Devin Gardner was way better than I was expecting. He played exceptionally well until that boneheaded interception in the end zone. He wobbled for a little bit but answered the bell down the stretch. It didn't get much play on the broadcast, but that throw on the last TD pass was very impressive. Gardner had a lot of pressure and put it one the money.
The refusal of the Notre Dame coaching staff to run the ball consistently is maddening. The drive that kept Notre Dame in the game (first drive of the second half) was a great combination of runs and passes. Pick your situation - Down 14 and 3rd-and-3 deep in Michigan territory, the run was never an option (especially when you are gonna go for it on fourth down!). Down 7 with the short field after the shanked punt, Carlisle runs it for 16 yards on the first play and then FOUR STRAIGHT PASSES. Notre Dame showed it could control the middle of the line of scrimmage but had a 18-45 run-pass ratio before the last-ditch drive
Troy Niklas is an absolute beast. His route running needs a little work but he is a good blocker and when he gets in space, watch out.
Man does Amir Carlisle run hard. I thought Theo Riddick ran like a senior last year and maybe he rubbed off on Carlisle, who I think is more talented physically than Riddick.
I am not sure what is wrong with the defense, but it should start with Tuitt and Nix losing 20 pounds apiece. That weight might be good for Nix on Sundays but not in college.
The refusal of the Notre Dame coaching staff to run the ball consistently is maddening. The drive that kept Notre Dame in the game (first drive of the second half) was a great combination of runs and passes. Pick your situation - Down 14 and 3rd-and-3 deep in Michigan territory, the run was never an option (especially when you are gonna go for it on fourth down!). Down 7 with the short field after the shanked punt, Carlisle runs it for 16 yards on the first play and then FOUR STRAIGHT PASSES. Notre Dame showed it could control the middle of the line of scrimmage but had a 18-45 run-pass ratio before the last-ditch drive
Troy Niklas is an absolute beast. His route running needs a little work but he is a good blocker and when he gets in space, watch out.
Man does Amir Carlisle run hard. I thought Theo Riddick ran like a senior last year and maybe he rubbed off on Carlisle, who I think is more talented physically than Riddick.
I am not sure what is wrong with the defense, but it should start with Tuitt and Nix losing 20 pounds apiece. That weight might be good for Nix on Sundays but not in college.
Seriously, if anyone can fix the defense, please call Bob Diaco. The loss of Te'o and Lewis-Moore can't be the only thing wrong.
I would love to see some analytics on 2nd-and-18 vs. 3rd-and-8. Obviously it didn't work out for Notre Dame but I would just like to see the percentages on that decision. Intuition says the 2nd-and-18 would be better for the defense but I am curious.
Tommy Rees played fine. He is what he is - a backup quarterback who has improved in his career and knows the offense very well. He never saw the Michigan defender on that interception. Tommy shouldn't be asked to throw the ball 40 or 50 times a game. No college QB should.
Notre Dame got some awful breaks on three pass interference calls. The early one on Russell and the one on Jackson were very tough. If you can't do that, then you can't play defense. I think the call on Farley was correct.
You see why a team doesn't want to rely on passing. Notre Dame got the break in the first half on the tipped ball and Michigan got the break at the end of the game. There are a lot fewer things that can go wrong when you run the ball.
The next two games should be wins for the Irish. Purdue is miserable and Michigan State's defense has scored more touchdowns than its offense through two games. Then the tests come with Oklahoma, Arizona State and Southern Cal.
At least the Rays are losing. The Indians are six outs away from being one game back in the wild card.
I would love to see some analytics on 2nd-and-18 vs. 3rd-and-8. Obviously it didn't work out for Notre Dame but I would just like to see the percentages on that decision. Intuition says the 2nd-and-18 would be better for the defense but I am curious.
Tommy Rees played fine. He is what he is - a backup quarterback who has improved in his career and knows the offense very well. He never saw the Michigan defender on that interception. Tommy shouldn't be asked to throw the ball 40 or 50 times a game. No college QB should.
Notre Dame got some awful breaks on three pass interference calls. The early one on Russell and the one on Jackson were very tough. If you can't do that, then you can't play defense. I think the call on Farley was correct.
You see why a team doesn't want to rely on passing. Notre Dame got the break in the first half on the tipped ball and Michigan got the break at the end of the game. There are a lot fewer things that can go wrong when you run the ball.
The next two games should be wins for the Irish. Purdue is miserable and Michigan State's defense has scored more touchdowns than its offense through two games. Then the tests come with Oklahoma, Arizona State and Southern Cal.
At least the Rays are losing. The Indians are six outs away from being one game back in the wild card.
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