First Half Analysis: Marshall 9, Notre Dame 7

Analysis of the first thirty minutes of action between Notre Dame and Marshall

Marshall leads Notre Dame by a 9-7 score through the first thirty minutes of action. My thoughts on the performance of the Notre Dame team through the first half of action.

NOTRE DAME OFFENSE

*** The play of the Notre Dame offensive line and tight ends in the run game was incredibly problematic in the first half, and the offensive line also had issues with protection. There were multiple miscommunications, and not just on plays like the simple T-E stunt that resulted in Jarrett Patterson giving up a hit. Even things like simple outside zone, where Blake Fisher was expecting inside help from Joshua Lugg, but it never came. I'm not sure if Lugg should have helped (I thought he should have, but that' snot the point), but the point is Fisher thought he did, so someone messed up there from a communication and assignment standpoint.

*** Notre Dame isn't getting much of a push against a Marshall defense that gave up 192 rushing yards per game a season ago. The run game is just slow moving right now, and Marshall is beating the Notre Dame blockers off the ball, and the line is getting almost no help from the tight ends.

*** Notre Dame has been sloppy for much of the half, even with little things like a lazy block in the back by Jayden Thomas after he gave up the inside. The guy likely doesn't make the play on the QB even with the miss, but then the miss is compounded by the block in the back. Then after a long gain to Lorenzo Styles a false start by Kevin Bauman stalls the drive before it could get anything going. Thomas has really struggled getting separation in the first half.

*** The offense didn't really get anything going until they started using Tyler Buchner as a runner, which is something they needed to do about five quarters earlier. Buchner will have his time as a pocket passer, but the staff needs to use his legs to set up the pass until he gets more experience.

*** Buchner has been just a step off with many throws, but the interception was just a youthful mistake he has to learn from. The corner was playing off, which presnap takes you to the hitch, but at the snap the corner squatted and jumped the route, something Buchner needs to see and go away from it. I was glad to see him bounce back and not let that play rattle him. But the barely misses in the first half were big, and he has to start hitting those throws.

*** Notre Dame's wide receivers were not sharp in the first half. The releases were telegraphed and not effective. Marshall was playing a lot of cover 1 and it looked like even some cover 0, but in the cover 1 looks the corners were playing with outside leverage, especially to the field. Notre Dame's receivers were basically just releasing outside and that was making it easy for the Marshall corners to ride them wide. That's why Braden Lenzy caught a deep pass but was out of bounds. Just not sharp, and they need to try and threaten with better release moves there. Press the outside leverage, slip inside then get back on top.

*** Another issue is when the receivers were running stop type routes and weren't open they would often just stand there instead of then trying to work open, which happened on a third-down play in the second quarter when he tried to find Michael Mayer. The other WR were just standing around.

*** The fact Chris Tyree got a total of zero meaningful carries in the first half is a major problem in my opinion. The only time he touched the ball was to run out the clock at the end. 

NOTRE DAME DEFENSE

*** Notre Dame was not nearly as sharp on defense against Marshall as it was against Ohio State. It was every bit as sloppy as the offense, and the tackling was poor. Too many players going out of control and trying to give big hits instead of making tackles. They settled down a bit in the second from a tackling standpoint, but it was an undisciplined first half.

*** Notre Dame was either giving the inside breaking routes or they wen't playing the slants well, but they gave that up several times and if the Marshall QB was a bit more accurate they would have given up a few more. Cam Hart was especially bad about this, and it cost him on a deeper throw later in the second quarter on Marshall's final scoring drive of the half. Just gave up the inside, not playing with discipline.

*** The interior of the defensive line was an issue both schematically and from an execution standpoint. The interior defenders were stopping their feet and getting knocked back, and outside of Howard Cross III I didn't see many defenders up the middle getting a push. Rylie Mills was playing a lot up the middle and didn't look good, and he failed to set the edge when Notre Dame shifted to a 3-man look. The failure of the defensive linemen to move their feet allowed Marshall to get reaches easier than they should have.

*** Isaiah Foskey was once again not effective in the first half, and the biggest play he made was a facemask penalty that set up Marshall's final drive. 

*** The other issue up the middle was either a scheme or execution problem. Notre Dame was vacating the A gaps, both A gaps, at times. Both DL would slant into the B gaps and at times no linebackers filled, or only one, and Marshall exploited that several times. 

*** Notre Dame's linebackers were very erratic. When they were asked to stunt and crash they came hard and did okay, but too often they just banged into a blocker instead of trying to get free. This was a problem for several positions, actually, and the defense as a whole did a very poor job with block destruction in the first half. But the linebackers at times were a bit passive and would catch Marshall blockers and failed to get over top and to the ball.

*** One of the bright spots for Notre Dame was slot corner TaRiq Bracy, who was once very sticky in coverage, including forcing an incomplete pass on the final offensive snap of the half for Marshall, which forced a field goal.

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