Dome and Domer Pre-Game ND-Texas A&M 2024

hello Irish fans and welcome to another edition of Dome and Domer the oldest Notre Dame football podcast on the planet as we head into A&M game Saturday night Big Time 100 15,000 is what they're expecting even though it's 103 uh it's going to be hot I I know Coffer you were saying it's supposed to rain I don't I didn't I thought I saw the weather report saying it's going to be hot and muggy but they didn't expect rain I don't think it's GNA be as hot as it I don't think it's going to be as hot as it could be I think it's not it's going to be they were expecting like upper 90s I think it's going to be more like mid 80s 80 it might even finish end of the game around 79 but they said it'll feel like 90 because of the humidity but anyways everything everything's bigger in Texas even the temperature yeah a big huge game Ed I'm GNA start with you I mean it is uh Freeman's thirdd year this is a big moment just to see how far has he transgressed in the last you know two years going from being on the road at Ohio State having 10 guys on the field at the end of the game or actually that was at home I take that back it's a little bit worse than being on the road but at any event uh you know where are we in this era of Freeman do you think that they're going to show up and play to another level to get us closer to that Elite status and does this Define us as being in that Elite status if we win this game or how do you see this yeah I mean I don't I don't think it does I mean partly because of the opponent I mean Texas A&M you know is not a top five football team a top 10 football team a top 15 football team I mean they're they have a new coach because they sucked so you know they've been able to recruit well and you know pay a bunch of guys a lot of money but that's about all they've been able to do in terms of on the field performance so you know I think it's a big game because it's an SEC opponent because it's on the road in a hostile environment and because the expectations for not Dame are high this year you know it really is a make the playoffs or bust you know type season um I think we'd all agree agree uh that that's the case I don't think they're going to get much um um you know uh leeway in terms of you know losing two games if and if they you know if they lose uh on Saturday night it'll be difficult to to run the table I think a two lost not a team um is sort of really on the bubble in terms of a 12 team because of the strength of schedule at least on paper so far so I think it's a very a very big game and I think you know it's when you think about like you know the old days and in the old days Joe Alton Blake fiser wouldn't have gone anywhere and it'd be you know a hell of an offensive line returning which would have made it a super strong U football team um but uh but they've got they've got to figure out a way by hook or by crook uh to win this football game I really think that they do um because number one they need to create some confidence going into the rest of the year for themselves but also they need to show the country that snan can win a big football game um you know they've beaten Clemson at home in the last few years um you know they kind of won a meaningless bowl game last year um they took Ohio State to the wire but they didn't they didn't finish the job um you know does Marcus Freeman have a signature win yet I don't think so um so you know go out figure out a way to win the game I don't care if it's a you know some people are saying a rock fight you know 17 to 10 other people are you know the over under I think is 46 and a half right now um I don't really care just just figure out a way you know I don't care if it's two defensive touchdowns and four Aggy turnovers you know and it's and the offense gets 112 yards total I don't care just figure out a way to win the game and then um you know then we'll go from there yeah yeah I think you're right uh it's going to be critical you know look they win this game Notre name's going to be 4-0 for sure like no doubt about it and then they're going to head into the Louisville game uh look I you know coffee I'm kind of curious Ed touched on a little bit do you think it's a little overblown on the situation with the tackles on the offense is that really going to come out and play a big huge part of this game Saturday night or does Den Brock kind of overcome that by orchestrating a few you know a few attack plans that might negate that a bit and it doesn't really come into play as much well I think he's certainly capable of doing that I uh it's unfortunate in that I think if you look at all the matchups in this game it's the Aggie defensive line which is by far their strength versus an inexperienced Notre Dame line where A&M really has a very strong advantage uh and unfortunately it's the kind of advantage that could work to Notre Dame's detriment because the these kids are really going to have to play or as you said Den Brock's going to have to scheme it up to protect him as much as they can now keep in mind these youngsters on the left side beat out guys who have been playing the last couple years and I don't think that Marcus Freeman is in the habit of saying I'm just going to play this guy just to play him I mean I you really know that these guys outperformed their teammates in practice over the last X number of weeks now does that mean they're up to the challenge of uh what A&M's going to throw at him I'm certainly hope so but uh I really kind of wish that the schedule was set up like it is next season where A&M's going to be like the third game or something like that I mean I wish if we could have flipped Northern and A&M on the schedule I'd be much much happier but as Ed said the key in this game is just find a way to win if it's ugly doesn't matter we need the victory then you've got three games in a row against teams that against compared to which not name is much much more talented should be able to iron bugs out and get people experience and then when Louisville comes in take things from there yeah I don't know I I kind of to a certain extent part of me thinks that it's a good thing that we're playing them early because of Elco coming into a new program like this and you know get a few more games under his belt and he might start to find the angles with his team whereas when the very first game you're playing you got to kind of fi figure out what you have and so part of me thinks that it may not be bad that we're getting El go early um but I I agree with you I I kind of prefer for us just being the moving parts that we got to get some game experience and then go into that that kind of an environment because it is going to be a culture shock I don't it's pretty obvious Riley Leonard's never played in an environment like this and so this is something he's going to see for the first time uh but you know having said that Ed what do what do you think are going to be kind of the key moments are not necessarily the key moments but the key players or or key things that Notre Dame's going to have to accomplish if they do pull this out is it just heavily slanted to the defense does the defense have to play airtight or do you think it's more onus on the offense moving some with with some big plays that we're just going to have to make yeah I mean you know and I think about kind of these hyped games in the past oftentimes the conventional wisdom going in gets kind of flipped on its head you know like I remember going into a game I don't know you know it it was a pretty big game you know a first game of the season right where you don't know what you've got and it was you know oh another name's defensive backfield is you know it's the weakness it's the weakness it's the weakness and then I think lowwood had a pick six and they you know held the other team to 112 yards passing and you know so you you don't you know it wouldn't surprise me I mean it's not like we're playing miles Garrett and JJ Watt you know I'm sure they're a good defensive line but they're not you know they're they're there's uh like you said I mean I feel pretty good about the fact that Anthony nap and you know U Emil Wagner and uh Pendleton I mean you know I'm sure you know because of this you know it was oneson ones for for training camp right so they were going against batell they were going against Burnham they were going against RJ Oben they were going against um you know Mills and and cross and you know so they it's a pretty good laboratory to see what they've got when it's also a strength of our team that they're competing against in practice every day right so um yeah I I think that you know I think that it would not surprise me if not A's wide receivers which I think are vastly improved um in terms of a unit much deeper um I think they've got you know uh I would not be surprised if they make some plays that are the difference in the game because nobody's talking about them you know it wouldn't it wouldn't surprise me if you know conversely you know Benjamin Morrison or Andor Christian Gray you know get burned right and something that we don't expect on on our end you know happens where you know we give up a big play you know A&M has a pretty good quarterback and you know you can't sort of play perfectly even if you're Benjamin Morrison or even if you're Xavier Watts you know maybe they'll make a mistake so I think there'll be some things some curveballs that sort of the you know the sort of on the paper analysis um sort of is is gonna sort of Miss just because football's a crazy game and you never really know what you've got until the season starts and you know but I I I just think the wild card is Riley Leonard I mean you you know he's like I said last you know the last time we did this he could either end up being a poor man's Josh Allen and be somebody that's kind of become becomes another folk hero you know take us to the playoffs win a couple games he seems to have that Swagger um makes plays with his legs you know or he could go down in a heap you know in the middle of the second quarter you know we don't even see him again until week seven you know like he's he's you know wood don't say that that's a serious no I think you're right though Ed that is a totally that could easily happen and that would be consistent with what's happened up to this point so uh I I would I would be in agreement with you there Cy I've heard a little I don't know how much you've been paying attention but I've heard a little Scuttle about that there's a couple guys that are banged up pretty bad uh nothing that's being reported as injuries but Mitchell Evans has been you know kind of sore and you know sat on the sidelines a few times uh Howard lo I mean there's there's guys that are banged up that you just don't know it's not something you're going to let the cat out of the bag but is that anything that you think that's got any weight to it or is that just all I haven't I haven't necessarily heard about anything I mean I think I think at this point when you're going through training camp and you're you're you're you're playing those one-on ones and you're it it's it's highp speed it's lot of hits I think it's natural for some players to get like a ding here and there and I don't think it necessarily is like the end of the world the beauty of Notre Dame's defense is the depth all around is just absolutely phenomenal I think Notre Dame has a legitimate a legitimate player at both positions in a lot of the defensive 11 I mean there's yeah how cross might be danged up a little bit but hey if it's next man in I'm not really all that worried about it and even some of the young guys like kba and all that are just playing very very well so I think it helps that these guys are in the third year of golden system the older guys really know how to work it and they can help the younger guys because they've already been schooled in the system what golden likes to do so there isn't so much teaching with them whereas if golden is teaching the younger guys now the older guys can help teach him also it's not like golden has to show everybody what he's doing he's got a vast majority of of players know his system are ready to go after it and I think that's going to help move the young guys along so if there our guys who are dinged up a little bit I think we've got the death to overcome it yeah I would agree with you there I it's going to be interesting to see the mentality show through with the culture that Freeman's beat uh built here uh next man end is one of them but I think the thing that I kind of pay a lot of attention to that has me excited about the way he's gone about this is the whole mentality of trying to create the best version of you that you can so every single well every single human being on the planet for that matter has talents that have been given to him and in order to be the best version of yourself you have to accentuate those talents and build on them I think what Freeman's doing is he's approaching the players and saying Hey I want to make you the very best football player that you could be and and you're constrained by the talents that you have but my job to get you to that point where you're performing at a peak level based on what you've been given and I I think that's an exciting approach I like that it tough to translate you know that's not easier said than done but I I do think that that is you know something that's going to play through here I'm kind of curious that because I I there's a few every time you play a big game like this there's certain key statistics that you kind of look at that you just say man if we can just do this then we're going to be fine one of those key things that I think jumps out at you is Riley Leonard and what is his rushing yards at the end of the night because I think if that rushing yards isn't higher than 50 we're going to be in deep trouble uh I think if you get him running the football maybe 75 yards man that puts a lot of pressure on the defense and it it's it's just one of those game changers when you got a dual threat like him that can just really make big changes and momentum changes in the game when it's third and eight nobody's open everybody's covered but yet he sneaks through gets a first down I mean those are those are big moments I mean I agree although I kind of disagree with your premise because I think that like you know if if Notre Dame can move the ball effectively without him having to make plays with his legs in other words if they could you know well that's gonna be a great night if that's the case well yeah but I mean you're right in the sense that they will need him to extend a play here or there or to save their ass you know a couple times yeah um but if you can if you can use his you know designed runs for him fairly selectively you know in other words not um not sort of put him In Harm's Way unnecessarily where you know you sort of have a little bit of the element of surprise because you've been fairly effective running the ball conventionally and throwing the ball conventionally um that's when I think like you said you've really got some that's when Den Brock can really you know sort of demonstrate his his value and make life very very difficult for a defense um I think an interesting stat is that you know A&M's record away from Kyle Field has been better in SEC games than it has I saw that there's a lot of hype about that is interesting what a tough place it is to play um and uh and I'm sure it is and I'm sure it'll be loud um but uh you know I think the kind of I think I think it's going to be very very interesting um what kind of a start the offensive line gets off to um with the noise in other words like we've seen another name offenses come out and look you know it basically takes them a quarter and a half before they get the snap count right everybody's on the same page you know there's a couple of motion you know we've seen that right but we've also seen situations where there's there they neutralize the crowd effectively by by basically having their you know having their process and their system down pat in terms of how they're going to run the office by basically when they can't when nobody can hear anybody um you know they can't hear themselves think um and you know put a initial drive together um you know get three points you know something move the ball or maybe even just move the ball between the 20s or 30s miss a field goal or whatever but you know establish a little bit of confidence for themselves in this line that everybody's going to be staring at and assuming that they're going to be you know um um you know struggling and on their back foot you know all night um so yeah I I I think the first quarter this is a game where the first quarter will have an outsized importance um for both teams um and you know I I like the fact that um you know I I like Mike coffee said I like their we I like our weapons you know I like the options that that dead Brock has to to play with I hope Mitchell Evans is healthy because I think he's a he's he's I do I think that that's huge yeah he's a huge piece if he's playing healthy he's just a guy that gets separation I I think Faison is also still underrated even though had a good year last year he's a guy that does get separation I read an interesting