First Half Analysis: Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati

Notre Dame went into halftime training Cincinnati - at home - by a 17-0 score. It was an abysmal first half for the Irish on offense, special teams and then a poor final drive by the defense.

Here are my first half thoughts so far:

OFFENSE

*** On offense the biggest storyline is the same storyline we've seen all season, an offensive line that can't block anyone. The poor technique was on full display again today, as the Irish blockers continue to stop their feet, get knocked off the ball, give up rushers late and their inability to react to and block simple twists by the defensive line - after five games - is just embarrassing. There is no other way to put it.

*** Notre Dame has struggled to protect the quarterback, and there have been way too many snaps where the pocket collapses.

*** The line isn't doing anything in the run game either. After the first play of the game, a spread formation that opened up a crease (we need to see more of that) the line has gotten pushed around by the Cincinnati front. On one particular run play in the second quarter, Notre Dame lined up with 3 tight ends in the game and still got pushed back and the run went for negative yards.

*** Since that first play gain of 16 yards the offense has rushed for 13 yards on 10 carries. Notre Dame is on pace to rush for half the yards against Cincinnati that Murray State rushed for against Cincinnati (93). You can talk about benching this quarterback and that quarterback, but until the line gets fixed and that unit gets coached better the quarterback situation isn't going to change much.

*** Cincinnati is simply beating the Notre Dame line off the ball all game long. It's about effort, it's about technique, it's about not having any idea on how to pick up Defense 101 pressures.

*** That doesn't mean the quarterbacks don't bear some blame in the first half. The problem of the line is exacerbated by the fact when there has been snaps with time there has been too many misses by Jack Coan. He has made a couple of great throws in this game, including converting a 4th-and-10 and a 3rd-and-13, but he also missed an open curl route and not getting the ball outside on some outside shots. Coan also made a mistake on a presnap read on a double screen pass, he threw left on the swing but should have gone right to the tunnel screen. Veteran quarterbacks can't make those mistakes.

*** A veteran quarterback who can't make basic reads and can't hit open receivers on the few snaps he actually has time brings no value to your offense. If Coan doesn't come out early in the second half and move the offense Notre Dame needs to strongly consider making a change, unless it has already decided to do so. No, Coan isn't the primary problem, but the staff has to do something to spark the offense since Harry Hiestand isn't walking into that locker room at halftime.

*** Things didn't get better when Tyler Buchner went into the game because the offense's main problem isn't the quarterback, it's the offensive line.

*** Notre Dame is using a lot of two-back alignments, but by keeping them in to pass block you lose two of your best weapons in the pass game outside of check downs.

DEFENSE

*** Notre Dame's defense played great football for much of the first half, but on the final drive we saw Marcus Freeman go away from the pressures that got him there. On the late seam throw to Leonard Taylor he had Isaiah Foskey dropping into coverage, which just can't happen.

*** Notre Dame's front four has dominated the game outside of that final series and Cincinnati has just 28 rushing yards on 8 carries.

*** Cornerbacks Cam Hart and Clarence Lewis are playing very good football in the first half. The Irish linebackers - other than Drew White - weren't good in coverage in that half. JD Bertrand failed to locate a curl route on a 3rd-and-10 and Bo Bauer just stood in place instead of getting depth on a late first half completion.

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