Is Notre Dame Better in November — IST618

Reuben and Randall discuss how Notre Dame hammered Georgia Tech on Saturday. They discuss if Notre Dame is actually better this second half or if the opponents are just bad.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
You're listening to Irish Sports Talk.Hello Nordame fans, Welcome to Irish Sports
Talk. This is episode six hundredeighteen. I'm Rubin, I'm joined by
Randall. Randall, how's it going. It's going great. So Nordame comes
off a definitive fifty five zero victoryover Georgia Tech. Um, we're gonna

(00:23):
talk about a few different topics beforewe or after we talk about the game.
But something we want to discuss isis Nordame actually better this last half
of the year or is it justthe opponents and the personnel. You know,
they've been playing some backup versus somebackup quarterbacks. Is it just that?
Is it just situational kind of thatthat Nordame looks like they're better.

(00:45):
So we're gonna talk about that,but let's first just breakdown this victory fifty
five to zero, A couple defensivescores. I was actually at this game,
and uh, it was it wasfun. I haven't been I don't
know if I went to game.Well obviously, yeah, I guess not
last year. Oh don't anyone didlast year. I think I did the

(01:06):
previous year at the Stanford game.But anyway, Uh, yeah, it
was fun to be at a gameagain, and they like you were at
a night game and you talked aboutyou know, they do a good job
of keeping people, keeping the fansengaged. And I agree, even during
an afternoon game, they did areally good job of just keeping the fans

(01:26):
engaged and making it a fun experiencefor everyone. So yeah, it was
fun. Definitely if you haven't beento a game in a while, definitely
go. I was with one ofmy friends that went along, hadn't been
to in a rame game since theyhad a JumboTron, okay, and it
just really it's just it's more fun. Yeah, Oh, for sure.
It just adds so much to it. Yeah, I mean, obviously it's

(01:49):
a Georgia Tech team, but ifyou do go back and you know,
look at their scores from precinct,like that zero is a very big number,
like they were they had been ableto points, which granted they did
play with the backup quarterback, soner Dame has now faced three consecutive opponents
using them that have used their backupquarterback, so it's definitely working in ner

(02:10):
Dame's favor. But this was justdominant, Like the first half was just
incredible. What they did, andI was hoping that they would actually score
more in the second half. Imean, obviously you want to get the
young guys backups playing time, butI do also think there's a they need
to do everything they possibly can forthe playoff. And yes, you know,

(02:34):
if people are watching, they knowhow dominant Notre Dame was. But
at the same time, you gotit, those numbers, they gotta get
that that was a game that theyshould have scored sixty like, well,
they scored almost all the points orseventy in or one hundred, They had
what forty five in the first half, yet five in the first ninety and
in the second half they actually onlyhad three offensive points in the second half.

(02:55):
Yeah, so yeah, I wasvery dominant, But I don't know,
I feel like they need everything theycan possibly do to go in their
favor to get into the playoffs thisyear. But it is a legit conversation.
But just some highlights from the game. It was fun to watch the

(03:15):
defensive guys getting touchdowns. JD Bertrandobviously got a touchdown. It looked like
he was gonna get one and thenit got called back. Well then just
a few plays later he did gethis touchdown and just the way obviously,
you know, he had a backupquarterback just make a horrible decision to throw
that ball. But he was thereat the right spot. Like even though

(03:37):
it's just a bad decision, howoften has it happened that a player is
right there where he was? Itwas just it was perfect and he did
score the touchdown. And then alsoMyron Taga Bayola Mosa getting his first defensive
touchdown or first touchdown obviously because heplays defense. And I almost forgotten,
but a few years ago he hadactually he'd almost maybe been he ran out

(04:00):
again, he got tackled right beforehe scored the touchdown, and so he
didn't quite get it. And soI think that they had talked with his
mom a little bit about that.She was excited that he finally was.
After the game, they were talkingto they's just glad he finally did get
that touchdown. And obviously on seniornight, you know, for him to
actually do that, Um, Ithought he might run out of gas.
But he got it done. Thebig guy got it done. So fun

(04:21):
to watch um. And even therein the end when they start, well
even earlier in the game, they'realready bringing in you know, walk ons
and seniors, they were as theum holder for the field or not field
goal, for the extra points.They're bringing different guys, but then also
bringing in Cole Capin at quarterback thereto end the game. He's you know,

(04:47):
he doesn't get credit for what hedoes. He's a guy there signaling
players on the sidelines for how manyyears now and doesn't get enough credit for
that. Nobody really knows who heis. But he's been there every game.
You I was seen him at everyon TV, every game. It
seems like it's actually the same personfor the last decade. It just seems
like true kind of obviously they havea face, but it just seems like

(05:10):
it's always the same person standing thereum signaling in places. It was good
to see. I mean, hewas excited, everybody was excited. I
wish you would have thrown the ball. But you know, like they even
talked about Drew Brees and then we'retalking about on the broadcast that you know,
it would have been even better ifthey would have got Jack Cohen or

(05:30):
somebody to signal in the play tohim, you know, just to kind
of you know, have have thestarter, you know, Tyler bucking or
somebody like signaling the plane just kindof full circle. But good to see
those guys get some playing time.I mean it was perfect way for those
seniors to go out at Notre Dametheir last game at Notre Dame. I
shocked me about Senior Day the most. It's when Kevin Austin ran out as

(05:56):
a senior. Oh that that justhit me. I was I wasn't ready
for that. Yeah, I meanI didn't watch that part. There was
there was a lot of seniors aboutit. Yeah, forty I don't remember
the exact number. But obviously there'sa lot of those guys they can come
back, and I'm sure that includeswalk on stuff. That's not just the
scholarship players. But um, butthere's a number of guys, and I

(06:18):
mean there's a lot of starting wellyeah, not Dame's gonna be losing quite
a few guys, um, buteven uh yeah, just to see something,
I know, it is shocking athow quickly their careers go. Um,
well, especially Kevin Austin, whothis has had one one full year
playing well even we should say oneyear playing. Yeah, but I just

(06:42):
kind of I guess they don't thinkabout as much because I expect him to
come back next year. Yeah,I mean I do. I except he's
been making some big plays, soyou know that can all sudden change if
they started giving him different feedback.But yeah, who knows. Um,
but then uh oh, I'm completelybut yeah, some of those guys that

(07:08):
were oh Kurt heinisch Um. Heis now played and I think he set
the record. He's closed. He'splayed the most game because obviously he came
back because of COVID canceling out ayear. I don't think his record can
never be broken pretty much unless there'sanother COVID because he actually played. Usually,

(07:29):
you know you have a you geta fifth, you get a sixth
year, it's because you didn't playmultiple seasons. Well, he still played.
I thought this was his fifth year. Well he had an extra year
because he would have played all fiveyears. Yeah, you're right, but
maybe it's because of COVID he wasallowed to come back, so he played
for UM. I don't know.I don't have the game number of games

(07:49):
in front of me. Um,oh here it is, No, that's
the he just had the games.But he played in twenty seventeen, eighteen,
nineteen twenty and twenty one. Yeah, he's played five years and he's

(08:09):
played. So that's what's different isbecause he's allowed that his fifth year wasn't
because he missed the year. Itwas because of COVID and he played that
year. So he played five years, which doesn't happen if you get a
fifth year, it's because you redshirted one year. Yeah, well he
didn't red shirt, and so Idon't know if his I don't know if
that record will get broken. Imean that's gonna be something that'll be there

(08:33):
for a long time. Probably havesome in the record books, another pandemic
or something. But no, Sothere's a guy that has played a lot
of football at Notre Dame. Soisn't Myron Taguloa in the same Yeah,
but he was out for was itlast year? He was out quite a
bit, didn't play as much.I mean he has he's had some injury.

(08:56):
He's played every year, but he'sbeen out with some injuries, and
so you know, he hasn't hedoesn't have the same amount of games,
same amount of starts. So butI mean you're going to see that across
the I mean, well, thething is most guys that have played all
four years still left after last year, didn't stick around for another one,

(09:16):
so that's the difference. But yeah, MTA, he played in all five
years as well, but two waseighteen, which now with a new freshman
rule, there will be they willbe playing a lot of guys will play
five years more than what they morethan what they more games that fifth year
than they used to. Yeah,but yeah, but not like last year,

(09:39):
not like the covid era anyway.All right, just to go a
quick a few more things. Um, the Jack Cohen continues to look better
and better, like he's making throwslike he's he still has the bad plays
where he gets sacked when he shouldn't, when he should be throwing the ball
away or doing something, or hangsonto it and just looks horrible set it

(10:03):
looks like I could sack him.But then he's also making plays where he
escapes and that one play where theyfaked it to Lenzy and they turned around
and throws it to Digs like thatwas a perfect setup, like that fake.
Everything was just perfect about that play. And the deep throws are getting
better, which Kevin Austen is helpingwith that. He's catching the ball with

(10:24):
some of those like it's incredible someof the catches he makes. But these
guys, I mean, they're allgetting better. And I think it's like
Drew Brees has said during the gamewhen he's talking about the playoffs, like
he thinks they need to expand itbecause a team like Notre Dame started off
slow. But if you look athow they've been playing last week's they're one

(10:45):
of the hottest team, most consistent, efficient teams out there. So let's
talk about that. My question was, is Nor Name actually better than they
were the first half of the yearor is it just is it just because
their opponents are that much weaker?And if we go back and look at
Nor Name's opponents from the first half, it doesn't look maybe quite as bad.

