I'm looking forward to a great many things. Obviously the elephant in the room is the defense. Can we manage the line of scrimmage and prevent the ND rungame - incl QB - from pounding us senseless and keeping the ball out of CJ's hands? Can Knowles develop the defense to the point that they can execute at a championship level? I have my doubts in game 1, but in truth anything will be an improvement. Is the personnel we have at LB and DT CAPABLE of performing at that level? Can the young studs on the outside of the Dline play at the level of their press clippings? Same with our young wideouts. We lost 2 first round picks at WR, outside of JSN, while highly regarded, are the newbies ready to execute at an elite level consistently? I love our Oline, I love Henderson but we struggled at times last to year to run the ball in short yardage and when we wanted to.....a new OL coach and some position changes upfront may benefit, but ND has a solid Dfront, they are gonna have to show people. Can CJ have another year like last? Could that have been a product of the embarrassment of riches who are now gone that he had to throw to - Olave, Wilson and Ruckert - or ???? On a side note, Coach Freeman, Washington and Laurinaitis know our personnel very, very well.....it will be interesting to watch how and who they attack and how Knowles adjusts......that will tell you alot about weak links Some great matchups I'm looking at that can be difference makers in this game.....2 almost surefire first rounders, Isaiah Foskey and Paris Johnson, will be head to head on CJ's blind side. Great battle to watch....ND secondary -v- Buckeye wideouts. I'm sure Coach Freeman will have a scheme to help corral them, but CJ/Day are gonna be slinging it downfield all night, he can deliver it to any spot on the field, if there are any weak links they will have a long evening. I'm as excited about this matchup as any opener I can remember.....I expect it to very competitive. Oddsmakers are suggesting to us 1 in 6 chance ND prevails. Given that, I see 1 in 2 that we win but fail to cover and 1 in 3 that it gets away from the Irish late in the second half and we cover. That tells me Buckeyes win, but likely fail to cover....
T, I appreciate your thorough analysis. The above quote represents my biggest concern. I fear that this aspect of your game vs. our DBs likely will be our downfall. I like our DBs but Stroud's arm and accuracy very well can be the deciding factor. Let's see if I'm right (I usually am not but this time, maybe).
Sid, my nightmare scenario is as follows: the ND front in conjunction with the threat of QB run controls the line of scrimmage, consistently moves the chains and keeps CJ and Co on the sidelines. A few turnovers and/or special teams plays give the Irish some extra possessions, ND withstands a late aerial assault and the Irish faithful go home happy campers.....ugh, I hate that I just typed that but it is certainly in the realm of plausible outcomes
The key for the Irish is to not surrender a quick score at the start of the game. When that happens you lose your focus. They need to get into a tempo and move the ball. They cannot afford any turnovers because the Buckeyes are just that good. The longer we hang with them the better chance we have to pull this out as physicality takes over and I am pretty sure that we are by far the most physical team on their schedule. The big X factor? We have two new kickers.
I think Notre Dame needs to play a flawless game, coupled with a few turnovers are Notre Dame's best chance. Like George says, if ND doesn't fall behind early, they can stay in their game and have a good chance at the upset. If both teams play their best game, OSU wins.
Irish will need to control the clock and try to wear down OSU’s defense. The Buckeyes will score as I doubt there is any team in college football that can contain the firepower built into that offense. But, while Meyer’s teams could score by both quick strikes and methodically marching down the field, Day’s teams seem more predisposed to gaining yardage in big chunks. The downside is that this type of offense can end up placing the defense back on the field with little rest and can be exploited by a physical team. Moreover keeping the Buckeyes offense off the field can get them out of sync and prone to quick 3 and out series. But having said all that, the Buckeyes offense is lethal.
Great comments from a knowledgeable group. I may not like the result of the game, but I sure like the conversation leading up to it.
I'm with Bob. For the Irish to stay in this game, and possibly win it they need to run the ball and keep possession. Long 10+ play drives, even if they end in FG attempts are the formula. Otherwise the Buckeyes could start an avalanche that could quickly bury the fellas from South Bend.
Hope for the Notre Dame faithful, how many teams have lost to Ohio State five times in a row other than Michigan? Even more stunning, the Buckeyes have not won a non conference home night game in almost two decades in the Shoe! (Courtesy of 11 Warriors.com)
High praise for your Irish there Krebsie.....that Stripehead crew we ran into late last November was the most physical front (not named Alabama) - on both sides of the LOS - that we've run into in a long time and the Joe Moore award and NFL draft provide further evidence. We saw how that turned out, so if your crew is a cut above that one, it's gonna be a long day for the scarlet and gray as our defensive front will get mashed, CJ will rarely get his hands on the ball and when he does he'll be running for cover! I've seen that movie before, not interested in a repeat. That said, their manhood has been challenged in the press and all summer workouts and camp, we'll see if they're up to the task
I can't compete with Bobda's and BT's humor in the Michigan vs. Ohio State posts, but I can provide 2:20 of excitement for ND fans:
At least they're gonna look good walking to the stadium....props to CJ https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2022/09/132621/cj-stroud-gives-500-express-gift-cards-to-entire-ohio-state-football-team-to-buy-new-game-day-suits
I'll be in the air at kickoff on the route from Boston to Houston. Here's hoping for a good showing by the Irish!
Fire your travel agent. My daughter latched on to 2 tix for the game. She came down with Covid the other day and can't go. She's down.
Well... ND is following the script. Big TOP advantage through the first half. Will be interesting to see what the Buckeyes do to try to change the pace and take back the advantage ND has right now.