In the immediate aftermath of No. 9 Notre Dame’s 42-3 drubbing of Navy on Saturday night — night as in local time, nearly 11 p.m. in Dublin — Irish head coach Marcus Freeman praised two first-time starting offensive guards in a few ways. One of them was a unique assessment of Navy, one that logically made sense but is not often offered about the Midshipmen.
“Navy’s defense is almost as exotic as its offense,” Freeman said from Aviva Stadium. “You don’t see some of the things they do.”
The Midshipmen are just as limited in their defensive recruiting as they are in their offensive recruiting. Of course the defense has to get creative, even if it does not draw as many eyeballs or headlines as the triple-option offense does and always will for as long as Navy sticks with it.
FCS-level Tennessee State may have reason to get that creative this week but not across its entire season. Playing in the Ohio Valley Conference, the historically Black university will be on relatively even footing the rest of the season, so Eddie George does not scheme up an exotic offense or defense like Navy does. Anything the Tigers deploy to surprise the Irish (1-0) on Saturday (3:30 ET on NBC) will be nearly as new for Tennessee State as it will be for Notre Dame.
So when Freeman suggests the Irish might trot out some new offensive sets, it makes sense. They will face a more traditional defense.
“This week we’ll present a couple different other things,” Freeman said Thursday. “... You’ll see multiple different personnel groups this week. I don’t know if I want to give away everything we’re going to do, but you will see some personnel you maybe haven’t seen in the past that we look to really create some mismatches and try to put ourselves in a matchup where we feel really favorable.”
That may come across as coach-speak, even if not a usual genre. Why would Notre Dame display different personnel groups this week against an overmatched Tennessee State?
Two reasons come to mind. First of all, getting reps for those units should only help them in weeks to come, particularly at North Carolina State (1-0) next week and against No. 3 Ohio State on Sept. 23. Secondly, putting those personnel groups on film would give the Wolfpack and the Buckeyes additional things to study and prepare for, loosely adding to their practice worries.
In theory, with Sam Hartman and his potent arm at the helm, those personnel groups should include more downfield threats and fewer multi-tight end packages, perhaps combining the likes of sophomore receiver Tobias Merriweather with freshman Jaden Greathouse with senior Chris Tyree, despite the fact that those latter two nominally play the same position. Add in sophomore tight end Holden Staes and Notre Dame could possibly, maybe, conceivably, theoretically have a vertical passing attack, something not seen in a consistent fashion in South Bend since … DeShone Kizer and Will Fuller combined in 2015.
“As these young wideouts continue to gain the trust of our coaching staff and of everybody, you can see more wideouts,” Freeman said. “Look at what happened with five running backs that all contributed last game. How do we make sure we utilize all these different skills that we have with different personnel?”
Instinctively, the primary thing to learn this weekend was going to be who are running backs Nos. 2 and 3 for Notre Dame, but the true focus may be who is the best Irish deep threat.
Entering the season, it was expected to be Merriweather, but a drop of a screen and a missed chance at a touchdown last week could adversely impact his progress beyond those literal moments. Junior Jayden Thomas is a genuine deep threat in the sense of using his shoulders to haul in an 18-yard out route but not a shot down the middle of the field. The Irish do not have a known deep shot among their receivers.
“Who gives us the best chance to succeed, what person can get into that, that we believe creates some advantages for us offensively?” Freeman asked rhetorically.
Finding that playmaker goes beyond putting that threat on tape. Hartman and [fill in the blank with the thought of Tyree or Greathouse or junior Deion Colzie or possibly still Merriweather] will be emboldened by proving their connection on a Saturday, no matter the opponent.
Notre Dame will almost assuredly avoid running up the score on Tennessee State, but an explosive touchdown pass or two would raise the ceiling on the Irish season.
𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 | Ahead of Saturday's @NDFootball vs. @TSUTigersFB game, we welcome Tennessee State and the community as a whole to experience a weekend of noteworthy special events.
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) August 31, 2023
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Once they’ve connected, then some running back wonders should be applicable. And those may be where the game gets out of hand for the Tigers. Notre Dame averaged 6.0 yards per rush last week against Navy, which despite its limitations is still a better defense than Tennessee State’s should be. Even as the Irish presumably try to minimize the Tigers’ miseries, freshman Jeremiyah Love finding a crease will be an unlikely scoring opportunity to halt in its tracks.
By playing Love against Navy, Notre Dame made clear its expected intentions of playing the freshman speedster all 13 games this season. The exact running back pecking order may take weeks to reveal itself, simply given the talent depth among the four backs behind star junior Audric Estimé.
“Five guys that are all talented,” Freeman said Monday. “I told [running backs coach Deland McCullough], he’s done a great job of keeping those guys unselfish, putting them in situations that are — they have packages based on who they are and some of their strengths. I was really impressed by the depth and the execution of that room.”
More than is innately obvious, the Irish need to place a priority on keeping Estimé healthy. Not just uninjured, but healthy, so he is fresh when Ohio State visits in three weeks, when No. 6 USC shows up at Notre Dame in mid-October, when the Irish head to No. 9 Clemson in early November. To have him ready for 25 carries on those occasions, he may be limited in the other weeks, understandably and prudently so, but also to such an extent that identifying the clear No. 2 running back may be beyond precision.
Even as the Irish repeatedly hand off the ball in Saturday’s second half, it will be beyond certainty. Even as that respectful game management takes away from No. 2 QB Steve Angeli’s pass attempts, it will be beyond coherent comprehension.
From a fan’s or beat writer’s perspective, that may be frustrating. Gray areas have that effect. From an Irish perspective, it will be a luxury.
In the meantime, POP QUIZ HOTSHOT:
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) August 31, 2023
When was the last time Notre Dame was favored by 40+ at home?
The pregame gray area will be the gambling spread. Games against FCS teams reach the sportsbooks’ offerings later in the week as a routine, usually the morning of the game. The lack of a Tennessee State at Notre Dame pregame line at this point is not an indictment of the game, rather a regular decision made by the bookmakers to protect themselves in a narrow market.
When that line reaches the market, expect it to be a healthy number, perhaps the biggest in South Bend in two decades, but not that much bigger than a few occasions in recent years.
I was asked to provide a line yesterday.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) August 31, 2023
I went ND -49.5 with a total of 51.5. https://t.co/An161I4bn2