We’re 3-1, yay!
We have tons of issues, still, boo.
Charlie had a great gameplan to deal with his injuries and the team executed it well for ~2 quarters, yay!
He made another extremely bone-headed call that no one in the world but him would make, and it didnt work, again. Boo.
Tenuta seemed to adjust this game, and our Defense served up some good stops, yay!
The Defense also made critical mistakes at key points in the game, and literally BLEW coverage on a few plays for big gains, boo.
I was hoping that this week might provide a little clarity on ND. That we’d see the ‘real’ team come out and put a team away. Maybe that was too much to expect with 3 of our 4 top producers on offense out of the game, and for an away game at night. I don’t know, but it’s what I was hoping. After that game, I don’t know much more than I knew last week. I have no idea where this team stands, and if we should be 4-0 or if we should be 1-3. What’s nice is that we’re 3-1, what’s not nice is that I can’t get my finger on the pulse of this team.
Flashes of brilliance in plan, execution and fundamentals. Horrible breakdowns minutes later. It makes for exciting games, but as Ethan Johnson said “HOLY SHIT!” We just want to win a game w/o all the drama.
The Offensive Scheme
I liked Weis’ game plan. I know some wonder why we had to go to such a scheme with a Top-level QB as our backup, but here’s why I think it was the right move: Not only has Dayne never started a game in college, but it was an away game. At night. With the starting RB and our #1 WR out. If it was a home game, and Floyd and Allen were healthy, I’m guessing you would’ve seen Dayne in the traditional pro-set O for the most part, with the Wildcat mixed in more than average to change things up a bit. But in these circumstances, I think Weis made the right call to give them the best chance of success.
So then, WTF on Going for it on 4th and 10?
And that’s where the going for it on 4th and 10 makes no sense to me. Weis clearly realized that he couldn’t depend on Dayne to run the traditional O throughout the game. Then how in the world did he conclude that we could pick up a 4th and 10 in that same game with Dayne throwing? It was completely counter-intuitive. It’s literally like Weis thinks to himself “hmmmm, everyone else in the world would do X 99% of the time. We GOTTA do Y.” It’s maddening. That call was almost as bad as going for it on 4th and 8 within FG range against Navy two years back. The only reason it’s not as bad? We won.
The Run Game
How about that for a running game? With our #1 RB on the sideline, this team comes out and eats up yardage and clock for 2 quarters. ANYONE that doesn’t give the OL and the RBs a ton of credit is on crack. And along with the players, Verducci and Alford deserve credit. Those were 2 great hires – we’ve seen measured improvement in the run game this year, and it’s been critical.
The D
Ugh. While I think we saw improvement (our opponent didnt put up 30+ points, so that’s good), there were still some huge, critical errors on the defense. I think Tenuta’s more selective blitzing worked. It actually made it more difficult for our opponents to pick it up, because it came more sporadically, and the additional help on coverage helped us make some big stops as well. But, we still have the same issues: mental errors, missed tackles/fundamentals, and a huge vulnerability to 3-5 yard pass routes. Some of this has to do with our having a pretty young front 7, but we’re 4 games in now, and we need to continue to see significant improvement week to week if we want to be a decent defense by year end. I think the new plan should be maintained, I think they gotta keep working on fundamentals and tackling, and we somehow need to eliminate huge moments of blinding confusion that result in easy 30 yard gains. Those are killers.
Special Teams
On the kicking side, I LOVED the improvement I saw in kickoffs. We got a lot more distance with decent hang time, and the results were promising. What I don’t quite get is why our coaches still have no confidence in the FG game outside of a 40-yarder. I’ve seen Tausch’s leg, and he seems to be good from 50 on in. They must be seeing something in practice they don’t like, but a good FG game is a weapon we need in close contests, and right now we just don’t go to it.
On the punting side, we’re a complete mess. Maust has regressed significantly from last year. I’m not sure what Turk is doing in practice to keep Maust on the field, but it must be pretty terrible, because Maust is stinking it up. He hit one great one last night that helped his distance average, but he’s not getting a good mix of distance and hang time, and therefore our coverage has been spotty at best as well. We were lucky to not have one taken to the house last night. This should be a very basic and fixable issue, but I havent seen any changes thus far.
In the End
I don’t know what to think. We won a tough game, down to the wire – this team has heart. But, it was against a mediocre Purdue team. But, we were hobbled by serious injuries to our top offensive players. But, the defense still looked suspect. But, we won. I don’t know what to think. But I’m very happy that I don’t know what to think after a W, rather than a loss. I know I think that.
- (Re)Introducing: DANCING LEPRECHAUNS - August 29, 2019
- Ticket Auction: ND vs USC - August 22, 2019
- No Respect! - December 14, 2018
san diego irish
I’ll take the positive view. ND has played some terrible defense and it’s still 3-1, not a bad place to be all things considered.
The Biscuit
SDI, it’s a great perspective. remember when we all complained that we only had a defense and couldnt move the ball at all (pre-Weis and 07?). at least we know those days are over.
san diego irish
No doubt, ND football is far ahead of 06. I haven’t had as much patience as you have had, but lately I’m pretty confident in the progression, even if it isn’t as fast as we would all like. All of the pieces are in place now. If the defense improves week by week, I think that the program will be in a very good place at the end of this season. Some of the criticism of Weis is fair, but give him credit for his accomplishments and for identifying his weaknesses. He has methodically (too slowly at times agreed) addressed most of the shortcomings in this program and the criticisms of his coaching. Talent level upgrades–check, install and teach sophisticated offense scheme–check, player development–check, improved pass pro, improved running game, improved assistant coaches, better special teams, ability to win close games, ability to win on the road, playing with fire/intensity, coming out fired up and starting fast, nastiness. He still has a ways to go–needs to instill a better killer instinct, better focus on fundamentals, beat some truly good teams, and do all of the above consistently. I’m not saying he’s proven he’s the man for the job for the long haul, but he has made serious progress and that progress has me feeling pretty optimistic right about now that he has the ability to finish what he started. I hope he does. He’s not perfect, but he busts his ass and loves the school and it would be a pretty cool ending to the story if all those people that laughed when he said “enjoy it now while you can” have to eat shit when he wins big.
tjak
We could be 4-0, we could be 1-3. Well we are 3-1 and have a team that seems to think that it can win every game. Watching the Purdue game I saw how easy it was for us in the second quarter and how ridiculous our defence looked in the fourth quarter. Keep in mind our defence played stellar at times against a team that took Oregon to the wire, the same Oregon team that thrashed #6 California. I am sick and tired of hearing how weak our opposition is (msu/perdue). I realize they are both 1-3, but they are solid programs. We were not playing Troy in our second game. The idiot Mark May predicted Nevada would beat us, many agreed and we beat them. What I am saying to all the negative nellies out there is to shout the heck up and enjoy the ride; even if it means hiring a cardiologists for the rest of the year. By the way how can usc go up five spots in the polls with a lacklustre win over washington state. The polls are a joke, I could cite example after example of how awful and inflated these polls are. If we go 5-1 and beat wash. and usc, we will be lucky to be ranked in the top 25