As much as we have loved the defense under Brian Kelly, as much as we are use to Manti, Nix, Tuitt etc. As much as we were impressed with BVG, this loss is on the defense!

 

The loss to Arizona is on the defense. THIS loss is on the defense! We scored 40! We scored 40 damn points and that should have been more than enough! Michigan beat these guys and only allowed 9 freakin' points! I don't care how many turnovers there were. I don't care Kelly went for 2! I don't care we didn't run enough! We scored 40 freakin' points and even with a pedestrian defense that should have been more than enough points! Yes, the Offense could've scored more but they shouldn't had to! Think about this,,, Freakin' Northwestern scored 43 points on us! 43!!!!

 

That's on the D! It takes 3 sides to win! If I bet $50,000 dollars and lose it does not matter if I can make $1,000,000 tomorrow! We did the exact damn thing at Arizona, scored a boat load of points but they scored MORE! And THAT my friends is on the DEFENSE!

 

But Speedster, If Brindza hit,,,, IF Golson didn't fumble,,, If the coach didn't go for 2,,,, If coach would've just taken a knee,,, Yes, mistakes were made by all, Offense, defense, special teams and even the coach BUT they scored 43 FREAK'N points! Ouur 40 points should've been enough and THATS on the defense. Fix the defense and there's no hole we can't dig ourselves out of!

The defense did enough to win this game.

 

All those "excuses" you pointed out at the end of your rant. Not going for the

1. Taking a knee instead of running a cold rb in cold weather. Hell, imagine if we just stuck with Hunter Smith holding the snaps? We are 8-2 and looking at a News Years bowl by winning out.

 

BK underestimated how bad the defense would be in the 4th quarter. Losing Day, Cage, and Riggs does not help matters. Playing Tranquil and Morgan in the most important positions on defense does not make this defense better. Kelly should have known it, underestimated Northwestern, and we are now 7-3.

 

The defense did enough to win this game. BK lost this game because of poor game management. Hopefully he learns from this game.

It's mostly on the defense but turnovers have been at least as detrimental. You can't go around turning the ball over three, four times a game or more, especially when they result in points or field position for the other team.

 

Another issue is the offensive line, they've been a sieve compared to recent years. We had a run there where the line was pretty much dominant for awhile but there has been a drop off in both run blocking and pass protection this year.

 

This year's team has had a Saturday Night Special pointed at their feet for over a month and they've been pulling the trigger on it far too often/

It was awful defense, but I too blame Kelly for this one. He is so stubborn when it comes to the run game. Everybody at the house said please run the damn ball from the five up the middle and we score. We ran sideways twice with receivers and ended up fumbling. It's almost to the point of arrogance that he refuses to run against teams where it's actually working. Folston ran once and spun early and walked in from the five. We never did it again. Last week EG threw a pick from the five, this week he fumbled at the five pulling the ball back. Just give Folston the damn ball please Kelly!

I also blame a lot on the O line. They have been terrible and with a good line, I think Golson has maybe less than 10 TOs.

Of course its the defense: We are giving up 42 points a game since Stanford. Even with the turnovers we're scoring enough points to win if we were getting average defensive play, but we're not.

 

The question is-why are we playing so many young players? There has to be recruiting failures to be 5 years into a program and starting so many freshmen and sophomores.

Frankus, they are playing a ton of young guys because they've lost a bunch of experienced players to the draft, suspension and injury.

 

If everyone stays and they get back Russell and I. Williams the defense will be very experienced next year

this is it totally.

 

we are scoring enough points to win.

 

cant give up 43 to northwestern. michigan held them to 9 at home!

We have a defense?----Its just NOT FAIR speedster to blame bad things on somebody that wasn't even there,,,,

 

aloha

Frankus, they are playing a ton of young guys because they've lost a bunch of experienced players to the draft, suspension and injury.

 

If everyone stays and they get back Russell and I. Williams the defense will be very experienced next year

 

Exactly right, Bada-Bing. We have been playing 5 scholarship players short all year long, 4 of them were starters and 4 of them were experienced DEFENSIVE players. It's very similar to U$C's scholarship ban albeit for a single season. The loss of these players was bound to hurt us at some point in the season and now you are seeing the results, especially when other players started to get injured.

The defense did score a TD, forces 4 turnovers and got the offense the ball inside the 5.

 

It wasn't a great effort by any means, but there were some bright spots.

The defense did score a TD, forces 4 turnovers and got the offense the ball inside the 5.

 

 

If you gave me the above and told me ND scored 40, I would say ND won by four TDs . . .

Some of those excuses sound VERY FAIR...My thread was the " the defense has worn down"....I have made and agree with all the points about MITIGATING circumsatnces....

 

BUT NONETHELESS---NORTHWESTERN was only able to muster 7 points against WESTERN ILLINOIS---9 points against Michigan etc etc etc....

 

couldn't get more then 17 points in any games.....is simply TERRIBLE on OFFENSE

 

They have only 3 4 star players on their roster....

 

 

Jaylon Smith

Niles Morgan

Sehldon day

Jarron Jones

Issac Rochel

Cole Luke

Max Redfield

Cody Riggs

 

I'm sorry fella's

 

THERE IS SIMPLY NO VALID EXCUSE FOR WHAT WE SAW

 

Perhaps the WORST defensive performance taking the opponent into consideration ever by an ND TEAM

 

The players and THE COACHES should be embarrassed and ashamed!!

 

Aloha's

Exactly right, Bada-Bing. We have been playing 5 scholarship players short all year long, 4 of them were starters and 4 of them were experienced DEFENSIVE players. It's very similar to U$C's scholarship ban albeit for a single season. The loss of these players was bound to hurt us at some point in the season and now you are seeing the results, especially when other players started to get injured.

 

We went into the season with only 4 down linemen that were juniors or seniors: Romeo Okwara, Ishaq Williams, Sheldon Day and Justin Utupo. That's 4 linemen in two classes. With 85 scholarship players, I don't see why we're not taking 5 down linemen per year. Did we do that?

 

Here's who we have as scholarship linebackers in our junior and senior classes: Ben Councell, Jarrett Grace, Anthony Rabasa and Kendall Moore. Are any of them good? I have my doubts. I think it is fair to say that Rabasa, Moore and Councell are busts and that Grace, while better, is not elite by any stretch of the imagination. He;s an Ohio guy that Ohio State didn't offer. Never a good sign.

 

Let's look at safety: Eilar Hardy, Elijah Shumate, Austin Collinsworth. Let's face it, none of these guys are going anywhere. Poor recruiting. Shumate is the best, but he's sketchy.

 

Cornerback: Jalen Brown, Matthias Farley, KeiVarae Russell, Josh Atkinson. Two busts, one serviceable guy and one elite guy. Riggs was a guy we were very fortunate to get.

 

I think we have recruited poorly and don't have enough bodies on the D line. We are seeing the results. We must do a better job going forward.

Redfield over Tranquill. Tranquill is good, but he looked like he pissed himself a few times. Redfield is too good of an athlete.

Frankus, they are playing a ton of young guys because they've lost a bunch of experienced players to the draft, suspension and injury.

 

If everyone stays and they get back Russell and I. Williams the defense will be very experienced next year

 

At this point in the year, the kids aren't freshmen anymore. We make a big deal of the benefits of early enrollments, I think fall camp and nearly a complete season is enough to dry the moisture behind the ears a little.

 

Seems to me BVG defense is weak against the hurry up offense and coaches have figured it out.

hard to have a good consistent defense when your offense is 115th in turnovers

out of 125 teams

That may be true in the overall marcwthglasses but STILL

 

Mississippi ST

Florida ST

West Virginia

Penn State

Virginia

Texas Tech

 

All of those teams turn the ball over at our rate and THEY ALL would beat northwestern

 

None of those teams have turned in a game stretch that SETS SCHOOL RECORDS for points allowed

 

Turnovers are horrible---we deserve losses they was we let the ball go

 

BUT IT DOES NOT EXPLAIN GIVING UP NEAR 50 WHOPPING POINTS to the likes of UNC/Northwestern/Navy

 

This is BY FAR the worst stretch of defense I can remember----

 

Willighams teams sometimes made you feel that every pass would be a TD

 

The way teams have been pushing our D around for the last several weeks is sickeningly reminiscent of the LOWEST POINTS for this program!

 

GOD HELP ME_------I thought all that was behind us

 

aloha's

How can you blame the defense when you have zero senior leadership and a bunch of skinny *** freshman out there? Do you expect a high school team to win with Freshman? No, it's not on the Defense.... it's on the play calling, the play calling should be to PROTECT the weak offense, control the clock, keep them off the field etc... instead we are slinging it all over the place in a high-risk offense.... run the freaking ball and win the t.o.p.... I started a thread but if Jeff Quinn was here I think he would be in Kelly's ear. Makes me wonder about how much Kelly has relied on him throughout the years.

How can you blame the defense when you have zero senior leadership and a bunch of skinny *** freshman out there? Do you expect a high school team to win with Freshman? No, it's not on the Defense.... it's on the play calling, the play calling should be to PROTECT the weak offense, control the clock, keep them off the field etc... instead we are slinging it all over the place in a high-risk offense.... run the freaking ball and win the t.o.p.... I started a thread but if Jeff Quinn was here I think he would be in Kelly's ear. Makes me wonder about how much Kelly has relied on him throughout the years.

 

Jaylon Smith, Day, Rochell, Jones, Luke, Riggs, Shumate aren't skinny azz freshmen. The defense's play is inexcusably BAD. That's it. They gave up 41 (not counting the returned PAT) points to NORTHWESTERN. That's all that needs to be said as to why ND lost.

Lets look at something, and I lay the blame directly on BK.

 

2011 no true NT, not one that can hold the point of attack and let the LB's do their job. Only DE's.

 

[2012 Only 3 Dlineman.

 

2013 only 2 dlineman, and arguably the worst job of dline recruiting by Kelly. Only Eddie V and Isaac Rochelle And we wonder why we are getting zero pass rush and no depth. Huge issue and problem for Kelly

 

So, this is 100% on Kelly and his ability to recruit defensive linemen. Not only a NT but edge rushers.

 

Oh well, we are where we are. I know that is why he is going after so many this year. But, the bad job he has done has lead to some of the huge issues.