It seems fitting, to me at least, that this episode ended up being a complete episode of randomness. This college football/Notre Dame podcast ended up being invaded with video games and baseball talk. For me, the Friday Roundup was always a medium for randomness and this episode absolutely hit that bullseye.

The video game invasion occurred due to my rather last minute decision to take part in Extra Life tomorrow starting at 8am CT. I have a more detailed explanation in the podcast, but the tl;dr is that I am doing this in memory of Aven. You may remember that two years ago, I asked for help in raising money for him and his family and y’all came through big. He may have lost his battle, but I will be Gamin’ for Aven and hope to raise $1,000 for the Children’s Hospital Network of Oklahoma in his memory. So make sure to stop on by during your football Saturday and toss in a couple of bucks for the children.

The Roundup

Time for a few links that were discussed in the recap earlier this week. I got lazy and forgot to link them in the post (oops). Here are the stories about Jalen Hurd bolting Tennessee and Jimbo Fisher ranting on refs.

I would really love to stop talking about Baylor. But the new details that come out are simply too hard to ignore and serve as a reminder as to why Baylor basically needed to burn the whole thing to the ground.

Tom Arnold: college football insider. Y’all he has the super inside information that Nick Saban was just this close to taking the New York Giants job. It totally doesn’t read like a generic forum post. Nope, not at all. Totally believable.

Things aren’t looking so good for Bobby. Diaco had to demote his offensive coordinator as things are not going well over at UCONN. Look, I’m not saying that he’s going to get fired and that he should come back home to his old job, but I am saying that there is a job opening in the Midwest for a football team looking to take a 3-4 scheme and make their defense great again. Maybe Tom Arnold knows more about this. We shall see.

This is how baseball talk invaded the show. Auburn fans rolled Toomer’s corner in celebration of the Cubs winning the World Series. Holy shit, that’s a thing I just typed and it isn’t April 1.

I never want a beat reporter’s job. As 18 Stripes explores, live tweeting pressers can leave out quite a bit of detail, leaving loads of room for all kinds of hot take interpretation.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Grab Bag” Episode appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Not only have Shane and I seen or normal recording schedule go haywire, but I was in rare form in terms of podcasting screwups. Thankfully, this medium allows for edits to make the product sound much less clusterfucky; however, I felt like every loyal listener to the show deserved some insight into just how off the rails I went during recording in the form of a cold open.

I can promise the first 30 seconds of the show is absolutely gold. The other two hours are for you to judge.

Yes, we weighed in at two hours because this episode. Due to my schedule going full bonkers, I made the executive decision to combine both of our weekly episodes into one. So, we have a Friday Roundup woven into an HLS Audio Recap, released on Thursday. Follow that? Good.

Look, in the end, we saved you an hour by cramming two 90-minute episodes into one, somewhat tightly produced two hour package. Included in said package is a full recap of week 8, complete with shocking upsets and a team (and coach) that should be on your radar. Spliced in are some of the usual headlines that we would include in the Roundup (and links that we discuss are below), plus a little bonus decision regarding votes of confidence and coaches salaries.

And, as always, we close out with Eddie with weekly picks. Don’t look now, but there was one combined loss between the two of us. Watch out 50%, here we come.

The Roundup

Happy Valley: This week’s home of upsets and tear gas. The celebration after Franklin’s first ever win against a ranked opponent got ever so slightly out of hand.

Tom Herman may have taken an ugly loss, but dude is still gonna get paid. Houston is doing what they can to prevent their coach from departing.

This link is NSFW. 2 Fullbacks 1 TD.

Even in a convincing win, Harbaugh will go full Harbaugh. A bad spot, that had no effect on the outcome of the game, became the “worst call that [he’s] ever seen”.

I’m sure Stanford’s offense is fixed now. On Tuesday, Shaw announced that Keller Chryst would be Stanford’s new starting QB.

I sure hope no one was dumb enough to pick UCLA as the Pac 12 champ. Jim Mora has finally disclosed that Josh Rosen, after not playing since October 8, has a bad nerve in his throwing shoulder that will keep him out indefinitely.

BYU wins the award for the dumbest play call of all time. 4th and 19, on your own 5 in the first half? Perfect time for a fake punt that’s a run. Somehow, Boise didn’t score after that which tells you all you need to know about this game.

