There are several changes we want to see from Notre Dame football, but there’s one that is most critical coming out of the bye
This 2024 Notre Dame football team has been a rollercoaster so far this season. From a week to week basis, you never quite know which version of this team you are going to get. One week they are going into a hostile environment and defeating a top 25 SEC team, then struggling against MAC opponents, […]
This 2024 Notre Dame football team has been a rollercoaster so far this season. From a week to week basis, you never quite know which version of this team you are going to get. One week they are going into a hostile environment and defeating a top 25 SEC team, then struggling against MAC opponents, blowing out a Big Ten opponent and defeating Louisville.
The Irish program now enters a section of the schedule that looked very, very manageable on paper. With so much volatility, however, we just can’t assume that Notre Dame is going to skate by without much ease. During the next three games before the second bye week, the Irish will be taking on Stanford, Georgia Tech and Navy.
On paper, Notre Dame should win each game, and relatively easily. Each of those opponents brings unique challenges, but the Irish battle against themselves will tell the story of that stretch. As a fanbase, we need to see this team come out of this bye week focused and having things to build off of.
There are several things you need to see from Notre Dame during this stretch in order to feel good about how this 2024 team can be the rest of the season. It all starts with getting healthy. You need to get players like defensive end Joshua Burnham, offensive guard Billy Schrauth, and cornerbacks Christian Gray and Benjamin Morrison back as healthy as you can. That’s the top priority.
From there, we can talk about the basics. Yes, the Notre Dame passing attack needs to find more success. Yes, the run defense needs to get better. Every fan sees those deficiencies every Saturday.
The biggest change is from an attitude perspective. We never know which Notre Dame team we are going to get each week, and that’s due to one thing in particular, attitude. When the Irish come out focused and like bullies, they typically win and convincingly. When they don’t, it’s usually a less than stellar struggle.
This Irish team, whether you agree or not, is built on a strong running game and a powerful offensive line. On the other side of the football, it’s about an aggressive defense that causes high disruption. In a vacuum, head coach Marcus Freeman wants this team to be a dominant one. He wants this team to set the tone, and show controlled aggression.
If that’s the team you want, then the mindset has to be consistent. That’s why the term “bully ball” is so readily referred to. Notre Dame wants to dominate up front, and make their opposition quit. Then start acting like it.
How will you know if this team has shown growth out of the bye week? We will know very early on in this football game. There’s no excuse to play down to the level of competition. This team should come out and assert their physicality and aggressiveness early in contests. That mentality is needed, and what we need to see from Coach Freeman’s group.
