Game Observations - Offense: Notre Dame Offensive Woes Continue vs. Louisville

Analysis and observations of the Notre Dame offense from the 33-20 loss to Louisville

Notre Dame dropped its second contest in three games as the 30-game regular season win streak over ACC opponents came to a crashing end. The Irish got whipped by Louisville 33-20. 

Here is my analysis of the performance of the Notre Dame offense, which had its third straight bad game.

NOTRE DAME OFFENSE

*** The struggles for the Notre Dame offense have now continued for a third straight game. It started early, as the Irish scored just one touchdown in the opening half, meaning Notre Dame has scored just 17 points in the first half of its last three games COMBINED. Notre Dame looked like a team struggling for an identity. What it could hang its hat on early in the season - the ability to be physical and run the football - was completely gone in this game. When Notre Dame's ground attack isn't working the rest of the offense isn't good enough to win games.

*** From a game plan standpoint, Louisville had answers for Notre Dame's bread-and-butter, the inside runs. Notre Dame's inability to get its ground game established was part to the offensive line getting whipped, and part the staff not being able to find ways to get the best players the football enough in areas where they could get going. They had some success getting outside with the Buck and Gap schemes, but we didn't enough of it. Some of the better calls (Jet sweep to Jeremiyah Love) were not used at the right times based on Louisville's alignments. There just doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to what we were seeing from the offense. The way they rotate and the way they called plays in this game it seemed like they were reaching for things, and that constant rotation and inability to establish the ground game kept the offense from ever getting any traction.

*** Louisville seemed to have found holes in the protection scheme, which allowed them to get early pressures. That was coupled with blown assignments in pass protection and whiffs by the offensive line. Hartman could never get into rhythm, and even when he had time his clock was sped up and he wasn't going through his progressions effectively. That happens to a quarterback who faces constant pressure, and the regression from the offensive line the last two games is causing that. 

*** For his part, Hartman had a rough night. He started well, but the pressure impacted his ball placement all night long. Even when guys were open he was off target. Yes, Tyree needs to catch that ball, but it needs to be inside more and it's an easy touchdown. His sail on the second interception was just a bad throw. His first interception was also poorly thrown, although the effort of the wideout made it much easier for Louisville to intercept. 

*** Notre Dame's offensive line has been really bad the last two games. False starts, penalties that negate big plays, no push in the run game. The further the Irish have gotten away from the previous coach the worse it has gotten. The odd rotating in the first half didn't seem to do much, and the offensive line got worse in the second half. There were multiple runs in the second half where the multiple linemen turned defenders loose. The 3rd-and-1 play-call didn't help as Notre Dame ran a straight A-Gap run with a short backside, and Louisville saw it, brought two off the edge and blew it up. 

*** Louisville's defensive staff made adjustments in the second half, which really caused problems for the offensive line. The pass game actually was finding openings in the throwing game in the second half, but the aforementioned mistakes and the lack of protection killed any chance to take advantage.

*** There were signs of hope in the second half, but execution mistakes doomed the offense. Sam Hartman was off target on a wide fade to Chris Tyree that should have been a touchdown, and even with the throw being off it still needs to be caught. With the game 17-13, Notre Dame ran a wide fade to tight end Mitchell Evans off a fake of the tunnel screen and it went for 30 yards. But a ridiculous facemask penalty by Blake Fisher killed the drive. There is plenty to complain about from a game design and play-calling standpoint, but those types of mistakes are what will get you beat by good teams. Two well designed plays that went for a big gain or should have, were negated by execution mistake and a lack of focus. Fisher had an absolutely awful game, and not even because of the two penalties, he didn't move his feet, he didn't battle, and the Louisville edge players whipped him all game long. The play at center from 5th-year senior Zeke Correll was simply not good enough, and tonight the guards can't be blamed. They were bad, but Correll gave up way too much ground all night long.

*** Notre Dame has serious receiver problems right now. The outside receivers bring almost nothing to the table at this point. Their inability to get even get off the line of scrimmage against press is really poor. It's easy, there is no plan and the Louisville corners ate them up all night. All of the production came from the slot receivers, the tight ends and the backs. The outside receivers caught 4 passes for 18 yards when the game was still in doubt. That's not a number that is going to beat good teams.

*** There is a lot I can pick apart about the game plan, and we'll do that in the Upon Further Review show, but this goes way beyond bad designs or play calls. This was a team that was not ready for the moment. This is a team that showed regression. I know we'll hear a lot about the number of games they played, but three of the first four games were times when the starters didn't play a lot of minutes. This team just got out-coached, out-hustled and out-played by a better team, and that simply should not have happened. It's true in all phases, but it was primarily evident on offense and special teams.

*** I don't use the word quit very often, as I find it incredibly insulting. But when the offensive line plays like it did in the second half, including giving up easy sacks against three-man pressures, it's hard to find anything else to say. This game was just plain poor from a coaching and player standpoint.

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