For everyone hoping for a BK firing at the end of this season, here’s your dreaded voted of confidence from Jack Swarbrick.

USA Today has released their annual coaching salary rankings. They have Bob Diaco making more money than Brian Kelly which is almost guaranteed to be 100% wrong; however, it is still worth taking a look at some things like just how much of a slimy shell game Michigan played to get Harbaugh’s 2016 salary listed at $9 million.

The post Roundup in your (HLS Audio Week 8) Recap appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder yells from the sideline during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring football game on Saturday, April 16, 2016, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. South Bend Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

VanGorder was hired in 2014, following the departure of Bob Diaco to become Connecticut’s head coach. The criticism of Diaco was his “bend but don’t break” approach made his defenses appear somewhat vanilla or “boring.” So what? They were fundamentally sound, rarely beat themselves and were always in the top half of the nation in total defense.

Much enthusiasm ensued when the Irish brought VanGorder and his NFL pedigree to South Bend. Many media types ballyhooed Van Gorder as an NFL mind that would immediately upgrade the Irish to an SEC style of defense. The media types quickly sold the fans on his various “exotic blitz” packages.

This brought great excitement to the masses.

Apparently no one saw or really seemed concerned with the uneven career of VanGorder prior to his arrival at Notre Dame. For starters: In 34 years as a coach prior to coming to Notre Dame, VanGorder made 18 different stops with various levels of success. Not much was made of VanGorder’s stint as the defensive coordinator at Auburn, which was his college stop previous to coming to Notre Dame. During that season the Tigers went 3-9 and VanGorder’s defense was ranked 81^st in the nation.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder on the sideline during the Notre Dame-Michigan State game. (Photo: SBT Robert Franklin)

VanGorder’s defenses at Notre Dame were inconsistent, undisciplined at times, and often gave up points and big plays in bunches. Trouble was brewing early in VanGorder’s first year. After a very good start, the Irish were scorched for big plays as they stumbled to an 8-5 finish. This included giving up 43 against North Carolina and Northwestern and being lit up for 55 versus Arizona State. We may have gotten some fool’s gold at the end of the year when they played reasonably well vs. LSU in the Music City Bowl.

At that point, we were told that year two of “Uncle Rico” would be better. It was, slightly, as the Irish improved from 69^th in total defense to 45^th. Though the numbers improved and the team went 10-3, they still surrendered a late lead at Stanford and were just beaten down vs. Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Additionally, this was a defense that featured Jaylon Smith and Sheldon Day, two of the better players in recent memory at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly looks back at an official during the Notre Dame-Texas NCAA college football game on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. South Bend Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Despite the experience and high level talent, VanGorder’s defense was nowhere close to a dominating unit. Enter 2016, the Irish are ranked 109^th in the nation, play with zero sense of urgency, and seemingly cannot tackle. Duke was the final straw. But, a fair question is: How did we even get to this point?

In my opinion, the hiring of VanGorder seemed to be a panic move from the get-go, like a gambler in Las Vegas back at the ATM chasing the money he lost. Perhaps Kelly gambled that he needed to change to grab the ring that has eluded Notre Dame since 1988? With the offenses that he features at Notre Dame and the changing landscape of college football, he needs discipline over pedigree and consistency over resume.

Kelly is at his crossroads at Notre Dame. His next hire will likely help define his own tenure at Notre Dame.

The post I Never Liked The VanGorder Hire appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder yells from the sideline during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring football game on Saturday, April 16, 2016, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. South Bend Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Much has been discussed, written, and analyzed of the 50-47 loss Texas handed Notre Dame this past Sunday. Many have called for change among the defensive coaching staff as it relates to the 50 points a young Texas team hung on the Irish defense.

Ironically, the change that is being clamored for is due to the inability to do just that – change. In the ever evolving landscape of today’s college football, it is more important now than ever for coaches to adjust, adapt, and yes – change. The evolution of the spread offense, read option, and dual threat quarterback are prime examples of how defenses around the country have been forced to adapt in order to defend the relatively new, innovative, fast paced offensive systems.

