Notre Dame Football: The Temple Hangover

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 1-0 heading into week 2. That is something we certainly couldn’t say last season, and the Irish did it in comfortable fashion Saturday by trouncing the Temple Owls, 49-16.

So let’s get this Hangover out of the way so we can start gearing up for the Georgia Bulldogs.

My Secret Wish For Brandon Wimbush

People are really excited about Brandon Wimbush and it’s easy to see why. He can be a dynamic playmaker running the football, and still has a ton of potential as a passer. To make things even sweeter, Wimbush has a demeanor about him that is fun and refreshing.

DeShone Kizer tried to be a bit too professional at times, and whether it was true or not, it came off as less than genuine. That isn’t the case with Wimbush, who seems nothing but genuine in his appreciation for the players and coaches around him, and the fun he’s having out there.

My wish is that he continues to have success - but at a moderate pace. I hope that Long and Kelly continue to lean on the running game for the betterment of both Wimbush and the team. I have a fear of Wimbush going off for like 322 yards passing and 4 TD’s in a 12 point loss. You know what I mean?

The Most Non-2016 Stat

The Irish were 6 for 6 inside the redzone. They didn’t just score, they scored touchdowns. Redzone efficiency has been a plague on the Notre Dame house for quite some time, and has certainly cost the Irish their fair (and maybe unfair) share of games over the years. The inability to punch it into the endzone could mostly be blamed on poor play-calling and a lack of physicality.

That wasn’t the case on Saturday.

Although Notre Dame was so good in the redzone, it’s the two missed field goals by Justin Yoon that has me worried - maybe more worried than if the Irish were only 4 of 6 in scoring territory. HOWEVER, these were 44 and 47 yard attempts. It’s not like he missed a 27 and 32 yard kick - which would have been in the redzone.

Go Rotate Young Man

I really liked what Notre Dame did along the defensive line on Saturday. The Irish used a lot of bodies, and freshmen like Kurt Hinish and Myron Tagovailola-Amosa got a lot of quality minutes under their belt.

It’s what a team like Notre Dame should do when they play a team like Temple. I don’t think the rotation will be quite as vast against Georgia, but if they do need to call on a guy, they already have real battle time under their belts. Plus, this leaves the frontline guys a little fresher.

Speaking of FRESH... Jay Hayes and Daelin Hayes both looked really, really good. Jay was setting the edge and Daelin was looking like Gozer the Destroyer of quarterbacks.

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Moving Forward

All bets are off. While Temple presented its own challenges, the level of competition is about to increase significantly this week with the Bulldogs. Regardless of Georgia’s quarterback situation after the Jacob Eason injury, they still have Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and a damn good defense.

BUCKLE UP Y’ALL!