One Foot Down - 2022 Notre Dame Football: California Golden Bears WeekA never-ending discussion about Notre Dame and the greater CFB landscapehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52610/ofd_fav.png2022-09-19T15:27:52-04:00http://www.onefootdown.com/rss/stream/231144212022-09-19T15:27:52-04:002022-09-19T15:27:52-04:00Notre Dame vs. Cal: OVERREACTIONS
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<figcaption>Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>You see less craziness online after a win</p> <h2 id="Gw8Zr5"><strong>“Just Win, Baby.” —Al Davis —MattyG</strong></h2>
<p id="gfH4uW">Well, I gotta be honest. One has to scour the internet a bit more to get any spicy overreactions after a win. Even though the <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com">Notre Dame Fighting Irish</a> are only 1-2 on the season, there is definitely a vastly better mood around the fanbase. Still adjustments need to be made by the team to make sure they could take control of a game in a better fashion than they did on Saturday. But, with heads a little bit higher this week than the previous two, here are some slight overreactions to what we saw when the Irish played Cal.</p>
<h2 id="IXugx9"><strong>ND vs. Cal OVERREACTIONS We Saw Online</strong></h2>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Notre Dame's revamped offense goes three-and-out, false start on a wide out on third-and-one, linebacker blitzes up the A gap to force the punt. Familiar stuff.</p>— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1571208112589111300?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2022</a>
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<p id="1mYlT0">I understand where this was coming from when Pete tweeted this early in the game. The offense objectively was flat, especially in the first half. Pyne was struggling on the shortest of passes, and the offense was stagnant as a whole. It was a bit much to totally go full on against the offensive scheme after one drive and four minutes of real time since kickoff. I’m not saying Pete is wrong by being frustrated or sarcastic here, but it’s not like the offense did nothing all game like the past two games.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Live look at Notre Dame.<a href="https://t.co/lg9kQt6Pnq">pic.twitter.com/lg9kQt6Pnq</a></p>— Overtime (@overtime) <a href="https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1571221054705602562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2022</a>
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<p id="QIpFaF">Ok so we all saw this, and of course even so did Drew Pyne. I’m in love with it, because it not only embodies what we all wanted, it was actually a coaching moment.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Comparing BK to Rees at this point is dumb. Rees has deep relationships w the kids. There is a “disappointed and frustrated parent” element to it IMO</p>— Philip G OFD (@Philip__G) <a href="https://twitter.com/Philip__G/status/1571496350285692936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2022</a>
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<p id="pMS9GD">See, my fellow OFDer Phil here has a great point. I don’t want everyone getting up in arms about this or thinking that the coaching/team are “in shambles.” This stuff happens all of the time, and we don’t see it. Plus, this wasn’t a purple face moment - this had an element of being upset because Tommy knew Drew could do better. It’s an accountability scream more than anything, and it worked. We needed to see that fire and Patterson’s helmet slam last week because the guys care. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is literally taking me back to the 2000s when every game was a hard struggle, no matter the opponent</p>— Matt (@mattygOFD) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattygOFD/status/1571240231390650371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2022</a>
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<p id="tzbgCX">I’m even going to call myself out on an overreaction. This was mid-game, right from Section 6 inside the stadium. This is somewhat like Pete’s tweet from earlier in the game - we react to things especially as frustrations bubble up. Obviously the season has been a STRUGGLE overall, but the 2000s we saw games where the score would be flipped even though the Irish were objectively better. Some games and seasons are more like Saturday sometimes. And as we all know, Winning Is Hard.</p>
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https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/9/19/23360732/notre-dame-fighting-irish-vs-cal-bears-overreactions-rees-sampson-winMatt Greene2022-09-19T00:57:29-04:002022-09-19T00:57:29-04:00OFD Podcast: It was the best of wins, it was the worst of wins for Notre Dame
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<p>But it was still a win</p> <p id="evSYOn">Joshua, Jude, and Brendan shuffle into a pod situation after <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com">Notre Dame</a>’s 24-17 win over the <a href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com">California Golden Bears</a>. In this episode:</p>
<ul>
<li id="iIrxjf">HELLO!</li>
<li id="Wg0N5P">Reviews.</li>
<li id="zuKYH1">Joshua jumps right in with a lot of criticism about Drew Pyne - and Jude steps right in to defend his boy (this is what we do).</li>
<li id="gsawEN">Is this the best we can expect from Notre Dame’s offense?</li>
<li id="N8kfMP">How will Tommy Rees operate moving forward?</li>
<li id="9ytM0m">The transfer portal mishaps.</li>
<li id="WtD0rs">The improved Irish offensive line.</li>
<li id="k9HC8h">Should Notre Dame stick with the two running back rotation rather than the three running back rotation?</li>
<li id="vwD3QV">A high-pressure day for Notre Dame’s defense.</li>
<li id="U7Kvv8">How the referees inserted themselves into this game - and sprinted off the field for their troubles.</li>
