Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529781
24 NOV. 30, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. Defense Puts On A Triple Option-Stopping Clinic Nearly every time Notre Dame tacklers met Army ball carriers, they knocked them back at the point of contact. Not on one specific third or fourth down. Not on just one drive. Not for just one quarter. It was dang near every single time. And it was one of many ways the Irish put on a triple-option-stopping clinic in their 49-14 win over Army in Week 13. Handling the Wing-T is a delicate balance. You can't be passive, because then the Black Knights will move the line of scrimmage and rip off 3 to 5 yards per carry for 15 straight plays. But you can't be too aggressive, because then they'll catch one of your players out of position for a chunk play. Notre Dame lived on that fine line. The defensive line held strong at the line of scrimmage. The line- backers attacked their assignments and took away every option. The defensive backs flew downfield; not only were they not afraid to hit, they relished the opportunity. This was a team that took Army seriously, chose its personnel carefully, crafted a terrific game plan and played with energy and intent. Al Golden's cap is running out of feather space. 2. Some Who Stood Out: Adon Shuler, Jaiden Ausberry, Defensive Ends These are the four Irish defenders who play more against Army and Navy than they do against ev- eryone else. They showed why that's the case versus Army. Starting up front, when Army senior quarterback Bryson Daily ran to junior defensive end Joshua Burnham and junior vyper Junior Tuihalamaka's side, they held the edge and gave Notre Dame's pursuit defenders time to catch him. When he ran away from them, they traversed the line of scrim- mage to help make the play. Ausberry, who plays the rover position against the option, was usually responsible for the quar- terback keeper or the pitch. On one successful stop during which he had the keeper, he attacked Daily and forced him to pitch so quickly that he nearly got his hand on the football. He was everywhere, finishing second with 7 tackles. Shuler led the team with 8. He was a huge part of flying downfield and knocking the Black Knights back upon engaging the tackle. In particular, he stopped Daily short of the sticks on fourth-and-2 when most safeties would have let the 6-foot, 221-pound signal-caller fall forward. It seemed like Shuler was always there when Notre Dame needed a stop on a money down. 3. Offensive Line Played Its Best Game So Far On sophomore Notre Dame running back Jer- emiyah Love's first touchdown run, senior center Pat Coogan removed a defensive tackle from the hole by forcibly turning his shoulders 180 degrees. On his second, junior left guard Billy Schrauth walked his man out of the hole and put him on his back 5 yards down the field. Those were just the highlights. Love will get the headlines (and this magazine is no exception), and he deserves them because he was sensational. But the front five bludgeoned the Black Knights all evening, and they were the driving force behind Notre Dame's domination. "The ball carriers get the credit because of the yards, but those things don't happen without a great offensive line working together in unison," Freeman said. "[Offensive line] coach [Joe] Ru- dolph is doing a good job of getting those guys playing physical, but also playing together." Credit to head coach Marcus Freeman and of- fensive line coach Joe Rudolph for setting a lineup when Schrauth came back with injury, sticking with it and letting it grow together. The offensive line is playing its best football at the right time. 4. Kicking Game Is Officially A Significant Concern Freeman claimed graduate student kicker Mitch Jeter's struggles are not "as much health-wise" as they are a performance and operation issue. If that's the case — and Jeter has not looked the same since he injured his hip in Week 7 — Notre Dame might have even bigger problems on its field goal unit than we thought. Jeter is 6 of 11 this season after pushing a 48-yarder to the right and watching a 30-yarder get blocked. The Irish as a whole are 8 of 17, and three of those misses were blocked. "We gotta figure out, schematically, what's going on," Freeman said. "That can't happen if you want to be a great football team." In a little over a month, Notre Dame's kicking issues have gone from "They'll be fine once Jeter gets healthy" to "This could cost the Irish their season." 5. In Los Angeles, For It All Saturday, Nov. 30. Kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET. LA Me- morial Coliseum. Win, and Notre Dame is in. Lose, and it's (likely) out. On the night of Sept. 7, it felt improbable for Notre Dame to be in this position. A Marcus Free- man-coached team winning nine straight games? That seemed like a fever dream. Even if you thought NIU was a one-off — and this writer did — you had to feel like a second one-off was coming. It never came. That, of course, is a massive credit to Freeman's coaching. "You had a lot to improve from that Northern Illinois performance, and we have done that," Freeman said. "But now you've seen a consistent football team, and we gotta continue to be that." If the Irish remain consistent in Los Angeles, they'll be dancing in December. FIVE THOUGHTS BY JACK SOBLE Sophomore linebacker Jaiden Ausberry was everywhere against the Black Knights and finished second on the team with 7 tackles. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP