case expectation?
Best:
The Defense takes a couple of games to adjust and is probably not quite as good upfront (new faces) but gets significantly better on the backend and we continue to tackle well, be aggressive and rally to the ball. On par with the massive improvement, we've seen under Lea.
The offense improves through the air in yardage but is less successful in short-yardage and on 3rd down which cost us a few games due to lack of QB escapability. It also unfortunately offers opposing defenses less to have to worry about so they key in more on the run game. Probably see a typical Kelly offense of mostly vanilla design though called by Rees. With all the new faces on OL and QB and an unproven set of WRs we probably fall 3-5 pts per game which again attributes to 2 or 3 losses.
Worst:
The Defense struggles mightily in the transition to a new coach and scheme. New faces along the line and LB underperform the production of the past few years and Kyle Hamilton is the lone bright spot on D. We likely lose at least 4 games.
The Offense gets even less production out of WR corp than we have in the past few seasons and no one steps up. The OL doesn't gel with too many new faces and at QB Coan doesn't cut it. Pyne isn't ready, or neither is Clark if he's healthy. The big question mark at QB is to tall of an order to overcome. The lone bright spots are Mayer, Williams, and Tyree. Though the running game struggles more than this past season due to worse OL play and it being too easy for D's to focus solely on the run. We lose at least 4 games because the O suffers from a good bit of 3 and outs, lack of firepower, and it takes a big step back from the last 3 years.
2021 is a big question mark for me. What are your thoughts?
My guess it will be SOS on offense and it will take a solid defense to get to 10 wins.
Schedule will be much tougher with Wisconsin, Cincy, USC and Stanford plus an improved GT and probably a better UNC with the possible 1st round QB back.
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and that is the key for any team
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ND hopefully benefits from this year’s game being at home.
I think Coan will be fine. I think the OL will have time to "gel" given the early schedule (first three games). Probably the most challenging thing about the schedule is the four most difficult opponents are going to be back-to-back couplets: Wisconsin-Cincy, USC-UNC. Three of those games are at ND, though. The other in Chicago. I don't think the 2021 team will be as good overall as 2020, but given the schedule I think they will fare pretty well. I like to think Rees's renewed emphasis on a run game will carry over into further success on the ground in 2021, despite the OL overhaul. Young WRs, who have speed and talent, stepping up and staying healthy probably are the biggest issue with the passing game. Tough to say with the D . . . new DC and all. I suspect they will be pretty strong. I like Freeman, and I think it was a great hire. Really wish Ogundeji had come back . . . I think he was ready to explode. I'm looking at Foskey as a potential breakout star.
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The Defense is going to be fine. Our strength was controlling the line of scrimmage on defense and with all our DTs returning (great depth) and experienced DEs in Fosky and Ademilola and experienced inside LBs (White, Bauer, Marist, Simon) - we should be able to control the running game. We have enough athletes and experience in the secondary with Hamilton, Bracy, Lewis, Hart, etc. to handle most teams. I am only worried when we play the elite offenses, which North Carolina is the only one I see on the schedule (maybe Cincinnati).
Offense is very much an unknown, but if we rely on our running game and the offensive line can gel like we have come to expect... again, we will have enough offense to beat most teams on our schedule even if the QB position is average. Will it be enough to beat North Carolina, USC, Cincinnati? That is the big question and will decide if we have an average year, or a return to the CFP.
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We play both Ohio St. and Clemson in 2022 and 2023.
We can be a really good team. It starts with QB. Perhaps, Coan will start the season, but at some point, we need Buchner to emerge. He is our future. He has all the tools, including the long ball.
Kelly and Rees have to have a rebuild of the offense. We have plenty of fast, talented receivers and a great tight end. They must be used. The whole field must be used in the passing game, including the middle and deep.
This would open the running game. Williams and Tyree, and watch out for Estime, will be the beneficiaries. They can thrive. Don't worry about the OL; there is a lot of talent. We have recruited well.
The defense will be aggressive and productive under Freeman. His biggest challenge will be the DBs, so he really has to get that squared away. There are a lot of talented early entrees, and he needs to give them a crash course this spring, follow up in summer practice, and blend them with the retunees.
There's no reason why we can't run the table and make it to the CFP, and this time, play like we belong there.
Go Irish!
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whopping one high school season?
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Didn't play at the highest levels of HS football. And hasn't played HS football since his JR season. It is asking A LOT of a kid with that history to come in and seize the reins for a CFP run. I like his upside too. But I just honestly don't see him as being a "championship caliber" QB out of the gate. If 2021 is "ND's best shot," I think a super inexperienced QB learning on the job is the surest way to derail it.
We just had a real good QB who won 30 games for us over 3 years, but he couldn't get the job done against the big boys.
At least, Buchner has the potential to do that; whereas, Book never did.
Maybe, Buchner will not reach the elite level, but give him a chance.
I get it. Fans love to project that highly rated prospects will be great, and will be great immediately. But it isn't a one-size-fits-all deal. I like Buchner's talent. But he simply is not a highly polished QB who has developed his skills against top competition or under great tutelage. Buchner has barely played HS football, and what he has played was against weak competition. He played a few snaps as a HS freshman, lost his SO season to injury, and had his SR season canceled. He played great as a JR, but again, against low-level competition. He transferred for his SR year to a higher level of competition, but lost the season to the pandemic. I just don't understand how a kid with that background is expected to come in and be a CFP level QB as a freshman. It just doesn't make much sense that a kid with one season of HS football under his belt is ready to be ND's Trevor Lawrence (who was polished and groomed to be a great QB since before HS even). Sorry to rain on the parade, but I just don't see it. Except as a fantasy projection, which fans love to do. But in reality, I will be shocked if Buchner can play at CFP level as a freshman.
Except on college football team blogs
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And, hey, this is a fan message board. Why not shoot for the stars and project big? I hope a year from now you are making me eat crow because Buchner kicked ass in 2021! Sincerely.
I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself...
I hope he's fantastic...but there have been legions who looked great on highlight reels that didn't pan out...
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What you're doing here is dreaming...which is fine...but acknowledge it for what it is.
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