(11:07):
I mean, well, it dependswhich way you look at it,
because it looks bad point way atToledo UM, but Florida State, you
know, you know, where whereare they at now? They're at UM,
They're at five and six. Youknow, they have a chance to
go five hundred if they beat Floridathis weekend. UM. Obviously, Perdue

(11:35):
is a lot looks a lot betterthan they did when Nor Name played them
and Wisconsin ended up being did endup being a solid team. Then Cincinnati,
you know, was a legit topten team. Um, so,
yeah, what do you think isnor Name actually playing better or are their
opponents just that? Are their opponentsjust worse than they were at the beginning

(11:56):
of the year. I think it'sboth. I think it's both. Never
day game is definitely better. Imean you look at their offensive line play,
like there's no question their offensive lineplay is so much better. And
as a result, the running gameis better. Cohen is better and even
the defense, like the defense wasgiving up touchdowns. You know, it

(12:18):
seemed like at the beginning of theyear it was like, well, you
know, how is this actually goingto go? Because they didn't look good.
They gave up long plays, likeit took them what two games to
basically match the long plays that they'vegiven up in the previous three years,
and they didn't look at it.And now you have. They've gone three
straight games without giving up a touchdown, and that's without Kyle Hamilton. But

(12:41):
then you can also look at theiropponents and the last three weeks they played
or not the last three they atGeorgia Tech, Virginia Woven Navy, the
quarterback got knocked out. But likethey're playing against backup quarterbacks, and especially

(13:01):
Georgia Tech, he hasn't played muchand it was it was obvious, and
like some of the stakes he madewas just because he's in experienced player,
and Virginia was especially bad because hehardly had any snaps if the quarterback could
hardly played at all. And so, yes, they have It's both.
I agree with you, I thinkI think yes, I completely agree with

(13:22):
you. I think nor Name actuallyis a little bit. They actually are
playing better, they're more sound,but exactly what you said, the opponents
are also not as not as wellequipped either because of the backup quarterback and
just because Georgia Tech overall is justnot a very good team this year and
maybe also is just a bad teamthis year. Yeah, and what I'm

(13:43):
worried about is, yeah, theyhave these they're getting these good wins.
But and you know, us asfans watching the games, see how much
better Notre Dame is. But youknow, when it comes to the talk
about the playoffs, and I waslike, oh, well, they played
a backup. They didn't play thestarter at Georgia Tech. They didn't play
at Virginia you know, start atVirginia. You know that, you know

(14:03):
that's not how can you count thosewins because you know they played something that's
hardly put like, there's ways todiscredit this, and so like it's going
against Notre Dame. There's nothing NotreDame can do about it except go out
and win games like this fifty fiveto zero, Like that's what they need
to do, and they did it. But you're also going to hear a
lot of people that Notre Dame hatersare going to point all those things out,

(14:26):
and it's true. So and butthey haven't watched the games. They
don't realize how much better Notre Dameactually is as a football team. I
think I do think Nor Dame getsin to the playoffs. Yeah, I'm
not convinced. There's almost almost everyyear there's big shakeups in the top four.

(14:46):
And I know it's not all.There has been a year or two
where it hasn't been that way,but most of the years there's a big
shake up and there's still there's Yeah, there's only two two weeks left to
play, but during that those twoweeks you have George Alabama are probably gonna
be playing each other. Or May. Maybe it's confirmed they are. We're
gonna be playing each other. Youdo have Michigan and Ohio State playing each

(15:09):
other, and then probably Ohio Stateor yeah, probably Ohio State in Wisconsin.
So and then Cincinnati. I'm stillcommitted. Cincinnati is gonna undefeated.
In fact, I could. Iwould not be shocked if they lose this
weekend East East Carolina. They're gonnago undefeated. Like, here's what I
and I agree. There's always abig shake up, Like that's that's why

(15:31):
we love college football is because theunexpected happens. But you look at where
Okay, so the ranking college footballranking, well, the APE has and
the coaches I was referencing the APEnot yeah yeah, they have No Dame
at what five? Yeah, butyou look at the college Football Playoff,

(15:52):
which the other the new rankings comeout tonight. It would be interesting to
see how what they do. Buta corner last week, you know the
one team that lost, actually twoteams lost in front of Notre Dame.
Wait, this is the this isn'tsorry, I'm way behind here. Let
me let me update the weeks here, um, here we go. Oregon

(16:19):
obviously lost in Michigan State oh there. Um, So that's two teams that
lost in front of Notre Dame.So they should jump up to six,
like, no question about it.But to get into the top four,

(16:41):
to get past Georgia, Alabama,Ohio State, and Cincinnati. Like remember,
they don't have to get past allof them, they just need to
get past Cincinnati has to lose forNotre Dame to get in. I mean
for Notre Dame to jump them,I think, to get for Notre Dame
to jump them. So right,the one Georgia, Alabama, one of

(17:03):
those is going to be in there. Yeah. And so let's say I
think Ohio States with me. Butlet's say Michigan would beat Ohio State,
then they'd be they'd be in there. Oh yeah, Michigan would, but
not Ohio State. So Cincinnati,I don't think they're gonna lose. They
would be one. One of GeorgiaAlabama is going to be in there for

(17:26):
sure, and one of Michigan andOhio State's going to be in there.
And that leaves the fourth spot forNotre Dame. That's true, that's the
one scenario. But I I knowhow Alabama. I just said it's gonna
be tough to keep Alabama out.If Alabama beats, If Albama beats,
Georgia's gonna beth gonna be it's gonnabe tough to keep Georgia out. They're
both in. Alabama will definitely bein at that point. So that's the

(17:49):
one scenario right now. The onlychance for Notre Dame to get well,
and I can't say to the onlychance. The only way I see Notre
Dame getting in because any of theseteams. The only way I see Notre
Dame getting is Georgia has to beatAlabama. If Alabama wins that game,
I don't think Notre Dame gets in, um because I believe Cincinnati's gonna win,

(18:14):
and I believe Ohio State's gonna win. The easiest way from Nordame to
get in is if Cincinnati would endup losing, because then Nordame would jump
Cincinnati. I know they lost headto head, but Nordame would ump Cincinnati.
Yeah, so that that would bethe easiest way from Nomecinnati is not
going to get there. There's agreat question whether they should be in,
and if they have one loss,doesn't matter who it is, They're not
getting in. No, all right, let's talk about Nor Dame's matchup coming

(18:40):
up versus Stanford. Brank Kelly referredto as a rivalry game. He finally
using that, not just I guessit's just a reserve for the West Coast
teams. Obviously, Stanford has hada tough couple of years, and this
year is as tough as any.Um. Yeah, when you're averaging twenty

(19:03):
one points per game and giving upthirty one there, it's just not the
same. This was always a biggame, but it just doesn't have the
same feel. But like we usuallysay, this is Notre Dame Stanford,
so Stanford will be ready to play, yeah, traditionally. Yeah, dude,
this is an even beyond before myyears of being a fan of Notre

(19:25):
Dame football, which started, youknow, brought two thousand and four,
two thousand and five. I alwaysremember hearing that it's always a tough game
Stanford Notre Dame. So I mean, this is a bad Stanford team.
Nor Dame should come away with acomfortable win. They're favored by nineteen points,
it should be a comfortable win,but it could be it could be

(19:45):
a close one. They don't havethe running game that they usually have and
I think that's a big, bigproblem. They're leading rusher has four hundred
and one yards, which is whichKaren Williams has more than double that.
He's not her twenty eight So that'sunusual for Stanford, which Notre Dame did
get their running backs coach. Soum, but yeah, this is one

(20:12):
crazy thing about Stanford. I'll justthrow this in the out of all the
games I've gone to a Notre DameStanford, I've gone to the most Stanford
Notre Dame games. Yeah, metoo. I'm not sure why. We've
been to some good ones the twentytwelve game, obviously, but um,
this offense has really struggled to scorepoints the last five five games, scoring

(20:33):
thirteen seven fourteen eleven. I mean, I do think Nor Dame is gonna
win comfortably, but um, yeah, in years past this has for some
reason tends to be a tough game. Um, all right, are you
ready to give your score predictions oris there more more things you want to
discuss with this matchup? No?I think I'm ready. Oh we didn't.

