Mike Denbrock went on record earlier in the Notre Dame football season that quarterback Riley Leonard had to make the “natural progression” this season to become a better quarterback. It seems that happened.
Now, the offensive coordinator needs to make the natural progression so that the Fighting Irish offense doesn’t struggle in the red zone the way it did against Army at times. The good news is that Denbrock understands that’s a need, and he’s addressed it.
Speaking earlier this week, the Notre Dame football coach addressed the red zone (specifically the goal line) issues they had against the Cadets. He made it clear that they won’t see them against USC. "We’ve got counters to that, and I should have gone to them," Denbrock told the assembled media.
Notre Dame football thinks it has fixed goal line issues that cropped up vs Army
Notre Dame OC Mike Denbrock said the in-goal motion vs. Army was homage to the Irish's old offense.
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) November 26, 2024
"I was paying respect to the Four Horsemen. That's what I was trying to create."
He noted the plays weren't blocked correctly, and he got onto Riley Leonard for going airborne. pic.twitter.com/yw2m1nevfW
After the win over the Black Knights, Denbrock admitted he was trying to do something neat because of who the opponent was and the history of that team.
"I was paying respect to the Four Horsemen. That's what I was trying to create."
It didn’t work. Notre Dame got stuff on four downs. And there were plenty of questions afterward why the Irish didn’t try and spread things out a bit more and use their speed to get into the endzone.
It ended up not mattering much in the game, but when everything is on the line in every game, nerves take over when the coaches make some confounding decisions. For his part, Denbrock said Notre Dame football fans won’t have to worry about that sort of thing on Saturday.