Midweek Musings: Notre Dame Will Show Its Character, Jeremiyah Love

Notre Dame will look to bounce back this weekend when it returns home to face Marshall, with the Irish looking to earn the first win of the Marcus Freeman era inside Notre Dame Stadium.

It will be very telling week for the Irish.

ND'S CHARACTER WILL BE EXPOSED THIS WEEK

Notre Dame's season opening loss to Ohio State stung, it really did. It was a winnable game, but in the end the Irish didn't make enough plays to come out on top. For a team that came into the season talking about a championship, losing in game one can be a crushing blow.

How the Notre Dame team responds to that loss will tell us a lot about the character of this team, and about the soul of the program. This is true from the top down. Marcus Freeman is going to show his coaches and players how he handles adversity, and how that goes will permeate through the program.

There needs to be a level of accountability that begins with him and works down. What that means in this context is recognizing the mistakes that were made, learning from them and then moving on with an aggressive mindset. It's not about being cranky and yelling at coaches or players, it's about implementing fixes, focusing on areas that need to get better and then holding himself, his coaches and the players accountable to having the right attitude and then doing what it takes to make those adjustments.

From a player standpoint we're going to find out if this team truly has good leadership or not.

I remember when Notre Dame lost to Georgia early in 2017, and seeing how captain Drue Tranquill responded after the game.

"When it comes down to it Georgia just executed better at the end of the game, and they made the big plays that you have to make in college football to win games," Tranquill said. ".... To fall short tonight really hurts, but moving forward I'm scared for other teams, because we are coming to punish each and every opponent we play."

That game was eerily similar to what we saw Saturday night in Columbus. Notre Dame's run game struggled and the team racked up just 55 yards on the ground. The defense kept the team in the game but the offense couldn't do what it needed to do, and there were questions about the offensive line.

Sound familiar?

A week later Notre Dame responded with a 49-20 win at Boston College and the offense racked up 515 yards on the ground. In the seven straight wins the team rattled off after the loss to Georgia it averaged 43.4 points per game and won each contest by double digits, and by an average margin of 24.9 points per game.

That team had great player leadership and showed character from its roster, and it responded to a crushing early season loss with inspired play.

Will the 2022 team show similar resolve? We'll start to find out Saturday against Marshall.

LINES WILL BE THE KEY TO A RESURGENCE

If Notre Dame is going to improve, and do so quickly, both lines will have to play much better than what we saw against the Buckeyes. Notre Dame's defensive line was solid, but it wasn't the dominant unit it is expected to be, and the offensive line struggled.

The 2017 turnaround was fueled by an offensive line that took the loss personal and just destroyed its opponents the next two months. That unit created the team's mentality, and it needs to have a similar impact in 2022.

Notre Dame's defensive line needs to also have a similar response, and it has to start with veterans Isaiah Foskey and Jayson Ademilola. Neither played well against Ohio State, and we need to see them take that a bit personally and come out inspired against Marshall. It will not only show their football character (see above), but it will bode well for the future if they do.

It's not so much about needing it to beat Marshall, but it's about establishing the foundation of what this team is supposed to be about, and this team won't reach its full potential if the two lines don't play better .... a lot better.

WHO EMERGES ON OFFENSE?

Notre Dame needed someone to step up and make a play on Saturday night and it just didn't happen. Yes, the lines need to play a lot better, but some skill players need to step up and emerge.

It begins with quarterback Tyler Buchner, who showed grit against Ohio State, but you don't win championships with grit alone. It always requires making plays. Buchner has loads of talent, and now he needs to step up and make more plays as the leading man.

Who steps up beside him? Well, that's part coaching and part players. Tommy Rees and the offensive staff are clearly still learning how to use the current personnel, and for the rest of the year there is no excuse for Lorenzo Styles and Braden Lenzy to combine for just two catches.

Those are two players that must produce at a much higher level, and that requires Styles to finish plays better and Lenzy to get more opportunities. I want to see both emerge on offense this weekend, and then use that as a launching point.

Junior Chris Tyree also needs a more expanded role than what we saw on Saturday. If the line plays better he should be a beneficiary, as will sophomores Audric Estime and Logan Diggs.

We need to see freshman wideout Tobias Merriweather early this week as well, and getting him going is very, very important to this unit reaching its full potential.

There's simply too much talent for Notre Dame not to become a more explosive offense, and it needs to start this weekend.

JEREMIYAH LOVE TO VISIT

Speaking of explosive playmakers, one of the best in the 2023 class is visiting this weekend as St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers running back Jeremiyah Love is making an unofficial visit.

Love is coming with his parents, and this visit will go a long way towards the Irish sealing the deal with him. The 6-1, 190-pound speedster - who is also a 4.0 student - is a perfect fit for Notre Dame and he's had the Irish on top in his recruitment for months, it's now closing time for the Irish.

A Top 100 recruit according to Rivals (No. 51), 247Sports (No. 87) and ESPN (No. 95), Love is the kind of versatile and explosive athlete Notre Dame wants and needs more of on its roster. Notre Dame is also trying to continue getting into the loaded St. Louis area, and Love would be the second Top 100 recruit from St. Louis to choose the Irish, should they close the deal.

There is no downside here. Tremendous student, high character, elite athlete, versatile, highly ranked. This is a recruitment Notre Dame needs to win. This weekend's visit could help with that a great deal.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Speaking of explosive playmakers, here's a couple of plays from Notre Dame wide receiver commit Jaden Greathouse this weekend.

Jaden Greathouse (@jadengreat1) with a ridiculous 60 yard punt return touchdown! pic.twitter.com/GErGWLX1y4
— solvingfootball (@solvingfootball) September 3, 2022

Jaden Greathouse baby! #devypreps pic.twitter.com/cPOmJeleQr
— Jason DiRienzo (@allpurposescout) September 3, 2022

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

One of the new ventures for Irish Breakdown is our new college football channel that you can find on YouTube and on your podcast apps. One of the shows is the CFB Nation All-America Podcast that is hosted by Bill Bender and Bill Trocchi from Sporting News. Below you can listen to their latest episode.

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Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

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