The Irish Are Way too Fun to Pick Apart

The Rushing Game is Fine, Actually

I honestly think that Notre Dame fans refuse joy. There's a flaw somewhere. The other shoe will drop. Internet points awarded to the one that finds it first, so even if the team loses no game but their final game, they can stand proud to tell everyone they called it.

I'm begging: enjoy what's in front of you.

I won't pretend that the Irish have a flawless rushing attack. Doubting that Aneyas Williams could fill the gigantic RB1 shoes is more than fair. It appears the coaching staff came to the same conclusion as Nolan James Jr ripped off 121 yards on 26 carries.

That doesn't mean this team has covered up rushing inadequacies with the passing game. In fact, the Irish have shown themselves balanced almost to a fault in the last two weeks. The tilt against Sparty is the first time the Irish have leaned on one side of the football, rushing 19 more times than passing.

The Irish have rushed for over 100 yards in every game. The averages in each game: 3.5, 3.7, and 3.7. They have one more rushing TD (9) than passing (8).

I'd love for the third down conversion rate to be a lot better (currently 14/33 or 42.42%). You'd think that signals terrible run success on third and short, but the Irish actually average 3.46 yards when they have 1-3 yards to go on third, achieving 9 first downs in their 13 attempts.

The Irish also get stronger as the game progresses. The quarterly averages for rushing: 2.81, 3.32, 3.71, and 4.43. Against Sparty, they put together a soul-crushing 9:42 drive, which sadly just ended in a FG, but ended all reasonable hope.

It's going to be fine. Take a deep breath and enjoy things like...

Micah BY-GAWD Gilbert

8 catches, 170 yards. For laughs, please note that Michigan State gained 167 yards all game.

Here's where I admit that I have negative perceptions of the team myself. I'm so used to ND not being able to recruit or develop stud receivers that I convinced myself Gilbert was one of the Ohio State WR transfers.

Nope! Ohio State transfers (well, just the one healthy one, Mylan Graham) accounted for 1 reception for 8 yards. Everything else was Irish recruited and aged to wake up feeling the cheesiest.

This game made me take a huge step back and realize that Notre Dame's offense, in the NIL era, is basically home-grown.

Marcus Freeman and company: really good at their jobs.

This Defense is ELITE

The Notre Dame defense is also largely all hand-crafted Notre Dame recruits, especially those making a massive impact. Shoutout especially to Luke Talich who did more than just serviceable backup duty with 1.5 TFL, 1 INT, and 1 PBU.

Adon Shuler continues to be a nightmare for opposing offenses, getting himself a pick on the night.

Leonard Moore isn't on the stat sheet at all because of how much he's feared.

When Notre Dame extended their lead, it felt like the entire defensive line was putting pressure on Alessio Milivojevic.

In other hilarious yardage comparisons, Sparty punted for more yards (195) than they gained (167). Then again, that's what happens when you gain only 3.7 yards per play and run another 45 all game.

Imagine if Rodney Bullard Jr. doesn't pull down his 53 yard pass. That was the only real damage Sparty did all night and how they scored their only touchdown.

This is rarified air. To hell with what the offense is/isn't doing, let me see these gents wreck offenses all game long. Have they faced a truly dangerous offense yet? Of course not. But this is what you do to inferior opponents. You choke the life out of them and provide no hope.

To put it another way, the offense gets plenty of time to figure things out. What an incredible luxury!

Week 3 Notes from the Rest of College Football

The Loss of the Century

Previously, Michigan held the title of "Worst Possible Way to Lose a College Football Game" with this gem:

Michigan, you're now off the hook. The title belongs to NC State.

This is why I watch as much college football that I possibly can. It's not just for the incredible feats or monumental upsets, it's for the gigantic fuckups that you can't see anywhere else.