(20:56):
We've got to mention that nor Name'sNovember win streak. Oh yes,
So it's easy to forget, butI remember talking about this at length in
different podcasts about how ner Dame can'twin in November because they always seem to
fizzle out. And it was agripe everyone had with Brian Kelly because the
team was wore down, players wereinjured and just seemed like you had the

(21:18):
bare bones, bare bones of ateam left in November and they couldn't win.
And I have to go back andsee exactly there. But they hardly
won any games in November for along time. But now after this last,
this past Saturday's win, Nor Damehas won fifteen straight November games and
like that is it pretty much is. Since they switched the strength and conditioning

(21:42):
staff was a huge reason for that. Guys are holding up. They don't
have the injuries they used to haveand Nerre Dame is now wearing out the
opponents versus the other way around.And they have depth. That's all.
That's that's another huge factor. It'snot just a conditioning and all that.
It's also the depth that Notre Damenow has. So and you know,

(22:07):
we also talked about Brian. Somepeople want to say that Brian Kelly has
basically accomplished whatever. You know,he's as far as he can go with
at Notre Dame, as Desmond Howardlikes to say, you know, there's
nothing less. He can't do anythingelse, can't take them further. And
I do also feel like there's alot of Notre Dame fans that feel like
this is just Notre Dame as faras they can go with Brian Kelly.

(22:33):
But here again, I think peoplehave gotten used to the success quickly because
it's only been It's not been thatmany years. But Notre Dame now has
five straight ten plus win seasons,which is a Notre Dame record. So
for everyone that wants to say BrianKelly shouldn't be there, cant accomplish more,
he just did. That's never happenedat Notre Dame. The consistency and

(22:56):
they still have another game to play. But do you how much confidence do
you if, frankly it stays atNotre Dame that they can win a playoff
game and eventually win a championship withhaving the Ohio States, they are having
Alabama and now Georgia, who's beenin the They've been in the playoffs,
but now, really, I mean, they're the best team in college football

(23:18):
right now. Yeah, But theyweren't. A few years ago they had.
They had a few years there's thatwere rough. Um, I think
they're getting there. This was weall knew before the season started that this
was going to be a down year. And I think anybody that would have
said taken an eleven and one NotreDame team, they would have taken it
as especially as a down year.It's a down. This was supposed to

(23:41):
be a down yere and it wasthe beginning of the season was rough.
They were still getting the wins,somebody, they still got the wins.
You know, you had Jack Cohencome in. You know, you have
all these things. The offensive linecompletely change. But if you look at
the future, the young guys atNotre Dame has the play that this team
is going to be a lot betterin the next few years. And here

(24:04):
we are in a down year forNotre Dame talking about them possibly getting into
the playoffs. I don't expect themto win a playoff game. And I've
always said, like one thing,like I still feel like they need to
win a New Year's sixth Bowl.They need to win a major bull game.
They have yet to do that.Yeah, you're saying you don't expect

(24:25):
it this year. This year,yeah, I do think they can get
Brian Kelly can get them there.I think the next few years is Notre
Dame shot to do it. Well, they're gonna have the opponents to prove
it. They'll be they're playing OhioState. True, they got the opponents
there. Yeah, all right,I've got my score prediction ready at randall.

(24:45):
Are you ready with years? Uh? Yeah, go ahead, all
right. I'm picking the arrist towin. I'm not covering them to cover
the spread. Wow, I wouldlove to, but I just I think
their name's offense is they're not gonnaThey're not gonna score fifty points again.
I'm picking on him to win twentyseven to ten, So comfortable win,
but not the kind of blowout thatwe've You don't think they can score more

(25:08):
than that against Stanford the lowest Washingtonhas been the lowest, and they scored
twenty on them. It's a rivalrygame. Okay, that's fine. Um,

(25:30):
I feel a little better than youdo. Obviously. I think Nor
Dame's gonna get another game without atouchdowns. They're gonna score some field goals
and they're gonna score points because Stanfordhas given up points. This is a
rivalry game, so I think norDame's gonna go out there. I'm going
the other way. This is arivalry game where nor Dame is gonna come
out at their best to try towin this game and try to get into

(25:51):
the playoff. Yes, and I'mgoing forty five to six. Wow,
I just I don't think Stanford isgood. You look at the last few
weeks. They scored seven, fourteen, eleven, thirteen in the last four
weeks. Those are all losses andthey've given up fifty two to Utah,

(26:11):
thirty five to Oregon State, fortyone to cal Nordame wants to be in
that playoff conversation, They need towin big here and they know it.
I do agree with you if norDame, If nor Dame does win the
game twenty to ten, I thinkthat is going to hurt them. Yeah,

(26:32):
especially when it comes down to goingagainst a you know, a Georgia
maybe that lost or a whoever.Yeah. Yeah, so yeah, I
think it's important and critical that Nordamedoes win by more than twenty seven to
ten to get in. Yeah,all right, anything else, Randal,

(26:52):
I don't think so. All right, thank you, guys for listening.
Be sure to tweet out your scoreprediction on Saturday night at Irish Sports Stock
And until next time, go Irish, go irishm