Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 SEPT. 23, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. Notre Dame's Offense Can Score On Anyone How many quarterback/running back duos would you take over Sam Hartman and Audric Estimé right now? Maybe five? And even those, you could probably argue either way. Regardless, Notre Dame is in the enviable posi- tion of being able to score in multiple ways. Load the box, and Hartman's deep-ball accuracy will have a chance to shine. Four completions of 39 yards or more versus Central Michigan revealed just how good he can be. Play coverage, and defenses should expect a healthy dose of Estimé. He's run- ning out of his mind, hurdling defenders and might be the early favorite for the Doak Walker Award. Notre Dame can tailor its offensive game plan however it wants, and that makes the Irish incred- ibly difficult to defend. Head coach Marcus Free- man loves using the run to set up the pass, but the Irish showed against the Chippewas they can just as easily do the opposite. "We're an offense that can do it all," Estimé said. We can run the ball and pass the ball. And having Sam Hartman, I feel, the best quarterback in the nation on my team and right next to me literally is a very big help for me. And I'm very blessed and honored for that." 2. Needed, Got Bounce-Backs From Jayden Thomas, Pass Protection After spending the first two games as Notre Dame's go-to receiver, senior wideout Jayden Thomas struggled against North Carolina State. Against Central Michigan, Thomas led the Irish with 4 receptions and ranked third with 63 yards receiving. While sophomore Tobias Merriweather and se- nior Chris Tyree are potent big-play threats, the Irish need Thomas' consistency to stabilize the passing game. They got it in Week 3. Up front, Notre Dame did a terrific job protect- ing Hartman against a Central Michigan team that traditionally rushes the passer well under head coach Jim McElwain. Hartman was not sacked. At times, it looked like he had time in the pocket to sit down, dust off his rib necklace, stand up and find an open receiver. The Chippewas did not get near him, which was welcome after 4 sacks by North Carolina State in Week 2. 3. Jack Kiser Gives Notre Dame A Good Problem To Have Inserted into the starting lineup in place of graduate student linebacker JD Bertrand, fellow graduate student Jack Kiser put up numbers. Kiser finished with 10 tackles and 1 sack, which forced a fumble and caused a 10-yard loss. He's too athletic, physical and assignment-sound to keep off the field. But Notre Dame plays only two linebackers in the vast majority of its snaps, and graduate student safety Thomas Harper played a great game as well. The solution is definitely not to bench graduate student linebacker Marist Liufau, who has been arguably Notre Dame's best defensive player this season. As Kiser himself will tell you, it's not to bench Bertrand when he's healthy, either. "JD is a captain, he's a vocal leader," Kiser said. "He knows what he's doing on the field. And that's very impactful. Like, there's a reason he wears a 'C' on his chest." Kiser, as the primary rover, will often be the odd man out. But that's a good problem for Notre Dame to have. 4. Eventually, The Defense Will Recover A Fumble Notre Dame now has 7 forced fumbles this sea- son and its opponents added 2 unforced fumbles throughout the first four games. The Irish have recovered none of them. This is a statistical im- probability and it's getting ridiculous at this point. "Our ball disruption has gone up a lot," Kiser said. "Now, are we getting them? No. And so, that's the next progression. Like, we're getting the ball out on the ground. We just got to populate the ball and get on the ball." Notre Dame recovered fumbles at a lower-than- expected rate last season, too. Fumble recoveries are largely luck-based events. One would think the balls will start bouncing Notre Dame's way soon. The Irish would love for that to happen next week against Ohio State. 5. Nation's Eyes Turn To South Bend As expected, ESPN's College GameDay is com- ing to South Bend. Notre Dame and Ohio State, which recovered from a slow start and boat-raced Western Kentucky 63-10, are both undefeated. NBC will get its money's worth this week, because no game in the prime-time window comes close to the Irish and Buckeyes in combined team strength and magnitude. With the country watching, Notre Dame has a real chance to beat Ohio State on Saturday night. FIVE THOUGHTS BY JACK SOBLE One week after going without a catch at North Carolina State, senior wide receiver Jayden Thomas bounced back with 4 receptions for 63 yards against Central Michigan. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER