© MANDATORY CREDIT GREG SWIERCZ / USA
Notre Dame Blue-Gold Post-Game Analysis: Offense
Thoughts and analysis of the Notre Dame offense from the Blue-Gold Game
The Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game ended with the Blue winning by a 28-21 score. Here are my thoughts and analysis of the performance by the offense.
OFFENSE
*** The offense did some really good things in the game. We saw the offensive line for both teams get really good movement, they pushed the tempo at times and all three quarterbacks led scoring drives in the first half. In fact, all three quarterbacks led at least two scoring drives.
*** It was an up-and-down first-half performance for Steve Angeli, but he finished well. Angeli was locked in on his first read too often, so even on completions he would take the short gains (or no gains) instead of pushing the ball down the field. This was an issue in the Jersey Scrimmage as well, where Angeli was unwilling to really push the ball down the field.
*** He did a really nice job on the touchdown pass to Eli Raridon by seeing the seam route come open. If Angeli waits at all on the play the backside safety squeezes on the route, but he got it out quickly and it resulted in a touchdown. Angeli missed Raridon earlier on a seam throw but he was hit as he threw it, which caused the off target throw.
*** After a rough start to the second half, Angeli showed good poise on a 4th-and-6 read and the next play, which converted the fourth down and then hit Jack Larsen to get into the red zone.
*** Kenny Minchey had a rough first half as a passer, but he was very active as a runner. Minchey threw a really good curl route to Micah Gilbert on a third-down but the ball was dropped. He didn't have much open down the field, but Minchey was also a bit off target on downfield throws, and he made a poor decision forcing the Y Option route that was intercepted.
*** Minchey also settled in as the game wore on. He made a great read of a defensive mistake on a post-snap switch concept and hit KK Smith for a 38-yard gain. On the very next threw he threw a perfect fade route to Micah Gilbert for a touchdown. His stats went from really rough to impressive on those two throws, and it showed the kind of arm talent he possesses.
*** CJ Carr once again did the best job of the quarterbacks in going through his reads and being able to hit his second or third options. Carr shows really good poise in the pocket and a willingness to get the ball out when he knows he's going to get hit. His one "bad read" was actually the proper read but he was late getting it out. That was the seam throw to Jaden Greathouse that got broken up. Outside of that, Carr's timing as a thrower was really impressive for a rookie.
*** We didn't see Carr again until the fourth quarter, and by that point he started to press a bit. That caused him to be slightly off target on a slide throw and stare downfield as he looked for a big play instead of taking the open cross route. He bounced back on the drive and threw a gorgeous out to KK Smith to convert a third-down. Carr putting some zip on the touchdown pass to Gilbert shows his elite feel for the game at his age.
*** Running back Jeremiyah Love showed a really good combination of patience and explosiveness as a runner. Mike Denbrock did plenty to get Love the ball in different ways, which is a precursor to what we'll likely see in the fall. He showed his playmaking ability on the 18-yard outside zone run that moved the chains, and him turning a short 3rd-and-11 throw into a 32-yard gain.
*** Freshman running back Aneyas Williams had a really strong performance that was even better than his numbers show. He showed good patience waiting on blocks to set up, but he ran with authority as well. Williams made several defenders miss near the line, which allowed him to maximize the yards that were there. His foot quickness also helped him perform at a high level.
*** Gi'Bran Payne had a good first half for the Gold offense, showing really good lower body strength as a runner. He forced a couple of reads early, but he was hard to bring down and moved the chains effectively. His second half fumble was a key moment in the second half.
*** Senior receiver Deion Colzie had a strong performance. He got open even more than his numbers showed, but the ball didn't always come his way. Colzie ran with purpose as a route runner and he made tough catches in traffic.
*** Freshman Micah Gilbert had a bad drop in the first half but he had a very good second half, twice beating a cornerback on a go-route for a touchdown. The first he caught from Minchey and the second he caught from Carr. KK Smith had some good moments down the field, but he missed a couple of chances late to make key plays, including a fourth-down slant throw from Carr. Overall it was a solid performance from both young receivers.
*** Jaden Greathouse was open a lot more than you'd think based on his numbers, but he rarely got targeted early in the game. To the point where Greathouse visibly - and understandably - frustrated in the first half. He had a drop in the third quarter, but that seemed to spark him, and he made several plays after that once he finally got targeted.
*** Eli Raridon was the most impressive of the tight ends. The junior was good in the run game on the edge, and he was open multiple times down the field in the pass game. His numbers would have been even better if Angeli wasn't pressured on an early seam throw. Cooper Flanagan was solid in the game, but he wasn't as consistent as a route runner and he had a key drop in the second half.
*** Left guard Rocco Spindler had an outstanding performance from what I could tell. He was dominant in the run game, both in combo blocks with Charles Jagusah and as base blocker. He destroyed Donovan Hinish on the touchdown run by Love. I'll need to re-watch the game to see each play, but he was solid in pass pro when I saw him as well.
*** Jagusah was much more up-and-down in the pass game. He was very good in the run game, but the speed rushes of RJ Oben and Boubacar Traore gave him some problems at times.
*** Sullivan Absher had a game similar to Jagusah. He had some issues with speed in pass pro but he got very good movement in the run game.
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