It wasn't just this game, it's been a problem all season, as Sid noted though it was covered up by a number of the teams we played who were supposed to be good had bad seasons this year. Also as tough as this loss was to swallow, Oklahoma State was a very good team was a couple of inches away from beating Baylor in the B12 Championship game, had they won they might have ended up in the CFP. They also finished with a solid schedule, had OU who was a good solid team and Baylor also a team that was very good this year. So they were battle tested. Also I have to remember that it was a 37-35 game not a 37-11 game that we were never in.
That was a terrible loss; no redeeming qualities to it. It was not a learning experience. OSU won the battle of the trenches both ways and And erased. 21 point deficit in a quarter. I thought they were better conditioned than us. You wouldn’t think it possible that a QB could complete 38 passes for 509 yards and not only lose the game but not look particularly good doing it. The mobility of an oak tree.
More bad news, the Irish Hockey team had worked it's way to the #10 ranking lost tonight to unranked Niagra at home. No doubt this series was scheduled as a warmup for the 2nd half of the Big 10 season. They play again tomorrow night.
Krebs mentioned the Irish players in the portal, but the real worry is Austin and Lenzy maybe not returning. All sorts of rumors that they have signed with agents and that Foskey also will not return. Austin and Foskey according to what I have read got return to school grades from the NFL. Personally I am not very concerned about Lenzy, he's had a so so career IMHO. Avery Davis can come back no word on his decision yet. Irish women's basketball lost a tough one on the road at Duke. They led most of the game but just couldn't finish. It was a big problem last season, hasn't been a big problem this season.
Here is a tough critique of the Irish loss from one of the ND publications. (Not So) Immediate Overreactions: Notre Dame's Fiesta Bowl Collapse Will Linger // UHND.com
I sincerely hope the fans give Coach Freeman some time to get a handle on his new job. Learning new assignments, how to react to players, many challenges out there for him. Over reaction is never good for anyone. Hopefully in a couple of years you will have a very different perspective of what happened in this past bowl game.
Don, unfortunately, overreaction is common among college football fans. Notre Dame is no exception. The bar was set high many years ago and never has been lowered. Among the more level-headed fans of all programs, typified by those here on Skybox, emotions and hopes are realistic, especially for a rookie head coach like Marcus Freeman. I remember well Lou Holtz' first season in 1986. Although the record was 5-6, there was an air of hope and even optimism because of his past performance as a head coach. Coming from behind to beat USC certainly was a contributing factor. With Coach Freeman we don't have past performance to lean on, but, personally, I have the same feeling of hope and optimism that he'll be able to break that recruiting and coaching barrier which has kept us in the tier below the elite programs like your Buckeyes. I already have resigned myself that we'll lose our first game to Ohio State, but I don't believe that game will define our 2022 season. I'm excited for the future of the program and am 100% behind Coach Freeman.
I don't think it was the 2 point loss in a Pick-em game that had everyone undone. I think it was a our total inability to run the ball which forced us into a prolonged game that wore out not only the offense but the defense as well. We could not take any time off the clock because we could not run. And blowing a three TD lead is never going to go down well.
Austin is leaving. Lenzy is staying. I hope Austin has his degree because I don't think he is an NFL caliber receiver. We'll see.
From Sampson. Notre Dame’s collapse on Jan. 1 simply let everybody else know what Freeman already understood. The Irish were an overachieving team last season, winning 11 games without beating anyone of significance (sorry, Wisconsin) and nearly losing to a host of no-names (Virginia Tech, Florida State, Toledo). With a more honest schedule, Notre Dame doesn’t sniff the College Football Playoff like it did. But the thing about making the CFP for Notre Dame now is that just making it isn’t enough. The Irish have to be good enough to win there. This team wasn’t. That would have been true even if it had held off Oklahoma State. But after the Fiesta Bowl, no one outside the program will deny it, either. The hard work doesn’t start now. It started the moment Freeman got the job.
Word is that Freeman has hired Cincinnati Special Teams Coordinator, Brian Mason. According to what I am reading, this is a great hire.
I commented on Sampson’s article. I asked why Purdue was not considered to be of significance. I suggested he ask then no. 2 Iowa, then no.3 MSU and Tenn. if they were insignificant.
Freeman was faced with an interesting dilemma late in the fourth quarter: he could call timeouts helping the defense catch their breath or save them for the offense. He kept them counting on the D to hold. Welcome to head coaching Marcus.
Nice home win for the Irish Men vs UNC last night. Now they have to figure out how to be more consistent and take that on the road.
Good observations 4. If you read my rewatch notes from earlier this week, then you know that I highlighted the fact that when pressured, Jack Coan only produced three first downs on 20 dropbacks (15%). There were a few factors that gave Oklahoma State the edge in winning the game, but Spencer Sanders managing seven first downs on the 19 dropbacks he was pressured (36.8%) was one of them. Coan converted a first down on 19% of drop backs when pressured this season. That’s not all about mobility as Ian Book was someone who could escape pressure and only finished at 20% in 2018, but mobility definitely plays a factor when avoiding/handling pressure. If Tyler Buchner wins the job or not, Notre Dame has to be better when the quarterback is pressured. They have to be able to flip those into positive plays more than they did with Coan. Book converted first downs on 28.7% of pressured drop back in 2020. The two starting quarterbacks in the upcoming national championship game, Alabama’s Bryce Young and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, are at 30.7% and 32% respectively for this season. Those plays where Sanders got out of a sack and ended up scrambling for big yards were demoralizing for a tired defense. It would be nice if Notre Dame’s quarterback could do something similar next season.
Our inability to run was the biggest factor. That kept our defense on the field and allowed a 30-0 swing. We really missed Williams. An entire dimension of our offense was missing.
Lots of blame to go around, but in the end it was Oklahoma State was just the better team. Esp at QB and in College Football who has the best QB has a big chance of winning the game.
Irish Hockey has weekend home series with Penn State to open the 2nd half of Big 10 conference play. Penn State is last in the conference, everybody is chasing Michigan. Irish Women have a big game with NC State this weekend. The Wolfpack and Louisville are the top womens teams in the ACC. NC State has one of the best players in NCAA with their aircraft carrier center Elissa Cunane. We do get them at home. Would be a great win if we can pull it off. Hopefully both teams will be healthy. Irish Men go on the road to Ga. Tech, we're on a bit of a streak having won 5 of our last 6, but so far this season we have only the one road win at Pitt. Tech is an opportunity having lost 6 of their last 7 and are last in the ACC. Irish freshman Blake Wesley is having a sensational season, it's been awhile since we've had a freshman play as well as he has played.