Notre Dame dominated Virginia down-to-down, but officiating and startling momentum shifts on Senior Day gave this game a strange flow. Once again Al Golden's defense was dominant, forcing 5 turnovers and Cavs QB Anthony Colandrea to the bench after he accumulated -17 expected points added (total EPA) for the game. For a second straight week [...]
Against a woeful Florida State team (down to 96th in F+!), the only way for Notre Dame to impress both the computers and the CFP committee was to dominate. And while the Irish were slow to get started, they quickly suffocated the Seminoles offense and eventually found enough rhythm of their own to end up [...]
With advanced stats recaps on vacation the last few weeks, we have some catching up to do! With the calendar turning toward November and the playoff picture beginning to take shape, let's check on in Notre Dame's season-long advanced stats and what strengths and weaknesses could fuel or doom a 12-team playoff run. Offensive Profile [...]
Notre Dame couldn’t separate from Northern Illinois. While a fact check reveal there was some luck involved, the Huskies were just as efficient as the Irish, more explosive, and doubled up the 4-TD favorites in scoring chances created. The post-game win expectancy from SP+ reveals a coin-flip game - one that Marcus Freeman couldn't afford [...]
The Notre Dame trip to Clemson ended up as a toss-up in the final numbers - SP+ gave the Irish a 43% expected win probability and an adjusted margin of -1.5 points. ND outgained the Tigers by nearly a yard per play, created more scoring chances, and were +1.22 in expected turnovers (only to finish [...]
Using counting stats, it's tempting to construct the narrative that Notre Dame's massive win over USC was fluky. A 5-0 turnover margin, a special teams touchdown, more total yards for the Trojans and just 255 total yards for the Irish? But as we dive into the numbers, it's clear that Marcus Freeman's team - the [...]
Notre Dame's continued offensive struggles created a tight game for most of the visit to Louisville, but as the defense wore down and the Irish offense failed to created much efficiency or explosiveness the Cardinals pulled away late in the second half. The ND offense had an extremely poor performance - just 4.2 yards per [...]
As we pass the hours and minutes until the 2023 season kicks off, it's time for a spin through the Notre Dame schedule of opponents for the upcoming year. Which opponents inspire the most fear for a loss this fall, what are the biggest question marks or swing factors, and what rationale has a chance [...]
Notre Dame put together a complete effort to kill Syracuse's dreams, jumping out to an early lead and holding it thanks to contributions from the defense, rushing attack, and special teams. The offensive line and rushing attack allowed Notre Dame to dominate the efficiency battle, but without explosive plays the Orange threatened to pull off [...]
The Irish defense and special teams served up the perfect chance for a relaxing afternoon against UNLV, but the offense struggled to throw down the alley oops enough that starters were still playing in the closing minutes. It was a fine but unsatisfying performance, as a hot start with two punt blocks and multiple 3-and-outs [...]
For a second straight week, Notre Dame played 30 minutes of dominant football only to see consistency waver and things start falling apart late. Drew Pyne put up his strongest statistical performance of the year, wisely relying on Michael Mayer to dominate the BYU defense. The Irish defense was phenomenal for the first half, then [...]
It was ugly early and often for Notre Dame against Cal. But with both lines finally controlling the game for solid stretches, the Irish carved out enough advantages against the Bears to pull away late. In Drew Pyne's first start the ND offense was extremely careful but moved the ball well enough with short to [...]
Notre Dame losing by 11 points at Ohio State wasn't a total surprise, but the advanced stats from this game would have qualified as a shocker for fans before the game. Breaking down how the Irish stayed close with a draw in explosive plays, ultimately couldn't hang with the Buckeyes because of a dramatic loss [...]
This offseason, we’ll be breaking down the performance of each unit – passing and rushing offense and defense – with a look ahead to 2022 and what this means for the Irish. First up is the Notre Dame run game, which struggled immensely through the first half of the year despite talented running backs, then [...]
Notre Dame was nearly perfect in the 2021 home finale against Georgia Tech, scoring on every possession in the first half (with just one field goal) and shutting out the Yellow Jackets. The Irish continued to dominate inexperienced quarterbacks, and Jack Coan's recent run of passing efficiency hit levels Ian Book rarely matched against P5 [...]
Recent Comments