hits he takes and pull him if it gets a bit dangerous to his health.
2) There is no doubt this defense has been awesome, but the biggest surprise has to be the secondary. Who is your MVP of the DBs at this point?
That’s a great question, and a very tough one when you start dissecting all of the players involved. However, I can’t get over just how much Russell looks like an absolute natural at corner. For being a true freshman starting at corner and not being “picked on” by opposing offenses actually says a lot about his coverage abilities this season. His play has completely erased our fears after Lo Wood went down.
So I’ll take Russell, but you can literally make an argument for Jackson, Farley, and Motta too. OMFGZ WE HAVE A COMPLETE SECONDAY LOVE ACTION OMFGZ OMFGZ!!!
3) Considering that BYU actually has a good defense, what kind of progress would you like to see from our offense to ease some fears?
Considering the competition BYU has faced, I actually expect quite a bit from the offense. I don’t think we will see a Miami like throat slashing on the ground, but I do think & expect a balanced offense that gains 400+ in yardage and scores over 30. For real. Less than that would be disappointing the week before Oklahoma.
Texan by birth, Irish by choice.
First-generation Domer and a former student manager, HLS podcast host, HLS Sim creator, Extra Life streamer, and technical problem haver. You can find more non-Notre Dame related writing on his Patreon.
- Epilogue - January 3, 2022
- HLS Podcast Finale - January 2, 2022
- The Final Fiesta: Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State NCAA ’14 Sim - December 31, 2021
