Frank Commentary
Mission 1 Accomplished!
I remember September 7, 2024, sitting in my chair watching the final seconds tick off the clock as the Irish had just lost to Northern Illinois and thinking I watched some other team than Notre Dame play on that day. But it was the Fighting Irish out on the field that day, and they were a far cry from the team we saw the week before, and the team we saw on Saturday.
It surely was a depressing day because all the good momentum they had built from last season, and their first big win of the 2024 season, went quickly out the window, and most people wondered if this team was going to win six games after that dismal performance.
The November 30, 2024 version of Notre Dame football still made some costly mistakes in Saturday’s game, like a fumble deep in their own territory, which led to seven points by the Trojans, and a costly interception as the Irish were driving to extend their lead in the game, which also ended up in seven points for the opposition.
But this version of ND did what the September 7 team could not. They moved the ball almost at will, and they stopped USC when it mattered. And, they did this against a very hot offense and QB, and a much better defense than NIU’s. Most important, the team found the leadership they needed on November 30th to step up and take over the game. The Irish knew that USC was there to play, so they had to play at a very high level, and the November 30th team rose to the challenge, drive-to-drive, touchdown-to-touchdown, and then made some very key stops on defense.
Make no mistake, USC is a very good team when they want to be, at least on offense, and they can play some defense. No other team scored more points on their defense than ND did, and let’s face it, the Irish left some points on the field on Saturday.
That’s how far this team has come since September 7th.
Saturday’s win was not an easy win, and the Irish didn’t play their best game, but it really didn’t matter against a pretty good team. While many other teams have had lackluster performances throughout the season, and the Irish have had a few of their own, Notre Dame has done what almost all the others haven’t been able to do and that is win 10 straight games, and that has put them into the playoff likely hosting a first round game.
They say all is well that ends well, and that very well may be the case when the final rankings come out because the Irish have a chance to land as the No. 5 seed, which would’ve been the highest seed they could accomplish even if they were undefeated at this point. A Penn State loss to Oregon and a Georgia loss to Texas in their Conference Championship Game and Notre Dame is almost assured the No. 5 seed. Who would’ve thought that was even possible on September 7th? I certainly didn’t.
It’s been quite the turnaround for this 2024 Notre Dame team, and it didn’t come without a lot of hard work, and a lot of great coaching. A lot of people put the blame of the result on September 7th on the head coach, and I can understand why because that team wasn’t ready to play that day. But it wasn’t the head coach who played that day. It was the 2024 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the field that day….players and coaches.
And because of that, the “team” aspect of it, they all owned that loss, and they all did something about it.
When Marcus Freeman was hired as head coach of Notre Dame football, we all knew there would be a learning curve for the first-time head coach. Every first-time head coach has a learning curve. As the old saying goes: “you don’t know what you don’t know.”
Marcus Freeman put the entire ND football program on his back on September 8th, and he has brought them to this point. It hasn’t been all him, for sure, but someone had to do the heavy lifting that day, and he certainly did the job. That’s the sign of a potential great head coach, to me.
There have been some valleys, like September 7th, but there have been some peaks as well, like August 31, 2024, September 28, 2004, and November 30, 2024.
Surely, great performances are a sign of great coaching, but I also think what you do after a bad performance means just as much, if not more. It’s easy to handle winning. It’s much, much harder to handle a devastating loss. And what you do after that loss can really linger and affect your football team—ask USC.
I don’t know what will happen when the Irish play again, but make no mistake, there has been some outstanding coaching taken place with this Irish team. And some impressive leadership has also taken over and made the November 30th version of Notre Dame football so much better than the September 7th version.
This has been a fun season to watch, and the way they’ve built this 2024 Notre Dame team has been the right way. Brick-by-brick, they’ve built a very solid house, and it’s going to take a very good team to beat this version of Notre Dame football. I can’t wait to see what happens!
Two-Headed Monster
I’ve watched a lot of Notre Dame football in my 56 years of life. I’ve never seen two better running backs that have played for Notre Dame than they currently have.
Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are truly elite players, and it’s been an absolute joy to watch both play. I truly wouldn’t trade this tandem for any combo that college football has to offer. No college football team has two better backs than these. They’re both outstanding and compliment each other so well.
I sure would hate to see Love miss this first playoff game. He deserves to be on the field because he’s been a very large part of why they’ve gotten there in the first place. Notre Dame can win without him, but make no mistake, he is a special player and they really need him healthy to be at their very best.
A Time to Heal
We’ve heard it all year, about how Notre Dame doesn’t have to play in a Conference Championship Game and how much of an advantage that is. And it is an advantage, but not just for the reasons many think. True ND could lose in such a game and then lose the chance at a playoff or a higher ranking, but the real advantage, as I see it, is the Irish get time off to rest, heal and then focus heavily on their next opponent. That much time to prepare with having both Al Golden and Mike Denbrock as your coordinators, that’s going to be an advantage, for sure.
The Irish need to get some guys healthy. Jeremiyah Love, Howard Cross, Loghan Thomas, Mitch Jeter, Mitch Evans and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa —they need to get these guys healthy for this playoff run. Hopefully that happens. It also allows an extra week to activate some younger players who may be needed down the stretch. Players like Loghan Thomas, Armel Mukam and Tae Johnson will be needed down the stretch, and ND will have time to work with these players and get them ready. This time should also allow ND to get some players refocused and activated more in Beaux Collins and Jordan Faison. They need to get both of these receivers playing with more confidence, and with better chemistry with QB Riley Leonard. This time off will allow the Irish team to really focus and get these players healthy and engaged as they prepare for their playoff run.
What We Had Hoped For
Speaking of Riley Leonard, I sat and watched Saturday’s game and I thought, “you know, Riley Leonard has really developed into the QB we had hoped he’d be.” And he really has. I don’t think many of us thought he’d be a 300-yard-a-game passer, but his throwing has improved immensely. And he’s become a true weapon in this offense.
He’s not a first round pick playing for Notre Dame, but after watching all the QBs who will playing in the playoff games, I can’t name too many out there who I think are better, and certainly not many who are a better fit for this offense.
Congrats to Riley Leonard from battling through the adversity, and congrats to Mike Denbrock and Gino Guidugli for finding the right way to coach him. He’s not Tom Brady, but he is a pretty darn good QB, and the right QB they need for the strengths of this offense.
Final Thoughts
We are here, folks! And if this goes the way I think it will, Notre Dame is going to be in a good spot to make a run. They’ll either be No. 5 or No. 6, and I think either spot should give them a chance to make a run.
I think the Irish are one of the most disciplined and consistent teams out of the 12. They don’t usually make mistakes. They tend to protect the football (Saturday excluded). They tend to take the football away (as they did on Saturday). They have coordinators who adapt well in difficult situations and find solutions to problems in the moment. And this team plays hard, every time. They show up for the big games. They have a good plan, almost always. Their head coach gets them ready to play.
Notre Dame is going to be a tough out, for sure. If they can get healthy and get some more players clicking, it should be one fun ride to jump on!
Why not the Irish?