<li id="nz6H7I">How Oski mesmerized 2/3 of this podcast, and we have no excuses for it.</li>
<li id="nGXjn9">The Irish crowd showed up and did well for itself.</li>
<li id="kRhcic">The final few minutes of stress, and Marcus Freeman’s relief.</li>
<li id="MEmLp2">Already talking smack about the <a href="https://www.tarheelblog.com">North Carolina Tar Heels</a>, because LFG!</li>
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<p id="ahYEer">And plenty more weaved in and out of the show.</p>
<p id="vtlDC8">Please RATE and REVIEW! All reviews left on Apple Podcasts will be read on the next OFD Podcast.</p>
<div id="8fWGdl"><iframe frameborder="0" height="200" scrolling="no" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=VMP7773488092" width="100%"></iframe></div>
https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/9/19/23360502/it-was-the-best-of-wins-it-was-the-worst-of-wins-for-notre-dame-fighting-irish-cal-nd-news-pyne-reesJoshua VowlesndjrsBrendan McAlinden2022-09-19T00:49:18-04:002022-09-19T00:49:18-04:00Notre Dame overcame a slow start to get the first win of the Marcus Freeman era
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<figcaption>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Third time is a charm, right? (Or is it four?)</p> <p id="h7tVZv">Heading into Saturday I don’t think anyone was unaware of how important the game against the Golden Bears would be for the Irish. Regardless of whether we went to bed last night having experienced a third loss in as many games, or a win. It was going to be a pivotal game in this young season. As the first half came to an end I was sure it was going to be the former. Drew Pyne looked completely out of his element, the line was not doing him or the backs any favors, and the defense despite giving up only ten points, felt as if they would be unable to hold Cal enough for the offense to have a chance. If for the remainder game it continued similarly we would’ve been in rough shape today. It would be safe to say a lot of people would’ve started thinking about next season, and freaking out about how far <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com">Notre Dame</a>’s recruiting class would fall in the rankings. The only thing left to do for a lot of fans would be to figure out if one or more of the staff is the right person for the job. </p>
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<cite>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="ZBRV79">Thankfully this scenario was avoided for now. In a way that we had yet to see this season this team punched back. Unlike last week, when Cal made a move Notre Dame had an answer. Now this by no means was a perfect half. The offense still struggled to get things going at times and the defense was unable to lock down a not very great offense. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows yet but, this team responded. When things were looking ugly they found the will to win. Which in my opinion is an underrated thing, and it is more difficult to achieve sometimes than people may think. When a team lacks the will to win, you go out and do things like losing your hope opener to Marshall. If you continue to struggle to find it, you have seasons like ‘07 and ‘16. As I stated previously we avoided these thoughts even if only for a brief moment. The question now is, can this team hold on to that fire and not let it go the rest of the season? That way they can start to answer the questions we have about this team.</p>
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<p id="DD9Q7S">Holding that on to that will to win will not carry them all the way through. Plenty of games coming up will require much more than heart to win. The good thing is I don’t think we’ve had to question the talent on this team. We have enough talent to beat most teams. What seemed to be lacking was what I mentioned before AND execution. And despite a much more productive second half on both sides of the ball. The execution is still not anywhere near where this team wants to be. In the second half, the line started to get a push, more of a push than the first two weeks at least. Allowing this talented room of running backs to start getting downhill. This opened up the short pass game and allowed Pyne to gain a bit of confidence, which he majorly needed. Granted this was against Cal, but believe it’s a good start. Especially considering we are now operating without our starting quarterback. I believe it gave Tommy Reese and company a blueprint to work with so that this offense can score enough to give this team a chance. Defensively there are still wrinkles that need to be ironed out but I’m willing to be patient with Golden. This was a good starting step. They will have a chance to expand upon these improvements against North Carolina before the bye week. Hopefully, by then they will have enough answers and still be able to utilize the bye to its fullest extent before the trip the Vegas.</p>
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<cite>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="YiRX4y">We are all fans of Notre Dame and/or other teams, but the reason why we love college football is because of the insanity. This weekend had some absolutely wild moments all around the country. So can we talk about how nuts this game was? First off, we open this game after a loss to Marshall, and immediately your backup quarterback looks completely inept. Getting pressured, missing wide-open receivers, fumbling snaps. Then on top of that, we get an unfiltered clip of Tommy Reese tearing into Pyne, cussing him out about how everyone’s counting on him. Then after that, he fumbles and Freeman starts going after I’m pretty had as he comes off the field (all justifiable in my opinion by the way). I felt awful for Drew. I truly did not think Angeli would be an improvement, but I was screaming to throw him in because I did not want Drew to have to continue to go through this. Luckily he and the offense were able to respond in the second half. Then after some back and forth we