As COVID-19 cases continue to climb again, athletes are tested, and schools declare intentions for students to return to campus (or not), plans for the college football season change by the day. But for a second, let's live in a world where football will be played this fall and indulge in some analysis. The most [...]
Entering the 2019 season, the run defense was a primary concern for Notre Dame. Replacing Te'von Coney, Drue Tranquill, and Jerry Tillery was daunting, as each had been mainstays of strong units in 2017 and 2018 and rarely left the field. Depth charts at linebacker gave fans heart palpitations as players cross-trained and seemed to [...]
Notre Dame finally broke through in Palo Alto, gaining an edge with an explosive offense and a defensive crackdown after the first quarter. The Irish lost the efficiency battle but were more consistent stringing successful plays together and on passing downs, allowing the visitors to create far more scoring opportunities. No garbage time was removed [...]
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 [...]
Notre Dame Fighting Irish lacrosse (#7/#8 1-0) beat the Detroit Mercy Titans (1-1) 19-6 on Saturday evening indoors at Loftus Sports Center. The Irish showed off their impressive depth in this resounding 2019 season-opening win. Our game recap: The Scoring and the Data It's been a while since the Irish scored this many goals. Bryan [...]
ND-Atl 2.0 takes over today with his introduction of the 2019 Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse bagpiper! A Tradition Unique in Division 1 Lacrosse For the past twenty-two years, the Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team has been led onto the field by a player bagpiper, entering to the powerful tune of Scotland the Brave. This tradition [...]
One thing I like about Chip Long is his ability to creatively use formations and motion to out-scheme the defense. I feel that past Notre Dame offenses where too reliant on one player making big plays to be successful, whether it's Will Fuller getting open deep or CJ Prosise breaking off a big run. Having [...]
Notre Dame escaped with a victory on Saturday and can now enjoy some delicious cheeseburgers, but that doesn't mean the film room is closed for the week. The final score was too close for comfort on Saturday as Notre Dame's hyper-efficient offense stalled out most of the afternoon before finally delivering the winning touchdown in [...]
Our eyes told us it was ugly, and the advanced stats confirm that and then some. The Ball State defense put up a havoc rate and run stuff rate against Notre Dame that would have been best in the nation last year! The Irish also struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities, and were extremely inefficient [...]
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 [...]
This article has sat on ice for a week with us worrying that this piece may be the worst jinx imaginable, especially since we heard John Sexton was nursing a back injury. However, we're committed to telling the story of what should be the theme of the 2018 Irish lacrosse season. The fall sport "trucking" [...]
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 [...]
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