Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541184
8 NOV. 15, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Times Have Changed, And So Has Smart Scheduling By Eric Hansen In another era, with a different college football postseason format, Notre Dame's decision to start its 2025 football season with Miami and Texas A&M would be grounds for a sobriety test. Or something even more thorough and invasive. In the current context of a 12-team College Foot- ball Playoff with a recalibrated strength-of-schedule metric that makes "good losses" a real thing, former Irish athletics director Jack Swarbrick deserves kudos for his forward thinking, dumb luck, following his intuitive cues or all of the above. It's not just that teams can recover from two early losses in the 12-team CFP era, it's also creating the potential for tough, early competition to tell you, as a coach, about your team in August/September about what was in your training camp blind spot that you can get to work fixing right away. Imagine if Notre Dame's rude awakening about how the defense wasn't working or adjusting didn't come until mid-October against Southern Cal? Or worse yet, against an Arkansas offense in late September that continues to put up points against everyone else ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 but the Irish — 35 on Ole Miss, 31 on Memphis before facing Notre Dame, and 42 on Texas A&M and 31 on Tennessee in the weeks after. And you could argue, and I will, that having to show poise and precision against two teams still ranked in the top 20 nationally in total defense showed Notre Dame what it had in redshirt freshman QB CJ Carr, without having to imagine context around his numbers. And it likely sped up his growth timeline. Always Better To Fix Your Issues After Wins By Jack Soble Eric makes a strong case, but I'll push back on one thing he said: "It's also creating the potential for tough, early competition to tell you, as a coach, about your team in August/ September about what was in your training camp blind spot that you can get to work fixing right away." I would argue you don't need a strong opponent to do that if you're the kind of coaching staff that doesn't let wins blind you. Take Notre Dame's win over Purdue in Week 3. The Irish exited that game knowing full well they had problems on defense. Alarm bells went off at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex on the ensuing Sunday, and head coach Marcus Freeman spent most of his time the next week working to fix them. As a result, Notre Dame held Arkansas to 13 points and the defense has been strong the rest of the way. Oh, did I mention the Irish beat Purdue by 26? Meanwhile, playing Miami and Texas A&M after those defensive kinks were ironed out and after Carr got his feet under him could have easily flipped both those losses into wins. Imagine facing the Hurricanes and not breaking the "screen" button in an effort to get your quarterback in a rhythm, and instead playing to your team's true run-and-gun identity? The caveat here, of course, is that the Irish might not have a choice in the matter. College Football Playoff contenders in the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference do not typically want to add Notre Dame to the middle of their grueling October and November schedules. But if given the option, the Irish should give themselves a break in September. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WAS FRONT-LOADING NOTRE DAME'S SCHEDULE WITH DIFFICULT GAMES SMART? Al Washington's first introduc- tion to the Navy football sche- matic curveball came in practice in 2002, when the now-41-year- old Notre Dame defensive line coach was a freshman defensive lineman at Boston College. BC got the better of the Mid- shipmen that day, 46-21. Then two weeks later the Eagles upset a fourth-ranked and un- beaten Notre Dame team in South Bend, 14-7. Washington's subsequent run-ins with Navy have all come in the coaching ranks, the most recent being Nov. 8 at Notre Dame Stadium. With the 98th-ever meeting between the Irish and their longtime rivals in the books, we'll explore some of the other topics on the fourth-year Irish assistant coach's mind lately. BGI: We haven't seen any of the true freshman defensive linemen yet, going into the Navy game. What can you tell us about how they're progressing and how close any of them are to seeing the field? Washington: "First off, they're doing a really good job. They're getting better every week. They're doing a great job for the scout team right now. I think if the situation was different and if we didn't have the numbers we've got, they very easily could be thrust in there. "But I can tell you this, they 're going to be really good. And you can see the signs that you want to see. But above all, they love football. They'll go all day. Those guys, they 'll put in phenomenal work. So, really, really pleased with where they're trending and I'm excited for the future." BGI: It feels like Jason Onye is playing the best ball of the sea- son. What was that process to get him to this point? Washington: "Jason was here when I first got here and he's just grown — as a man and as a football player and fundamentals. He's just really embraced all the work that goes into it. I'm so proud of all the progress he's made, and he's not done yet. He is playing well, but he could play better. And he would be the first to tell you. That's kind of his focus. "But, when you talk about him, it's why you ap- preciate this profession of coaching. It's dealing with people and getting a chance to work with people like Jay, because he's an unbelievable kid." BGI: Your rush defense, across the board, has been very good this year. What is the secret to get- ting better in third-and-short and fourth-and-short? Washington: "Don't let them [the opposing of- fenses] get in that situation. If it's third-and-2 and you don't have the proper leverage, you get exposed. So, there's things, there's plays, even [against Boston College], where you say, 'Man, you're right there.' "It's because of the angles the consequences for a mistake are greater at that moment. So, the best way to be better there is don't let it [short- yardage situations] happen." BGI: Head coach Marcus Freeman told us about the defensive linemen that have been playing some scout-team offensive line. How did you get guys to buy into that? Washington: "I think guys are really bought into the team and whatever it takes. Obviously, you come here as a scholarship player to play defense. You could be selfish. "Or you could be, 'This is going to help my team.' And that's what they've done. It's been pretty awesome to see. We couldn't do what we're doing without them. … It's cool to see, as a coach. And it's a great testament to the culture that [Marcus Freeman] is building." — Eric Hansen Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME DEFENSIVE LINE COACH AL WASHINGTON Washington, who is now in his fourth season at Notre Dame, is high on the Irish's freshman defensive linemen. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Notre Dame opened this season with losses to No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 18 Miami. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP