by Leprechaun Express & Steve Welsh
“… Hudson … gained control of the Fighting Irish defense when Brian VanGorder was fired Sept. 25 after a 1-3 start. And while the only tangible evidence of Hudson’s impact to the outside world has been a 50-33 win over Syracuse in his debut, he has certainly carried a presence about himself inside the Irish football complex. …”
Brian Kelly met with reporters on Thursday heading into Notre Dame’s road game at North Carolina State.
12:06 p.m. ET; Saturday, Oct. 8; Carter-Finley Stadium (57,583); Raleigh, N.C.
After a 33-16 victory over previously unbeaten Wake Forest last Saturday, NC State is now 3-1. The Week 2 loss to East Carolina is in the past and the Wolfpack have built some momentum. … Three Things to Watch … 1. Turnovers … 2. … Boise State graduate transfer Ryan Finley has taken hold of the [quarterback] position … complet[ing] better than 72 percent of his passes … running back Matt Dayes … is averaging more than 100 rushing yards per game …. 3. Notre Dame Passing Game … Final Analysis … The weather could be a major factor in the game and the team that wins may be the one whose quarterback can handle the elements better. …
Brian Kelly met with reporters on Tuesday heading into Notre Dame’s upcoming game at North Carolina State. [click here for transcript]
… So a lot to play for, a lot in front of us, a lot of challenges, but more importantly a group that I feel is really excited about the direction that we’re going in particular on defense. We hope to build on that. There’s going to be some ups and downs and there will be some growing pains when you play 18 freshmen, redshirt freshmen, in particular you play 11 true freshmen, there will be some of that. …
7 points on special teams …. Notre Dame is now one of 20 teams in the country to have a kickoff return for a touchdown …. Notre Dame allowed Syracuse to convert just 20 percent of its third downs …. 5 touchdowns of 50-plus yards …. 4.5 yards per play allowed on first down in the second half …. 1 forced fumble ….
“Notre Dame defeated Syracuse, 50-33, on Saturday at MetLife Stadium”
1. The Notre Dame defense made progress … 2. Back to work. … Kelly made good on his promise to play more people, as an amazing 27 players were credited with tackles …. forcing nine Syracuse punts — four times on three-and-out …. 3. What a wild start. … five consecutive touchdowns to open the contest — and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer had thrown bombs of 79 yards (on the first play from scrimmage) and then 67 yards to sophomore Equanimeous St. Brown within the first four minutes of the game. Throw in C.J. Sanders’ 93-yard kickoff return — and Notre Dame accounted for three TDs in less than five minutes to open the action. … Kizer already had 356 passing yards by halftime …. 4. DeShone Kizer is a dynamic player. … ranked fifth nationally in passing yards per completion (16.49), third in yards per pass attempt (10.38), sixth in passing TDs (14), ninth in passing efficiency (175.4), 12th in passing yards (1,567) and even 19th in rushing TDs (six). No Irish quarterback has ever participated in a Notre Dame victory and thrown for as many yards (471) as Kizer did Saturday. … 5. Some normalcy now returns. A win over Syracuse doesn’t solve everything, but at least Notre Dame this week in preparation for North Carolina State can seek some sense of routine again. …
“The worst is behind Notre Dame … Notre Dame didn’t do everything it wanted defensively, but it was clearly improved. … The wide receiver position is going to be strong for years to come …. Kizer is pretty incredible, but not perfect …. Young guys played well …”
“The Notre Dame offense did struggle on third down, which sounds strange considering that their first effort here resulted in a 67-yard touchdown pass. The problem was that after that, they managed to move the chains just two of the 11 remaining times. Plus, their one fourth down effort near the goal line failed. The worst effort in this category had previously taken place in the loss to Michigan State.”