Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 8, 2025 5 SHORT (YARDAGE) CHANGE? Just wondering if the coaching staff has given any consideration to using Kenny Minchey in short-yardage and goal-line situations as a possible solu- tion to the team's struggles in that area? As reported in the preseason issue, Minchey is a capable passer and would add another running threat to the back- field which could prove valuable when facing that challenge. It worked well for Florida with Tim Tebow. Just a thought. Stan Kornacki Saint Marty's, Pa. Mr. Kornacki, that is a fair point. Last year, Notre Dame was very successful in short-yardage situations because of the effectiveness of Riley Leonard on QB runs. Irish offensive coordinator Mike Den- brock was asked in September about using Minchey this season the way they used Leonard last year, and he said: "We've talked about exploring some of those. We'll see where it goes." For whatever reason, we have yet to see it this year. Perhaps it's because CJ Carr has been too good to take off the field, or maybe it is an unwavering belief in the nation's best running back tandem — junior Jeremi- yah Love and redshirt junior Jadarian Price — being able to eventually get the job done. ODE TO THE IRISH This is an open letter to the Notre Dame football team. Guys, you have no idea how much joy you bring to millions of people. You can't because you are just too young. I remember when Terrail Lambert appeared out of nowhere to in- tercept that pass against Michigan State. I remember when Chinedum Ndukwe knocked the snot out of that USC runner with 4 seconds left in the game … I was on my knees thinking we had won the game. I am so proud of you guys. Concerning the USC game: You big uglies on the O-Line were great, the D-Line was magnificent. And a word of advice to future opponents: Pick on Number 6 all you want because in the end, Christian Gray will break your heart. That young man has the tough- est job in all of college football. You guys have been blessed with God-given talent that us mortals only dream of; do not squander it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and Go Irish. Jim Ulmer St. Charles, Mo. Well said, Mr. Ulmer. Regarding Gray, he certainly has a knack for making big plays when the Irish need it the most. "He's not going to be perfect, but he needs to constantly embody Freeman's 'one play, one life' mantra," Blue & Gold Illustrated's Jack Soble noted in a column a few days after Notre Dame's 34-24 win over Southern Cal. "And that's a test he consistently passes. "Say whatever you want about Gray, but he has a knack for making the biggest plays in the biggest moments. He did it in Los An- geles [in a win over the Trojans last year], he did it in the final minute of the Orange Bowl [against Penn State] and he did it on Saturday night [versus the Trojans]." FAN FORUM BE HEARD! Send your letters to: steve.downey@on3.com or mail to: Blue & Gold Illustrated, P. O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702 In response to a question about being connected to job openings like Penn State and Florida during an interview on the podcast "Bussin' With The Boys," Marcus Freeman simply stated that he doesn't take being Notre Dame's head coach for granted. "Every time I hear something like that," Freeman said, "I just remind myself of the gratitude that I have to be in this position." Here is what some Irish fans had to say about that comment and more from that interview on our message board at BlueandGold.com. lucio: Freeman didn't exactly shut the rumors down. Not saying he will entertain other jobs, he didn't say he wasn't interested. Nemeth5: Would be silly to shut it down in my opinion. His name being floated is leverage for him to get what he wants from ND. BigHoss28: This is how Freeman addresses every job opening his name comes up in reference to. He's not into giving black-and-white answers about this stuff. georgenjanet: He also said "the impulsive thing to do would be to say oh I'm not interested … is that the case? Yeah." Pretty much shutting it down. Rsatkowiak: Right like we're just gonna miss that part? Not to mention the question wasn't even "are you going?" It was a more philosophical approach … along the lines of "what does this mean to you when your name comes up for these jobs?" And I thought that was exactly how he answered the question. Slevmani: All I took from that is him saying how thankful he is to be a part of Notre Dame and Notre Dame's football program. I like it. Mfischer: Nothing against those other jobs cuz they are great football schools by almost anyone's standards. But Marcus ain't interested because he's got the best job of the 3. That's not the homer in me talking either, there have been times where that wasn't the case. But it is now. ClearTheWay: He's built a machine at an academics-first school and his recruiting is getting better and better. Plus he feels a sense of loyalty to the guys he has here. He's going to win a NC [national championship] here and he'll have a statue of him outside the stadium. He gets that. I could be wrong, but I don't think he's going anywhere. o_Ndcarroll: The powers that be have supported Marcus in a way that speaks to his broad-based support [from] different parts of the University … these are groups that probably never loved Kelly or maybe even had positive feeling about the football program … I don't think that happens as deeply at other schools and he has built a lot of equity that he wouldn't have elsewhere — OSU included … he may leave down the road for someplace but I do think the historical significance of him bringing an NC to ND is deeply compelling for both sides. FROM THE WEB .com .com JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT BLUEANDGOLD.COM! Sign up for just $1 for the first seven days! Could redshirt sophomore backup quarterback Kenny Minchey's running ability help the Irish in short-yardage and goal-line situations? PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER