It was a weird game for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Sure they did what they were supposed to do beating Miami of Ohio 28-3. However, if you’re a fan of the Irish, you didn’t come away from this game feeling good about your team. There is an argument to be made that this game makes you feel worse about the rest of the season. Notre Dame got off to a very slow start. Quickly reminding fans of the gutwrenching upset loss to NIU only two weeks early. Now thankfully for the Irish faithful, Notre Dame was able to rally, but it’s not a good look.
This yet again is a mark against this coaching staff. The constant playing up and down to opponents is something that’s plaguing this program. Ever since Marcus Freeman was promoted to head coach there are countless examples of games the Irish should win, either going down to the wire or ending in a loss. That is a sign of bad coaching. If you can’t get the team properly ready for your opponent then something is wrong with your preparation. Something needs to change and change fast.
Now I don’t like to be negative, especially after a multiple score win. However, we need to be realistic about this Notre Dame team. They have a major opportunity next week against number 15 Louisville at home. If the trends we see in the NIU or Miami of Ohio game continue. Then they’re going to squander that opportunity. Here are the other major takeaways from Notre Dame’s victory.
Notre Dame Offense: Dr.Jekyll/Mr.Hyde
This Notre Dame offense performance has been a rollercoaster so far. In week one they did just enough in a hostile environment to pull off a victory. Then come up flat in week two for one of the most depressing losses in recent memory against NIU. Then bounces back with one of the biggest offensive explosions we’ve seen, scoring 59 of Notre Dame’s 66 points. The hope was the Purdue game was the get-right game and the offense has finally settled in.
However, there was more inconsistency throughout the first quarter of this game. Notre Dame’s offense looked lost, especially during the first three drives of the game. They went three and out twice and only gained one first down. This caused the fans to turn on the Irish offense. They began booing and calling for one of the backup quarterbacks to replace Riley Leonard. Now the offense was able to get it together midway through the second quarter, however, how the Irish started should be a major concern.
Sure the Irish were able to bounce back and not let the slow start affect them. However, this isn’t going to work against Louisville, or for any national rank team for that matter. When playing an opponent at the same level or better, a sluggish start is going to put Notre Dame in a hole. A hole they might not be able to dig themselves out of. If Notre Dame wants to get back on track and make a run in the postseason, they need to find consistency on offense. Whether that be in how OC Mike Denbrock calls the game, or if there needs to be a quarterback change. Something needs to be done to find consistency.
The Defense Didn’t Allow Miami Offense To Get Going
With all of the problems with the offense, we once again can find the positives from this game on the defensive side of the ball. Now sure when you only allow three points there is going to be a lot of positive. Regardless of who the opponents are. However, the biggest positive to take out of this game was how uncomfortable the defense made Miami of Ohio quarterback Brett Gabbert. The son of former NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert had 14 completions on 35 attempts for 119 yards and two interceptions.
Both units of the defense played a major role in Gabbert’s bad performance. The first is the defensive line. There were some questions about how impactful they can be after losing Jordan Botelho and Josh Burnham. However, Boubcar Traore put on a stellar sequel performance. After being the standout in the Purdue game, Traore led the team with five tackles, 4 solo, and two sacks. That constant pressure made Gabbert uncomfortable and feel like he had to get the ball out quickly.
The secondary also were a key contributor to Gabbert’s poor performance. Sure they didn’t play a perfect game, but they did well enough to make Miami’s pass game non-existent. Now seeing only 119 yards and two interceptions should be enough to show how dominant the secondary was. However, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The Irish had eight pass deflection and their corners were lockdown on their man. So not only did Gabbert have to rush his throws. But he had to rush them, to a secondary that had everyone locked down. Leading to the horrific stat line. A trend that needs to continue next week against Lousiville.
Brian Germinaro is a sportswriter for Belly Up Sports. Follow him on Twitter/X for more sports coverage and Belly Up Sports for even more college football content. Feature image credit: Icon Sportswire.