get to the final minute. Note Dame punts to Cal with just over a minute remaining in the game. Why am I recapping this part? WE WON THIS GAME THREE TIMES! I am by no means questioning the calls, they were all valid. But my lord my heart couldn’t take it. First, we think we seal it with an interception (finally!). Then that gets taken back due to targeting occurring before the intervention occurred. But then after a few plays, we once again get our first turnover and take it to the house, and we cover the spread. But no, his knee was down and it would be grounding most likely anyway. And finally, on a hail mary heave to the endzone on the final play, Brandon Joseph tries to go for that first turnover again which gave Cal a shot to catch it on the ground. To say my heart stopped for two seconds would be an understatement. I felt like I fully died and saw the other side. After shaking off how distraught I would’ve been had he caught that catch. I couldn’t help but laugh and get enjoyment out of how insanely nuts this sport is. Especially since it was to get Freeman his first W.</p>
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<img alt="California v Notre Dame" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IL50KSS1HcmK06kTn0tArRM7aKg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24034732/1424713847.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</cite>
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https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/9/19/23360295/notre-dame-overcame-a-slow-start-to-get-the-first-win-of-the-marcus-freeman-era-fighting-irish-ndJoseph Babey2022-09-19T00:08:44-04:002022-09-19T00:08:44-04:00How Notre Dame Football’s 2022 Opponents Fared in Week 3
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Brigham Young at Oregon" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZgRvGeodLVulSfHvHDKL6dxe_Ow=/0x0:6530x4353/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71385878/usa_today_19064944.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Marshall suffers letdown, Orange, Tigers and Trojans stay undefeated</p> <p id="J4p9kb">Here are how each of the <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com/"><strong>Notre Dame Fighting Irish</strong></a>’s opponents fared in week three of the 2022 college football season:</p>
<h2 id="PED98i">
<a href="https://www.landgrantholyland.com/"><strong>OHIO STATE</strong></a><strong> BUCKEYES (3-0)</strong>
</h2>
<p id="bFk7ku">The Buckeyes beat the Toledo Rockets so badly, the city briefly considered allowing itself to be annexed into Michigan. For the 77-21 win, Pro Football Focus gave the Buckeyes a 90.8 overall grade, with the offense earning the highest marks (92.0).</p>
<h2 id="UCfES0"><strong>MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD (2-1)</strong></h2>
<p id="Plng3M">Herd: What are you doing? One week after shocking Notre Dame, Marshall lost to the Bowling Green Falcons, 34-31. PFF graded their overall performance at 69, with low marks for pass blocking (30.3) and run blocking (32.6).</p>
<h2 id="SYQgjU">
<a href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/"><strong>CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS</strong></a><strong> (2-1)</strong>
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<p id="hSeTjV">The Bears became Coach Marcus Freeman’s first victim, falling to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 24-17. PFF graded their overall performance at 55, with demerits for passing (42.2) and pass blocking (25.2) and higher marks for rushing (74.5).</p>
<h2 id="DLndaX">
<a href="https://www.tarheelblog.com/"><strong>NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS</strong></a><strong> (3-0)</strong>
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<p id="oplNWA">The Tar Heels were home in Chapel Hill eating cheeseburgers.</p>
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<a href="https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/"><strong>BYU COUGARS</strong></a><strong> (2-1)</strong>
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<p id="xEF1VJ">The Cougars went to Eugene and suffered their first loss of the season, 41-20, to the <a href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com">Oregon Ducks</a>. PFF graded their overall performance at 56.5. with top marks for pass blocking (86.9) and a terrible mark for rush defense (35.6).</p>
<h2 id="zGuuY1">
<a href="https://www.ruleoftree.com/"><strong>STANFORD CARDINAL</strong></a><strong> (1-1)</strong>
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<p id="XQzowl">The Cardinal took a break from competitive football and will travel to Seattle Saturday to face the University of Washington. </p>
<h2 id="wBexak"><strong>UNLV REBELS (2-1)</strong></h2>
<p id="WysGCr">The Rebels ran for 365 yards in their 58-27 thumping of the North Texas Mean Green. Las Vegas received an 88 overall grade, with high grades for offense (92) and rushing (92.4). </p>
<h2 id="WTUtPG">
<a href="https://www.nunesmagician.com/"><strong>SYRACUSE ORANGE</strong></a><strong> (3-0)</strong>
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<p id="0dYyQz">The Orange stay undefeated at the (newly christened) JMA Wireless Dome with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory against <a href="https://www.hammerandrails.com">Purdue Boilermakers</a>, 32-29. PFF gave Syracuse a 68.1 overall grade, with top marks for rush defense (83.6) and tackling (83.8).</p>
<h2 id="cQiJyx">
<a href="https://www.shakinthesouthland.com/"><strong>CLEMSON TIGERS</strong></a><strong> (3-0)</strong>
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<p id="dvUSLL">The Tigers were humming on Saturday, defeating the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 48-20. PFF awarded the Associated Press’ fifth-ranked team with a 88.1 overall grade, with both offense (80.5) and defense (84.1) being commended.</p>
<h2 id="ar6SEq">
<a href="https://www.againstallenemies.com/"><strong>NAVY MIDSHIPMEN</strong></a><strong> (0-2)</strong>
