I agree with Stu. The Irish sent Buchner a message that they were heading in another direction and he chose to roll the dice. We'll see how that plays out. Pyne had hurt feelings and I can fully understand why and just bolted. The "40 year decision" was never a factor in these guy's minds.
You're spot on Bobda, and now the golden goose has shat all over the floor before taking flight to greener pastures.
On Pyne he did get his degree I've read in Dec before he left for ASU. I do think he just wants to play and it was clear once they told him they were bringing in Sam Hartman that he was going to go to the bench. So he bailed early so that he could have more time to visit and consider alternatives. I don't think he was talented enough to go anywhere in Div 1 and just walk in and be the starter. I liked him a lot and had hoped it would work out at ND but even I could see that we needed a better QB to have a chance to be great in 2023. Buchner, I don't know. The Alabama QB room is loaded with highly ranked QB's and I think he mis-read the situation when people started talking about how poorly the QB's performed in the Spring. That might have been true but they were a group of very talented and highly recruited kids. So was he of course, but those guys went through the spring, they knew the team and the receivers and Tyler for all the tremendous upsides he showed at time was also just as likely to throw a pick 6. I hoped he'd go to Alabama though and win the job. Of course it's still possible he'll play and you never know about injuries. Good luck to both of those guys. I esp wish that Buchner had stayed, if Hartman goes down he'd have been a great guy to step up. As it is we have 2 guys who have bascially never played behind him. We'll need Hartman to be an ironman.
Well Zeke Correll didn't practice today, had an ankle brace. I hope it's not the dreaded high ankle sprain that's tough to get healthy and play at the same time. Ashton Craig a RS Freshman (or Sophomore) stepped up and he's got size at least he's 6'4" and is 307. Could be the starter in the Navy game if Zeke's injury isn't just a minor ankle tweek. Also we lost a TE from the 2025 class in Ashton Roberts from Oklahoma he hadn't been commited for very long when I guess he decided he wanted to stay closer to home and is expected to end up at OU now. The fact that he's a 2025 kid and that he's bailed so soon is a good thing, plenty of time to find his replacement. Good news is that legacy recruit James Flannigan also a 2025 TE is projected to join the Fighting Irish.
Well it's Navy week, Freeman had his press conference this morning no big news came up. They will leave for Dublin tomorrow night after a practice and they will stay in Dublin after the game and get up early and fly home Sunday. I think he said that Zeke Correll will play on Sat and that Pat Coogan and Rocco will be the starting guards. I will say that Coach is one sharp dressed man, I wonder how much that Blazer cost him it was a perfect fit. Of course it helps that not only is he young but the dude is in shape.
Navy, triple option….hate this game. Good to have it as first game I guess. More time to prepare for this offense. With a new coach they may have some different ideas.
Like all teams even Georgia, we'll have to avoid critical injuries. Sam Hartman has to be Ironman at QB, as the backups are woefully inexperienced. Big stars like Joe Alt also need to stay healthy. The young guards, Coogan and Spindler have to play to their potential. The WR room needs to emerge, we've just been very average at this position for awhile now. Chris Tyree has reportedly really taken to the move to the slot. We have a guy who can stretch the field in Tobias Merriweather but he's young and drops some ball much like Will Fuller did early on before it all clicked for him. TE room has been stacked in previous years but it's a bit thinner this year due to transfers and injuries. No Michael Mayer replacement. Audric Estime is reportedly poised for a big year, and the RB room has talent and depth. Defense across the board needs to be better in all phases. It seems like they might just be, reports out of fall camp are all pretty positive. Special Teams were so special last year, but that guy has moved on to the NFL. New guy is working hard and we need another good effort from this phase of the game.
I don't know why more teams don't employ the Triple Option because it is difficult to defend and a real ball control offense. My high school team employed it for four years, were never the biggest team in the game and only lost three games over that time span back in the day. The minimum requirements for running the Option are a QB who is very smart, can make a decision in the blink of an eye and doesn't mind getting hit every single play and an O-Line that does not allow any penetration as the play develops. If Notre Dame can get that penetration from the D-Line and the CBs play the option back correctly they will negate the option. The Defense has to be aggressive; if they simply "catch" blocks the Option will be effective.
Always remember what Lou said about the triple option. "You don't defend it, you attack it." Most importantly, the offense has to dominate the smaller Navy defense. Once Navy is down more than 2 TDs their offense is a liability. They kill their own clock.
I think the key to beating Navy is score every time you get the ball cause you’re not going to get that many possessions. Score and stay up on them. Get behind and you’re in for a long game.
Notre Dame and Purdue, Womens Basketball programs, renew their rivalry this year. Haven't played in quite awhile, why I don't know. Rivalry Renewed - Purdue to Face Notre Dame in December - Purdue Boilermakers
Just thought I'd provide a reminder why this rivalry is so special to both schools, superceding concerns about option offense and competitiveness:
Weather looks like a lot of rain for Saturday, not necessarily during the game but leading up to the game.
I'm heading back to Franklin NH/Lake Webster for a week of heat relief. High 50's to high 70's!! Houston will still be suffering with triple digits while I'm gone. Down side is that traveling on Saturday i'm gong to miss the game and also miss the next game on my return trip home. But it's worth it to get out of this darn heat!! Taking the sticks and hoping for some good rounds while I'm there. Fortunately I can DVR the games and watch them when I get back!