OK, so we changed things up a bit this week for the Irish Blogger Gathering (hopefully Subway Domer doesn’t get mad at us). This week each Irish blogger submitted a single question to the group and we’ll all be answering that same questions except our own questions that we provided for the group.
Before we get into this week’s questions, I do have one observation. None of us Notre Dame bloggers asked a single Pitt specific related question this week. Hopefully Brian Kelly and his troops are paying much more attention to the Panthers than we are this week.
My question for the group was: Tarean Folston broke out in a big way against Navy last week with 140 yards. How big of a role do you think the freshman back will play in the final three games and what level of production are you expecting from him down the stretch after his break through performance last weekend?
To read what my esteemed colleagues in the IBG have to say about the young Mr. Folston, check out all of their sites below:
- Keith Arnold from Inside the Irish: http://irish.nbcsports.com/2013/11/07/ibg-questions-before-pitt/
- Mike Coffey from NDNation: http://ndnation.com/archives/4350
- Ryan from Her Loyal Sons: http://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/2013/11/07/irish-blogger-gathering-lets-shake-thing/
- Aaron Horvath from Strong & True: http://ndfootball.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/blogger-mailbag-pitt/
Aaron from Strong & True: Due to the immense amount of injuries during the past few weeks to the Irish defense, do you think that playing both option teams on our schedule in back to back weeks was a good idea?
This is a tough one. Everyone’s been talking about all of the cut blocks and what not all week long, but last year when Notre Dame made short order of Navy injuries weren’t a problem. Same for 2011 when Notre Dame blew out Navy at home. For whatever reason though, the injury bug has hit Notre Dame hard this year. The Irish lost Jarrett Grace and Daniel Smith for the season against a non option team. Louis Nix’s been out of the line since before the Irish faced either Air Force and Navy. Sheldon Day’s been limited since earlier this season.
Yes, Notre Dame did lose Kona Schwenke, Ishaq Williams, and Ben Councell the last couple of weeks, but I don’t think the injuries occurred just because of cut blocks. Pitt played Georgia Tech and Navy back to backs and didn’t experience the rash of injuries Notre Dame has so I think some of it just comes down to some bad luck. After all of the good luck the Irish got in 2012, we knew some bad luck was coming out way this year and it has in a big way all season long.
Mike from NDNation: Lots of comments after the game concerned the poor condition of the turf in Notre Dame Stadium and what can/should be done about it. One of our number has contended the BYU game on November 23rd will be the last with the current grass in the Stadium. What kind of a playing surface do you believe the Stadium should have and why?
The field has been in rough shape for years. And that is putting it mildly. A lot of old time fans cringe at the mention of “field turf” in Notre Dame Stadium, but if the conditions are going to make it so that the Irish grounds crew can’t maintain the field to the level it needs to be, I don’t see any problem at all with making some sort of switch. The best example I can think of that Notre Dame should pattern such a change after is Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Lambeau uses a system call DD Grassmaster which combines a real grass surface with man made fibers combined with a state of the art drainage and heating system so that even in the dead of winter, the “frozen tundra” is in great playing shape.
Ryan from Her Loyal Sons: Tommy Rees has very quietly put up some rather impressive passing numbers.His 22 TDs and 8 INTs are surprisingly not far off from Heisman candidate QBs such as Jameis Winston (24 TD, 6 INT), Johnny Manziel (26 TD, 8 INT), and Marcus Mariota (20 TD, 0 INT). While “Rees for Heisman” is an obvious stretch, especially since he isn’t a dual threat like the previously mentioned QBs, I’d wager tied 8th in the nation for TD passes is a lot more than most Notre Dame fans were expecting. Should we all be making a much bigger deal about this or should we wait and see how he ends the season?
The big numbers Tees has put up don’t surprise me at all. Brian Kelly does love to throw the football and defenses early on were begging Notre Dame to throw the football which set up some big games for Rees. The accomplishments of Rees shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone because what he has done has been impressive, but I still think it’s a little too early to make too much of a big deal out it. The game of football has changed and gaudy passing stats are becoming the norm.
Take a look at the NFL where Nick Foles just tossed 7 touchdowns in a game this past weekend. Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway, and Johnny Unitas never threw 7 touchdowns in a game, but a second year player taken in the 3rd round last year did. My point? Big numbers in the passing game alone don’t mean much if it doesn’t produce W’s and to this point, Rees’s senior season is going to be remembered more for the losses to Michigan and Oklahoma. Wins in each of the next three games including a win over Stanford, however, could change that in a hurry. If Rees guides the Irish to a win over Stanford, then we can revisit this.
