Last Saturday, Notre Dame came back from a shaky offensive start to resoundingly beat Miami (Ohio) 28-3 for their first home victory of the season. While some may think this a cause for celebration, many find their joy hampered by the looming cloud of a No. 15 Louisville matchup next Saturday. What exactly are fans expecting after a second home game that left cause for concern? That question is the focus of this week’s edition of Stock Up, Stock Down.
Stock Up: Runnin’ Riley Leonard
Senior quarterback Riley Leonard used his fast feet to eclipse triple-digit yards rushing for the second week in a row. Against the RedHawks, Leonard had 12 carries for a total of 143 yards rushing. Large rushing totals are not new for Leonard, as he ran for 100 yards in Notre Dame’s 66-7 rout of Purdue in Week Three and 63 yards in the season opener against Texas A&M. However, the 143 yards on the ground against Miami set a career high for Leonard, providing a glimmer of hope that he can develop into a great Notre Dame dual-threat quarterback as the season progresses.
Leonard’s impressive rushing totals do not seem to be stopping anytime soon, as the Irish have clearly made pounding the rock a priority this season. They will likely take this mentality into their matchup against Louisville, a team that has had considerable trouble against the quarterback run. The Cardinals gave up 101 yards rushing to Jacksonville State quarterback Tyler Huff and 58 yards rushing to Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King. Overall, it feels safe to say that Leonard could make some impressive contributions to the run game this week.
Stock Down: Passing attack
On the other side of the coin, Notre Dame’s passing attack, specifically the lack of air yards, has left a great deal to be desired. In this day and age, a strong passing game is absolutely essential for a team that wants to be as dominant as the Irish believe they can be. With offensive weapons like sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse, senior tight end Mitchell Evans and a strong receiving core all around, one would think this should be fairly easy to achieve. However, the relatively green and injury-ravaged Notre Dame offensive line has not protected the pocket long enough for deep routes to develop. While the offensive line’s inexperience has bought the group a little leeway as they struggle to improve their pass protection, that leeway is quickly running out.
It took less than a quarter for chants of “Throw the ball!” and “We want Steve!” to start up in the Notre Dame student section on Saturday. These calls are not new by any means and could be heard loudly at Notre Dame’s Week Two loss to Northern Illinois as well as the win against Purdue. It has become clear that the student population and many Notre Dame fans as a whole demand a passing offense that can deliver big plays by way of “long bombs.” Despite his wonderful skills as a rusher, Leonard seems to be quickly losing the people’s trust, to the point where many fans believe the Irish would fare better with junior quarterback Steve Angeli. Angeli has seen a relatively small amount of snaps this year but has shown promise after throwing 6 for 9 for 100 yards in the win over the Boilermakers. Nevertheless, Notre Dame remains steadfast with Leonard, and as such, the passing attack will continue to face criticism from fans unless something radically changes — and soon.
Stock Up: Defense
Amidst all that went well this weekend, perhaps nothing was more impressive than the Irish defense. Despite losing two fumbles, one of which came on a muffed punt, that gave the RedHawks the chance to score big, the Irish defense stood steadfast, allowing merely three points on the day. Miami finished the game with one field goal, six punts, two interceptions, one missed field goal and one turnover on downs. This lockdown defense allowed the Irish to pull ahead with their 28 unanswered points to come back for the win. In fact, the defense has been a consistently impressive aspect of the team, allowing only 39 points through four games. After a momentary lapse against the Huskies, the defensive line seems back in form, delivering consistent QB pressures and recording four sacks against Miami.
This weekend, Notre Dame should be well matched against an impressive Cardinal offense. However, it is important to note that the Cardinals are relatively untested, having yet to face a top-tier defense. The Irish should be able to present a solid defensive presence in this game, and this will undoubtedly be a crucial step in the Irish’s path to victory this weekend.
Stock Down: Student perception of the Irish
The very concept of stock is, of course, regarding the perception and trust in the Notre Dame football organization. Unfortunately for the Irish, their stock has continued to go down in the eyes of the students. When questioned as to how confident they felt about the Irish winning against the Cardinals, students provided a mixed-bag of answers — none of them being exceptionally positive. Students believe the Irish have looked “bad,” “sloppy” and “sluggish” the last few weeks. These sentiments are shared by first-years and upperclassmen alike, though it is perhaps more concerning to the upperclassmen. Numerous juniors and seniors cite the 26-21 loss to Marshall in the 2022 home opener as the source of their apprehension. Between four losses that year and three losses last year, Notre Dame students came into this year accepting nothing short of perfection but now expect mediocrity.
This has been fostered by slow starts in the games against the Aggies and the RedHawks, along with the very Marshall-esque loss to Northern Illinois. For the Irish to bounce back from this slump and win back student favor, a few changes need to be made. They need more speed in their game plan, striking quickly to rack up a big lead before the half. Not only this, the Irish need to focus on more of an air raid-style offense rather than a heavy ground game. The people want big plays. Notre Dame fans want to feel dominant and unstoppable. Most of all, they just want to abate the fear that their favorite team will choke the season away. These fears can be diminished, but it won’t be easy for the Irish as doubt continues to mount even after consecutive blowout wins. Overall, it is safe to say that a lot rides on this game against Louisville, but none more important than the Irish winning back fan confidence.
