Notre Dame vs Texas A&M: What To Prove, What To Look For

he [Music] IB Nation welcome back to another edition of the Irish breakdown podcast final show from me before this weekend's game between Notre Dame and Texas A&M tomorrow night Saturday 7:30 pm Eastern on ABC Notre Dame number seven against Texas A&M number 20 Today's show is going to be sort of a different type of show obviously it's not going to be a very long show I'm going to cover a couple different things things that I really wanted to kind of discuss with you all before the game starts and just really do sort of a put a final bow on just what surrounds this game what this game means what people think it means what it actually means and then also I'm going to do something where I'm going to discuss what I because we don't we don't know a lot about this team yet and and we you know we've seen clips and we know what we think based on on Talon in last year but we didn't see a lot of this football team in fall in Fall camp and so I'm going to discuss four things on each side of the ball offensively and defensively that I I will be looking for to tell me okay Notre Dame came to play today because ultimately that's what we need to find out right and and I and all the things that we discuss going into that is going to set the stage for what I mean by that as far as if they're ready to play because there's a perception about this game that I find very fascinating but it's also a perception that is is somewhat somewhat deserved but I I've got I just have some issues with the way that it's been perceived and and we'll kind of dive into you know what what some of those issues are and and and how I see this game and all that so so we're going to do that and then of course uh tonight we are going to post the um we're going to post our uh our countdown to kickoff show tonight Sean and and Vince and Jesse will have that so we'll P publish that tonight and then tomorrow night after the game we'll have a postgame show with with Vince and Ryan and and um Trevor and Shawn Davis so that's going to be fun and then of course I'll be traveling on Sunday so I'll have a postgame show or an Pawn further review on Sunday night and there's a chance that when I get home depending on how the film breakdown goes I may have something that I put up either Sunday night or Monday we'll kind of see how that goes but that's why you need to make sure that you've hit that subscribe button you got those notifications turned on so that make sure that when we do go live or I do publish a video that you'll be able to see it and um without further Ado let's dive in today's topic so this has been one of the more fascinating lead-ins to a game I I I'll be I'll be honest with you there's always there's always a level of negativity surrounding a team and that's true for everybody and negativity sometimes is understandable so negativity sometimes is deserved and in this matchup there is an understandable angst about this game but I'm I I'll be honest I'm literally shocked at how much negativity there is from the Notre Dame side I I have some of the most optimistic takes I've seen about Notre Dame don't come from Notre Dame fans they come from National people and and it's been really interesting to to to read it to the point to where I have somebody today calling me a homer because we pick Notre Dame to beat a team that's gone 12 and 13 the last two years it really is fascinating because there's this perception about Notre Dame that is understandable to a degree but it takes into no context who they're playing and that's really been the fascinating aspect about this but but it's not just Notre Dame fans clearly Notre Dame is a what I think last I saw a three-point Underdog to Texas A&M a team coming off of a seven and eight and five season or what what what was A&M last year seven and six right because they lost their bowl game although I you know bowl games don't don't mean a whole lot nowadays but I believe Texas A&M last year went seven- six correct yes seven- six last year they went five- seven the year before that they went eight- four the year before that and people are acting as if Notre Dame is getting ready to play Clemson or Ohio State or Georgia or Alabama and I I I don't really understand that and and so we can have a conversation on one side about Notre Dame and what they need to prove and all this type of stuff but then my question is but does this game actually do that and and so when I when I get into this game it it it's really fascinating to to to think about and to talk about and to preview and and the other part is there is just so much that we don't know and especially for Texas A&M because it is a first year with a new Staff first game with a new staff tons of transfers that have come in there how quickly do they get rolling are they going to have issues like USC had last year like Florida state had in the opener or will they look more like 2022 USC or 2023 Florida state with all their transfers we don't know the answer to that question and we'll start to find that out this weekend but you know the way that the way that people kind of dive into this this matchup is is if Notre Dame's getting ready to play Georgia and and then they act as if like when Notre Dame did play Georgia that they just got their butts kicked or when they did play State they got their butts kicked so a team that barely loses to teams that are actually really good it goes out is expected to get beat by a team that's gone 12 and 13 the last two years but you know that's that's sort of the the where Notre Dame has put themselves in right and that's kind of where we're at because I keep hearing this Notre Dame has to prove they can win games like this right that's why they're an underdog against Texas A&M because Vegas doesn't believe in Notre Dame because Notre Dame doesn't win games like this that's what I hear and you know to to a degree there's there's some Merit to that but to degree there's also a lot of well what type of game is this and that's where I think a lot of the the the disagreement comes is not so much whether or not Notre Dame quote unquote wins games like this it's what kind of game do you actually view this to be and what's going to be interesting is to see the response from the people that view this game as this huge big picture Notre Dame doesn't win games like this kind of Mantra what's their response going to be if Notre Dame wins so if you're someone who says Notre Dame doesn't win games like this if Notre Dame wins are you then going to come here and sayou know what I was wrong they're really good and they've turned a corner or are you gonna say well A&M's not Georgia they're not Ohio State that's what's going to really drive me nuts is if all the people that are saying you know A&M's gonna win or A&M's going to give them a tough game and Notre Dame doesn't win games like is if Notre Dame wins and especially if they win somewhat convincingly are are all of you that that are that are saying that now going to change your tune on Texas A&M or you going to admit that Notre Dame starts to win games like this and that's what's going to be uh to really what's be at stake and in in some people's minds when you look at this matchup and you say Notre Dame doesn't win games like this I could give you lots of evidence that that's just not true that Notre Dame does win games like this those lower top 25 caliber teams I pointed out the other day on my show they beat NC State last year who won nine games they beat Duke last year who was ranked in the top 25 when they played uh they beat Syracuse two years ago when they were ranked in the top 25 and the answer was are you really comparing Duke and Syracuse to Texas A&M and my answer is why not other than the SEC patch and A&M on the helmets what what what makes me think they shouldn't because here's what I know and and they'll say the same thing about North Carolina but here's what I know about the three teams that I just mentioned okay here's one thing I know they're in the ACC so there's going to be a level of disrespect and I had somebody say well don't you think if Texas A&M was in the ACC they'd have a better record and I said okay well let's look at the data in the last 10 years do you guys know what Texas A&M's record is against the ACC you know what it is the last 10 years three and five if you take out the two losses to Clemson it's three and three they're not they didn't play Florida State right and so no there's no evidence that if Texas A&M was in the ACC they dominate the ACC like you have to actually have data to support this if you're gonna otherwise you're just making an emotional argument based on the emblem on the Jersey and the logo on the helmet and they say well how can you compare Syracuse and Duke in North Carolina to Texas A&M and my answer is very simple well the last two years Texas A&M has gone 12 and 13 the last two years Syracuse has gone 13 and 12 actually it's it would be 13 and 133 the last two years it's a better record the last two years Duke has gone 17- n North Carolina the last two years where Notre Dame beat them it's gone 17 and 10 so again what type of game is this NC State the last two years has been in what I think they won eight nine games each of the last two years right I believe NC State 17 and 10 I believe the last two years they went nine and four last year and then eight and five the year before so 17- n so my my question is okay why is it that game but then here's the counterargument that gives that argument validity it's recency bias and there's an understandable recency bias because the last two games that noted Dame played on the road against decent