article about him just in terms of what an advantage it is for him to play lacrosse because lacrosse is all about separation I mean that's what those guys do the the whole game it's it's all about separation so those little angles that you take in Lacrosse is is effectively translated on the football field when you're you're getting away from a DB and those those little arm angles that you take and the little bit of a push off I I think it's a big reason why he's so successful in separating himself and I it wouldn't surprise me at all if he ends up with five six catches Saturday night because I think he's that good of a of a receiver to get open uh but C coffee let me ask you do you think there's a particular EB and flow or what you would like to see that's going to be a key to Notre Dame winning is do they have to be up after the first quarter or is there anything like that that you think is going to be or is this just going to be all the way down to the very end and it's it's going to be separated by couple plays I I think it is going to be the latter I think the key thing I mean even Beyond dealing with the noise and establishing the offense is just not letting themselves get rattled I think if if something goes wrong early just have a very short memory about it and yeah we may have to depend on the defense to pull us out of this one but you know what later in the season the offense may have to pull out one for the defense I mean it's it's a team game I think uh I don't want to come out of this with any like overanalyzing or anything like that I think right now I want to see a win and as as we said earlier if it's ugly it's ugly if it's not it's not but the key thing is to if they can take the crowd out of it so much the better but they can't let the crowd dictate how they're playing they have to maintain confidence at all levels of the offense at all levels of the defense to say okay yeah we're it's if there's a mistake we're down 10 nothing or something and the like late in the first quarter you can't let that tell the story of the game you got to keep your head on straight and just stay focused and play well and I think that the culture that Marcus Freeman has built will lend itself to that because it from things that I've read and heard there's uh Riley Leonard's leadership is off the charge I'm not saying Sam Harin was a bad leader he wasn't at all but Leonard's leadership on the offense is even better than Harton's was I mean he he's got the guys believing in him he's got the guys focus on him and if he can help them keep their heads together I think we'll be in good shape yeah I would agree with you I'm hearing the same stuff too so hopefully that shows itself Saturday night I just like the fact that he's a big dude you know had a big dude quarterback for a while yeah we've had tiny dudes and yeah you know um Brandon wimbush By the way Ian book The really good I don't know if you guys saw that game man he looked good I gave him right yeah he I thought he really looked good I was kind of shocked pass yeah yeah he looked good I I uh the last big dude notame had was really Kaiser you know he was he was he was a big guy and he was also a guy that would stick his nose in there and get you three or four yards except when it really mattered against Clemson but um anyways uh but uh but I think when you've got a quarterback who could you know knock some people over um that is like you said that's not just sort of like you know leadership in the Huddle that's sort of leadership on the field and I think guys really like to play with a quarterback like that who's got a little bit of football player in him not just uh not just quarterback um so uh but but yeah but I you know that that that's where the focus will be but I think what the point that you guys made earlier I mean you can't put a value on a guy like Kaiser you know being in the system um kind of being a really bright guy to begin with and being a playmaker you know like you know let's not forget I mean you know as as a high school athlete I mean he was sort of you know on the football field he was offense defense special teams you know kicking I mean he just knows the game um and he knows how to make plays he's been doing it for his whole life so uh and you've also got him you know making the calls and I'm sure that he's as mind melded with Al golden as anybody on that roster and he's right in the middle of the defense where you want the Mind melded guy to play so um I think that's you know that's I don't know if ELO's got a guy like that yet it wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't yeah I would agree with you I I I think it's going to be a real key to the game is how well Kaiser not only plays well himself but as you said kind of directs things because he is a guy like that's dialed in without golden he's he's in his sixth year I mean this guy been around the program been there done that Quality quality leadership kid no doubt about it and uh and that's going to bring a lot of calm to that defense and correct me I'm wrong but doesn't doesn't this year both golden and den Brock have a headset set up with Leonard and Kaiser respective until the yeah until the 15sec minute Mark or 15c Mark which I think that is fascinating in of itself is how well are they prepared for that because at 15 seconds that cuts off and you you better have gotten your talking points in I'm I'm sure they've been practicing with that that'll be interesting to see how that plays out because that's a big change that's a that's a I've seen it already in college football games you know the quarterbacks are going like that because they're just trying to listen in on right and that's a huge man I tell you that's a huge uh that's a big game change I I agree