An annual tradition unlike any other - ranking Notre Dame's top 25 players, and then burying the list when we turn out to be very wrong about many things. If you've been following along this week over at Inside the Irish, you've seen the slow reveal of the poll results from twelve voters including our [...]
After breaking down Notre Dame's 2018 opponent offenses last week, let's take a look at the other side of the ball. What caliber of defenses will Brandon Wimbush, Chip Long and company be up against this season? The graph below shows how each opponent (and the Irish) performed last season in explosiveness (IsoPPP) allowed and [...]
Expectations are sky-high this fall for rookie defensive coordinator Clark Lea with a combination of talented and experienced returning starters. While there are a few outstanding questions - who will emerge at safety and to what level of performance, how Lea will handle game-planning and play-calling, how key position changes will play out - it [...]
It's NBA Draft night! Move over Woj, Jonathan Givony, and Shams - the 18 Stripes MB Mock Draft is here to get you ready for one of the most entertaining and dramatic nights of the NBA season. In a loaded year, there's a ton of questions - where will all the talented bigs go, and [...]
"If you could change the outcome of one single game, which would you choose?" That social media debate - which crossed sports, fan bases, and continents - is a fascinating one for Notre Dame fans to consider. If we set narrow parameters for football only (with a shout-out to the '15 Kentucky Elite 8 game) [...]
In part one of a three-post series, let's take a look at Notre Dame's 2018 opponents ranked by their preseason S&P+ ratings. Beginning with the toughest five games on the schedule, what elements are driving these preseason ratings, in a positive or a negative direction, for each team? How does each team look in terms [...]
Alternative clickbait headline - "Is Notre Dame scheduling itself out of future playoff contention?" The schedule for Irish football has become a hot topic in recent months, following the announcements of a two-game series with Wisconsin in 2020/21 and moving next year’s scheduled home game against Syracuse to Yankee Stadium. This debate is nothing new [...]
Going over Notre Dame's dramatic comeback win over LSU in Orlando - where did Ian Book give the Irish passing attack some much needed momentum? And how did Notre Dame counter a -2 turnover margin and rough day converting scoring opportunities? The Basics As expected, this was a close, intense game from start to finish. [...]
Recapping Notre Dame's narrow escape over an always irritating Navy offense - many offensive numbers that were better than they looked on film, a solid defensive effort with a few missed opportunities, and a look at Bryce Love and Stanford. The Basics Possessions Plays Yards Scoring Opportunities Notre Dame 7 47 331 4 Navy 8 [...]
Everything went wrong, but let's power through to look at which advanced stats were bad, ugly, and terrible in Notre Dame's loss to Miami. And instead of previewing Navy, who looks like a usual Midshipman team in advanced and traditional stats, let's look at the validity of some hot takes from the blowout loss. The [...]
Breaking down the advanced stats from a wild win over Wake Forest - a poor performance from the defense that isn't as bad without garbage time, an uncharacteristic struggle in the red zone, and a look ahead at an enormous showdown in Miami this weekend. The Basics This game is a perfect summary of why [...]
Eventually Notre Dame will have a game where they aren't ripping away turnovers, rushing at will for over 300 yards, and dominating on both sides of the ball in the red zone. That day was not last weekend against USC, as Brian Kelly stayed undefeated since dancing with his team to Post Malone and Quavo [...]
Ahead of Saturday's battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh (anyone notice Brian Kelly is super into rivalry trophies lately?), how do the Trojans and Irish match up in each advanced stats category? Where is USC susceptible, and what should Notre Dame fans be worried about? USC Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense Immediately after the loss to [...]
As the halfway point of the regular season approaches, how are contenders looking across conferences? Who are the current playoff favorites, and what teams could be spoilers in the November chaos? Introduction To simplify this early preview, let's operate under this assumption: A zero or 1-loss team that wins a Power Five conference is in. [...]
Checking out the advanced stats from Notre Dame at North Carolina: a dominant defensive performance, solid job by Ian Book as game manager, and a look at what's ailing the wide receivers. The Basics This wasn't a particularly pretty win, but thanks to a dominant defensive effort it never felt like an Irish victory was [...]
Recent Comments