Tag: 2020 acc football

Tale of the Tape: Leading Rushers – Kyren Williams vs. Javian Hawkins

Notre Dame and Louisville will go to battle Saturday with their top running backs neck and neck.

Notre Dame and Louisville will go to battle Saturday with their top running backs neck and neck. If there’s an advantage for Kyren Williams, it’s that he does more when he’s catching passes. A lot of that can be attributed to the great blocking he gets. You can’t ignore the fact that he’s been the Irish’s best offensive weapon through three games, whether he’s receiving a handoff or acting as a receiver.

The Cardinals’ Javian Hawkins has played in one more game, so it makes sense that he would hold the advantage in both rushing attempts and net yards. He’s nearly even with Williams in almost everything else before the drop-off in receiving production. The Cardinals will need him to stay in the game, particularly on the ground since that’s what he’s supposed to do anyway. Though he might have a handful with the Irish’s defense, just like other running backs have had in South Bend so far in 2020, there’s no reason to think he won’t be a factor if he can get to his average numbers.

Tale of the Tape: Starting QBs – Ian Book vs. Malik Cunningham

Notre Dame and Louisville both have proven names under center.

Notre Dame and Louisville both have proven names under center. When the teams play Saturday, Ian Book will be on the lower end of almost every category compared to his opponent. Fortunately for him and the Irish, he’s less prone to turnovers, a little more accurate on his throws, and runs with the ball a little better. If he focuses on those areas of strength and can tread water at minimum elsewhere, it should be another Irish victory.

The Cardinals’ Malik Cunningham has been a bright spot on a struggling team. He regularly throws for impressive yardage and can spot scoring opportunities for his receivers. Had he not thrown five interceptions through four games, the Cardinals might be in a better spot right now. Still, he has both the talent and potential to turn some heads in South Bend, and everyone there who’s not familiar with now could know his name after Saturday if all goes well for him.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

Notre Dame saw another scoring threat from Florida State to begin the fourth quarter.

Notre Dame saw another scoring threat from Florida State to begin the fourth quarter. The Seminoles had the ball for nearly the entire first half of the frame. But any thoughts of points were snuffed out by an interception from Shaun Crawford in the end zone, the Irish’s first pick of the season, and that broke any hopes of a change in the game’s outcome. The Irish remain undefeated after a 42-26 victory.

Once they got the ball back, the Irish (3-0, 2-0) took their time since they didn’t need anymore points. That meant going back to the run and burning even more time than the Seminoles (1-3, 0-3) did on their previous possession. They got all the way to the 2-yard line but failed to score. Even though Chris Tyree couldn’t find the end zone on the Irish’s final play from scrimmage, it didn’t matter because there was so little time left.

Hopefully, the way this game played out is a metaphor for how the rest of this season plays out. The first 2 1/2 games were good for the Irish, if not unremarkable. The rest of the way, they looked more like a team that was playing to win. Maybe the slow start to this game, however attributable to rust it was, is what they need to kick into another gear that will keep them dominant at least until the Clemson game.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State: Third-Quarter Analysis

The Seminoles have shown they’re able to put points on the board against a top team like Notre Dame.

Florida State has shown it’s able to put points on the board against a top team like Notre Dame. Unfortunately for the Seminoles, the Irish are answering every score with one of their own. It could only be a matter of time before the Irish make the deficit big enough to make a comeback almost impossible. They lead, 42-26, after three quarters.

The Seminoles started the second half fast with a 30-yard pass from Jordan Travis to Tamorrion Terry. They continued to go to the air until they got into the red zone. La’Damian Webb punctuated the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. The subsequent pass on the two-point conversion was incomplete.

The Irish started the next drive on their own 14-yard line after a penalty on the kickoff. The distance didn’t matter because the offense put together perhaps its most impressive drive so far this season. Not only did it convert on a fourth down, but Javon McKinley caught a 38-yard pass from Ian Book to set the Irish up to score again. They did just a few plays later when Book took the ball into the end zone from 3 yards out.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State: Second-Quarter Analysis

Well, that’s a bit more like it. Notre Dame still doesn’t look it’s completely shaken the rust from its layoff.

Well, that’s a bit more like it. Notre Dame still doesn’t look it’s completely shaken the rust from its layoff. However, it takes a 35-20 lead over Florida State into the locker room. It has that to be grateful for.

After Javon McKinley caught a 36-yard pass from Ian Book to end the first quarter, the Irish continued their momentum on the drive to begin the second quarter. They gained positive yardage on every play until Kyren Williams scored his second touchdown of the game from the 1-yard line. After that, the game hit a bit of a lull as no points were scored on the next three possessions. It also was nice because it showed how well the Irish defense plays when the offense doesn’t put it in a tough spot.

With Williams already having contributed a bunch, the decision was made to give the ball to Chris Tyree in the backfield. He quickly showed why the Irish have faith in him. The drive took only four plays after he ran for 13 and 45 yards, respectively. The latter of those plays resulted in a touchdown.

Florida State saw how well the Irish were doing on the ground throughout the first half and decided to counter with their own ground game. Led by La’Damian Webb, the Seminoles marched downfield all the way to the Notre Dame 8. They might have gotten farther, but the Irish defended Jordan Travis’ passes well. Ryan Fitzgerald salvaged the drive by kicking his second field goal.