teams they lost they lost to a four loss Clemson team last year that was missing eight starters they lost to a Louisville team that won 10 games but still lost four last season and and although that those two teams have certainly been better than Texas A&M the last two years the talent level between Texas A&M and those two teams is not that different and you could argue in some instances Texas aam is better so that's where that's where the frustration comes in on the Notre Dame side is you keep putting yourself in these situations where you're on the verge of of silencing people I mean that was the Mantra going into the discussion going into the Clemson game last year right is yeah this is a beat up Clemson team but it's still Clemson and you have won you know the the last matchup convincingly you had won two of the last three games against Clemson but you haven't beat him away from home and this is a wounded Clemson team that had lost a couple games coming into that that matchup and then you go on the road and you just lay an egg and get beat chance after chance after chance to win that game and you get beat you don't get it done you have a chance going into Louisville you just rebounded from Rio State loss with a win over Duke the college football playoff is absolutely still in your grasp for Notre Dame to go out there and and be able to win that football game and if Notre Dame beats Louisville in that game and Louisville at the time was a top 25 football team they were n were um I think going into that game ranked 25th they were undefeated they ended up winning 10 games that year played in the ACCC title you win that game you've got USC coming up who is a top 10 team you're you're ranked 10th it would have been very easy for Notre Dame to climb back up in there especially with a road game at Clemson coming down the stretch you had a chance to go into that game and say okay we rebounded from Ohio State we're ready to roll and you laid an egg you weren't ready to play you weren't focused weren't locked in you could see it during pregame I remember coming up before the game started and talking to Tim Ali and telling Tim like dude I don't know what's going on right now but this team does they're just going through the motions right now in pregame you could see it and then that's exactly how they played just didn't compete and and so those games are going to be what get people to say they never win games like this or don't often win games like this well they didn't win them two most recent which is important but there's a lot of games like this that they've won but that's really where where Notre Dame comes down is is you've got to stop with the up and down performances in these type of games and so that's where there is some understandable angst what I don't agree with is necessarily saying I'm now picking them to lose that's really what C that that I question it's like okay can they lose this game sure they can lose this game should they lose this game no and you can't make any good argument to say that they are going to win you know to win this game and then here's the other here's the other part of this this will be considered an upset based on the line I don't think it's an upset I I really don't this is a game that that to me that Notre Dame should win but here's the thing that I would challenge all of you that that get into this thing about Notre Dame not winning these type of games my my argument would be well how often does Texas A&M win these type of games do you guys have an answer to that noted a the last two years seven-4 against ranked opponents they've beaten multiple ranked opponents on the road Texas A&M the last two years has gone three and seven against ranked opponents two of those wins they had a great win over LSU at the end of the 2022 season two of those wins were over Miami two years ago an ACC team who beat them last year and Arkansas who I believe believe was ranked 10th when that game was played Miami finished the year 5- seven and Arkansas finished the year 7- six now they did beat Alabama back in 2021 which is a big win but that same year they also lost by 10 to Arkansas lost by tend to Old Miss lost to LSU and lost to Mississippi State at home so a week before beating Alabama at home they lost to Mississippi State at home who went seven- six so is this really the type of game that noted that that that Texas aan m m wins very often the answer is no they don't and and so when you look at kind of how this game plays out I'm actually going to pull up a a post that was made yesterday and and it was it was really good interesting to point out somebody went back and and and looked at all the the times that Texas A&M was a had started their home opener against a ranked opponent and it was eight times they beat Notre Dame number 24 Notre Dame in 2001 quick note that Notre Dame team finished with a losing record they lost to Utah 4135 in 2004 see they get to this next one they Lo they lost to Oklahoma 1716 and 06 they lost to Texas 3417 in 2007 they lost to Alabama in 2013 By touch down they beat number 16 UCLA at home in 2016 a 31-24 win in overtime I just want to point out however that that UCLA team that they beat in the home opener in overtime uh finished the year 4 and8 just kind of want to point that out to you the next year they lost to Clemson and then in 2022 they beat 17 and beat Miami 17 to9 in a low-scoring game where A&M's defense played very well and that Miami team finished five and seven so what evidence do we have that A&M plays great in these kind of games and that's really where my frustration comes down into is like there's this ignoring what's on the other side of this conversation and saying hey they're going to because of Notre Dame there just a two-way street right Notre Dame has proven a lot more that they can win games like this than than Texas A&M has well you know Mike elko's a great coach Mike Elko is a great coach you know but Mike Elko doesn't have a ton of top 25 wins either either I think they have like one and it was a great win they beat Clemson last year by three touchdowns a team that Notre Dame lost to later in the year but Notre Dame did beat Clemson and Duke and and didn't play very well and still beat Duke in that game so there there is a there is absolutely this this Fair discussion to be had about Notre Dame's inconsistency on the road because I can point to you and I can give you what what is a Hom OR take which is is is well look what they did to NC State last year and look what they did to Duke they beat Duke last year and look what they did to North Carolina in 2022 and look what they did to Syracuse in 2022 and then I can plug my ears and close my eyes and pretend that Louisville in Clemson didn't happen and you know that's really what it comes down to because if you're going to point to USC in in Ohio State in 2022 it's a useless conversation because both of those teams are better than Texas A&M right those are top 10 football teams you have if you handle your business against Louisville in Clemson last year we're having a completely different conversation that's basically what it comes down to and again I'm not talking about what's being said outside of the Notre Dame world I don't care what Paul fine bomb says Paul fine bomb is in on my opinion just not someone to be taken seriously I don't think he takes his own comment seriously he says things for shock effect he's a shock jock right that's all he is we don't need to waste time on what Paul fine bomb talks about I don't care what other people say good with Josh P picking Notre Dame to lose this game because Josh is going to make his opinion based off his honest evaluation of this game I don't agree with it but I respect it my issue is more so coming from no Notre Dame fans and and the view that that there's this well they have to prove something but you know A&M is is just you know and and minus the jock Beefeater um jock is like dis jockey is what that is I believe where that comes from so that's kind of the frustration but at the same time I understand it's frustrating it the the constant negativity is frustrating but it's also somewhat understandable it is I will give you guys that because of when was the last two times that we saw Notre Dame in a game like this it was at Clemson last year and they lost how about before that it was at Louisville last year and they lost how about before that it was at Duke last year and they needed a miracle at the end of the game to win so I get it my whole thing is I just don't know that A&M has proven that they're as good as any of those teams now maybe they are but they haven't proven it and and this is a team that in the last 20 years has one season of 10 or more wins and that was the year they had Johnny Manzel and won the when he won the Heisman Trophy I think they won 11 that year so there's obviously a lot of stake but here's my challenge to you if you're someone who is on the Notre Dame doesn't win games like this and they can't beat teams like this and A&M's really good and all that kind of stuff I do not want to see you on the message board after the game or in this chat after the game or in shows next week pretending like all of a sudden A&M's not a a show me game I don't want to hear you doing that I don't want to hear you doing that but if you're gonna ride that wave now then ride it next week if Notre Dame wins and at the same time people that are like Notre Dame always wins these games don't then try try to pretend like A&M's Bama if Notre Dame loses this game right well you know it's it's don't make excuses for if Notre Dame loses this game I don't want to hear people doing either one of those