I agree Mike, even the completions that Armstrong has have been contested. Wolfpack turns it over on downs and a couple of plays later it's 45-17.
I love it when a QB spots a wide open receiver and instinctively floats the ball to him instead of firing the pass, like Hartman did on the 2nd Staes TD.
Well NCState got a garbage time TD and tried the onside and we recovered...but ABC has cut away from the final 2 minutes and I've got Aggies on my screen!!!!
Irish came to life after the rain delay. Maybe gave them some time to appreciate that NCState came to play on defense and make some changes. Hartman overall was great, made great throws. But he did hold the ball too long on several plays when he should have just thrown it away. This game turned though on the defense and big plays. Big run by Estime, several big plays in the passing game by Staes, those turned the tide. But game ball to the defense for the 3 picks and the stuffing of the NCState running game. It gave the offense short fields and they converted them into points. Lot's of things for the staff to work on and lots of things to give the team atta boy's for so it was a good win!! Even though they sacked Hartman 4x, the OL in general gave him time to throw. The running game if you take away that 80 yd burst by Estime, was just average. Of course they were loading up to stop the run from the get go. I can't evaluate our young OG's but I'll be curious to see how some who are more knowledgeable than me evaluate their play. 7 point favorites and end up winning going away by 21. Nice.
Gotta clean up the stupid penalties and start showing discipline during and after the play, as a team and as individuals. What happened today could really hurt us against our strongest opponents.
Coach Freeman showered a lot of praise on CMU in his press conference. But they gave up 42 points to New Hampshire last weekend and their QB Bert Emanuel Jr is a dazzling runner but just a so so passer. - QB Bert Emanuel Jr.: This one feels self-explanatory. But he IS the majority of the offense. He may not be the most accurate QB you’ve ever seen, but the raw talent is there. Athletic, fast, accurate when he has the time to be. He can also scramble his way out of anything it seems (he did this A LOT against MSU), when the pocket collapses he can find a way out using his legs that leaves you thinking “how the hell did he do that?” If anything, he’s a very exciting watch. They were beaten handily by Mich State in their first game. This should be a game that we come out fast and put them away, but of course we still have to play the game and the players have to come out ready to go and not flat thinking it's a walk in the park. Like most fans I'm hoping that Steve Angeli gets meaningful reps in the 3rd and 4th qtr including several series with the 1's.
Apparently the Friday Luncheon is being revived at ND, starting the weekend of the Ohio State game. I remember going to them back when I first started going to games during my nephews time at ND, but I seem to remember that they discontinued them after they got penalized for Kim Dunbar being a booster and providing extra benefits to ND players. They based her booster status on her buying a ticket to these luncheons. At least that's what I remember. Play Like A Champion Today Football Luncheon
From ISD's scouting report. Expected Strengths The quarterback run game is a legitimate threat. Both of the top two quarterbacks have had 100-yard rushing games in their career and starter Bert Emanuel Jr. is a tricky player to tackle. He had an 87-yard run last season. 7 of their 12 10+ yard rushing attempts this season have come from quarterbacks. Potential Weaknesses The passing game was better against New Hampshire, but it was brutal against Michigan State. They averaged 3.3 yards per play against Michigan State with 96 yards passing 3.8 yards per attempt. They only had 19-yards after the catch in the game on six receptions. They are going to be woefully overmatched up front. The guards gave up eight pressures vs MSU and they allowed pressure on 54.3% of drop backs. It might be a race to the QB off the edge too. The offensive tackles are bad. They’ve given up eight sacks and have allowed 18 tackles for loss as well. In their two games, the opposition has had a 21% Havoc rate. Scouting Report | Central Michigan
Not surprising given the high level ND WBB has played at over the last 20 years or so. 3 players on the All-WNBA team is more than any other school. Truthfully given UCONN success I'm a bit surprised they haven't got more than the Irish.