Notre Dame football vs. Toledo review: 3 studs, 3 duds

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Sep 11, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Toledo Rockets running back Bryant Koback (22) is tackled by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker JD Bertrand (27) in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

Notre Dame football vs. Toledo review: 3 studs, 3 duds in Week 2

Marcus Freeman

First-year defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and his defense make their second appearance in as many weeks on the duds list. Multiple plays over 60 yards were yielded against Toledo. The alignment of defense continues to confuse viewers but it is not to blame. The poor technique and tackling caused many defensive breakdowns.

There may be some hope for Notre Dame football fans. Aside from glaring mistakes, the defense is stifling. The team currently ranks fourth in the country in sacks with 10. Also, they sit ninth in the nation in tackles for loss. If the mistakes are cleaned up, this group will take off exponentially.

Peacock

Streaming services, cable companies, and networks will inevitably attempt to place televised sporting events behind a paywall. To some extent, this already occurs with ESPN+, Sunday NFL Ticket, and MLB TV. However, these services mainly offer out-of-market contests to viewers in exchange for a fee. Peacock was a slightly different attempt – offer a broadcast that is normally free as a part of a streaming package.

It is unknown how well Peacock and NBC fared with generating and keeping new subscribers yet. But, the execution of a live college football broadcast was fraught with technical errors. The delay served as the largest problem for viewers. If fans scrolled Twitter, they likely knew the major developments in the contest. Consistency in-stream and lack of delay are imperative to live sports. Without them, fans might as well have highlights with Lindsey Nelson.

Notre Dame offensive line

The Fighting Irish offensive line continued to struggle on Saturday, only rushing for 132 yards. Notre Dame’s offense generated those rushing numbers after inserting a new quarterback who presented a running threat. The group, which lost another offensive tackle to injury, also failed to protect Jack Coan for most of the game. He was sacked 6 times. Notre Dame’s offensive line ranks 126th in sacks allowed. Options are limited for offensive line coach Jeff Quinn and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

Sep 11, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Tyler Buchner (12) carries in the second quarter against the Toledo Rockets at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame football: Irish lean on Coan, Buchner in comeback victory vs. Toledo

It took turning to a true freshman to do so, but in the end, the Notre Dame football team came away with a home victory over Toledo, moving to 2-0.

Freshman guard Rocco Spindler could work in as a substitute guard. The Irish could realign with Patterson playing left tackle and Correll playing center. However, Kelly shot down that idea in his post-game press conference.

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