In regards to Notre Dame, changes must be made in one way or another if the Irish hope to salvage the 2016 season. Look no further than the recent game at Texas as an example of the failure to successfully adjust and adapt.

Irish Illustrated’s Pete Sampson offered this interesting stat: Against Notre Dame’s 3-man defensive line, Texas rushed 38 times for 214 yards, or 5.63 yards per carry. Against a 4-man line, Texas rushed 11 times for 38 yards, or 3.45 yards per carry. Hindsight is 20/20, but why the Irish ever went back to the 3-man front in the second half may forever remain a mystery.

I have never been a defensive coordinator – nor do I pretend to be – so forgive me for what may appear as a naive interpretation of the “VanGorder Experiment.” To the common fan, the easiest change to make on defense would be to “simplify the scheme.” This is, and remains, the platitude that Irish fans continue to cling to. It wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to suggest that the complexities of Brian VanGorder’s NFL-esque defensive system have become counterproductive to general defensive goals.

Sadly, these complexities continually appear to be far more complex to our own defense than to the opposing offense. The current defensive scheme can be easily characterized by numerous busted coverages, players “overrunning” the ball carrier, failed blitz attempts, and quite simply poor tackling. When these miscues develop into patterns, rather than isolated incidents, you end up with historically poor results as summarized by long-time Notre Dame Football beat writer Lou Somogyi at Blue and Gold Illustrated:

The 132 points Notre Dame has surrendered in its last three games — a 38-36 loss at Stanford, a 44-28 defeat to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and the 50-47 setback in Austin — set a school record for the most over such a stretch. Those 132 points yielded come out to an average of 44.0 points per game. The previous record was 129, or 43.0 per game, in 2014.

Unfortunately, that also occurred during VanGorder’s first season at the helm when Notre Dame lost 55-31 at Arizona State, 43-40 at home to Northwestern in overtime, and 31-28 versus Louisville. That’s not even including a 49-14 drubbing at USC in the regular season finale, or a 49-39 victory versus Navy the week before traveling to Arizona State. When you add those five games up, it comes out to 43.5 points per game, just short of the current 44.0 number through the past three contests.

Once again, a healthy dose of “simplify the scheme” would appear (on the surface) to be a potential cure to the poor defensive performances. If not a cure, perhaps simplifying a defensive philosophy rooted in NFL teachings could provide a much needed cough drop to the current disease defense.

Perhaps a simplification would allow for less scheme teachings and more fundamental tackling teachings, thus providing better results considering the original tally of missed tackles against Texas reached an inexcusable 24. Maybe even a Bob Diaco “bend don’t break” style defense would more justly fit the current defensive personnel. Comparing the Diaco era versus the VanGorder era provides for a nostalgic juxtaposition:

• Yards allowed per game: 343 (Diaco) vs. 393 (VanGorder) +50
• Points allowed per game: 19.0 (Diaco) vs. 27.1 (VanGorder) +8.1
• ND Offense points per game: 27.1 (Diaco) vs. 34.0 (VanGorder) +6.1 – essentially BVG has the luxury of a 6 point cushion that Diaco wasn’t fortunate enough to have.
• 2012 defense allowed one touchdown drive of over 75 yards (Diaco) vs. 2015 defense allowed 26 touchdown drives of over 75 yards (VanGorder) – also the Irish defense gave up four touchdown drives of 75 yards or more against Texas. (Stats courtesy of @NDMcFLY  & @PeteSampson_)

While these statistics may be superficial, they do make an ND fan appreciate the old adage: “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”

The upshot is that the coaches can’t lose sight of their overall goal – to put the players in the best opportunities to succeed. This beautifully simple idea has been conflated and overshadowed on defense over the past three years by perplexing gap assignments, stunts, blitzes, and coverage responsibilities.

Looking back at the 2015 team, the lack of success on defense is maddening, especially after considering five members of that defense are currently on NFL rosters (Jaylon Smith, KeiVarae Russell, Sheldon Day, Romeo Okwara and Matthias Farley). Yes, the 2014 and 2015 defenses suffered unprecedented injuries, but would that not then prompt a coaching staff to change and/or adapt their complex philosophy to fit a young and inexperienced personnel? One could argue it certainly would not hurt.