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<p id="hg4pgx">The Mids took a break from their disaster of a season. They’re headed to Greenville, N.C. to face the East Carolina Pirates (2-1) on Saturday.</p>
<h2 id="6FCoCK">
<a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/"><strong>BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES</strong></a><strong> (1-2)</strong>
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<p id="5ys1rB">The Eagles hosted FCS-level Maine Bears and gifted them a loss for the short ride home, 38-17. PFF gave the Kings of Chestnut Hill a 78.9 overall grade and 90.6 grade for rush defense.</p>
<h2 id="67wqht">
<a href="https://www.conquestchronicles.com/"><strong>USC TROJANS</strong></a><strong> (3-0)</strong>
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<p id="NfQThk">The Trojans transfer offense continues to roll, with this week’s victim being the Fresno State Bulldogs. For the 45-17 win, PFF awarded USC an 80.9 overall grade with plaudits given for pass blocking (87.5), rushing (80.5) and overall offense (79.5)</p>
https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/9/19/23360343/notre-dame-football-2022-opponents-week-3-ohio-state-marshall-cal-unlv-syracuse-byu-usc-stanford-uncndjrs2022-09-18T17:09:59-04:002022-09-18T17:09:59-04:00Three Things We Saw in Notre Dame’s Win Over Cal
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<img alt="California v Notre Dame" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_1hZ1dxk-ibnfRZiHGEJlohW9kk=/0x0:2657x1771/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71384774/1424721251.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Baby steps, people</p> <p id="d077uL"><a href="https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/9/16/23356470/notre-dame-fighting-irish-vs-california-golden-bears-staff-picks-byu-oregon-news-college-football-nd">Did I call it, or did I call it</a>? The <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com">Notre Dame Fighting Irish</a> and Marcus Freeman got the first wins of their season and career, respectively, over the <a href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com">California Golden Bears</a> by a 24-17 margin. It started extremely rough and was never pretty, but the Irish improved enough in a few key areas to escape. Let’s look at a couple of those areas, as well as some ways the Irish can continue to improve moving forward.</p>
<h1 id="VsMCoU">The Trenches Step Up</h1>
<p id="VXy4PF">The Irish offensive line took no shortage of criticism over the past week for their performance against Marshall. And there were still struggles for the Irish against Cal, particularly in the first half: in addition to inconsistent pushes and protection, the line also committed some soul-crushing false-start penalties that set the Irish back on multiple drives. But as the game progressed, we saw moderate improvements in play: more consistent pockets for Drew Pyne - who we will get to later - and enough of a push in the run game that the Irish were able to string together some a couple impressive drives to seal the deal. Was it dominant, or even above average? No, but it was enough to carry the day for one game, and that’s all we can hope for each week at this point.</p>
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<cite>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="IBkP8s">If the offensive line took a step from awful to mediocre, the defensive line took a similar one from mediocre to excellent. We finally saw that vaunted aggressiveness and depth from the Irish line, with Jacob Lacey providing a welcome spark (and 2 sacks) off the bench, and Isaiah Foskey and Jayson Ademilola both coming up huge late after sustaining injuries earlier in the game. The line also held up significantly well against the run, as the Bears would have been held well below 100 yards on the ground if not for a couple very long scrambles by Jack Plummer. </p>
<p id="IuZv8Q">It was far from perfect, but we started see some of that physicality we heard about all offseason, and it made a huge difference on both sides of the ball.</p>
<h1 id="0znl0S">Progress in Play-Calling</h1>
<p id="k9ObCP">Speaking of people who got deservedly roasted in the post-Marshall fracas, Tommy Rees also showed a marked improvement in this game. It didn’t always show up on the scoreboard, as the Irish failed to execute well-conceived plays on numerous occasions - again, we’ll get to that later - but there was a noticeable trend toward more common-sense decisions and responding to in-game trends. Chris Tyree got significant touches and showed why he deserved them, impressing both as a runner and a receiver. When weaknesses appeared in the Bears’ defensive scheme the Irish seized on them, notably in their emphasis on the run and short-passing game in the second half.</p>
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<cite>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="4bdu24">There were still some shortcomings - two catches on only a few targets for Michael Mayer isn’t great, there was hardly an attempt at establishing a downfield passing game and the game’s two leading receivers were both running backs - and your mileage on his...<a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/17/notre-dame-offensive-coordinator-tommy-rees-berates-drew-pyne/">delivery</a> in coaching may vary, but in this game Rees at least showed an ability to make adjustments and increasingly target his best players. For his sake as much as anyone else’s, one hopes more are coming.</p>
<h1 id="tU9neW">Getting Out of Our Own Heads</h1>
<p id="IANQcl">For all the struggles the Irish had, this game did not have to be close. Indeed it is likely the case that we would feel a lot better about Tommy Rees’ play-calling in this game had the Irish executed in a few key moments. Drew Pyne was the leading culprit here, as the young QB in his first start (and living out a childhood dream, as close viewers of NBC’s broadcast would note) seemed to be struggling against the man in the mirror as much as anyone else. Airmailing a rare downfield shot to a wide-open Michael Mayer, who might still be running now had the pass been on target. Missing gimme passes to open receivers in the flat. The less said about that fumbled snap the better. I don’t want to pick on Pyne too much because A) I can understand the pressure he was under, B) he got a lot better as the game went on, and C) he got it far worse from his own coach, but it is undeniably true that the Irish could have easily covered in this game had he been dialed in from the start.</p>
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<img alt="California v Notre Dame" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GsM2pcjWi_52i7hwFCSDX_S9u2U=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033698/1424721258.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="Ul3yFV">It’s also important to note here that Pyne was far from the only offender here in terms of mental mistakes. There were the aforementioned false starts that killed promising series in their cribs (the first series of the game for the Irish saw <em>Braden Lenzy </em>of all people commit one that turned a 3rd-and-inches into 3rd-and-6). There were dropped passes for easy first downs. The miscues occurred on defense too - while it is impressive that the Irish notched 6 sacks on the day, it could have been easily been nine or ten had Irish pass rushers been able to routinely wrap up the not-particularly-athletic Jack Plummer. And don’t even get me started on J.D. Bertrand’s idiotic targeting penalty that caused the first of two negated walk-off turnovers, and could very well have sent this game to OT had the Bears capitalized.</p>
<p id="FCbczO">The Irish clearly had a lot of mental hang-ups to work through after the first two games, and the good news is they were able to work through them while coming away with a W. A suddently-daunting road trip awaits, and we will get to see whether those problems were overcome or merely mitigated. Stay buckled in Irish fans, because every game is a potential roller coaster from here on out.</p>
https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/9/18/23359673/notre-dame-football-three-things-we-saw-against-cal-nd-cfb-news-freeman-irish-tyree-pyne-winMatt Boomer2022-09-18T14:54:18-04:002022-09-18T14:54:18-04:00Notre Dame loses even more ground in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA Football: California at Notre Dame" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kBWr4ZgUS-DGZB4hGKclOgGHPac=/0x0:6716x4477/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71384284/usa_today_19066100.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The long road back is even longer</p> <p id="hgOZXB">The <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com">Notre Dame Fighting Irish</a> entered its game on Saturday against the <a href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com">California Golden Bears</a> unranked and without a win. Notre Dame was able to pull out a 24-17 victory over Cal after a pretty stressful 4 quarters but was unimpressive enough to continue to lose votes in the polls.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iGWJuX0AAj0FlDmUTfhBaAkXR4U=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033476/Screen_Shot_2022_09_18_at_2.41.23_PM.png">
</figure>
<p id="bHu3lK">Last week the Irish had 23 votes in the AP Top 25 and 35 votes in the Coaches Poll. When the new polls came out on Sunday afternoon, only the Coaches Poll gave the Irish any love with 2 whole votes.</p>
<p id="7lYucI">Notre Dame still has games left on its schedule against the #5 <a href="https://www.shakinthesouthland.com">Clemson Tigers</a>, #7 <a href="https://www.conquestchronicles.com">USC Trojans</a>, and #19/#21 <a href="https://www.vanquishthefoe.com">BYU Cougars</a>. The <a href="https://www.tarheelblog.com">North Carolina Tar Heels</a> are next up for the Irish this week, and were found in the Others Receiving Votes category in both polls. </p>
<p id="zDHf1J">The Irish don’t deserve to sniff the polls right now with its 1-2 start, but if they are able to rattle off 2 or 3 wins in a row — we should find them back in the mix to climb up the rankings. </p>
https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/9/18/23359675/notre-dame-football-irish-lose-even-more-ground-in-the-ap-top-25-and-coaches-poll-carolina-nd-newsJoshua Vowles2022-09-18T13:40:30-04:002022-09-18T13:40:30-04:002022 College Football Data Review: Notre Dame vs. California
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<img alt="California v Notre Dame" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rfaDOFQq06vODQcKaVrLNV7xRdc=/0x0:3599x2399/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71384068/1424721263.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Data analysis from Notre Dame football’s Week 3 victory against California and season trends.</p> <p id="j8061g">All is well that ends well? </p>
<p id="pFSvSu">Or something like that is what I’m feeling looking back on <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com">Notre Dame</a> football’s Week 3 victory against the <a href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com">California Golden Bears</a>. The team went into its second home game of the season 0-2 and in desperate need (on several fronts) for a win. They ultimately got it in a not so pretty but effective, 24-17 win against Cal. While much of the game was unpleasant too watch, I’ve got to admit that it felt good to see the team get to sing the Alma Mater with their heads deservedly held high after the way things have been going this season. </p>
<p id="Asm2zp"></p>
<p id="ER7fHA">So lets dig into what the data has to tell us about the Irish’ first win of the 2022 campaign as well as how things are trending through Week 3. </p>
<h2 id="HkzyZh"><strong>Summary</strong></h2>
<p id="hau8v5">Whether you were just watching a stats ticker or following the plays on a big screen TV, that 1<sup>st</sup> quarter was pretty abysmal. Both teams seem determined to make their punters earn their keep, logging a bunch of short, unsuccessful drives. For ND fans, though, it was particularly difficult because of the blunders and general sense of confusion on the offensive side of the ball. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/69UuxzqkrUnMSafRKbwups9uCXI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033193/Summary.png">
<figcaption>Game summary from Week 3: ND vs. Cal.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="LmHNr8"><strong>Pass v. Rush</strong></h3>
<p id="7NZ04n">It was the general consensus that ND’s offensive play would be key during the game and just going by the 1<sup>st</sup> quarter start, I was thoroughly surprised that things seemed to be getting worse. I’m not going to rehash the specifics here, Twitter is working overtime in that regard, but fortunately the offense started to get things together in the 2<sup>nd</sup> quarter. It didn’t remain consistent or pretty throughout the rest of the game but I do believe we started to see glimpses of what a somewhat well rounded Irish offense can look like with this season’s team. </p>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2LmCHVcYI_qhGvbdpQAAiOBNq80=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033245/Pass_and_Rush.png">
<figcaption>Game details from Week 3: ND vs. Cal.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="RN7DD5"><strong>Passing Details</strong></h3>
<p id="O4Q3bn">The passing side of the ND offense struggled a lot but still managed to put up two touchdowns, although Pyne’s mishaps could’ve been much worse than the 2<sup>nd</sup> quarter fumble that set Cal up for its first fumble. It was an unfortunate turnover (the Irish’s first loss fumble of the season) but the silver lining is that the offense managed to reverse the interception trend (3 total last week against Marshall and 0 this week). Pyne ended the game with a completion percentage of 74% on 23 attempts, as well as two touchdown passes.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mn9dpnNe6PXV1PsQoTYrACtHAIc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033197/Passer_Comparisons.png">
<figcaption>Passer comparisons from Week 3: ND vs. Cal.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="gQwkdg"><strong>Rushing Details</strong></h3>
<p id="ajSMHz">Notre Dame’s rushing unit also finally started to develop a presence and identity after a very slow 2022 start. In terms of total yardage, they outplayed Cal’s rushing unit, tallying up 57% (147) of the game’s total rushing yards. Evaluating through a yards per carry lens produces a stalemate, with both teams averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Estime and Tyree had an almost even split of carries, 18-17, respectively. Estime came out on top in terms of average yards per carry as well as total yardage. He accounted for 52% (76) of the Irish’s total yards on the ground.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uV-Lz0JMFRgXBwW1zT8UikFCXhY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033201/Rusher_Details.png">
<figcaption>ND rushing details from Week 3 vs. Cal.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="3LYOXD"><strong>Offensive Movement</strong></h3>
<p id="RrJhNP">One of the biggest struggles for the Irish continues to be converting on third downs. Neither team did particularly well on this metric, with Cal converting 27% of their attempts and ND converting just 25% of theirs. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZQo1wltL4XrOcMFLQ7qp5EhLAbs=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033247/Movement_Comparison.png">
<figcaption>Offensive ball movement comparisons from Week 3: ND vs. Cal.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="B8vGK2"><strong>Drive Summaries</strong></h3>
<p id="wbIUjm">On the back side of the game, the Irish did a little bit better with putting together longer drives and were able to put points on the board at the end of those. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M41VsfdE8Bewxd-_abknGnBzIeQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033204/Drive_Summary___ND.png">
<figcaption>Week 3 drive summary for Notre Dame.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="1y7BFq">A comparison look at the Golden Bear’s drive summary tells a familiar story but also one much more heavily characterized by key stops by Notre Dame’s defense.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t1tqPwZHSX_FlksabPYMlIG35rw=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033205/Drive_Summary___Clifornia.png">
<figcaption>Week 3 drive summary for California.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="TeYAMS"><strong>Trend – Total Yards</strong></h2>
<p id="BJXA99"><strong>Drop </strong>– There was a bit of a drop in total yardage in Week 3, something that can largely be attributed to a really lackluster offensive outing in the 1<sup>st</sup> quarter.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Bo8J9K1DouR3sRMklP6EWFQzQUM=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033213/Trend___Total_Yard.png">
<figcaption>Total yards for ND through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="73pZEF"><strong>Trend – Passing Yards</strong></h2>
<p id="ea8iY2"><strong>Drop </strong>– The Irish, hit their season floor (so far) in passing yards, something that can largely be attributed to a really lackluster offensive outing in the 1<sup>st</sup> quarter.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iHszN9C8qSuEdNvLMIlnEJWWY6M=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033214/Trend___Pass_Tot.png">
<figcaption>Passing yards for ND through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="HVaYrU"><strong>Trend – Rushing Yards</strong></h2>
<p id="nmIVsE"><strong>Up</strong> – The Irish, hit their season ceiling (so far) in rushing yards, something that can largely be attributed to a much more successful running game that got established later in the game.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pypN2Ls4H4HLgRYdc8oJmN_N9bU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033216/Trend___Rush_Tot.png">
<figcaption>Rushing yards for ND through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="RR0RlX"><strong>Trend – Rushing Attempts</strong></h2>
<p id="Uxyrkt"><strong>Up </strong>– The Irish, hit their season ceiling (so far) in rushing attempts, something that can largely be attributed to a much more successful running game that got established later in the game.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fOf9doigRAmMflLMtk2jKbSWsyo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033217/Trend___Rush_Attempt.png">
<figcaption>Rushing attempts for ND through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="oirmG5"><strong>Trend – Rushing Average Yards</strong></h2>
<p id="7SlDgW"><strong>Up</strong> – The Irish, hit their season ceiling (so far) in rushing average yards per carry, something that can largely be attributed to a much more successful running game that got established later in the game.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Tw5qBtzIXJ-uiOq51DBNa7MkGM8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033218/Trend___Rush_Avg.png">
<figcaption>Average yards per rush for ND through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="qJSU9i"><strong>Trend – First Downs</strong></h2>
<p id="BLf5XN"><strong>Drop</strong> – There was a bit of a drop in first down attainment in Week 3.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Dc55IXDlC_fsZ48UdFlhopXK2pI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033220/Trend___First_Downs.png">
<figcaption>First downs for ND through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="o0QSan"><strong>Trend – Third Down Conversion</strong></h2>
<p id="WqErFP"><strong>Drop</strong> – There was a bit of a drop in third down conversion % in Week 3.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4l2MfvSUrApJMQcQ1-Bd3f6YY5g=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033221/Trend___3rd_Down_Perc.png">
<figcaption>Third down conversion % for ND through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="yTmMdC"><strong>Trend – Fumbles</strong></h2>
<p id="PQPjA3"><strong>Drop</strong> – The Irish tallied their first lost fumble of the season in Week 3.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vRN8nTgaOAGk74hkY5un1onxUWo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033222/Trend___Fumble.png">
<figcaption>Fumbles lost by ND through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="PIPdSf"><strong>Trend – Interceptions</strong></h2>
<p id="2AOur7"><strong>Up </strong>– In Week 3 ND came back down to 0 interceptions after throwing 3 in Week 2.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sd0SJum0r2A6Z7UiLnsnTsdnvQk=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033224/Trend___Interception.png">
<figcaption>Interceptions thrown by ND through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="6LnT3z"><strong>Trend – Defense (Tackles)</strong></h2>
<p id="RCL71f"><strong>Drop</strong> – There was a bit of a drop in total tackles in Week 3, with the Irish posting their lowest total so far.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wJ9sKXRIN49f3oorKlg7i06xPdc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033225/Trend___Def_Tackle.png">
<figcaption>Total tackles for the ND defense through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="5R65sN"><strong>Trend – Defense (Solo Tackles)</strong></h2>
<p id="ygiXSA"><strong>Drop</strong> – There was a big drop in solo tackles in Week 3, with the Irish posting their lowest total so far.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CuwR-3s7cYzP2_NeoTCyzAFPF24=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033226/Trend___Def_Solo_Tack.png">
<figcaption>Solo tackles for the ND defense through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="YBev4I"><strong>Trend – Defense (Tackles for Loss)</strong></h2>
<p id="bZ3Q8G"><strong>Up</strong> – The Irish continued a general, upward trend in tackles for a loss through Week 3.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pF6fLYW4xEXcUgJfc9_G8tWENA4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033227/Trend___Def_Tack_Loss.png">
<figcaption>Tackles for losses for the ND defense through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="d1LBZ4"><strong>Trend – Defense (Sacks)</strong></h2>
<p id="toPgyI"><strong>Up</strong> – The Irish continued a general, upward trend in sacks through Week 3, posting its highest total against California.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bXyK6nVQoZ8B1tvXdY_qZUAwE1Q=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033229/Trend___Def_Sack.png">
<figcaption>Sacks for the ND defense through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="WXlsWF"><strong>Trend – Defense (QB Hurries)</strong></h2>
<p id="PbU9p8"><strong>Up</strong> – The Irish continued a general, upward trend in QB hurries through Week 3, posting its highest total against California.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0wlcSCDX0BPL2UziVDzw0WLa4xI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24033230/Trend___Def_QB_Hurry.png">
<figcaption>QB hurries for the ND defense through Week 3.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="aHCJ4l">It definitely isn’t a game that I plan on watching a full replay of anytime soon but the numbers doe indicate that <strong>greener pastures may be on the horizon for Notre Dame football’s 2022 season.</strong> The ceiling is still probably a lot lower than any of us would like but all is not lost.</p>
<p id="waV4gd"></p>
<p id="S3odl4"><strong>Cheers and Go Irish!</strong></p>
https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/9/18/23359535/2022-college-football-data-review-notre-dame-vs-california-advanced-stats-fighting-irish-nd-news-calJoBro132022-09-18T13:07:40-04:002022-09-18T13:07:40-04:00Was a scare from Cal enough to destroy Notre Dame’s hubris?