things after this game you own what you said coming into the game you either own the fact that you thought A&M was a world beater and not Dame can't win or own the fact that you think that Notre Dame is the much better team and if they don't win I mean we all need to be able to do that and not change our Stripes just because the results are you know said one thing and then now we got to act like well you know but that team no own it because it's okay to be wrong sometimes when I give you my analysis I give you my honest analysis of a game right and if you think I'm a homer you probably shouldn't listen to me because a homer is someone who is cannot see past their bias and I tell you all time I always pick another name win every game but I'm gonna always tell you the concerns to have going into games and we'll do a little bit of that this week as well so you know I just want to make sure that people stick to this but at the same time we need to have an honest assessment of who Texas A&M so forget what our perceptions were coming in let's get real now about what this game is for Notre Dame this game is an is absolutely a per big perception game for Notre Dame there's no doubt because of everything that I just spent the last 20 minutes talking about you don't win games like this I've literally told had people tell me Notre Dame struggles to be teams literally someone told me that I said hold on a second outside of Bama and Georgia who in the SEC has beaten Notre Dame in the last 15 years I have has Notre Dame lost a game to an SEC team outside in the last 15 years other than bammer Georgia LSU didn't beat him Notre Dame beat them twice South Carolina didn't beat him Vanderbilt didn't beat him like what who is this SEC teams that keep giving Notre Dame all these problems outside of those those big two but that's the perception and unfortunately especially now in our society perception equals reality if the evidence tells you something different than what your feelings tell you we are in a society where people will rely on their feelings I've literally given people data about whether it's a political argument an economic argument or a Notre Dame college football argument and they will literally just say okay I reject that okay I just gave you data to show the state you made is false and you're just going to reject it no because I feel I feel a certain way and my perception is this but that's the world we live in right and so until we can change that that's the world we live in and so there is a perception that this game means something and and that's a good thing if Notre Dame can win then they can kind of change that narrative I don't care as much about perception to be honest with you I don't care if Notre Dame wins this game and all the SEC fans say well A&M's not that good noted Dame still sucks I don't care I don't care if the national media jumps on the Notre Dame bandwagon if they win this game I don't care I care about reality and the reality is Notre Dame is trying to take that jump to being a national Contender and A&M can be a stumbling block to that 100% because if you lose this football game that is a giant red flag like I am not going to do this whole thing with you guys where if Notre Dame loses this game I'm G to come on here on on Sunday or Monday and say you know what guys A&M was better than I think and and this is it's okay to lose this game they're going to be fine it's a problem it's a pro in year three of your program with the talent you have you should not go into a game like this year game one of the Mike Elko Air at Texas A&M with a bunch of new players and I don't care where I don't care if the game is played on Mars you should win this game I don't know of another top 10 team that would go on the road in against this team that is coming off of back-to-back TW Seasons where they went 12 and 13 and would be a three-point dog in this game I just don't know who that team would be Notre Dame does so the reality is is losing this game is going to be a giant black eye to me and and part of the reason is is because it'll be your third straight game against a top 25 opponent or a a top 25 caliber opponent on the road that you lost now it's not you had a couple bad games and then I can point to this this this and this is as evidence why it was just a couple bad games but now you do it again and it is now who you are that is who you are and there's honestly not another road game on the schedule until maybe USC at the end of the season where you can kind of get this taste out of your mouth with Florida State losing to Georgia Tech I don't know that there's a home game on the schedule and so if you lose this game I'm gonna be honest with you there's G to be a sour taste in my mouth until Notre Dame beat somebody really good because this is one of those games where you have better Talent than Texas A&M this is a game where you have a a more cohesive coaching staff than Texas A&M I don't care where the game is played if you lose it tells me you're not the program that you should be and you're not where you need to be that that's the reality of it and and I don't know that there's a game left on the schedule that can tell me otherwise it would have to be going to the postseason and beat some teams that are better than that that's the concern but what about the flip side this is going to be anytime you go on the road and be a top 25 team and I'm okay with Tex being in the top 25 I am I I Texas same did not they did not have 12 and 13 Talent the last two years my counterargument is that they also don't have you know 25 and two Talent the last two years either like some some of us are acting they are a team that has talent I love the hire of Mike OKO I think he's a great dude I think he's a heck of a football coach and I think Texas A&M is going to win a ton of football games with him as their head football coach but you shouldn't lose this game in the F I'm actually I've said this I'm more concerned about A&M coming to Notre Dame next year that version of A&M than I am about this one so if you lose to this one it's a problem but if you beat this one it's a good win it should be celebrated as a good win it should be celebrated as a step in the right direction because you did beat a Louisville Clemson 2023 caliber team and I do think that's what A&M will be I do think A&M's going to be minimum eight and four this year minimum eight and four and I could even see a nine to maybe 10- win season coming up for them even if they lose to Notre Dame I really like this A&M team they shouldn't beat Notre Dame so if Notre Dame wins it in any kind of close quality win it's going to be a good victory it will but this is not a you can now go beat Bama Victory bring on Ohio State Victory bring on Michigan 2023 Victory bring on on Georgia bring on Texas it's not that kind of game right it's a good win it's a good step in the right direction it's a okay you laid the foundation now get better and better and better and this is going to be a game that prepares you to go out and play Louisville and goes out to you know Georgia Tech Florida State and USC it is certainly a statement win there's no doubt about that but practically speaking this is not the kind of win that tells me if Notre wins by seven points maybe 10 points three points two points any kind of competitive loss does not tell me all right bring on Bama bring on Bama I'm not doing that bring on Georgia not doing that the only way that Notre Dame can make that kind of statement in my opinion is to dominate this football game where you are clearly the better team and you just roll this football team that will tell me that when Notre Dame's on their game they can Hammer people because here's what I'll say all the stuff I said about A&M I absolutely believe and and all the stuff that I believe that about you know they're not as good as people think they will be so if you're an A&M fan listening to this be realistic with yourself you're asking me to do the same thing you no very few teams in year one dominate it rarely happens you want evidence into that go back and look at Nick sabin's first football team at Alabama Nick Sabin inherited a six and seven football team right they lost to Oklahoma State in a bowl game they had some close lost to really good Auburn team by a touchdown lost by eth in Mississippi State only lost by three at number nine Tennessee lost an overtime at Arkansas only lost to number five Florida by 15 beat Duke beat Old Miss beat Vanderbilt right beat FIU I mean they they weren't a great team and Nick Sabin takes over phenomenal football coach had literally just won a title three years before and what did he do in his first year he went seven and six and lost to Louisiana Monroe in November it's gonna take him a little can you guys give him more than one week to turn you into a national Contender because I'm telling you he will if he gets the support he will he will a Mike Elco is going to win at Texas A&M I just it shouldn't be this game it shouldn't be this game it takes some time Notre Dame shouldn't lose a game like this but if you win convincingly it says something because for all of my issues with Texas A&M right they were not a great home team in the last couple years last year they beat New Mexico Louisiana Monroe Auburn South Carolina Mississippi State and abalene Christian at home they lost to the only good team they played at Home Alabama the year before they beat Sam Houston State at home they beat a five and7 M five and seven Miami team at home by eight they lost a Old Miss at home they lost to Florida at home they lost to UMass at home or they beat UMass at home right and then they beat a