This change needs to be made in order to put the current personnel in the best opportunities to succeed. Drue Tranquil and Avery Sebastian are very talented safeties who lack the physical traits necessary to succeed given their current responsibilities within the current system. Their backups, true freshmen Devin Studstill and Jalen Elliott, also can’t be expected to fully grasp the complex scheme when no one has truly demonstrated a distinct understanding in the three years of its implementation.

The last three years have been a clinic on how to handicap above average athletic talents due to strenuous mental expectations. It is expected that the defense “play fast.” But in order to do so requires less thinking and a more natural read and react style of play. In order to put the players in the best positions to succeed, the coaching staff must adapt and change their philosophies to fit their current personnel.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

The coaching staff must learn to adapt to the personnel at their disposal. Otherwise, fans can expect more of the same – busted coverages and missed assignments, which put the Irish on a path to a painfully mediocre season. If the coaching staff can’t make a philosophy change, the only other feasible option is to change the philosopher.

The post Defensive “Change” Must Come, One Way Or Another appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Credit: Soobum Im / USA TODAY Sports

For every coach in the post-Lou Holtz era of Notre Dame football, the ending of a coach’s tenure came well before the final game.

As a fan you can almost sense it, that point when you finally realize the program is not going to be truly great with that coach at the helm. For Bob Davie, it came in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl when the Irish got humiliated and manhandled by Oregon State 41-9. In the Tyrone Willingham era it was year two. With a road trip to Syracuse and a minor bowl bid on the line, the Irish were absolutely pasted by an average Syracuse team that would finish just 6-6 by a score of 38-12.

For Charlie Weis, it was the start of the 2007 season when the Irish were humiliated at home by a Georgia Tech team that finished 7-6 by the score of 33-3. Yes, those coaches all continued to coach after that. But they were, in essence, done.

I believe the end of the Brian Kelly era began Sunday night in Texas at the hands of the Longhorns. Before everyone in cyberland gets crazy, Kelly is an excellent football coach. He has won football games at every place he coached. He is by far the best football coach that Notre Dame has had since Holtz.

Unfortunately, the elusive national championship seems further away than ever. Another high profile game in front of a national audience and the Irish failed to deliver. When was the last time they did? The decision to rotate quarterbacks in a road game with a hostile environment will be questioned forever – especially given the disparity between DeShone Kizer’s performance and that of Malik Zaire. In a game that came down to one possession, the Irish managed to waste three by continuing to go back to a clearly ineffective Zaire.

Does anyone remember Bob Diaco? Some criticized his defenses as “vanilla”; others felt the pro-pedigree and exotic blitzes that Brian VanGorder would bring would be the key to the Irish getting to that “next level.” Right about now I’d like an extra scoop of vanilla please.

In the Bob Diaco era, the Irish had a total of two games where they gave up over 40 points. In just two years and one game, this is the sixth game under VanGorder where the Irish have given up over 40 points. If last night is any indication of what’s to come, we will likely see more of these games. Brian Kelly has been stubborn in his defense of VanGorder. Maybe stubbornness will be the most defining characteristic of his career at Notre Dame.

The post Texas Loss Marks Beginning of Kelly’s End At ND appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Max Redfield’s three years at Notre Dame has been an absolute rollercoaster ride.

The highly treasured 5 star 247 sports composite ranked recruit from sexy recruiting hotbed Mission Viejo, Calif. was originally committed to play football at the University of Spoiled Children U$C.  He rescinded this commitment fairly late in the recruiting cycle in November, and committed to Notre Dame in early January of 2013. Sporting an impressive offer list (LSU, Oklahoma, USC, Ole Miss, Tennessee, UCLA, and Ohio State among others), the 30^th ranked recruit in the country had many choices, but chose to sign with the Irish and be a member of #IrishMob13 (the clever hashtag/nickname characterizing the 2013 recruiting class).

Redfield saw action as a true freshman, registering 12 total tackles in former defensive coordinator Bob Diaco’s defense. The controversial decision to start Redfield against Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl prevented the chance to preserve a year of eligibility. Hindsight is always 20/20, but preserving a year of eligibility may have been a more conservative and beneficial approach.

Enter 2014, and with it a new defensive coordinator in Brian Van Gorder. Redfield worked his way into a starting role, starting 11 games and playing in all 13 games – contributing 68 total tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 1 interception.

Redfield, however, didn’t mince words about the difficulties within the new defensive system, as he told Lou Somogyi of Blue and Gold Illustrated:

An eloquent and confident speaker, Redfield has carried 18-credit academic course loads at Notre Dame per semester, most notably learning Mandarin Chinese. When asked whether VanGorder’s defense or Chinese was more difficult, he paused. “That’s a pretty good question,” he responded. “I would say consistently being successful in that scheme is harder than learning Chinese.”

Redfield rode the rollercoaster throughout 2014, with a low point coming during the Arizona State loss when he was criticized for his overall lack of effort. Consequently, he found himself benched and in the Brian Kelly doghouse the next two games, which were incredibly frustrating losses to Northwestern and Louisville.

Season ending injuries to Austin Collinsworth (shoulder) and Drue Tranquill (1^st of 2 ACL injuries) forced Redfield into a starting role once again during the impressive Music City Bowl victory against LSU. The bowl win was indisputably Redfield’s most productive individual performance, recording 14 tackles. Many believed the former five-star safety had turned the corner and was destined for a monster 2015 season – including college football pundit Phil Steele who named Redfield a 2015 First Team Preseason All-American.

Unfortunately, this prediction did not come to fruition. 2015 was not a monster season, nor was it an epic failure of a season. It was every bit of luke-warm mediocrity.  Redfield failed to surpass his sophomore totals in tackles, making 64 total tackles in 2015, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and notching another interception (much in thanks to a tip drill executed by KeiVarae Russell, now of the Kansas City Chiefs). Redfield ended the season on a low point when he was sent home from the Fiesta Bowl for allegedly missing curfew repeatedly. Redfield took to Instagram to post a (backhanded?) apology leaving many to wonder if he had played his last down with #NDFB. Thankfully, Redfield is still enrolled at Notre Dame and participated in the 2016 spring practices.

Moving into the summer and eventually into fall camp, this is undoubtedly a do or die season for the senior.  There isn’t a coach or fan that would claim Redfield is lacking in the department of athleticism. The criticisms often come from mental breakdowns and lapses that consequently result in big plays for the offense. These errors in judgement and off the field issues must be put to bed.

If there is a proverbial switch to be flipped, then it better happen quickly because true freshman (early enrollee) Devin Studstill was one of the most highly praised defensive players of the spring and reportedly took first team reps – relegating Redfield to some second team reps. Perhaps this is a motivational ploy instrumented by the coaching staff, or maybe Studstill is simply that good. With that being said, don’t count out Redfield just yet. The Irish have a history of producing high performing safeties late in their collegiate career. It took former #NDFB safety Harrison Smith, current Minnesota Viking and recent Pro Bowl performer, years of growing pains before the light eventually turned on and he recorded an astonishing and team leading 7 interceptions his senior year (most since Shane Walton also picked off 7 passes back in 2002).

Max Redfield has obviously had his fair share of highs and lows aboard the #NDFB rollercoaster.  Here’s to hoping he can learn from his past hardships and develop a mature outlook on his upcoming senior year.  With all of the intangible pieces in place, he needs to add and maintain a mental consistency to allow his five-star athletic frame fly around and make plays.  I’m well aware that this is an overly simplistic solution, but the truth is that Redfield has one final season to answer the questions: Did the recruiting analysts whiff on this five-star? Or, like Harrison Smith, did Redfield need to endure a few years of growing pains to develop into the game-changing and potential NFL safety we all thought he could be?

I believe the light will turn on for Redfield and he will become the commanding leader of the defense’s back end. I won’t give up on him just yet because of his sheer athleticism. Redfield has been his own worst enemy. But if he can put as much effort in the film room as it looks like he does in the weight room, then this upcoming season will be the one where we consistently see what recruiting analysts saw in this five-star talent in 2013.

Cheers and go Irish!

Previous “5 Questions” Posts

• Will The Irish Defense Improve Its Pass Rush?
• Will Another Star Receiver Emerge in ’16?

The post Will Redfield Prove Five-Star Talent? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Top 10 People Most Likely to Be Notre Dame Head Coach By 2030 or so

10.  Chip Kelly

Fire Kelly, hire Kelly

9. Tom Coughlin

Recently stepped down from the New York Giants, which we know is code for “really wants to coach in a relaxing environment”

8. Urban Meyer

Courtesy of ESPN

Forget what this guy says — Urban Meyer (one of these days!) will someday acquire a soul, then decide that Notre Dame is the best place for him and the family he loves so dearly.

7. Tommy Rees

You think you have strong opinions on going for two in the 4th Quarter? Wait until you see the “3rd and short fade” section in the Reesus playbook…

6. Tony Alford

This guy was a lights-out recruiter for Notre Dame, then left for a title bump at Ohio State. If Urban Meyer (see above) doesn’t make it back to South Bend, at least we know we have a second option here.

5. Skip Holtz

Skip Holtz, left, with some other people.

What’s the worst that could happen, given that he already has a statue outside Notre Dame Stadium? Plus, he’s sure to be free in the next couple years.

4. Mike Sanford

Everyone from ESPN to the NFL wants a piece of Mike Sanford. Widely regarded as the top young offensive mind in the college game, it was a testament to Brian Kelly’s recruiting chops that he landed in South Bend. But if Notre Dame wants to keep him, there will need to be a promotion in the works soon.

3. Bob Stoops

Jack Swarbrick finally upgrades to a coach with numerous signature wins and someone who understands the gravitas of coaching at a big-time college program.

2. Bob Diaco

His defenses are good. His hair is even better.

1. Jon Gruden

It’s always Gruden.

The post San Diego Chargers Name Tommy Rees as Offensive Assistant Coach appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

There are not many who would lose sleep if BVG lost his job effective yesterday, but I would be surprised to see any actual change this offseason. Given the injuries and Brian Kelly’s long standing relationship with VanGorder, it seems highly likely he’ll be granted at least one more season to prove that his “scheme” can take hold and raise the defense’s performance. This seems like a tall order for VanGorder to accomplish given results to date. For starters, VanGorder loses Jaylon Smith who spent much of the past 2 seasons making up for a lot of other player’s mistakes. He also loses his two best pass rushers in Sheldon Day and Romeo Okwara, Finally, whatever advantage/value added Joe Schmidt was providing pre-snap in lining up players also departs. In sum: VanGorder must find a way to improve a defense that hasn’t been fantastic after losing many of his most important playmakers.

That there’ll likely be a “Debate This” involving VanGorder at some point in the weeks and months to come should come as no surprise, but let me give you Loyal Sons and Daughters an amuse bouche of that debate.

A piece (albeit a minority share) of VanGorder’s issues is that he replaced the much beloved Bob Diaco. While Diaco’s defenses may not have been the most aggressive or exciting, they were pretty effective at accomplishing a healthy bottom line of keeping points off the board. I was curious how Diaco’s first two years as the defensive coordinator (2010-2011) compared to VanGorder’s first two seasons with the Irish. In particular, I didn’t have a strong recollection of how good the offenses were that Diaco faced compared to BVG. So the question I set out to answer was how well did these guys do at keeping points off the board compared to the general level of offense they faced? For each season, I took the full schedule and compared the points opponents scored versus the Irish compared to the season on whole. Let’s look at Bobby D first:

2010 Irish – Diaco
[table “” not found /]

2011 Irish – Diaco
[table “” not found /]

Roughly* (*I’ll willingly admit I used simple averages rather than weighted averages which might change some of the final numbers slightly), Diaco’s defenses on average held opponents to 30% fewer points (Defensive Suppression) than those same teams averaged over the course of a season. His “worst” showing was in 2010 versus Navy when he permitted the Midshipmen to score about 17% more points in that game than they had on average throughout the season. In fact, in Diaco’s first two seasons, he faced 12 offenses that for the season averaged 30+ points per game. Only one of those twelve (2011 Michigan) managed to reach or exceed their average point total versus the Irish. In those 26 games, only 3 times did a Diaco defense permit a team to reach or exceed their average point total.

