Irish Need Final Push
The film would not lie, and as such, neither would Robert Hainsey.
To a man, Brian Kelly and the quartet of Notre Dame players dispatched to discuss the Fighting Irish’s 45-14 beatdown last week at Michigan bemoaned Notre Dame’s loss of what it believes is its physically imposing identity.
So, had the Irish been close to the physical levels they had delivered in a narrow loss at Georgia in September, as well as subsequent victories against Virginia and Southern Cal, among others?
“No,” said Hainsey, the Irish’s starting right tackle and owner of 33 career appearances. “No. Like I said, that’s that and we watched it and correcting it now and working to improve and do better this Saturday.”
This Saturday is Virginia Tech, another of Notre Dame’s ACC foes and a team known for its ability to deploy defensive coordinator Bud Foster’s oft-confusing looks.
The Irish, while studying film of the Hokies, are focusing inward before the first of their five November games.
“Yeah, I mean sure, obviously when you look at the film you’ve got to do a lot of self-evaluating,” tight end Cole Kmet said of the Michigan aftermath. “That’s something now that we looked at and now we’ve moved on from and now this week we kind of get to go back to the basics and go back to how we prepare the right way and like I said, playing physical, fast and with some intent during practice.”
Players agreed Tuesday’s practice was a step in that direction of intentional imposition of will. The Irish’s scout teams, they said, showed plenty of gumption in the on-field work. Notre Dame’s starting offense had to try to move the ball and sustain possessions against the scout squad; it was similar for the Irish’s defensive starters.
“It started (Tuesday),” defensive end Julian Okwara said. “Everyone was very physical and everybody ran to the ball. I think everybody was ready to get better and move on from Michigan and that wasn’t us.
“We’re just ready to move on from that and get better. Just focus on improving every day and getting ready (for Virginia Tech).”
Added safety Alohi Gilman, “We’re just focusing on day to day being back to who we are, which is a physical group. We have a bunch of guys who are really physical, really good players. Try to get back to who we are, train every day like it’s a game day and get back to the basics.”
Notre Dame’s most physical statement this season came in its loss at then-No. 3 Georgia, which boasts an offensive line laden with NFL Draft prospects and an NFL tailback in D’Andre Swift. The Bulldogs’ offense was limited to 152 net rushing yards, and Swift was held to less than 100 on the ground. Notre Dame’s own offensive line yielded zero sacks, even as it could not get the ground game untracked.
Yet for its talk of being a team that can impose its sheer will on the opposition, particularly in the trenches, Notre Dame ranks 81st nationally against the run at 175.3 yards per game and 63rd offensively with 168.7 ypg. Michigan’s 303-47 rushing edge last week flipped the Irish upside down for the first time this season – or last – as a team allowing more rushing yards than it is generating.
“You have to go play as hard as you can,” Hainsey said. “You have to be physical and you have to hit people as hard as you can and dominate your blocks and know your assignment and you have to know what you’re doing and where to be and when to be there and who you’re blocking and the technique you need to have.
“Using our technique and fundamentals that we’ve been coached and to the best of our ability. That’s really how you can get after people. It’s all those things combined.”
It’s one final month, one final push, figuratively and literally, for Notre Dame to define its season.