People have wondered how Northern Illinois could beat Notre Dame for over two weeks. A profile of how a different Mid-American Conference team prepared to face the Fighting Irish gave some clues.
The Athletic followed the Miami of Ohio coaching staff around during the week of preparation before the game, and Redhawks’ head coach Chuck Martin and his staff noticed that the Irish, especially on offense, showed some weaknesses on tape — and showed some tells.
To be fair to the Irish, Martin and his staff also noticed that there were some things Notre Dame did so well that the Redhawks didn’t even try to attack in those areas. And yes, all teams have weaknesses and tells — part of coaching is scouring tape to see what your opponent might do, and another part of coaching is to self-scout to shore up your weaknesses.
It’s also worth noting that Martin, along with Miami of Ohio quarterbacks coach Gus Ragland and defensive coordinator Bill Brechin, have ties to Notre Dame and the Irish coaching staff, which means that they have unique insights into the tendencies of Fighting Irish staffers like offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.
So there’s probably no reason to overreact to the piece or to indict Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and his staff — this is a normal part of the game.
Still, the Irish staff might want to read the piece to learn how opponents are scouting them.
This passage is particularly illuminating: “The RedHawks have also picked up a few tendencies in the Irish offense. They notice running back alignments and postures tip run or pass. If the running back is slightly in front of Leonard, it’s probably quarterback run. If the running back’s hands are on his thigh pads, there’s a good chance he’s getting the ball. If the back is more hunched over, he’s blocking. And Notre Dame loves to run on third down in plus territory.”
Reading about the game-within-the-game is always fascinating, and Irish fans may glean some insight from the piece. Hopefully, Notre Dame’s opponents don’t.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Profile exposes some areas where Notre Dame needs work