And, here’s where the frustrations with VanGorder are likely to be exacerbated. Let’s look at BVG’s first two years running the same criteria:

2014 Irish – BVG
[table “” not found /]

2015 Irish – BVG
[table “” not found /]

On an absolute basis, VanGorder’s defenses have simply given up more points. However, and this surprised me somewhat, he really hasn’t faced a much harsher schedule than Diaco. In fact, in VanGorder’s first two seasons, he’s faced 11 offenses that averaged 30+ points for the season to Diaco’s 12. He also faced no offenses that averaged 40+ points to Diaco’s 3. In 6 of the 11 games versus high powered offenses, BVG’s teams wilted letting that team exceed their already high season points average. BVG also had 7 games in which his defense inflated the opposing team’s points worse than Diaco’s “worst” performance versus Navy. The capper being the 2014 Northwestern game where the Wildcats fell just a field goal short of doubling their season points per game average.

In total, VanGorder’s defenses have allowed the opposing offense to exceed their season points per game average in 11 of 26 contests (42%) in his first two seasons. VanGorder held an opponent to half as many points as their season average on 3 occasions to Diaco’s 6. The drop off from Diaco seasons 1 and 2 to VanGorder seasons 1 and 2 is about as stark as it can get. 2015 was an improved campaign for VanGorder, but still only about half as good as a Diaco campaign.

What may make it even tougher for Irish fans to swallow is that year 3 of the Diaco era was the 2012 campaign during which the Irish had one of the strongest defenses in the country on a points allowed basis. It’s unreasonable to expect VanGorder to make that dramatic an ascension, but anything short of a steep improvement should probably be enough to show BVG the door. Diaco did a lot more with similarly situated talent. The gap between talent and performance cannot remain at its current level if VanGorder wants to stick around.

The post Bobby D vs BVG: The Early Years appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Here are your headlines:

FROM OUR SITE

• BK era: Scoring offense and defense

RECRUITING

• One Foot Down: OFD opinions: 2016 recruiting top target (Joejuan Williams, Josh King and Rashan Gary)
• 247 Sports: Six earn invite to The Opening at LA regional (Matt Fink)
• AL.com: Auburn in good position with RB Elijah Holyfield; yes, he’s Evander’s son
• TigerNet.com: Clemson offers 4-star DE after Junior Day visit (Julian Okwara, younger brother of Romeo Okwara)

COACHING

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Autry Denson & his coaching ministry

CURRENT TEAM

• ND Insider: Football notebook: ND offense might already be up to speed (Brian Kelly, Mike Sanford, Everett Golson, Malik Zaire, Mike Denbrock, Bob Davie, Bob Diaco, Autry Denson, Lou Holtz, Jay Hayes, Aaron Taylor, John Foley)
• CSN Sportsnet Chicago: Notre Dame spring preview: Everett Golson, Malik Zaire & the QBs

IRISH IN THE NFL

• Bleacher Report: Maxx Williams is the only first-round talent in underwhelming TE draft class (Ben Koyack)

MISC.

• Post Standard: The Rev. Ted Hesburgh of Notre Dame: One quiet Syracuse life he changed forever
• Sidney Daily News: ‘Rudy’ to speak in Fort Loramie
• Eleven Warriors: 11W community interview: IMG Academy offensive lineman Mirko Jurkovic Jr.

The post Morning Roundup: March 9, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

VIDEO

• Irish Illustrated: NFL combine interview: Kyle Brindza (5:12)

RECRUITING

• Bleacher Report (Monaco): Position-by-position grades for 2015 recruiting class
• Irish Sports Daily: Eifler wants to hear more from Irish
• HooNation: Scouting 2016: Tight ends – Virginia (Cary Angeline)
• Scout: District of Columbia: Top 5 2016 prospects (Abdul Adams)
• Scout: East notes: Commitments, offers, etc. (Cary Angeline & Jordan Fuller)
• Fox Sports: East recruiting notes (Cary Angeline & Jordan fuller)
• Post Standard: 2016 4-star RB Robert Washington has Syracuse in Top 6, plans to commit in April
• Scout: 4-star RB gets huge offer, will decide soon (Robert Washington)
• Scout: Derek Dorsey picks up two offers
• Hoosier State Preps: 2016 profile: Ben Skowronek
• Detroit Free Press: Recruiting: More, better football prospects in Michigan in 2016 (Donnie Corley & Michael Jordan)
• Arizona Desert Storm: Arizona football recruiting: Rich Rodriguez bolstering the defense, offers two linebackers (Curtis Robinson)
• NJ.com: Top quarterback Dwayne Haskins recaps Monday’s Rutgers visit, plans to announce in April
• Bleacher Report: Dwayne Haskins sets decision plans: Which team has the best shot to land 4-star QB?
• Maize & Brew: 2016 defensive back JJ Givens reacts to Michigan offer
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Canadian underclassman has ND interest (Luiji Vilain)
• Bucknuts: Antwaun Jackson talks Ohio State visit, young RB on board (Antwaun Jackson & Ravon Bonner)