good LSU team at home but that's several losses at home including to Appalachian State but here's the thing all of those games were competitive even the Florida game in 2022 in my opinion was a competitive game Florida was clearly the better team but it was a competitive game you lost by I think 17 and Florida scored last A&M actually had a lead at halftime they were winning 24 to 20 at halftime and then Florida pulled away in the second half put a a touchdown on at the end of game it was 34-2 24 uh a I think A&M went for it didn't get it and then Florida punched one in late uh like couple minutes left to make it a a more decisive game but that was a back and forth game that was an evenly matched game where you know A&M make makes this mistake this turnover that mess up whatever they're in that game they have a shot to win that game Bama last year was the better team and and Alabama won that game by six but that was also a game where A&M scored late to make it closer than it was but it was much closer prior to that so uh Alabama had taken a 2617 lead when they got a safety of Max Johnson who I just feel a for today because he had a terrible injury last night you know but Bama it was 1710 A&M at halftime they had a lead and then it was 2417 and then they got the late safety and then Alabama or A&M goes down and kicks a field goal two minutes left to make it a six-point game so even though it was a game that was not as close as the final score based on the second half it was a game that A&M LED at halftime so the thing is you just don't win these games convincingly over A&M that's the thing I'll give them credit for when they play at home they're not this unbeatable Force at home they're not and their record at home against ranked teams in recent years is not that great but they've gotten some good wins they got got LSU in 2022 they got bamama in 2021 right they beat Florida who was uh played in the SEC title game by field goal in 2020 so they have gotten some good wins at home and they are a team that's good at home but they also have a lot of losses at home you know they've lost to Auburn recently at home they lost to Clemson at home in 20 in 20 was it 2018 so you've got to win the game that's all I care about the only way that I look at this game and say holy moly Notre Dame is who we thought they were is if they dominate the game that's the only way that I that I think that they could do it I'm not predicting that's going to happen because it is an opener and and as you guys watched last night whether you were watching Colorado North Dakota State whether you were watching Minnesota North Carolina whether you were watching NC State against Western Carolina in a game where they were tied in the second half 2121 a lot of stuff happens in openers right a lot of stuff happens in openers so I'm not I I don't I don't make make too much of how they play all I care about is that they win but if you want to really prove yourself in a way that for me has lasting impact you've got to win convincingly and and and that's my thing I don't ex I'm not but here let me be clear I'm not demanding that in the opener I'm I'm not well all I care about in this game ultimately is to just win I don't care if it's a sloppy four quarter game I don't A&M Has Talent they have good coaching they're playing at home they're gon to have 105,000 fans in the in the stands I don't I don't care that you you don't think you have blow a lot of people don't blow up I mean the last two times Bama played at Tex A&M they won one by six and lost the other you know so but I do expect there to be a win if you do get a convincing win I think that's when I start looking at this game and saying okay that tells me something that tells me something about this football team but at the end of the day all I really care about is that Notre Dame wins that's the ultimate Gauge by by which you say this team is taking a step is that they just they win right because ultimately that's what you play for right isn't that isn't that what Herman Edward said right you play to win the game and in this instance I'll care a lot more about style points in a month when Louisville comes to town I'll care a lot more about style points when they play Florida State November right now this game in the opener just win just win that's it it's all I care about just win and that's ultimately what the goal so that's part one I'm going to get into part two of what to look for to let us know if notame is where they need to be mentally and and just just from a a culture standpoint to win this football game so I'll get into the that that next but before I do hit that like hit that subscribe hit the notification Bell share this podcast give us a festar review I greatly appreciate that and as always sign up for the message board at boards. ron.com I get email alerts in the top right of my screen when I'm talking and that's why sometimes you'll see me look up because I'll see an email alert and I get distracted easily by visual things and I'll see I've seen three emails pop up showing that people have signed up for the message board during the first 30 minutes so don't miss out people are jumping on board it's that time of year Seasons get ready start you're not going to miss out on that so sign up for uh what we've got going on in the premium Message Board it's the best way to support Irish breakdown that you can have if you're someone who cares about doing such a thing you can find that at boards Irish brown.com so one of the features that I do and I'm going to get to Super chats here at the end of the show so when I wrap this part up I will get to Super Chat so and there's there's several of them in there and I thank y'all for that but I'll get to those at the end of the segment there's something I I like to do before games where it's kind of a what to look for and it's a little bit different than like keys to Victory it's different than you know matchups it's more about how they're playing and how they're going about their business to say okay they're locked in they're ready to go they've done the preparation they're mentally where they need to be they're culturally where they need to be they're fundamentally where they need to be and it's usually something you can see in the first quarter to two you quarter and a half into halftime that's going to tell me okay this this team has made the changes right and and so I'm GNA talk about the offense and then I'm going to tive into the defense and then we'll kind of we'll uh we'll get into the Super chats after that but it's one of those things where it's it like when I talk about the Louisville game last year but you could just tell going through pregame that there was just something that was not right I remember talking to a former NFL player that was at the Michigan game in 2019 he was down on the field and he and I were talking about 10 minutes before kickoff and he was like dude they're not ready like I I don't know what's going on but Michigan's kids are jumping all around every time it rain starts raining harder they're jumping up and down they're fired up the N name kids are putting Parkers on they just they don't want any part of this action they don't want to be here and what happened no name goes out and gets steamrolled and then there's other games where I'm like dude they're locked in they're focused they're ready to go like I knew they were going to give Georgia a battle just watching them in pregame just watching the old lineman go against each other and watching the receivers come off I mean there was just a there was a purpose to what they were doing and then you can kind of watch when they come out early in the game it's like Michigan in 2018 is another example where look you come out early in that game and it's just oh man they are ready to go I mean they jumped all over Michigan and then there's other games where it's just like you get a bunch of false starts like like the Duke game was I wasn't at the Duke game last year because we had uh uh I got I think I got sick really sick before that game and I had to cancel my flight but I remember watching just early in the game and I'm thinking like you know they hit a couple big plays you had that seam route you had to post Snap switch seam route to Mitchell Evans for a big gain and then you got stalled and and Jeremiah Love had to do a fake punt you ended up scoring but there just was like early on you could see the old line wasn't getting a push you had like false starts on your fifth year Senior Center got like two false starts in the first half and you're just like this team's not locked in this team is not locked in and ready to go and and that's kind of those are the things that I'm talking about those are the things that you look at and say okay this team is not locked in or this team is locked in and anyone that's ever coached the game knows that you got to get a sense early of okay like this is where we're at because you have to coach around that you have to coach he dude we are fired up so let's just turn it on you know what I mean or hey we're in a funk right now I got to figure out how to get us out of this funk so you're looking for that as a coach it's definitely something you need to be aware of like hey you know pregame we were just going through the motions we had like 10 drop balls you know you got guys doing bad run fits and and half speed drills things like that like we're not locked in and now it's your job as a position coach coordinator and then head coach to recognize that and do your best to get it to to adjust it and that's that's what this all comes down to so let's jump into the offense and let's talk about uh what I'm looking for early from the nerame offense and this is going to be about A&M and then also about looking at it from the standpoint of sort of the season to be honest with you and the first thing to me and this is more specific to A&M first but also is going to tell us a little bit is I I don't really care in the first quarter that the offensive line is necessarily playing well or maybe give up an ear pressure give up an early run through you're not necessarily everybody on the same page that's obviously important but that's not even really what I'm looking at what I'm more looking at is how they're playing that is going to be so much more important to me because as the game goes on and the and and they get into the speed of the game and the flow of the game they'll clean up some of that stuff that's just that's just natural but if you come out early and you're not playing with physicality and force and you're catching and you're not moving your feet you're not using your hands and and you're just playing a little bit timidly that's that's harder to turn that switch on right and when we watched them play Duke and Louisville last year you could see it in the line that these guys are not ready to play as a unit they were not ready to play and it it's farse starts a part of it you know you're affected by the crowd noise but it was really just about I mean early in that game I think second series fifth year senior center right all those career starts comes off the line and just gets driven into the quarterback put on his back and then the quarterback gets drilled right that's not about okay crowd noise or or anything inexperience that's just about I got my butt kicked and there's way too much of that so and that's my one of my big fears about Joe Rudolph I don't love the way his team prepares in the very limited access we've seen in drills there there was not as much intentionality towards playing really with your hair on fire and that doesn't mean it's not happening I'm because like I said we saw maybe 2% of the entire fall camp with the little access we got maybe 2% so it it's just a it's just a concern that I have and and I was talking to my dad about this the other day and listen when you're young you're going to get snap counts wrong when you're young you're going to hold when you're young you're going to give up a run through when you're young you're not going to get Qui out of your stance fast enough and Nick scouton is going to beat you those things are going to happen I I'm okay with that and you live with that to a degree as long as it's not really really bad moments and bad losses you know what experience shouldn't have any impact on toughness a desire to play physical football a willingness to fight those things should not be impacted by I'm young okay so it's like look yeah young but come off hard play hard hit somebody go for it that that that's that's where it needs to be like get after it that that should travel right like crowd noise can affect a lot of things it shouldn't affect that it shouldn't affect while you're winning a fight shouldn't affect whether you're willing to play hard whether you're willing to drive your feet whether you're willing to use your hands with violence that's going to tell us a lot about this game are they playing aggressive football off front are they playing physical foot football off front if they're not it's going to be a long day if they are in A&M's winning some battles I'm going to be okay like look just patience they're going to get a couple things corrected but they're playing hard and that's going to settle in and they're going to make some plays right guys prepare yourselves for this Notre Dame's offensive line no ma even if Joe Walt and Blake fiser were coming back is going to have plays where they get beat by Texas A&M's defensive line it's going to happen first time it happens I don't want to see you in the chat like oh my God this is just terrible okay if it keeps happening then obviously that's a problem it's going to happen I don't care who they played they could put every fifth year senior that they have on the roster on the field and A&M's D Line's gonna make some plays that that I can live with early get that stuff corrected but I need to see the intensity I need to see the fire I need to see the force because one of the things that we were told and so say is Aggie D line that good yeah every D I mean I don't care look at how good Notre Dame Ohio you know Notre Dame's offensive line was last year against Ohio State played great you had first round pick second round pick Ohio State's guys still made plays that's gonna happen go look at Alabama in 2012 as good as Alabama's offensive line was Stefan knew it to it Lewis Nicks kaeron Lis Moore they still made some plays right they didn't get dominated the whole game they still made some plays they're gonna make plays that's football you could win this game by 40 and they they're going to have four tackles for loss and a sack that's part of football but you've got to play with Force you've got to play with physicality you got to move your feet and got to use your hands that's what I need to see early and if we're seeing that I can I'll be okay with some of the mistakes early that'll get cleaned up if they're getting driven back if we're seeing what we saw in the Duke game where a guard comes off and he gets driven into the quarterback the center gets driven into the quarterback or the tackle gets thrown into the quarterback because he's catching and not playing physical that'll be more concerning and that could also then have long term concerns because it means that Joe Rudolph didn't do what he needed to do to fix that from last season and that will be a big concern for me number two and this is more stylistically I want to see that early on Notre Dame's offense is setting the tone for this game here's why this matters shortterm and big and big picture short term I want to see them come out push the tempo and attack the A&M defense there's practical reasons for this number one the more aggressive you are the there's there there's a an aspect to where you're actually and you're pushing the tempo you're actually taking steps to somewhat negate the other team's Advantage when it comes to line play because we're going to use Tempo looking at from the coaching standpoint we're going to use Tempo we're gonna use motions we're GNA use shifts we're going to move the pocket we're going to take some shots down the field we're going to do some things to soften them up we want to get them on their heels the second part of that is while the dline has a lot coming back that's that's returners and there's some new guys but there's a lot of new on the back end of the defense Tyreek Chapel's back but I don't know that he's necessarily gonna be playing the same position Bryce Anderson's back he's playing somewhat of a unique position there's several guys that on the team last year Javin Thomas who I believe is going to I think he's the he's the one I think that's missing the first half because he was uh kicked out for targeting at the end of the B game last year which I think is just stupid I do not think those type of things should carry over to the next season that's ridiculous but whatever it is what it is but there's a lot of new faces in that secondary and there's a lot of new faces at linebacker the more you attack them the more you attack them the more you get go on the you know push the tempo the less you let them communicate pre- snap the more likely they are to make mistakes and the best way to protect your offensive line is to find way to force them into make mistakes we're all worried about not Dame's offensive line making mistakes for good reason how about trying to make some of those A&M players make mistakes is they're learning a new defense that's going to be a big part of it and that's something that Notre Dame is going to have to find a way to create and create it early if you come out of that game in out out of the game or out of the the break or and you start that game kind of passively you're kind of feeling it out you're not being super aggressive that's going to a big concern for me big concern for me and it's it's it's I don't know who I'm going to be most concerned about but I remember the 2017 season Notre Dame goes into that Temple game got this great o line you're going to run the ball down people's throats all year what they do first play of the game they play action pass and threw a deep ball to echoin to me St Brown and that that's what they did I want to see some aggressiveness what they do against Michigan early they're throwing bombs to Miles boyin they're throwing bombs to al mack they're throwing bombs to Chris they had Michigan on their heels early what allowed Michigan to get back in that game once they got a lead BK bed it and they got passive they went away from what was working and they let a they let Michigan get back in that game right same thing against Florida State in 2021 when they went on the road to play Florida State Notre Dame was aggressive early fourth and one they take a shot down the field big play Michael Mayor touchdown they get a lead BK bed it and they let him come back right took their foot off the gas I want to see that this team comes out tomorrow and and pushes the tempo because if they don't that tells me that there's not a lot of confidence in this team one or it's going to tell me that coach Freeman still has his sort of his his his hand on the scale of the offense holding things back I don't think that's going to be the case but it's something that I want to see that doesn't and when I mean aggressive that