Keith Arnold from NBC Sports: With the defense so beaten up, is winning out still possible? Would you prefer a lopsided match-up in a BCS bowl or a potential bowl win and possible 11-win season? Would the offseason narrative be better if ND won a second-tier bowl or lost a BCS bowl?
If Notre Dame gets healthy in time for the season finale against Stanford, winning out is possible. The Cardinal might be #5 in the country right now, but this is the same team that lost to a Utah team that is now 4-4 fresh off a 19-3 loss to USC so they are beatable and tomorrow night’s showdown vs. Oregon might prove that last year’s Stanford team was actually better. That said, the chance of Notre Dame getting everyone back that they can by then seems rather optimistic and even if they did, the offense will likely likely have a tough time moving the ball consistently on them.
Obviously an 11-win makes for the best post season narrative, but the only way that happens is if the Irish win out and then win their bowl game. A 10-win Notre Dame is going to a BCS bowl game if it’s eligible. There just isn’t any way a BCS Bowl turns down Notre Dame and the payday they bring. Depending on who plays for the national championship, the Irish could get a favorable BCS matchup if they get there but when has that actually ever worked out for Notre Dame? Every time the Irish have went to the BCS they’ve ended up paired up against the team they probably matched up with the worst.
Will the Irish even be eligible for with 10 wins though? Right now the Irish sit at 23rd in the polls and have inched up each of the last two weeks. Notre Dame still has to move up 9 more spots to be eligible for the BCS. If they move up a couple spots each of the next three weeks (assuming wins over PItt and BYU), that would put them right around 17th heading into Stanford so even a win then wouldn’t guarantee eligibility depending on what Stanford does between now and then.
With all of that said, the best case scenario for Notre Dame might actually be winning out and missing out on the BCS where they would find themselves in a much more winnable matchup with the chance for an 11th win. If I had to choose between watching the Irish end the season in a lesser bowl with a W or in the BCS on the wrong end of another lopsided contest though, I’m going with the lesser bowl. A lesser bowl W might not carry much luster, but it would potentially give Notre Dame back to back 10 win seasons for the first time since…. 1993.
Now things set up and the Irish can control their destiny. One game at a time.
Against Pitt: Hit them fast and hard. Be ready to play and don’t let up. We need to overwhelm them in the first quarter. After that, just keep rolling.
Against BYU: let’s hope they win against Wisconsin. Then just play our defense, and please get an offesne rolling. Balanced with a gashing off-tackle running game. I’d like to see counter plays and play action.
Stanford: Not ready to say more than the obvious. Stay resolute and get after them. We match up reasonably well and should try to slug them a bit before trying any spread stuff. If I were Kelly, I’d draw up two strategies. One for each half. You need to make Stanford adjust.
But Pitt is first and the team needs to focus on them.
All I care about is the Pitt game. Night game in Pitt. They are going to be
really fired up and with our injuries I just hope we get out of there alive.
If we can win and than have the week off we should be OK but it will be
tough.
Bend don’t don’t break doesn’t work against the spread or option. When will learn that? Stanford gets after you, Sparty gets after you, that is old time Notre Dame football. Can we have some, please?
Seemed to work just fine last year.
It did, but it also keeps your opponents in the game. And I guess if you can open up a Teo pipeline that will help too.
Watching Stanford smacking the ducklings. They are looking good tonight. They will be tough when we visit them in Palo Alto.
I find it hard to believe we can beat them. I mean, I can’t help it, look at the other game tonight, we are ND and I am freakin jealous of Baylor!! How many top 10 recruiting classes have they had? Not only did the gash them, they shut the Sooners down.
Yeah, I hear ya FXM. I had similar thoughts going through my head. Baylor looked great and the Cardinal looked brutal. We are just know where near them, at all. God I hate to say that, especially about Baylor, oh my.
C-Dog,
The field at Lambeau is natural grass that is re-enforced by synthetic fiber, that produces a safer, more durable “Field Turf”
It still needs water, needs sunlight, cutting, and fertilizer like a regular natural field, but holds up much better for much longer.
It is installed over a sand base instead of the traditional clay, it can be heated, and drains extremely well.
This is the field system that I think ND is leaning toward. At least I hope so. It is a world class field, that was
Voted best in the NFL.
The players for Green Bay like it so much that the Packers had it installed for their practice field as well.
Kelly has stated on numerous occasions that he wished he could practice in the stadium, a field like this would now allow him to do so.
I guess it comes down to the systems overall life exspectancy and long term costs.
I feel the players and fans deserve the best.
Sounds good.
Good information, Shaz!
C-Dog,
I agree with most of your post. I do think the line is getting closer to an elite unit and has shown a lot of depth with the injuries they have had this year. Also, I think that BK has built depth which has allowed them to stay relavant. If these injuries occurred under CW this team would have been in trouble.
On the issue of the turf I disagree. If you look at the places you named only Green Bay has great turf and at most they would play 10 games on that field. Green Bay also has synthetic fibers mixed in and a great drainage system. In order for ND to have a great grass field the entire field would need to be dug up and a system in place. Also, the Ketchup bottle is a mess of a field. By the end of the season the center of the field is a mud pit. New England tried grass and because it was such a mess they ripped it up and went to turf. Even Philadelphia’s field sucks by the end of the year. One interception against Navy was solely related to that turf when TJ fell. I would like to see field turf, some traditions need to go. I know I am in the minority it is just the way I feel
I don’t think you’re in the minority when it comes to the field conditions. This is NOT tradition, this is just getting better facilities to help our players. Do we want the exact same restrooms and toilets built in 1920 or whatever because that’s “tradition”
It’s about time we get with the times. Notre Dame will always be Notre Dame period. It’s what we stand for, not the damn playing field conditions or new amenities to the stadium.
@Jack,
I respect your points. But to me, grass is where it’s at. I would like to see turf banned for all sports. It’s a novelty and also just as expensive to maintain throughout it’s lifecycle. Additionally, athletes may be more injury prone on articial turf.
Grass works, and has worked for all of football history. For some reason, some places do not maintain it as they have in the past. If coaches had their way, football would be played inside on turf, with a constant temperature and humidity, with the volume of noise controlled.
@Ron,
I hate to say it, but ND still has the trough toilets. The rest rooms get so nasty and smelly as the beer and expensive snacks pass through, less is better.
I’d like to comment on some of these topics:
Injuries: I do feel some of it is due to the option offenses we faced, but I also think for some reason, the approach taught by the coaches this year played into guys being tentative. Also I do feel some was bad luck. Perhaps some of the young guys were thrown in too soon or in the wrong situations. But what are you going to do when you need the next guy. Kelly needs some additional athletic training staff.
Lack of talk about Pitt: Notre Dame needs to address Notre Dame at this point. Pitt will take care of itself if the Irish focus on being themselves and executing. It’s time to fly.
Grass versus Turf: I am totally anti turf. ND has in the past had excellent grass. There have been times where grass has been bad, but it’s a design and maintenance issue. If Green Bay, Pitt and hitorically Notre Dame can have top grass fields, then why not now and why change? Is Kelly trying to make the grass look bad just to get his way? I’d rather lose the coach than the grass field. Notre Dame needs to remain Notre Dame.
Rees: Rees is fine, except for interceptions at critical times. His footwork sucks, but if the protection can hold up, he’s a potent passer. I’m more concerned about the offensive line. It’s still not a premier unit, as evidenced by the running game against decent defenses.
BCS Bowl: Frankly I would like to see the Irish land in a decent bowl. If there was an option to get into a New Year’s Day bowl even if not a BCS bowl, but against a quality opponent and good matchup, I’d like to see that. It is not so great that the option is BCS or perhaps Pinstripe. Either way, it’s important to win the bowl game. We need a top 15 finish.
From article above:
The best example I can think of that Notre Dame should pattern such a change after is Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Lambeau uses a system call DD Grassmaster which combines a real grass surface with man made fibers combined with a state of the art drainage and heating system so that even in the dead of winter, the “frozen tundra” is in great playing shape.
Hey Hey Irish fans, what’s the good word??
Last year versus Navy was a home opener played in Ireland. Jet lag, unusual circumstances to say the least & as all openers are the ND team was uninjured whereas this year Navy was played mid-late season. Navy also gave tOSU a great game two seasons ago as I recall.
Hopefully ND and thier players don’t agree with your loser mentality. Any athlete worth anything wants to accomplish the “impossible”. Rt now for the Irish, that’s ending the BCS Bowl ridiculousness. I truly hope their not hoping to go 10-2 and play in the poinsettia bowl(I’ll be there if they do though!)