COACHING

• Inside the Irish: With smoke circling Gilmore and Denson, coaching staff coming into focus
• Tampa Tribune: Bulls Beat: Spring football a welcome sight (Autry Denson)
• USFNation: Autry Denson leaves for Notre Dame
• 247 Sports: Sanchez recounts Todd Lyght’s time as Bishop Gorman coach
• AP: UConn’s Diaco has a long history with newest assistant (Bob Diaco & Frank Verducci)
• CTPress: Brian Koonz: As UConn’s new offensive coordinator, Verducci plans to accentuate the positive
• Register Citizen: UConn offensive coordinator Frank Verducci already familiar with Bob Diaco
• Hartford Courant: UConn’s new offensive coordinator Verducci, Diaco go way back
• Hartford Courant: UConn new assistant coordinator Frank Verducci ready to take charge
• Daily Lobo: UNM football team brings low ticket revenue (Bob Davie)
• Bleacher Report: College football coaches who aren’t living up to their school’s expectations (Bob Davie)
• College Football Talk: Boise State stays in-house for new OC (Mike Sanford)
• Irish Turning Point: Fresh in the Gug: Mike Sanford

CURRENT TEAM

• One Foot Down: What makes Joe Schmidt so good?
• UND.com: Former Cal defensive back Avery Sebastian commits to Notre Dame
• Irish Sports Daily: Sebastian to Notre Dame is official
• Inside the Irish: Notre Dame announces graduate transfer of Avery Sebastian
• ND Insider: Notre Dame officially adds former Cal safety Avery Sebastian
• Irish Illustrated: Kelly likes Sebastian’s versatility
• Rant Sports: Notre Dame bolsters safety depth with Cal transfer Avery Sebastian
• 247 Sports: Notre Dame announces Avery Sebastian transfer
• CSN Chicago: Notre Dame announces addition of Cal transfer Avery Sebastian
• Chicago Tribune: Cal’s Avery Sebastian to play for Notre Dame next season
• AP: Sebastian to play at Notre Dame after graduating from Cal
• ESPN: Avery Sebastian to play final year for Notre Dame Fighting Irish after graduating from California Golden Bears
• Sporting News: Former Cal DB Avery Sebastian transfers to Notre Dame
• Sports Illustrated: Avery Sebastian to Notre Dame: Cal safety transfers to Irish
• CBS Sports: Notre Dame announces addition of Cal transfer S Avery Sebastian
• College Football Talk: Notre Dame officially add former Cal DB Avery Sebastian
• Irish Illustrated: Spring questions: Quarterbacks
• Athlon Sports: College football’s top 10 quarterbacks on the rise for 2015 (Malik Zaire)

IRISH IN THE NFL

• Bleacher Report (Arnold): Tracking 2015 NFL Combine results for former Irish stars
• The DA Show: Brady Quinn: “Combine not close to playing football”
• New England Patriots: Tight ends provide backup plan (Ben Koyack)
• Steelers Depot: Steelers 2015 draft: Top 50 big board 4.0 (Ben Koyack)
• Predominately Orange: Denver Broncos 7-round mock draft (Ben Koyack)

MISC.

• UHND: Notre Dame’s unusual 2015 football schedule
• Reign of Troy: USC football ranked as 2nd best college football program (Notre Dame is #13)
• Bleacher Report: Ranking college football’s 25 hardest schedules for 2015 (Notre Dame is #6)
• Seattle Seahawks: Maxx Williams utilizing lessons learned from NFL father at 2015 NFL Combine (Robert Williams)

The post Morning Roundup: Feb. 19, 2015 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.