Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527190
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 12, 2024 5 NOT THE RIGHT MEN FOR THE JOB I was totally against Marcus Freeman and the coaching staff when they went after Riley Leonard simply because I didn't think that he could take this program to the next level: so far I have been proven correct! I'm not happy being right, I'm disappointed! Riley Leonard is a good per- son and a son that every parent would love, but he is not what the program needs! So far his performance has been me- diocre at best! The Purdue game was an anomaly because as I said many times that no team is as good as they look and no team is as bad as they look, some- where in between lies the true identity! Let me say that the reason they are stuck with using Leonard is EGO!! It would be egg on their face to admit that they made a mistake with their choice. So keep running out there with the same mediocre results. Let me ask you a question: What does ND hang their hat on offensively? Be- cause I can't figure it out. What is their identity? The offensive coordinator seems to hunt and peck when calling plays, and I never see continuity in the play calling. They have good personnel, so that is not an excuse. And I'm tired of watching ND play down to the competi- tion. They make a habit of it. They better button up their chin straps for Louisville! And find an identity! If they don't, some heads might be on the block! Ray Ciarleglio PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES While reading page 6 of the 2024 Football Preview magazine, I wondered what the number would be like for Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame and USC without the penalties. The all-time wins is easy enough to figure out but the all-time percentage posed a problem. Apparently, I am not dividing the correct numbers. Perhaps the ties have me a bit confused. I would appreciate it if you could tell me what the numbers would be like percentage-wise and how that is deter- mined. Do not count any game played this year. Thank you. Bill Stavishak Wilkes Barre, Pa. Mr. Stavishak, when calculating win- ning percentage a tie is typically counted as half a win and half a loss. That means you add up the number of wins plus half the number of ties and then divide by the total number of games played, es- sentially treating a tie as 0.5 wins and 0.5 losses. Here is how the Division I FBS All- Time Winning Percentages would have looked heading into the 2024 season with all the vacated wins (and one tie, in Alabama's case) included for the four schools you mentioned: Rk. School Games Win% Record 1. Alabama 1,375 .73891 994-337-44 2. Ohio State 1,362 .73605 976-333-53 3. Notre Dame 1,349 .73388 969-338-42 4. Michigan 1,393 .73367 1,004-353-36 5. Oklahoma 1,338 .72534 944-341-53 6. Boise State 679 .72312 490-187-2 7. Texas 1,373 .70247 948-392-33 8. USC 1,311 .69870 889-368-54 9. Penn State 1,381 .68827 930-409-41 10. Nebraska 1,381 .67849 917-424-40 Alabama vaulted to the top of chart past Ohio State, while Notre Dame leap- frogged Michigan. There was no change for Southern Cal despite the added wins. FAN FORUM BE HEARD! Send your letters to: sdowney@comanpub.com or mail to: Blue & Gold Illustrated, P. O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702 Notre Dame's secondary depth was dealt an unexpected blow in late September when junior cornerback Jaden Mickey opted to redshirt the rest of the season. He will finish his degree at Notre Dame and then enter the transfer portal after the season. As you can imagine, this elicited plenty of reaction from Irish fans. Here is a sample of what some had to say on our message board at BlueandGold.com: lucio: Damn, this is terrible news. Really hurts the depth of the secondary. thomasna: I'm sad. I'm a big Mickey fan. Will continue to pull for him and hope he finds the right fit with his ND degree in hand. 3straightlosingseasons: I think they're fine. Leonard Moore has been getting more playing time recently. Wish nothing but the best for that kid. Awesome that he got his degree, too. bmkhoward: Woahhhhh, welcome to the show Mr. Moore. Goldendomer21103: Wow, Ben Mo [junior corner Benjamin Morrison] is gone after this year so is he thinking he won't be a starter next year? Chicagohoss: Seems like a short-sighted move, especially considering BM is going to the league after this season. JonSal: Honestly every time I look he's getting beat or flagged. EverIrish: Maybe he didn't like the critical feedback on some of his recent play in secondary and also interfering with [Jordan] Faison's ability to fully step in to field the punt [that he muffed versus Miami (Ohio)]. Critical feed- back is like medicine, it's not supposed to taste good, it is supposed to make you better. Hard to know the mind, but he is a talented player and seems to be a good kid, wish him well. Mickey3: Possibly family related? Surprised to see him go, thought he was playing well. Hope the best for him in any case. Dwhalen83: Didn't his mom pass away right before last year's Sun Bowl? Seems like a great family. And she seemed like a great mom. Not sure where he's from [edit: from California], maybe wants to play some ball closer to home. Either way, really good kid. They showcased him on the Peacock series speaking at an event with Freeman. TenaciousD: Guessing he can see that Moore either can or will pass him. But still figured there's an opportunity at nickel after Clark departs, too. Then again, we'll have Golden and Zackery arriving next year, and I could see either or both playing their way onto the field early, as well. FROM THE WEBSITE .com .com JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT BLUEANDGOLD.COM! New subscribers: Use Promo Code GoIrish2024 To SAVE 25% off your first year! Head coach Marcus Freeman landed quarterback Riley Leonard in the transfer portal, but some fans have not been happy with the results. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER