It wasn't the officiating folks, it was really bad game management

[CardHack]

I'm glad Matt McGavic used the line "coping mechanism" in describing hand wringing over officiating. The call with Lacy was awful which is unfortunate because it lends itself to the whole remaining narrative of it being a poorly officiated game--my only remaining complaint is that Clark should have been ejected for what was called an unsportsmanlike conduct--especially in the context of Jamari Johnson's blindside blocking penalty in the fourth quarter. I don't care if Bell walked off the field and pissed on Clark's family members in the stands beforehand or even spit on him as some Notre Dame scribes have alleged. My complaint as it applies to the coping mechanism is I'm not so convinced on all of the spots and the one posted on Twitter over and over as "evidence" is a joke. The spot where the official took the football from the sideline to the spot on the left hash to have another official step in and correct it was because the official who moved it DID have the spot wrong. That's not a conspiracy folks, that was a corrected mistake and I didn't think Chaney was remotely close to getting the first down. I am of the mindset that if Chris Bell turns his 6"2, 220 pound frame upfield instead of angling to the sideline and trying to outrun a faster DB we're not pissing and moaning about the spot. And that's not even to mention the recipe for folly that ensued on 4th down where Brohm and the staff went into a brain lock thinking there was going to be a measurement. That whole sequence of events to me was horrifying because in a high pressure, high intensity situation Jeff looked like he was on Tilt more than in control of all the variables. I don't have a problem with the playcall of an option pitch on 4th and 1 into the shortside, I have a problem with it being Chaney who is a North/South exclusive runner and Jeff confessed as much postgame. The Browns were much better personnel fits for that play.

The "spots" on the the game's last drive were also vexing because of the same end of the half mismanagement. We got the ball back on our final drive at the 2:44 mark. 1st down run for 5 to midfield, next snap at the 2:21 mark run for 3 yards to the Notre Dame 47 and this is where I am equally as critical of Jeff as at the end of the first half...we had a two minute warning timeout and no remaining timeouts pocketed which is why the run on 2nd down I thought was dumb, dumb, dumb. Passing gave you more upside. Incompletion stops the clock and sets you up with 3rd and 5 and you can do that coming out of a huddle, completion more yardage, a clock stoppage for the 1st down and an extra play before the two minute warning. The whole sequence suggested to me in retrospect that Jeff didn't want to give Notre Dame any time to get off a long field goal if and when we scored. Honestly, I think we were probably going to go for two if we scored the touchdown on that drive but we'll never know. If I'm being honest I would have played for OT because I think defensively we had figured out Notre Dame's attack midway through the second quarter and virtually dominated to the point of the breakdown at the 9:00 mark of the 4th quarter.

...and again, that isn't officiating folks. Frankly, Jeff choked on the bit.

 

[vivid_red]

I tend to agree. It is easy after the game to same what we should have done on certain play or situation, much harder to do under game pressure in real time. However that is why college coaches are paid the big salary, to make the "smart/correct" decision quickly during the game. GO CARDS!

 

[TheRealVille]

I'm glad Matt McGavic used the line "coping mechanism" in describing hand wringing over officiating. The call with Lacy was awful which is unfortunate because it lends itself to the whole remaining narrative of it being a poorly officiated game--my only remaining complaint is that Clark should have been ejected for what was called an unsportsmanlike conduct--especially in the context of Jamari Johnson's blindside blocking penalty in the fourth quarter. I don't care if Bell walked off the field and pissed on Clark's family members in the stands beforehand or even spit on him as some Notre Dame scribes have alleged. My complaint as it applies to the coping mechanism is I'm not so convinced on all of the spots and the one posted on Twitter over and over as "evidence" is a joke. The spot where the official took the football from the sideline to the spot on the left hash to have another official step in and correct it was because the official who moved it DID have the spot wrong. That's not a conspiracy folks, that was a corrected mistake and I didn't think Chaney was remotely close to getting the first down. I am of the mindset that if Chris Bell turns his 6"2, 220 pound frame upfield instead of angling to the sideline and trying to outrun a faster DB we're not pissing and moaning about the spot. And that's not even to mention the recipe for folly that ensued on 4th down where Brohm and the staff went into a brain lock thinking there was going to be a measurement. That whole sequence of events to me was horrifying because in a high pressure, high intensity situation Jeff looked like he was on Tilt more than in control of all the variables. I don't have a problem with the playcall of an option pitch on 4th and 1 into the shortside, I have a problem with it being Chaney who is a North/South exclusive runner and Jeff confessed as much postgame. The Browns were much better personnel fits for that play.

The "spots" on the the game's last drive were also vexing because of the same end of the half mismanagement. We got the ball back on our final drive at the 2:44 mark. 1st down run for 5 to midfield, next snap at the 2:21 mark run for 3 yards to the Notre Dame 47 and this is where I am equally as critical of Jeff as at the end of the first half...we had a two minute warning timeout and no remaining timeouts pocketed which is why the run on 2nd down I thought was dumb, dumb, dumb. Passing gave you more upside. Incompletion stops the clock and sets you up with 3rd and 5 and you can do that coming out of a huddle, completion more yardage, a clock stoppage for the 1st down and an extra play before the two minute warning. The whole sequence suggested to me in retrospect that Jeff didn't want to give Notre Dame any time to get off a long field goal if and when we scored. Honestly, I think we were probably going to go for two if we scored the touchdown on that drive but we'll never know. If I'm being honest I would have played for OT because I think defensively we had figured out Notre Dame's attack midway through the second quarter and virtually dominated to the point of the breakdown at the 9:00 mark of the 4th quarter.

...and again, that isn't officiating folks. Frankly, Jeff choked on the bit.

It was both. A combination of suspect play calling and one sided officiating. If you're here to tell us after watching that game, the refs didnt hurt Louisville far more than ND, you're just in denial.

Yes, we should have won anyway without our mistakes and Brohms dumb play calls on 4th down, but without the assistance of the refs, ND would not have had the lead in the 4th quarter.

I watched the game again this morning and anyone who says the officiating wasn't one way just isn't seeing straight.

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood]

There's a combination of things impacting results. First road game (got down large early), weather (ain't gonna help our guy go into the bag of tricks), Oline/Dline (especially in this type of game, they have more here) injuries, officiating (it was bad), coaching decisions/strategy (eh, not sure maybe not great), adjustments (D played strong 3rd Q), bad luck (some of that) ... and............talent (they have more).

The one variable rarely discussed is talent disparity. Portal might be helping bridge the gap but at the end of the day the ND roster probably has much more talent than our roster does. To be clear I have not taken deep dive research into this, I am speculating.

My guess is ND is hanging around the T10 annually with recruiting classes and has significantly more 4* guys than the Cards, and more 3-4* depth too.

So for UofL to actually stroll into S. Bend given that and other variables, to have the ball late in the game with a chance to get the W, this tells me the UofL staff is better than the ND staff.

So I have a hard time going with "Jeff choked" but it is a short-sighted narrative that will get some legs.

 

[CardHack]

The one variable rarely discussed is talent disparity. Portal might be helping bridge the gap but at the end of the day the ND roster probably has much more talent than our roster does. To be clear I have not taken deep dive research into this, I am speculating..

I don't subscribe to this because you really have to go position by position; for two and a half quarters our defensive line was defeating or stalemating their offensive line; the untold story is they are what kept Notre Dame from stretching their lead. Our linebackers were fantastic. Their Secondary and our Secondary right now is night and day and preseason I don't think many would have thought that; you knew that Notre Dame returned two All-Americans, even without Quincey Riley I would have said preseason we can overcome that for a game or two. It's been a bit if a mess.

But where the talent argument falls apart most for me is when you factor the quality of Shough's passes and marry that to who he is throwing those passes to. There is no comparison aerially between Louisville and Notre Dame and if you want the best evidence of that look at how little an impact a preseason All-American candidate like Mitchell Evans has on the game and it's not his fault per se; Leonard isn't a quality passer to trust challenging with Evans more downfield. Shough throws good wide receivers open and makes quality throws in the deep and intermediate parts of the field; Notre Dame's lack of that makes them easier to defend.

 

[TheRealVille]

There's a combination of things impacting results. First road game (got down large early), weather (ain't gonna help our guy go into the bag of tricks), Oline/Dline (especially in this type of game, they have more here) injuries, officiating (it was bad), coaching decisions/strategy (eh, not sure maybe not great), adjustments (D played strong 3rd Q), bad luck (some of that) ... and............talent (they have more).

The one variable rarely discussed is talent disparity. Portal might be helping bridge the gap but at the end of the day the ND roster probably has much more talent than our roster does. To be clear I have not taken deep dive research into this, I am speculating.

My guess is ND is hanging around the T10 annually with recruiting classes and has significantly more 4* guys than the Cards, and more 3-4* depth too.

So for UofL to actually stroll into S. Bend given that and other variables, to have the ball late in the game with a chance to get the W, this tells me the UofL staff is better than the ND staff.

So I have a hard time going with "Jeff choked" but it is a short-sighted narrative that will get some legs.

Well, I don't agree with the ND talent edge. I didn't see it in this game at all, even on the lines. Now if one uses recruiting rankings for talent, then yes ND has that advantage.

In this game, the Cards dominated the box score. Had more yards, better QB play and even better receiver play. The defense was faster than ND's and I believe made better adjustments than ND.

Louisville lost this game in the first half with the turnovers and allowed the Irish to play from ahead instead of behind. I believe many Cards fans are starting to question Jeff calling the plays while being the head coach. He is glued to the play cards on offense and is making some rash decisions with the plays he calls.

This game was for the taking by Louisville, who I believe is a much better team. Unfortunately, for the Cards sake, losing as the better team is a staple of college football. Remember the Pitt lost last year?

I made my game by game predictions for this season back in August and I had Louisville losing this game to ND mostly because of exactly what happened with the refs and the breaks. I still believe the Cards can run the table or finish at 10 and 2. The return of Lacy gives the Cards two dynamic receivers and they have a great QB who can get them the ball.

This loss sucks because we're better than ND but it doesn't derail the Cards playoff chances. A ND loss would have and that just couldn't be allowed unless the Cards played a mistake free game.