Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Dominates Army: Key Takeaways as Irish on Cusp of College Football Playoff Berth

Notre Dame is now one win away from hosting a College Football Playoff game

Nick Shepkowski

Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Adon Shuler (8) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylen Sneed (3) celebrate a defense stop during the first half against the Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium.
Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Adon Shuler (8) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylen Sneed (3) celebrate a defense stop during the first half against the Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Right before kickoff in Saturday night's Shamrock Series battle between Notre Dame and Army at Yankee Stadium, head coach Marcus Freeman was asked what he wanted to see from his Fighting Irish team in the game.

"Violence" answered Freeman.

What followed was Notre Dame's second absolute destruction of a ranked service academy in the last month as the Irish held nothing back in a 49-7 beatdown of No. 19 Army.

Notre Dame takes another step towards the College Football Playoff and the likely home game that will come with it after the dominating win. Here are instant thoughts following the latest Notre Dame blowout victory.

Notre Dame's Fast Start in Three Phases vs. Army

Notre Dame kicked off to start the game and immediately forced Army into a three-and-out. Moments later Riley Leonard found Jordan Faison to get the Irish an early lead before the defense again forced another three-and-out. Bryce Young's third blocked kick of the year gave the Irish a very short field and like that it was 14-0 and essentially, that was "Goodnight sweetheart" from the Bronx.

Notre Dame Special Teams Step Up (Partly)

For the 16th time since Marcus Freeman took over as head coach at Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish blocked a kick on Saturday night. I say it a decent amount but the attitude of not simply trying to break even on special teams and instead using them as an asset is pleasant to observe compared to how they were treated for the previous decade-plus. Now, they weren't perfect Saturday as there is one glaring hole:

Notre Dame Needs a Kicker:

Another game and two more missed chances at field goals to add points. It didn't matter in this game as Notre Dame sent Army into the sun, but where it needs help immediately is in the kicking game. If Notre Dame is going to make a serious run in the College Football Playoff, a field goal is going to play vitaly important at some point and the state of the unit at this time isn't just mediocre, but instead plain bad. Is there a soccer player that can hit consistently from 35 and in?

Jeremiyah's Lovely Night in the Bronx

The bad news for Notre Dame fans on Saturday night was that running back Jeremiyah Love only had eight touches. The good news is that those eight touches resulted in 136 yards and three touchdowns.

There was no need to have him touch the ball more and take more contact with a trip to USC on tap, but this is as talented of running back as Notre Dame has had in a very long time and the good news is that he seems like he's physically in a great place considering where at on the calendar we are and with the biggest games of the year ahead.

Explosiveness vs. Speed on Display

Watching the game Saturday night meant getting a free lesson in the difference between speed and explosion. Speed is how fast someone can go, but explosion is essentially how quickly someone can get to that speed.

Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price both regularly displayed this against Army as I lost count of the times that one of the two was eight or more yards down field before they were even touched by an Army defender. Now more than just the running back goes into that, but they took full advantage.

Riley Leonard's Hot Start versus Army

Riley Leonard throws a pass against Arm
Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) throws a pass against the Army Black Knights during the first half at Yankee Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Riley Leonard was dialed in to start Saturday's game as he completed his first eight passes, two of which went for touchdowns. Leonard did miss a touchdown over the middle by overthrowing Jaden Greathouse for his first incompletion in the infield end zone. Leonard has improved as a passer. He's never going to be great at it, but he clearly looks different than he did back in September and I mean that in a complimentary way.

Notre Dame's Mindset and Mentality Under Marcus Freeman

Marcus Freeman talks with quarterback Riley Leonard during Notre Dame's win over Arm
Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with quarterback Riley Leonard (13) after a touchdown during the first half against the Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

I loved what Marcus Freeman said before the game about being violent and I loved more what he said at halftime as Notre Dame led 28-7, but had just botched a field goal attempt.

Freeman, who was interviewed at halftime immediately referenced "mindset and mentality" and came off as upset after leaving points on the board just before the break. This is the sign of a leader who isn't satisfied with being good and not just wants, but expects his team to be great, and isn't going to make excuses when it doesn't perform at that level.

Everything Coming Up Irish

Notre Dame players celebrate a defensive stop against Arm
Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jack Kiser (24) celebrates with teammates after a defensive stop during the second half against the Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

A look around the nation gives a good look at the help Notre Dame is receiving to not just get a potential home game, but perhaps even more importantly, favorable matchups in both the first and second rounds.

I said it after Notre Dame beat Texas A&M in Week 1, regretted doing so a week later, but feel safe in saying it again now.

Everything is right in front of this Notre Dame team as we turn to the final week of the regular season.

And I really do mean EVERYTHING.

More From Notre Dame on Sports Illustrated

How Ohio State's big win over Indiana helps Notre Dame, shapes CFP

Notre Dame vs. Army: Bold Predictions for Saturday Night Showdown

Note to the College Football Playoff Committee: Notre Dame Has What Texas Doesn't

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

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