does not mean in in Attack the defense that does not mean coming out and throwing bombs that's what did worked against Michigan because Michigan was doing a lot of man coverage on the outside you had two six4 receivers that's just what made sense that game I'm not even saying coming out throwing a bunch of bombs early what I'm saying is is attack them attack them for width attack them vertically attack them with layers be willing to go at them aggressively it's aggressive aggressive doesn't always mean bombs but you guys will see it you'll know like okay they're they completed a ball they're going with some purpose hey get lined up let's go we know the call your coach is telling you what to do you get everybody lined up let's get up there snap and go don't let their dline pin their heels in anyone that's played dline knows this is a slower team I can get up there I can get in my stance I can get my hand in the ground I can get in sort of my my good takeoff stance and I can come but if you're in a situation where they're going Tempo and I barely get my hand on the ground it's hard for me to then convert to force vertically right it's just not it's gonna be a lot harder for that so I want to see that Tempo early get A&M on their heels that's going to tell me that this is a confident Notre Dame football team that's ready to go on the attack number two I this is going to be a big thing for this game is how comfortable does Riley Leonard look right like he's obviously taken all the Reps it was funny somebody asked coach Freeman if he was ready to name Riley Leonard the starting quarterback and his response he kind of looked at him and he was like well he's taking all the reps with the ones right and so he's got a ton of reps with the ones in Fall camp but he didn't get any in the spring he didn't play in the blue gold game and we re this is the first real live action that we've seen him play and it's a defense and he doesn't always know what they're doing it's not the same defense he's played for the last month how comfortable does he look running the offense getting guys like lined up making sure and this isn't even just about executing throws making sure they're not getting any you know false starts because he's properly communicated snap counts making sure that there's no silly penalties like they complete a ball down the field and it comes back because your receiver was covering up the tight end you as a quarterback need to see that right making sure that the the receivers are going in motion at the proper time and the ball's being snapped at the proper time that's all part of the quarterback's job and early on when you're new and you're getting used to things you may not see all of those things and then of course you get into the post Snap reads you know is he making quick decisions he getting the ball out on time is he accurate is he hitting guys in the right spots uh that is going to be a big part of this game too now if he's off a little bit early then you know there's there's going to take some getting used to this game but if he can come out sharp you can really go at this team and and and and be willing to attack and that's where they're going to have success but if he is you know unwilling to throw the ball tucking it running it all the time that's going to be a little bit of a concern for me for this game not down the road this is not one of those big picture problems this is a Texas A&M thing that's that's really where where it was uh and no Mike Den Brock was not the OC in 2019 Mike Den Brock's last year notame was 2016 just for the record uh to to to respond to a question in the chat so I want to see Riley being comfortable early on that's going to be huge for nerame if he can be comfortable running the show again that doesn't mean completion percentage only that means getting people lined up getting the tempo the way it needs to be getting the Motions everything timed up well and then you're also making good decisions with the football that's going to be key and then the last thing for me and this is this might be the most important thing for me outside of the offensive line playing well because this is going to tell us a lot about this game but this is going to tell us a lot about where this team is and it's this right here are the receivers competing for the football one of the things that drove me the most nuts last year was how poorly this receiving CP fought for the ball that's the one thing people talk about they can't get off the line they can't that St was all overplayed that was all overblown they got open plenty of times and the ball never came I know some people don't have it in their minds to Fathom what that means or how that can be but that's just the reality I've shown tons of Clips on it etc etc that's not what I'm talking about what they did a poor job of however and this is where I could understand Sam Harton Hartman being a little bit gunshy31 play of the game last season and Notre Dame had actually already converted a first down they were getting close to Midfield inless they so they first play of the game completion for four yards second play completion for 10 yards third play completion for 15 yards yeah you're first and 10 in Louisville territory after three plays and they throw a gold ball to Rico Flores who does not at all fight for the football and it gets picked off like that that can't happen that can't H that tells me your mindset not where it needs to be as a group that and that's where you're I'll kind of there aren't a whole lot of here we go again moments that I'll have but that'll be one that'll trigger me I'm just being honest with you that'll trigger me I want to see this receiving core fight for the football and that was an issue for not name in 2017 if you remember they didn't fight for the football grade but you go out in that Ming game in game one and that's exact they did the exact opposite you got miles boying out playing a guy for a deep ball you got Mack making a great catch getting drilled targeting guy gets kicked out of the game Al makes a great catch Chris fank outplays two guys for the football they were battling for the football 2018 and you knew this team was gonna be a problem this team was G you knew in the opener yeah there's some things that got to clean up and they made this mistake and BK's got to stop being BK and taking the foot off the gas when you have a lead and Brian po special teams let them get all but you knew this team it's got some stuff to work out but this team's going to be a problem because their offensive Line's playing Well everybody's freaking out oh they got lost Mike mcglinch they lost Quint Nelson how are they going to how are they going to play blah blah blah blah blah and they came out in that first game and they took it to Michigan and and they were the receivers were setting the tone they were blocking their butts off they were competing for the football they were running good routes and you said boy if the receivers now playing well you this team's gonna be a major problem this team's gonna be a major problem and that's something that I want to see it's going to tell me that Coach Brown has this group mentally ready to compete and that's the big thing is look if if not barely wins this game by field goal but they compete their butts off but they were sloppy they had a couple turnovers you know had some tackles for loss Riley was a little off Target you know maybe throws a pick give up a couple too many big plays but you at the end of the day you win the game 2420 and little sloppy win don't care don't care because as a football coach I can clean all that stuff up you are never as Pro you were never primed to just play your best football in week one occasionally you'll have games like that but it's usually against bad teams if you remember Notre Dame against Texas in 2015 I don't know how much better that game could have gone I think Malik was like 17 18 of 21 you ran the ball your starting running back gets hurt after three carries your next two guys come in they run on them your defense is but that wasn't a very good Texas team I think they were like five and seven that year they weren't a very good team right yeah they they played great against rice in 201 what 14 rice wasn't very good right there's going to be sloppiness but you got to get the win so I can I can live with sloppiness I can live with the receivers dropping a couple balls I just need to see him compete I need to see the o line play hard I can live with mistakes I can live with Misses I can live with you know the the the timing and the Zone plays weren't always wasn't always the best I can live with that I can fix that as a coach I can fix that what I can't fix because I either created the problem or I allowed the problem is if my team does compete that that that's the problem that's the biggest thing and the receivers and the o line are the two areas where that's going to matter most to me so let's talk about the notame defense and what to look for from the no rame Defense number one my big my biggest there's two fears that I have about this game and and the biggest fear for me really comes down to the size of their offensive line and Notre Dame's defensive line is played big offensive lines before and this group of players have played against big offensive lines before so I'm it's not that oh gez I'm afraid of big offensive linemen but you also have to be willing to look at it and say yes but just because you have played well in the past doesn't mean you're going to necessarily do the things you need to do in this game to have yourself ready to play and that's what where I kind of come down on it is this