Rose Bowl Chat: Notre Dame vs Alabama

Notre Dame takes on Alabama today in the Rose Bowl, and it's a tremendous opportunity for the Fighting Irish to make a statement. Irish Breakdown will have updates, news and analysis of the game. Below you'll also see the chat board where you and other Notre Dame fans can chat before, during and after the game.

Be sure to check back in to this post all day for the latest news and analysis of the game. This is where you'll find my immediate thoughts on what is happening as it is happening.

2ND HALF

6:31 - Alabama answers Notre Dame's interception with a score to make it 28-7. John Metchie went for 40 yards on a short slant route as the Irish continue to give up the inside quick game. Notre Dame forced a third-down in the red zone, but Mac Jones scrambled for a first down. On the next play Jones hit DeVonta Smith on a comeback in the end zone for a 7-yard score.

Smith beat McCloud on the route, as McCloud failed to get underneath the comeback route because he played it too high and didn't show proper respect for the field position.

6:21 - The defensive stop was open as Ian Book throws his first interception of the game. Book made two big mistakes on the play. On a 1st-and-10 he had Ben Skowronek open on a deep drag route that should have gone for a big gain. On the interception, Mayer had a step on the linebacker but Book's throw was way underthrown and picked off.

6:12 PM - Notre Dame forces a punt on the first drive as the Irish were able to make stops in the run game, and Ademilola broke up a pass on third-down to force the punt.

SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS

*** On offense, Notre Dame needs to be a lot more aggressive. Alabama is going to attack the run game, and if Rees doesn't call some shots and Book doesn't make better reads/throws the run game will get stopped.

*** On defense, Lea also needs to be more aggressive, and they need to protect the inside throwing lanes and force Jones to look more to the outside.

5:26 PM - Notre Dame is forced to punt. After Book made a good third-down read against an Alabama blitz to move the sticks, he badly missed the read on the very next play. Notre Dame was running a swing pass to Williams, and the flat defender flew outside to cover Williams, which left tight end George Takacs open for what would have been at least a 5-6 yard gain on first down. Instead the Irish got just one, gained only one yard on third-down and Aaron Banks gave up a hit on the QB on the 3rd-and-8, and the Irish pass call had no chance for success.

5:18 PM - Notre Dame defense continues to get torched. A screen pass turns into a 24-yard gain when LB Marist Liufau doesn't get outside and cornerback Nick McCloud does a poor job getting off the block. Alabama beat Shaun Crawford on a 15-yard crossing route on the next play, and DeVonta Smith beat McCloud on an easy slant route for a 34-yard touchdown. McCloud gave up the inside too easily on the RPO slant.

Alabama has done a great job so far getting the ball out quickly to neutralize the pass rush, and the Irish linebackers and defensive backs have done a poor job tackling and are playing with very poor angles so far. Notre Dame is giving away the inside too much on crosses and slants as well.

5:11 PM - Notre Dame goes on a 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive that makes it a 14-7 game. The Irish ground game dominated on the series as the ND offensive line got very good movement up front. A well-designed and well-coached 27-yard screen play to Tyree sparked the offense, and then Williams took over as both a runner and pass catcher.

The Irish made a questionable 3rd-and-Goal call from the 3-yard line, giving Ian Book the ball instead of Williams, but Williams punched it in on fourth down.

4:58 PM - First quarter ends with Notre Dame trailing 14-0, but the offense is on the move after a 27-yard gain by freshman running back Chris Tyree on a screen gets the Irish in Alabama territory. Two strong runs by Kyren Williams has Notre Dame in the red zone as the half ends.

The Irish are getting out-played in the first quarter, but the offensive line has been the one bright spot so far. Notre Dame is pushing Alabama around and rushed for 62 yards in the opening quarter.

4:45 PM - Alabama went 97 yards to go ahead 14-0. The Irish defense was abysmal on the series. A bad run fit on first-down allowed Alabama to go for 11 yards, giving it breathing room. A play that appeared to be blown up in the backfield ended up being a 53-yard gain because Drew White couldn't get over the top and Nick McCloud missed yet another tackle for the defense. Jayson Ademilola blew up the Alabama line and Najee Harris had to bounce, but the mistake by White and McCloud killed the defense.

Tight end Jahleel Billingsley was wide open in the end zone on the very next play due to a blown coverage by the Irish linebackers. It was a simple cross route by the tight end, who ran behind all three Irish linebackers and none of them dropped underneath the tight end. Alabama is making it look easy.

4:38 PM - Notre Dame punts yet again. The Irish offensive line is giving the run game plenty of room, but a poor read/cut by Kyren Williams results in a 4-yard loss on 2nd-and-3. On the next play, 3rd-and-7, Notre Dame called an outside zone play to Ian Book, which didn't get anywhere close to a first down.

4:30 PM - Alabama gets the scoring started with a 7-play, 79-yard drive that ends with a 26-yard touchdown catch and run by DeVonta Smith. It was a screen pass in which Notre Dame corner Clarence Lewis and safety Kyle Hamilton both took poor angles and missed tackles as Smith out ran the defense for a score.

Notre Dame lost contain on a blitz that allowed Jones to get outside, and the Bama offensive line pushed the Irish around up the middle on the first series.

4:25 PM - Notre Dame starts at its own 7-yard line, and a 15-yard run by Kyren Williams gives the Irish some room. Ian Book threw a backwards pass that went for minus-5 yards and we saw the same pass concepts on series one we've seen all year, and the Irish punted on a 4th-and-15.

Offensive line played well on series one, gave Book time to throw and got good movement on series one.

4:19 PM - Notre Dame won the toss and chose to receive. I love that mindset from Brian Kelly. Right tackle and captain Robert Hainsey made the call at midfield.

3:49 PM - Zeke Correll will get the start at center for Notre Dame.

3:36 PM - My source reached out and said Zeke Correll is doing all the things a starting center would do before a game, meaning snapping to the starting quarterback during QB/C drills. This was also confirmed by Tim Prister of Irish Illustrated.

2:53 PM - Talked to a source who said that he's hearing Zeke Correll is going to get the start at center today. Haven't had that confirmed by anyone, but we'll know soon enough when the first team offense takes the field. I was told during the week that Joshua Lugg was getting more first-team work during practice but that Correll was also getting work.

Before the game starts, get caught up on all the pre-game analysis we've done at Irish Breakdown.

Notre Dame Depth Chart
Alabama Depth Chart

First Glance: Alabama Crimson Tide
First Glance: Alabama Offense
First Glance: Alabama Defense

Keys To Victory For The Notre Dame Offense vs. Alabama
Keys To Victory For The Notre Dame Defense vs. Alabama

Stacking Up: Notre Dame Offense vs. Alabama Defense
Stacking Up: Notre Dame Defense vs. Alabama Offense

Notre Dame vs Alabama: Recruiting Comparison - In this feature I broke down the starting lineup and top rotation players for both Notre Dame and Alabama from a recruiting standpoint

Midweek Musings - Offense Edition
Midweek Musings - Defense Edition

PODCAST: How the Notre Dame offense matches up against the Alabama defense
PODCAST: How the Notre Dame defense matches up against the Alabama offense
PODCAST: Opponent Insider - Alabama Crimson Tide
PODCAST: Keys To Victory - Notre Dame Offense
PODCAST: Keys To Victory - Notre Dame Defense

Game Prediction: Notre Dame vs. Alabama

Tommy Rees Talks Alabama, Ian Book, Success vs. Alabama
WSBT: Talking Chris Tyree, ND vs. Alabama and More
Pressuring Mac Jones Is A Must For The Notre Dame Defense
Stopping The Run Is Priority No. 1 Notre Dame vs. Alabama
Notre Dame OL Must Live Up To Its Hype Against Alabama

Brian Kelly Updates Notre Dame's Injury Status

Notre Dame Offense Is The Key To A Rose Bowl Upset
Notre Dame Preparing For Elite Alabama CB Patrick Surtain
Notre Dame Has Yet Another Opportunity To Show It Belongs
Notre Dame, Alabama Both Named Joe Moore Award
Notre Dame Starts Prep Work Off As Huge Underdog To Alabama

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