I just finished watching (most) of the wake forest game and I have to say, Notre Dame really puzzles me.
First, the scariest part of their offense, to me, is the yac, the downfield blocking, the big receivers, and the downhill running. Those strengths are synergistic and scary — even if you limit the receivers at first, they are big, and they keep delivering blows, and soon, you don’t wanna tackle them anymore. Add that to a running game that hammers you and some textbook downfield blocking and stopping their offense late in the game with a tenderized defense feels daunting. I see ND pulling away from a lot of opponents late in games the way alabama did with Scarborough against washington in 2016. No wonder Kelly is so eager to have a better pocket passer. It’s the complementary missing piece to a scary offense. If Stanford traditionally runs a smashmouth offense, this is a smashpass offense.
The weird part is their defense. I didn’t watch the Michigan game yet, but apparently they limited Michigan to one offensive touchdown. And then, even though wake forest didn’t score a lot, they made it into the red zone on five of their first six trips, and the first four in the first half. They missed two field goals, but they were in the red zone. If Stanford gets opportunities like those, I think they do a much better job capitalizing. And then the run defense. Against wake forest, they seem to be too late for a fast running back, and they seemed vulnerable to slow-developing run plays, with a patient running back. Sound familiar?
But then, how did they limit Michigan to just one touchdown??? Which defense does Stanford play this weekend?
First, the scariest part of their offense, to me, is the yac, the downfield blocking, the big receivers, and the downhill running. Those strengths are synergistic and scary — even if you limit the receivers at first, they are big, and they keep delivering blows, and soon, you don’t wanna tackle them anymore. Add that to a running game that hammers you and some textbook downfield blocking and stopping their offense late in the game with a tenderized defense feels daunting. I see ND pulling away from a lot of opponents late in games the way alabama did with Scarborough against washington in 2016. No wonder Kelly is so eager to have a better pocket passer. It’s the complementary missing piece to a scary offense. If Stanford traditionally runs a smashmouth offense, this is a smashpass offense.
The weird part is their defense. I didn’t watch the Michigan game yet, but apparently they limited Michigan to one offensive touchdown. And then, even though wake forest didn’t score a lot, they made it into the red zone on five of their first six trips, and the first four in the first half. They missed two field goals, but they were in the red zone. If Stanford gets opportunities like those, I think they do a much better job capitalizing. And then the run defense. Against wake forest, they seem to be too late for a fast running back, and they seemed vulnerable to slow-developing run plays, with a patient running back. Sound familiar?
But then, how did they limit Michigan to just one touchdown??? Which defense does Stanford play this weekend?