As the great NBA writer Zach Lowe put it on a recent podcast, "as analytical as sports [now] gets, it's still about feeling". The feelings after Notre Dame's blowout loss in Ann Arbor mirrored the stages of grief - perhaps with an overemphasis on the anger and depression, although there may have been some "what [...]
Notre Dame covered the spread while defeating #18 Virginia in a drama free 4th quarter, yet fell in SP+ rating. The Irish havoc rate was outstanding, the offense perfect in the red zone, and the defense limited Bryce Perkins and the Cavs when they had great field position. But the advanced stats see some sustainability [...]
In a hostile, very red environment, Notre Dame was able to create the same number of scoring opportunities as Georgia, and hang close in efficiency and explosiveness. What were the advantages that tipped the scales in the Bulldogs favor, and what encouraging signs and questions remain for the rest of the season, where the Irish [...]
Notre Dame averaged ten yards per play and held New Mexico to a 9.5% passing success rate in an explosive home opener. Yet there were some lingering red flags that will need to be cleaned up to have a shot at an upset in Athens. Breaking down the blowout of the Lobos and highlighting some [...]
What do projection systems like SP+ (newly re-named!) and FEI see for Notre Dame in 2019? A much more difficult schedule, an improving offense, and a defense that will hope its strength in the passing game helps it continue to be a top-10 unit. Transparently, this was intended to be a multi-part series, but hey, [...]
They've been great on paper, but they haven't faced a top-10 opponent like this in 2018. That statement applies to both the Clemson offense and Notre Dame defense, as both will raise the difficult setting considerably in the Cotton Bowl. Why Clemson's efficiency is underrated and will test Clark Lea's "bend but don't break" defense, [...]
Notre Dame entered the final game of the 2018 season having allowed an opponent to go over an average (40%) success rate just once, against Michigan. The Trojans put up a 50% efficiency mark, besting the Irish by 12%. How did Notre Dame overcome this disadvantage, and what areas still need to be cleaned up [...]
In a game where the Irish needed to lean on the run, Dexter Williams and the offensive line came through with a season-high 8.14 yards per carry (excluding garbage time) against a solid FSU front. The Noles entered the game ranked 33rd in Rushing Defense S&P+, including the 26th best run stuff rate. But the [...]
The advanced stats show that Notre Dame dominated Northwestern in most key phases of the game, yet special teams miscues, turnovers, and penalties let the Wildcats get within a score late in the 4th quarter. The Irish should walk away confident about a strong effort against a solid opponent, but maybe a bit concerned about [...]
Notre Dame couldn't establish an efficiency advantage for the first time since Ian Book took over the offense, but countered with a Dexter Williams-led win in explosiveness. The Irish also continued their excellence limiting scoring opportunities to create a big advantage in points per scoring chance, with some thanks due to Justin Fuente and his [...]
Notre Dame put up some insane numbers in the win over the Cardinal. Instead of the usual categories, it seemed like a great occasion to count down some of the best numbers from the Irish defense smothering Bryce Love and JJ Arcega-Whiteside, the extremely efficient Book-Boykin connection, and an insane amount of havoc. When you [...]
Total yardage and yards per play were almost identical. Michigan had a significant edge in efficiency. So how did Notre Dame control the game and come away with the win last weekend over Jim Harbaugh and company? Confused? Check out this handy-dandy advanced stats glossary. The Basics As you can see, the Irish and Michigan [...]
Breaking down the advanced stats for Notre Dame vs. Michigan - how can the Irish come out on top in what figures to be a defensive struggle? What parallels are there for this opener and the UGA game of 2017? And what four toss-up stats will help determine the winner Saturday night? When Michigan has [...]
It's not surprising that advanced stats see the Irish as a top 10 team entering 2018. After a significant leap forward on defense last season, Notre Dame returns more production on that side of the ball than almost every team in the nation. The offense, which fueled by a dominant run game performed like a [...]
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 [...]
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