is a matchup that on paper noted Ames defensive line should dominate A&M's offensive line they should they are not overly athletic they're it's new you're going to have three new starters in your offensive line most likely and as Ryan pointed out yesterday you're going to have four guys in new places because Chase bantis is going I believe he played right tackle last year he's gonna be playing left guard this year and so it's going to be a new look offensive line as well but it's big across the board there's 66320 from left to right 66320 66320 63 330 if the that guy doesn't start the ore at that position is 64 32 5 65 330 67 330 they're a big offensive line and if your defensive line is not using their quickness if they're catching if they're not playing with good uh leverage and this defensive offensive line starts leaning on them that's where I can get a little bit concerned about this game so early on I want to see that the Notre Dame defensive line is not allowing the bigger but less athletic offensive line to push him around if A&M is able to come off the line and have some snaps early where they really push Notre Dame off the line then that's a concern for me and that could create some big plays in The Run game that's a that and that also then what that also does is is it not only create some some holes but it now makes the job of the linebackers even harder and Notre Dame's got basically three new starters at linebacker Jack Kaiser was a starter last year but he's a starter at Rover he's now playing will Drake Bowen at Mike Jaylen snez at Rover all new Kings ofas is going to play he's a true freshman Jaden Ury is going to play he's a red shirt freshman you do not want to be in situations where these guys are being forced all game to come up and and take on guards and block destruct and get off that way you need these guys flying to the football untouched that is going to be a big a big part of this and so early on I need to see that the Notre Dame defensive line is not getting pushed around that's a big thing for me and then the second part of it is is what ties into that is okay so if you're not getting pushed around what does that mean it means you're getting a lot of early penetration a lot of early disruptions you're getting up field you're getting into the back field you're forcing their running backs to make early Cuts I've said it a million times you guys know this if you're new to the channel you're going to hear me say it a lot more times one of the biggest ways to slow down the opposition Run game is to force Cuts as deep in the back field as possible if when I was coaching running backs the ultimate goal for me is we weren't making our Cuts until we were at or past the line of scrimmage we are standing on our aizone track all the way till we get to the line and then boom we're cutting vertical maybe a yard behind because it opened up maybe at the yard sometimes past the line of scrimmage if you're running you know power schemes or or things downhill schemes like hey I want to be making that cut on on inside Zone near the line because you got to push and I'm not having a cut I'm just kind of working right back off your backside so if you're not getting pushed around well then the counter to that means you're getting a lot of early penetration you're getting a lot of early disruptions and and that's going to be a big key for me and part of the reason is obviously you're holding up against their offensive line but the other part of it is is if you are getting a lot of early penetration a lot of early disruptions a lot of early pressures it's going to get them out of rhythm and it can be hard for a first time a team playing their first game in an offense to get into Rhythm if they start off out of rhythm because they don't have that toolbox or the mental Rolodex of being in this offense for a long time to necessarily know what buttons to push your offensive coordinator doesn't know as much about this unit of players as he did his kstate group last year where he kind of knew what buttons to push he knew will Howard he knew DJ gids he knew the tight ends he knew what the offensive line was good at so with they got into an early Funk he kind of knew okay this is what we go to to kind of get rolling that's not there in game one of a new staff and and so you want to get them out of rhythm early if they don't get out of rhythm early and they get into Rhythm then the opposite is true and so that's why it's very important that the defense get a lot of early penetrations and disruptions and don't let A&M get into Rhythm and that's going to tell me that this defensive line is is is as good as we think it's going to be that there's no steps back and it's also you know we're going to get a chance to see if these linebackers can make a lot of plays that's one of the things we talked about like guys there's going to be mistakes from the linebacking core that we didn't see last year just is but that doesn't mean necessarily that they're going to be worse they got to make more plays right that's a big key and if they're able to do that then I think they'll make more plays the second part of that the third part is to me is is ties into this and that's that the linebackers are playing aggressive and being being as disciplined as possible one of the concerns I have about a group of linebackers and I'm not necessarily as worried about this with Jack Kaiser but again we need to see him play this position uh more regularly but with Drake Bowen with jayen Sneed with Jaden olber with kingsam mam these these are new roles for them and yes I love Drake's High School film and we've seen him in practice and in some mop-up moments and he had a big safety against Oregon State last year those are things are all great but now you're in a starter role you're in a more prominent role are you playing aggressive or are you struggling to get into the speed of the game right and then what is Al golden do to try to kind of fix that right is okay is he able to go out there and and make some of the calls some of the decisions and to allow him his group to really get rolling downhill and do they play with some speed I can live with some mistakes from the linebackers if they're playing 100 miles an hour what I will what will not be good is if they're still making those mistakes but then they're also giving up four five six eight yard gash runs because they're not playing downhill they're they're they're thinking too much they're they're not playing fast so that's going to be a big thing for me early that tells me the linebackers are locked in they've got the Reps they're aware of what they're doing and they're playing downhill I can again can live with a bad run fit if it's you're doing everything hard because again I can correct the bad run fit or the safety can make me right on a bad run fit it's hard to it's the worst thing for a safety trying to fit off of a linebacker is when a linebacker's catching four or five yards downfield that's where you can kind of get into some trouble and then the last one for me is I just want to see the secondary play sound football the the the thing that when I look at this matchup the only there's only two ways that& can really move the ball consistently and beat Notre Dame uh with their offense not so not turnover related not short Fields not special because their offense goes out there and wins them the game is if they're ripping up big plays and that's going to come because the D Line's getting beat at the line of scrimmage and they're giving up big plays in the secondary you've got some new faces Christian Gray's new Jordan Clark's New Rod herd's new ad Don Schuler's not new to the team but he didn't play any really any meaningful snaps last year outside the bowl game so are they making are they playing sound football look if they're playing sound football then the talent takes over if they're not playing sound football then that's when you let an inferior group make plays on you and that's a concern so you know your body position isn't where it needs to be so you know you you you don't play a a go ball the right way and even if the guy doesn't catch it you get called for pass interference because you're not playing sound football you weren't where you needed to be you're you're being too handsy you know you're not trusting your Technique you're not trusting your footwork your hand play and all that so you get will grab you on a slant route because because you didn't play it right or you overplay something a guy beats you for a slant route and he's catching and running a guy outplays you for the football because you weren't in the right position you know you went too high on a on a man covered outside go ball and so he's able to back shoulder you with ease because you didn't play it right um you have a bad fit in the Run game you're supposed to fit here you fit over there or you don't fit at all you're in space and you don't break down and come to balance guy cuts off you for a big gain those are things that the SEC it's if the secondary playing sound then they're going to be fine because they're just they're better but if they're not playing sound Tex ANM is good enough to beat you if you don't play sound football that's really what this bowls down to is if Notre Dame plays their game just play good sound football have some aggressiveness to you you do you they're going to win because they're the better team if they don't and they make mistakes they're not good bad run fits they're not disciplined on the back end not being aggressive up front their offensive Line's catching again their receivers aren't competing for the ball they're not being aggressive