Airing it Out?
Denbrock Should Elevate the Passing Game
Irish Breakdown’s Bryan Driskell went a little nuts recently regarding how some of the Way-too-early rankings went, and I normally would not even care, it being May and all, with (checks the calendar) only 17 Saturdays to go until the Irish take on Miami at The Rock, just off of Biscayne Bay. But he had some really fair points:
Like, how does ESPN look at LSU and rank them 6th, with the Irish 7th, based upon them losing four of five starting O Linemen and likely using transfers to replace several of them, whereas they note the Irish “lost” two starting O Linemen, thus they must be worse (without noting that those two, plus Pendleton, left because they knew they would not start; in other words, we upgraded internally, while the Tigers are building with unknown players)?
Or ranking Texas – who lost to Georgia twice last season and lost much more talent than the Irish – ahead of us essentially because of QB Arch Manning (who was actually pretty mediocre in his play last year and actually only has two starts)?
Or Penn State, which barely beat USC in OT, and lost to Oregon and Ohio State – as well as the Irish – and lost their two first team All-Americans in TE Tyler Warren and DE Abdul Carter – ahead of the Irish? Sure, they return QB Drew Allar, but is he that good?
Notre Dame may not be a Top Five team, but you cannot rationalize these other teams being better for the given reasons while not noting the Irish are likely equally good or better for each of those same reasons. Anyway, it’s way too early…we’re in the silly season.
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The 2024 offense evolved throughout the season, with Riley Leonard getting his first reps in August with the whole team, Joe Rudolph in his second year on the Irish staff with the least experienced O line in the modern era, and middling talent at wide receiver. It’s fairly amazing we won at Texas A&M to start the year, buoyed by two big TD runs by our star backs, a crucial catch by Beaux Collins, three critical FGs by Mitch Jeter, and a stout defense. Many of the deficiencies of the offense were exposed by Northern Illinois, so even a defensive effort that held them to 16 points could not overcome the offensive ineptitude. And even after a “get right” game against a terrible Purdue team, the Irish O could only muster 28 points against Miami…of Ohio.
But there was notable difference in the 31-24 victory over Louisville (where we allowed TD drives of 23 and 8 yards after turnovers to make it closer), and the team averaged over 44 points in the last eight games, with the O averaging 39 (there were several defensive TDs sprinkled in, with two vs. the Trojans).
Still, Marcus Freeman’s team was, and will continue to be, defensive first, based on his roots, but by bringing in Denbrock, he helped mitigate his own deficiencies with a high-grade offensive mind (rather than continuing with Gerad Parker!).
For any skeptics in the Administration who had been okay with Parker or Tommy Rees, the dividends paid by hiring Denbrock should be obvious, and should only improve (as well as the $20M or so earned by making the Playoffs).
The 2025 offense will improve, dramatically. To say we did not have a vertical offense would be an understatement (we were 118th in passing yards per completion!), and that should change some in 2025, but a couple of factors are at play here. Sure, the O Line returns a lot of experience, relative to last season, and had a good amount of success last season, even becoming a finalist for the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s best unit. However, consider how big and elusive Riley Leonard was, avoiding sacks on many occasions (the Irish only surrendered 25 sacks last season, and five were taken by Angeli – three by Purdue in garbage time, and two on his stud drive against PSU; napkin math says that Leonard took the other 11 sacks across 16 games!).
Also, our running back duo averaged over six yards per carry, possibly based on the running lanes provided by the line, but certainly also due to the immense talent and vision of the backs, with many explosive runs:
Texas A&M: Price TD for 47 yards, and Love with the game-winner for 21 (plus a 29-yarder earlier)
NIU: Only Love’s bicycle-hurdle TD for 32 yards
Purdue: Price TD for 70, Love for 48
Miami (OH): none (Leonard for 50, though)
Louisville: none (but three 30-something-yard TD pass plays, including Love’s TD to seal)
Stanford: Love for 39-yd TD
GT: Price for 23 (not a TD), Love for a 25-yd catch (also non-scoring)
Navy: Love TD of 64 yards
FSU: Price for a 65-yd TD run (and Leonard for a 34-yd TD)
UVa: Love 76 yds for a TD, Price for a 20-yd rush
Army: Love 68 yds for a TD, plus the highlight hurdle (and Aneyas Williams for 58 as well)
USC: Price 36 for a TD
Indiana: Love for 98 yards!
Love’s hurdles against NIU, Army, USC, and Penn State all deserve notice, as well as the grinding, twisting goal-line TD from two yards out by Love
However, there was a notable step back in the run game against some of the best competition. After dispatching Indiana (and not needlessly risking our stars to close out the game), we did run for 154 on 37 carries against UGA even while resting Love’s knee (4.2 average), but then ran for only a paltry 117 on 42 carries against Penn State (2.8 per carry), and in the Title game, we had only 53 yards on 26 carries, with nine totes for 33 yards by Leonard on the first scoring drive, so only 20 yards on the other 17 rushes (to be fair, once you’re down 31-7, you tend to abandon the run game, as well had to).
We did not have a receiver with a 100-yard game all season, until we absolutely had to, when Leonard and Greathouse cooked for the last two games against both Penn State and Ohio State. Leonard had his third- and first-highest total passing yards of the season in these two games, with a season-high of 255 against Ohio State, and Greathouse caught for 105 and 128 in those two games, respectively, with two late TDs against the Buckeyes that made them sweat.
To be fair, in 2023, Hartman’s best games against Power 5 competition were only 286 yards vs. NC State and 277 vs. Wake Forest, and only Rico Flores in the WF game had over 100 yards receiving, so not as explosive a passing offense than we may remember
The Irish should have a very different look this fall – a less mobile QB (regardless of who starts) but with maybe more passing polish, and a better cast of receivers. Still, we may see more sacks even with an improved line, just subtracting the Leonard factor. And yet we should have a better running game, maybe even more explosive, which itself may tamp down huge passing numbers if we’re moving and controlling the ball on the ground. Still, Denbrock will want to strengthen the passing game as the year progresses for the very reason I mention above – when a more stout opponent can limit your rushing success.
We also tend to overlook the dramatic role Special Teams played in many of the wins in 2024, many which helped shift the tenor of many games:
Mitch Jeter’s three FGs vs. Texas A&M
The 42-yard loss by Louisville on a bad punt snap, recovered by Urlacher at the four
Tyler Buchner’s fake FG run against GT for a first down to get seven instead of three points early
Six blocked kicks by Bryce Young across the season
The incredible TD (that was erroneously called back) on the fake punt against UVa
Of course the fake punt substitution against UGA that sustained the clock-killing drive by forcing UGA to sub their players and jump offsides – after Harrison’s TD return of the 2nd half kickoff, and another three-FG game by Jeter
Two more FGs by Jeter against Penn State, including the game winner!
A more promising future? Of all the players I mentioned above, only Leonard, Harrison, and Jeter have moved on.
My point overall? We won several games, including in the Playoffs, due to tremendous defense and critical special teams play, yet without a dynamic offense that powered the team. We had “team” wins, and sometimes relied on gimmicky special teams to turn the tide of game, which proves that Freeman is both a good and bold coach (those plays are designed and practiced, and not just by chance). But now with Denbrock in his second year, with two understudy QBs returning, a solid offensive line, and the best running back in the country and room in the nation, we could see a team powered to wins more by the offense than its past reliance on stout and dynamic D (we led the nation in Takeaways, for example) and bold Special Teams play.
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Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua, long a proponent of phasing in roster limits, announced that the school will honor the roster spot of all current athletes and permit those who were cut this year to return, becoming the first school to commit to fully grandfathering-in athletes.
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From the Notre Dame website: “The University of Notre Dame led the way among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools and matched its institutional record with 17 perfect scores in the latest release of Academic Progress Rating (APR) statistics from the NCAA.”
