Happy Sunday everyone, and welcome to our first Notre Dame football recap. You may be asking yourself why a site called The Broadway Breakdown is covering College Football from Indiana. The short answer is, aside from loving The Fighting Irish, I am very passionate about college football. So, file this under miscellaneous content for the site, beyond just covering my Fighting Irish we’ll break down the game on the national level as we move through the season.
I’ve been a Notre Dame fan my whole life, my father and grandfather passed this love of the team down to me and I am forever grateful that they did. While none of us attended the university and we’re certainly aware of their reputation as the team people love to hate, we live for the tradition of ND football Saturday’s. This year’s team has me particularly excited, and Saturday’s season opener didn’t disappoint, so let’s dive into the analysis of ND’s 42-3 win over Navy in Dublin, Ireland.
Sammy Heisman??
Yes, I can feel your eye roll from here. Sure, it wasn’t a strong opponent, sure it was one game…but the Sam Hartman hype train has left the station. The former Wake Forest signal caller’s arrival on the South Bend campus had fans dreaming of strong QB play, Saturday’s performance exceeded expectations. After writing his name into the ACC record books, Hartman began his assault on the ND record books, going 19/23 for 251 yds and four touchdowns, the best of which increased the Irish lead to 35 early in the third quarter.
Aside from a lack of consistency, last season’s glaring weakness was under center. Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner held back an Irish team that was rather loaded on defense. But with Hartman under center the Irish played this game with a confidence not seen since the days of Ian Book. It opened up the offense for Greathouse, Jayden Thomas, and Deion Colzie to make plays through the air, and provided the room for Audric Estime to do his best impression of the boulder in Indiana Jones.
This offense gives Notre Dame the chance to win a lot of ways. Their overpowering run game can wear teams out while their new quarterback and his weapons can win a shootout. Hartman will get his chance to raise his national profile in a few weeks at home against Ohio State and USC in September and October before a trip to Death Valley to face Clemson. If he performs well in those matchups and the Irish keep winning, he has a great shot to be on stage in New York.
Play Calling Upgrade
The five headed monster opened up lanes for the aforementioned Estime as well as three stand out freshman Gi’Bran Payne, Jadarian Price, and Jeremiyah Love who all had some solid moments against the Midshipmen. While Navy (with all due respect) isn’t the most talented defensive unit, they did return eight starters on a side of the ball that gave the Irish some problems last season in the neutral site meeting in Baltimore, Saturday’s contest was far from a repeat of those problems. This line, along with the backs it is blocking for really opens up the playbook for Parker. Knowing his unit can push the opposition around allows him to chew clock and dictate terms up front, while also opening up the pass game for Hartman and company.
Business Trip
As Marcus Freeman enters his second year on the sideline, in all honesty, the team’s week to week preparation was a concern of mine. I want to be clear; I am a Freeman fan and while he seems well liked around campus and looks capable of recruiting on a national level, winning games will ultimately decide his fate. Last year the team played up and down to competition, sometimes within games.
They crushed highly ranked Clemson and won on the road against a solid Syracuse team, they even performed well in defeat on the road against USC and Ohio State. The flip side of this were ugly home losses to Stanford and Marshall, and sloppy wins against Cal, BYU and Navy, full of penalties and a lack of organization. Essentially, consistency in all phases has to be a focus this campaign. The Irish needed to make each game a business trip.
Saturday’s blowout looked like a team on a business trip (to another country) as they were sharp from the jump. Sure, they had six months to prepare for a less talented opponent, but they avoided sloppy play, minimized penalties, and by and large played a clean game on defense against Navy’s triple option. Freeman and his staff deserve a lot of credit for this performance. This approach needs to continue as the Irish move through the schedule. Avoid the let downs and prepare for the trap games, they have one in two weeks when they travel to NC State, a potentially stumbling block in advance of their rematch with the Buckeyes.
Overall, Freeman and the Notre Dame program should be thrilled with this season opening in Ireland. The team performed well, while they provided a memorable experience for fans and students alike who made the trip over to Dublin. As a passionate fan I am still kicking myself for not making this trip as there were some incredible scenes on the streets outside the Aviva Stadium all week long.
I’ll have another recap next week after the home opener against Tennessee State. Before I go, here are some rapid-fire preseason picks.
Preaseon Picks
College Football Playoff Final Four
- Georgia: While Carson Beck has to fill the large shoes of Stetson Bennett under center, the Dawgs remain the favorite to represent the SEC in the playoff yet again. They may run unopposed with Alabama looking a little shaky for the first time in years.
- Texas: While it’s always risky to declare the Longhorns “back”, this is Texas last (literally) best chance to win the BIG 12 and reach the playoff. They are far and away the best team in the conference with the rival Sooners rebuilding.
- Florida State: As the Noles enter Mike Norvell’s fourth season at the helm, they are loaded up for a run to win the ACC. QB Jordan Travis (my Heisman pick) leads a talented offense, while stud pass rusher Jared Verse anchors the defense in a thin ACC that lacks competition outside of Clemson.
- Michigan: I have wrestled with this pick, and it pains me to say it, but the Wolverines are the best team in the Big 10 yet again. I do think they will have their hands full with Penn State and OSU this year, but JJ McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh should overcome that, to lead this team back to the dance.
Heisman Trophy Finalists and Winner
As mentioned earlier I am all in on Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis to lift the trophy in New York this year. The senior from West Palm Beach, FL has grown a lot over his time in Tallahassee and gives the Noles a chance to be a national player. His dual threat ability and leadership makes him the heartbeat of this team. He will have to be at his best early, as they face LSU week one in Orlando, a game where we will hopefully see more plays like this from number 13.
While its very chalky to say it will be a stage full of quarterbacks, it’s hard to see a world where Travis isn’t joined by some combination of UNC’s Drake May, USC’s Caleb Williams and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. Keep an eye on dark horses like wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), quarterback Michael Pennix Jr. (Washington) and running back Blake Corum (Michigan).
Share your picks with me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and remember to subscribe to this site by clicking follow in the bottom right corner of your screen and entering your email address. Have a good week and Go Irish!
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