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<img alt="California v Notre Dame" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yUDj2oIo3BG8z6qQwjyPm1qc9ug=/0x0:5646x3764/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71384011/1424713897.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” –Proverbs 16:18</p> <p id="4yolJd">You’re probably familiar with what it means to have “a chip on one’s shoulder.” Merriam-Webster defines it as having “an angry or unpleasant attitude or way of behaving caused by a belief that one has been treated unfairly in the past.” In other words, cockiness. What you may not be familiar with is the origin of that expression.</p>
<p id="kFl8l8">Apparently, in the 19th century, people would want to fight so badly that they would carry a physical chip of wood around on their shoulder daring others to knock it off. To me, that just about sums up the Marcus Freeman era to date. Chris Tyree articulated it better than anyone else after <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com">Notre Dame</a> narrowly beat California at home 24-17 on Saturday:</p>
<p id="hRhS95">“A lot of times we took those W’s for granted last year.”</p>
<p id="7EJfyw">That makes all too much sense. Watching this Notre Dame team through three games, I can’t help but get the sense that there is a hubris permeating the roster — and coaching staff — that is unwarranted.</p>
<p id="wp8cNL">These players, these position groups, these coaches, this entire program; whatever grouping you prefer to target, they came into this season thinking they were better than they actually are. And that belief was apparently based on nothing more than a win streak against unranked teams that Brian Kelly orchestrated, a 21-point blown lead in the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/fiesta-bowl">Fiesta Bowl</a> and an offseason of optimism as the new coaching staff essentially got a pass for that Fiesta Bowl loss.</p>
<p id="tAVTg9">A No. 5 pre-season ranking? An off-season inadequately structured to reveal the flaws of the roster? A camp so physical it fooled everyone into thinking they were the meanest MF-ers around? Too much trash talk about being a 17-point underdog to <a href="https://www.landgrantholyland.com">Ohio State</a>? Whatever the reason, it allowed an unearned cockiness to fester within this program.</p>
<p id="5uv3ep">Of the SEVERAL reasons that Notre Dame lost to Marshall — who just lost to Bowling Green on Saturday, by the way — chief among them was offensive coordinator Tommy Rees wasting three quarters trying to play a style of offense his roster simply couldn’t. In close second among the reasons the Irish lost to the Thundering Herd was Notre Dame’s defense giving up a go-ahead touchdown drive rife with boneheaded execution, much of it by second- and third-string players, with only a 15-12 lead in the fourth quarter.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="NCAA Football: Marshall at Notre Dame" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1veDwsrU_NOnP8GklA3vpgZOFu4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24014190/usa_today_19021596.jpg">
<cite>Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
<figcaption>That’s the face of a man who fleeced Notre Dame for $1.25 million and a win a week before losing to Bowling Green in overtime.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="sv4D4o">It has taken far too long for this coaching staff and roster to accept reality when it comes to their capabilities. But to be quite frank, I’m not sure it’s completely sunken in yet.</p>
<p id="v8ktdb">Notre Dame had the nerve to treat Marshall like a guinea pig upon which they could experiment. They had the gall to plug in reserves on the most important drive of the game in a dogfight. It cost the Irish $1.25 million and a win. And while some of those mistakes were cleaned up this weekend, many persisted.</p>
<p id="6qNEum">After new starting quarterback Drew Pyne struggled mightily to run an already tamped-down offense, Rees got even simpler with it. He took all of Logan Diggs’ touches and gave them to Chris Tyree and Audric Estime, whose play moved Notre Dame into the realm of semi-competent offensive football. On the flip side, Notre Dame’s defense showed a lot of the same as the two games prior:</p>
<ul>
<li id="ahMl7f">After the Irish took a 14-10 edge, Cal marched down in 10 plays and took a 17-14 lead. That’s the Irish defense’s patented complacency, thinking they have the game won as soon as they’re up on the scoreboard. </li>
<li id="5XPwev">Adjusted for sacks, Cal quarterback Jack Plummer had six rushes for 81 yards, many in crucial third- and fourth-down situations. That’s Notre Dame’s coaching staff placing undeserved faith in this pass rush to contain a quarterback — even an immobile one — without someone to clean up. </li>
<li id="EpubYD">Cal had a legitimate chance to tie or win the game because senior safety Brandon Joseph tried to intercept that last-second Hail Mary instead of batting it down to the ground. There’s no place for that kind of selfishness and cockiness on a team a hair’s width away from starting the year 0-3.</li>
</ul>
<p id="NYzmCt">“A lot of times we took those W’s for granted last year.”</p>
<p id="PaRapy">They can’t anymore. If not for the defensive line finally showing why they were so heralded coming into the year, Notre Dame loses that game to Cal. And I think Irish fans would be warranted in worrying that everyone within this program still has not gotten it through their skulls that they cannot continue to get away with playing and calling games like this, even against inferior opponents.</p>
<p id="7nvqXx">I’m not saying it would have been better for Notre Dame to lose that game. Far from it. God only knows what an 0-3 start would lead to within the Irish fan base and locker room. And as sour of a taste as it may leave in Freeman’s mouth, they have to swallow their pride and take wins no matter how cheap they may be. And this one was C-H-E-A-P <em>cheap</em>!</p>
<p id="bCyf32">You never know how changing one moment in a football game can affect the ultimate outcome. That said, from a purely mathematical perspective, Notre Dame winds up with <em>at least</em> 11 fewer points in that game if 1) the referees don’t call a phantom offsides call on a missed field goal and 2) that Cal linebacker is smart enough to not bail out Drew Pyne by getting a targeting penalty after an incomplete pass on third down. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is the offsides call against Cal on the missed field goal, which helped set up Notre Dame's opening touchdown. Not only is no one offsides, the box score lists the offending player as No. 50. There is no No. 50 for Cal on the play. <a href="https://t.co/n1msMYakAJ">pic.twitter.com/n1msMYakAJ</a></p>— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1571542229491060736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
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<p id="WeUh4u">This won’t be Notre Dame’s last close call this year. This is the hand their dealt, and everyone from the coaches down to the players has to accept it. And acceptance may be the last of the five stages of grief, but it feels like the Irish will be in for plenty more of that before this season ends.</p>
https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/9/18/23359419/was-a-scare-from-cal-enough-to-destroy-notre-dames-hubris-football-cfb-nd-news-irish-bearsHayden Adams