It’s not uncommon to have a common opponent or two with a semifinal foe, but of course, this has nothing in common with the college football season.
Just the schedule of the conference and, well, the fact that Notre Dame is in a conference is proof enough. In the absence of apple-to-apple comparisons, film studies become more crucial in the construction of the Alabama-Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl (played in Texas).
Several Irish players, coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Tommy Reese gave the impression of Alabama during the 3am City Saturday kickoff in Arlington during a video conference interview Monday morning.
At least one comparison was made with a former general opponent who shared style with the top-ranked Crimson Tide. The fact that Notre Dame played Georgia in 2017 and 2019 was not lost at Reese.
“There are some similarities,” said Notre Dame OC. “It simply came to our notice then. And if you go back and study clearly what Alabama was in the past, you will see many similarities to what Georgia was like from ’17 to ’19. There are definitely some carry overs. I’m not saying there isn’t. But it’s funny what you mentioned, because going into the game, it was kind of like I wanted, hey, it would look a lot like Georgia. “
That said, he noted that it would not be a mirror image in any way. Also, the Notre Dame Bulldogs lost both games 20-19 in 2017 and 23-17 last fall. Quarterback Ian Book said he also sees similarities in how Alabama’s defense plays compared to Georgia’s.
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Clemson is another teammate that both teams have seen in recent years. Alabama last faced the Tigers in the national title game to close out the 2018 season – an embarrassing 44-16. The Irish have faced Clemson twice this year, winning at home-at0 overtime and then losing -10 to 34-10 in the ACC title game.
“Alabama keeps it a little longer. I don’t want to say it’s easy, but Clemson has some pretty good overseas plans,” said Notre Dame receiver Ben Squarenek. “So you never know what you’ll get in every third place. But it is obvious that both have great players on defense. He has many future prospects when it comes to defense. So the talent level is very similar between the Clemson team and the Alabama team. “
Giving a basic scouting report, Kelly said they follow the Nick Soap model by building a large, physically defensive front with athletic linebackers. Patrick Suren is “probably the best corner we’ve ever seen,” Kelly said.
Offensively, he called Alabama “electric” and noted that “scores bushels and bushels points.” The Irish play something different when he has the ball.
“So I think we’re not running Princeton into a four-cornered offense, but we’re trying to run our offense, which is traditionally a ball-control offense.” “So it should still be in our minds that we can’t get into this game and change who we are, but the great part about it is that this year has been our DNA.”
Kelly also mentioned the fact that Georgia and Ole were able to run the ball over Miss Alabama and that they were two of the three teams stuck with the tide.
“We want to run the ball,” Kelly said. “We need to play football. Depending on who we are and how we have performed this year, we will have to run the ball more efficiently than we did last time. “
In the loss against Clemson again in Charlotte, the Irish net ran y 0 times in the net yard. Minimum rush of over 100 yards for the 20th ranked ground game in the FBS.
Given Alabama’s average 49.7-point game, does any of the attackers at Notre Dame emphasize the attack?
“I don’t think it’s too much pressure,” said Crane Williams, running behind. “We just play the game and stay true to who we are. It’s a crime that we can supplement our defense and give room for more breathing to make drama.
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Alabama defensive speed impressed Squareneck, the receiver. Suren’s film stood out.
“I think it starts with his feet,” Squareneck said. “He has really good legs, capable of walking patients. But when you combine it with its length and athleticism, it will make it the top cornbrook future for the next NFL draft. He has all the confusion. I’m excited to go there on Friday and compete against it. ”
Reese, backup quarterback When Notre Dame lost to Alabama in 2012, he said he coaches Alabama’s defense well.
“They’re structurally very noisy,” Reese said. “Their players play with extremely high IQs and are able to adjust and check when you give them a different look, which is a sign of a good coaching team. Solve very well, as well as any we have played, which shows how much they correspond in fundamentals. To be honest with you, employee wise, for me, probably with that (survey). Probably because I’ve never seen college ledge football in any year, so good a corner. We played them in ’12, and they were in a pretty good corner, de Miliner. “
That Notre Dame team lost 42-14 in the BCS title game after entering as the top ranked team. The Irish are a three-score undergraduate this time around as the No. 4 seed in the playoffs with low outside expectations.
Williams, running back, said it was inspiring.
“Not everyone in the world believes in us. And that’s fine because we don’t want anyone but us to trust us, “he said. “As long as we have met as a team and coaching staff, everyone else in the building trusts us to know what we can do. We’ll go out there on Friday and do what we do and play for Notre Dame football standards.
“Being an under dog is nothing new to us. We are just proving to the world who we are. “
Michael Casagrande is a journalist with Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter ByCasagrande Or on Facebook.