with you that's gonna be fascinating who's monitoring that like are these games like I mean you know yeah it just seems like it's R for I mean you know if if Conor stallions is you know on the sidelines um who knows what time it's getting cut off maybe May it's getting cut off at you know two seconds or the other team's getting cut off at 21 seconds I mean who the hell knows I tell you what I I'll I'll I'll never admit this outside of this podcast but when I was a senior at Maran the coach the offensive coordinator came down to tell me that we were receiving the the we could hear the other coach's headset the whole game whoops I think the right thing to have done would been to call a timeout tell the ref hey come on over hey we're actually here in the just but no he didn't do that you mean it was like trans not not like from the booth over in the Press Box but you mean like transmitting like the frequencies were like yeah so we could actually hear the other coaches telling each other which play to call whoops let's hope that something like that happens in our favor Saturday night that would be a nice one and you still threw three picks didn't you Mike what's that you still threw three picks that night exactly yeah I'm I'm coming off the sidelines yelling we even know what the play is how did that happen all right coffee let's let's hear your prediction uh still keeping it the same as before I was uh Irish 2714 but it's due to a a a defensive score by not Dame in the last like three minutes yeah so it'll be close up until then anded what do you think yeah I mean I I really like the fact that everybody from you know the the odds makers to Bruce Feldman to you know everybody's picking A&M I mean you know some of them some of them don't even have no name scoring in double digits in this game so um you know I'm gonna say I'm gonna say that you know it's gonna it's gonna it's gonna go over which is GNA surprise people and and the's gonna win 31 to 20 oh man wow that's that's a big uh I'm gonna give a shout out to my brother he's got a h group of guys that since 2015 have been getting together uh predicting Notre Dame scores they call it guest Like A Champion so all of these guys they're they're former Dylan guys in the early 70s that all not all of them but most of the group is that they they all get together yeah they do predictions uh one of the guys Paul Michaels unfortunately has got some health issues going through so they reached out to me and said hey would you be willing to to give a prediction and we'll we'll pass it up as do and Domer so so there's of pressure on this pick that I'm about to give um but definitely keep Paul in your prayers if you can he's he's going through some health issues but I I it sounds like he's getting a little bit better which is good news um but in light of that I'm gonna give my best prediction for this and I'm gonna say 2320 and I even think might be a late score by Riley Leonard orchestrated in the fourth quarter whether he puts us in field goal range or what but I kind of do think it's going to be a little bit of a defensive slugfest just early in the year and these two teams kind of going back and forth so we we'll see but I'm I'm going to say 2320 sounds good awesome Um well hey it's gonna be it's gonna be a lot of fun that's for sure uh I I didn't get a chance to check the score but North Dakota uh state was up on on Deion Sanders I think 10 to 7 I mean it's early but hey that's a heck of a football program North I mean that's right where our office is at the moment Colorado's up 2420 all right there you go well hey I tell you North Dakota State's put out some pretty decent football players um I think Carson Wentz was uh from there was a quarterback there at one point um but but it's a it's a dog on good football program they got a great atmosphere up there about 100,00 people tailgate before their games in the Fargo Dome so it's uh it's even though they're FBS right I think this lower division but um they they've got some serious Talent there so in any event well I I saw I just saw a little bit of the game before we started recording this and um I I I was very impressed in a small sample size with SH shadur Sanders I oh he's he's the real yeah he is yeah he isn't just he isn't just um he has something that you know all the great ones have which he feels pressure yeah really well like he steps up he he he swivels to the side he he's he's really really good at that I mean you know there's a lot of guys who can throw the ball you know but I mean he he has that that instinct and you know he was like I don't know eight for nine for 200 yards and two touchdowns in the first half so yeah I don't think coach Prime has that great a team but he's got a really good quarterback yeah he does that's that's probably why they'll win tonight yeah I I think he's going to be a first round pick I really do I I think he's the real deal he leads his receivers really well yeah I mean he he throws right to the spot he does not just wing it and you know receivers got to make a great throw catch he he's the kind of guy that sees the field and man he can really put it on a dime I think he's the real deal it's it's uh too bad that he's not you know playing for a BigTime program because I think he could take a a team a long long way he's that good um but it'll be interesting it's gonna be a great year this year the only thing standing between him and incredible career as his dad well we'll see I mean he got him this far so yeah that's gonna be interesting we're gonna we're gonna see about that great we're gonna leave it there you've been listening to dolman dolmer an online conversation about Notre Dame Sports from a fans perspective for edri anik Mike coffee I'm Mike Brammer thanks for listening