they're trying to win a 13 to1 football game that's how you get beat and that's what n is gonna have to avoid uh if they're gonna have a chance to win this football game so before we get out of here folks I did have some super chats I wanted to get to and Rob O good with one says prove thank you for the Super Chat prove look for prove to the naysayers that their name belongs to look forward don't just win dominate don't hold back let the offense loosen and Joy there's a lot in there I I agree with but to me I don't know that Notre Dame beating Texas A&M necessarily proves a lot of naysayers wrong because most a lot of them will just simply say well A&M's not that good they were overrated again you know but but you know I care more about the perception that not a fans have than I do about what ESPN's agenda driven reporting and Analysis thinks about notame I I really don't care it's about what's our perception the realistic perception that we have what's the team's perception of itself those are things that matter a lot more to me Michael Rogers with a super chat thank you very very much Michael Michael predicts a 37 to 10 Notre Dame win I love it very very much1 12321 with Super Chat thank you very much if I told you only two stats that noted a gave up four sacks in one turnover with no other information is that a win or a loss how decisive would that be they gave a four sacks and had one turnover that wouldn't be enough information for me um I mean it one turnover I can live with four sacks oh okay what were the sacks was it third and nine Riley running around and they sack him late was it was there an end of the half sack was there a you know take a sack on Third and seven at Midfield because nobody's open and you just take the sack and because you were coach to if nothing's there you you can't get open get free take a sack all right whatever you know if there's a sack on second and five and it's now third and 10 and you convert third and 10 okay sack sucked but there's just not nearly enough con there's not nearly enough in that for me to know if it's a win or a loss I'll say if they give up four sacks and have a turnover it's most likely going to be more competitive a very competitive game but whether it's a win or a loss that that I that I couldn't tell you now I'll say this if you flip it then I think that would be a very good sign for Notre Dame if you flipped it and Notre Dame had four sacks and forced a turnover I'd feel a little bit better just because I just think that this Notre Dame team with the kind of quarterback they have can overcome four sacks in a turnover in this type of game because I think their defense can Dominate and and so uh that's that's why it's a little bit of a you can call it hypocritical but why the same stat being true for the other side would make me feel a lot better Reza with a super chat thank you very very much Reza tchm is a mid- tier SEC team at best this year we should win the question is how we look doing it if it's a nailbiter or we lose it's an issue if we win convincingly it just means no name be what we think they have the potential to be this year I'm gonna disagree with part of that I don't care if it's a nailbiter Alabama had a nailbiter with with uh with Texas A&M last year and went to the college football playoff and gave Michigan the toughest game they had all year so you know in 2021 Alabama lost to Texas A&M at Texas A&M and went on to play for the National Championship you know beat Georgia in the ACC title for the for the SEC title you know so look to me it just no I don't I don't need them to win convincingly for to not beia B I just need them to win Reza I just any kind of win like Mar you're not going to beat every team by 40 and it's especially in an opener would it be great if Notre Dames convincing has a win sure I but for me you know respect you love you I just I don't see it that way personally I just care about winning I do not care about all that other stuff I really don't I don't care about margin of Victory I don't care I mean it's it's great if it happens right like I'm not going to dismiss a convincing win that would tell me something as I said earlier in the show but if they only win by a field goal oh great go now now go go go get it done right um keep winning because that's all that matters just just win they'll clean up some of the stuff that comes out of this game mistakes o line will get more experience you know new guys in the secondary will be much more experienced as they get deeper in the season Riley Leonard will be much more on the same page with his teammates the coach will have a much better feel for what they're doing we'll have answers and we'll have solutions to to what notame is going to be doing uh looking at it from like you know as a coaching staff that's what I'm saying like look I just win we can fix all that other stuff that's how coaches look at it just get that early season win and then we'll clean up the other stuff and get it fixed I'm just telling you that's that's how at least that's how every coach I know is that way and that that opener against a good team just get the W that's all that matters and we'll fix all that other stuff and then we'll have we have more convincing wins later and just get that W it's what matters to me appreciate the Super Chat my man uh D meac what a Super Chat thank you very much if you're looking for your sign to sign up for the boards here it is sign up start of the season is a perfect time to do it go Irish I agree with you completely completely Joe papiti with a super chat thank you very much Brian I loved what golden said in the presser basically it was if we play with fundamentals we'll be fine Irish win 3120 go Irish he's absolutely right when you're the better team just don't beat don't beat yourself right just do your job and do it hard that's it I mean when you have the better players the only way you lose a game like that is if you don't do your job you don't play well you don't play sound you have dumb penalties dumb mistakes you don't play with physicality you let yourself get your butt kicked physically I mean Louisville was not a better team than ner Dame was last year they were a better team when they played though because ner Dame had a lot of dumb mistakes a lot of false starts you have a you're you're down what was it uh 1710 I believe is when that play happened and or or actually it was seven to seven and you throw you your Defense Force is a fumble you throw a a a slot fade I believe is what it was into the end zone bad ball worst catch by Chris Ty catch attempt by Chris Tyree of a not a very well thrown ball you drop it you're selling for a field goal so instead of 14-7 tons of momentum Louisville now views it as a win and a moral Victory because they turned it over and forced you to a field goal they take a 1710 lead over Notre Dame uh Sam Hartman throws a great ball down the field to Mitchell Evans for a 30 yard gain comes back because hands to the face by your right tackle that's just not doing your job like all you had to do is use the technique that I've taught you to use every single day since you've been since I've been here and every single offensive line coach Harry hean taught you that Jeff Quinn taught you that every single coach has taught you you don't put your hand in someone's face right that's just not doing your job and then all of a sudden that 30 yard gain that gets you in in scoring range gets called back you don't score next thing you know the route's on like it's stuff like that just just do your job just do your job if you do that you win and and winning is all that matters in this instance so he is correct that's a great observation by coach Golden Raymond heart WI a Super Chat go Irish thank you very very much Raymond I appreciate you and then di Whitland with the last Super Chat a win is a win and we appreciate you Brian great show today go Irish I thank you very much I think that's a great way to end Today's Show so that's going to do it for today's show I'm gonna go finish packing and get ready to head over to the airport I'm going to be heading down there today uh for this game I hope all of you all have a safe safe safe weekend enjoy the game enjoy all the games there's some great games on on tap this weekend so I'll be certainly tuned into to my TV tonight when I'm flying I'll have my little computer screen up play pay for the internet so I can watch some games and then of course have some fun watching the games tomorrow so again make sure uh tonight we will publish the we won't be live tonight but Sean will publish the uh countdown to kickoff tonight and then of course postgame show tomorrow with Vince Ryan Roberts Vince starel Ryan Roberts Trevor Trowbridge and Shawn Davis will be joined for that and then of course Monday we'll be back Sunday night or Monday night we'll do our upon further review on Monday night not not Sunday like normal because I'm traveling on Saturday and we just weren't sure if you know you never know a travel if I could get back in time to do it so I may put something up Sunday night just depends on on kind of how my travel gets back and and how I'm feeling after breaking the film down on the flight and those type of things so uh but that's why I should always you know not like this show but also subscribe to this show and turn your notification bells on so when we do put videos out you'll see it so uh thanks for being with me today sign up for the message boards boards rprd down.com if you want to become a a a big-time supporter of us you can join the booster club if you do join the booster club get some cool 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