The next drive saw the Irish race against the clock and put together a complete effort. Jafar Armstrong returned a kick 36 yards to the Notre Dame 43, setting up a series of runs from Book. The Irish also were aided by a personal foul penalty from the Seminoles. It all culminated in a a 5-yard touchdown reception from Braden Lenzy with 11 seconds left.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State: First-Quarter Analysis

Those who figured the two-week layoff would hurt Notre Dame against Florida State were correct early.

Those who figured the two-week layoff would hurt Notre Dame against Florida State were correct early. Kyren Williams lost a fumble on his first carry of the game, and it cost the Irish an early field goal. Williams more than made up for it on the Irish’s subsequent possessions. Still, the Irish find themselves behind, 17-14, after the first quarter.

On the first play of Notre Dame’s second possession, Williams took advantage of a nice block from Tommy Tremble and ran 65 yards to the Florida State 10-yard line. That set up an 8-yard touchdown reception for Michael Mayer. One Seminoles punt later, Ian Book made a few nice passes before Williams ran the ball 46 yards to the house to give the Irish a 14-3 lead.

The Irish looked like they would hold that advantage after forcing a three-and-out, but Lawrence Keys III muffed a punt, and the Seminoles were more than happy to take over deep in Irish territory. That’s because all Jordan Travis had to do was call two run plays before running into the end zone himself from 4 yards out.

The Irish failed to pick up a first down on their next possession, really looking out of sync. When the Seminoles got the ball back, they decided to switch from attacking on the ground to doing so in the air. Travis completed three of four passes, targeting leading receiver Tamorrion Terry three times.  The final pass went 48 yards to Terry, who ran into the end zone and gave the Seminoles the lead back.

It was a quarter of both good and bad for the Irish, and most of the bad easily could have been avoided had they held onto the ball. Brian Kelly better figure out how to keep his guys on their toes because that extra time off seems to be taking a toll. At least they have enough time to figure things out. Still, Irish fans are in shock.

Tale of the Tape: Team Stats – Notre Dame vs. Florida State

Tale of the Tape: Team Stats – Notre Dame vs. Florida State

The advantages for Saturday’s game between Notre Dame and Florida State are clear.

The Irish are better than the Seminoles in most categories, and chances are they would be ahead in a few of the others if their game against Wake Forest hadn’t been postponed. The biggest edges the Irish have come on defense. They’re far ahead of the Seminoles in every defensive category, and they might even get some help from the penalty discrepancy between the teams.

Even though the Irish only have played twice, it’s surprising to see the Seminoles ahead in passing offense despite starting their third quarterback in four games Saturday.

Jordan Travis might even get a little help from his kick and punt return teams since there’s a slight advantage there. He and the Seminoles don’t seem to have much trouble picking up first downs.

None of that, however, will make a difference if they can’t score, and the Irish have a unit that can ensure almost at will.

Tale of the Tape: Top Receivers – Tommy Tremble vs. Tamorrion Terry

It’s hard to determine who the top receivers are in a game between one struggling team and one that’s played only twice.

It’s hard to determine who the top receivers are in a game between one struggling team and one that’s played only twice. It says a lot about Notre Dame’s young corps when Tommy Tremble leads the Irish with only 104 receiving yards and no touchdowns. If Ian Book doesn’t find a regular target soon, we’re looking at a season in which the Irish player in this post could change every week. Still, Tremble’s numbers are decent given what we’ve seen when the Irish haven’t run the ball.

Florida State goes into South Bend with Tamorrion Terry as its top target, and the numbers here aren’t much better, albeit for different reasons. There’s a quarterback carousel happening in Tallahassee as the Seminoles will send their third starter under center in four games into battle. Different quarterbacks will have different tendencies and different favorite targets, so it’s almost impossible to tell if Terry is the Seminoles’ go-to. Regardless, he’ll have a tough time getting open against the Irish’s defense.

 

Tale of the Tape: Top Rushers – Kyren Williams vs. Lawrance Toafili

A pair of dynamic running backs will take center stage when Notre Dame faces Florida State on Saturday.

A pair of dynamic running backs will take center stage when Notre Dame faces Florida State on Saturday. Kyren Williams has done quite well in his first two games as arguably the Irish’s best offensive weapon. While Ian Book has continued to search for chemistry with his new receiving corps, Williams is kicking that can down the road as far as he can. Until Book breaks out, Williams is the player to watch on Notre Dame’s offense.Freshman Lawrance Toafili has taken the lead for Florida State on the ground, and he’s done it without losing yardage on a single carry. Though he and Williams have about the same likelihood to pull off a big play, he isn’t averaging as many yards a game. If the Seminoles are to win, he won’t be able to do it by himself. The idea of a freshman running back singlehandedly willing his team to victory against a top-ranked defense almost is preposterous, but stranger things have happened in college football.

Tale of the Tape: Starting Quarterbacks – Ian Book vs. Jordan Travis

When Notre Dame plays Florida State on Saturday, we’ll have one quarterback coming off a layoff and another who’s a bandage at the position.

When Notre Dame plays Florida State on Saturday, we’ll have one quarterback coming off a layoff and another who’s a bandage at the position. Though Ian Book mostly has superior numbers in spite of a two-week break, he has yet to dominate a game. Hopefully, the time off allowed him to clear his head so that he finally can play like the quarterback we’re used to seeing. However, a struggling team like the Seminoles should give him a little room for error.

Jordan Travis already is the third quarterback to get the starting nod in four games for Florida State. If nothing else, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to run the ball because he seems to do well there. It will take more than that to beat the Irish, however. Unless Travis successfully becomes pass-happy or the Seminoles’ equivalent to Michael Vick or Vince Young, it could be a long night in South Bend for the redshirt sophomore.