Alright folks, I have watched enough football in my life to know that sometimes we make this game considerably more complicated than it needs to be.

We draw up formations. We disguise coverages. We motion a guy from one side of the field to the other so that another guy can move six feet in the opposite direction.

We have RPOs, zone reads, mesh concepts and enough terminology that I'm reasonably certain Nick Saban could have successfully invaded France if Eisenhower had just given him three weeks of film.

But occasionally football presents you with a much simpler problem.

There is a man standing in front of you. Move him.

And after spending some time looking at this week's opponent, the Boyd Buchanan Buccaneers, I'm beginning to think Friday night might be one of those occasions.

Although perhaps with one important amendment:

Sometimes you move the man. Sometimes you make the man move.

So let's get to it…

Boyd went 11–1 in 2025 and won the region. But they lost a lot. The Times Free Press flagged the offensive line as the huge preseason issue — Boyd had to replace four of five starters up front.

And look at the current roster. Fifty-eight players, but extremely young. Their quarterback is sophomore Drew Rivers, 6'0", 170–180 — and actually a very interesting athlete: basketball point guard, 32-inch vertical, good enough that Boyd can use his legs.

The rest of the skill production is heavily underclassmen too:

Kamerin Williams, Jr., WR/CB — 90.5 receiving yards/game, 3 TDs

Jack Ferguson, Jr., RB — 45 rushing yards/game

Drew Rivers, Soph., QB — 417 total yards

Corey McGraw, Jr. — 7 tackles/game

Mason Bates, Sr., DE — 2 sacks

Peyton Martin, Soph. — 2 interceptions

And the Chattanooga Prep game gives us a pretty good idea of what Fant is willing to do with this group: 237 yards through the air, 32 on the ground, in a 33–0 win. That's not exactly Gary Rankin lining up in two tight ends and announcing we're going to run Power until somebody's mother comes down out of the stands and demands a stop to it.

THREE OBSERVATIONS

1. THAT 49–0 SCORE WASN'T AN ACCIDENT.

Boyd started 2–0.

Beat Mount Paran Christian 34–0.

Beat Chattanooga Prep 33–0.

Sixty-seven points scored, zero allowed.

Then they went to Lakeway Christian last Friday and lost 49–0.

Whenever I see the worm flip over like that, my first question is always the same: What in the name of Dabo Swinney just happened?

So I went looking.

And the biggest thing that jumped out was the line of scrimmage.

Boyd is a young team that had to replace most of its offensive line, and against Lakeway it had a very difficult time handling pressure and physicality up front.

Now, before we turn that into "Notre Dame should just run directly at these people until they surrender," there's another part of this worth mentioning.

Boyd has some dudes on its defensive front, too.

So this may not be as simple as lining up and handing the ball to Michael Woodley 27 times while I eat popcorn.

That's where Notre Dame's offensive versatility matters.

I've discussed the size of this Irish team enough already that I'm beginning to feel like I'm writing 4-H livestock reports. Dre Parks. Richmond Bell. Morgan Green. Braydon Collins. And friends.

We have some very large teenagers who appear to enjoy moving other teenagers to places those teenagers had not originally intended to go.

But controlling the line of scrimmage doesn't always mean running directly through it.

Sometimes you move the man.

Sometimes you make the man move.

Make those defensive linemen chase. Make them diagnose. Get the ball outside. Throw behind them. Get JT moving around. Make them defend the entire field.

Then, when they start worrying about all that other nonsense…Raptor.

2. CHARLES FANT KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE'S WALKING INTO.

This isn't just another game on the schedule.

Boyd's new head coach is Charles Fant — and if that name sounds familiar around Vermont Avenue, it's because Coach Fant spent years on the Notre Dame sideline.

He knows the school. He knows the program. He knows the people. And he knows football.

So let's dispense immediately with the idea that Boyd shows up Friday, sees Notre Dame's big people and says: "Well fellas, this appears unfavorable."

Not happening.

I'd expect Fant to have something ready — screens, quick throws, misdirection, moving the pocket. Anything that keeps his young quarterback from standing still while Notre Dame's front arrives carrying bad intentions.

I'd expect his best 10 or 15 plays scripted and ready.

I'd expect Boyd to play extremely hard, with real emotion, and to show us a wrinkle or two.

Which is fine.

Because Charles Fant can call every play Mike Leach ever drew on a cocktail napkin.

He just can't call any of them while Notre Dame has the football.

3. I HAVE A REVOLUTIONARY OFFENSIVE CONCEPT I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE.

Keep it.

That's the whole idea.

I don't particularly care whether Notre Dame runs it 38 times and throws it 12, or runs it 25 and throws it 25.

I care about this:

Fourteen plays. 73 yards. 6:48 off the clock.

Woodley for six. Quick completion to JT for eight. McWhorter for five.

Move the sticks. Restart the clock.

Turbo on a jet sweep.

Quick throw outside.

Woodley downhill.

First down.

And every once in a while Dremel Green for 25 because apparently he has somewhere to be.

Touchdown. Kickoff. Repeat.

I want drives so long that by the time Boyd gets the football back, their offensive coordinator has forgotten what he wanted to call.

That's how Notre Dame can control this game.

Not by proving we can run the football on every snap.

By proving Boyd can't get it back.

TWO QUESTIONS

1. DID WE LEARN ANYTHING FRIDAY NIGHT?

Let's get something straight about CAK.

CAK is good. Really good.

They didn't accidentally beat Notre Dame. They made plays, created turnovers, took advantage every time Notre Dame got behind the chains, and punished the mistakes.

That's what good teams do.

But Notre Dame also spent a significant portion of Friday behaving like somebody had secretly replaced the football with a live raccoon.

Penalties.

Turnovers.

Negative plays.

More penalties.

The official stat sheet didn't even record the final penalty total, which remains one of my favorite statistical developments of the young season. Apparently at some point the person keeping the book looked at the field, looked at the pencil, and decided:

"We're beyond numbers now."

But here's something worth understanding about some of those holding calls.

Everybody sees a holding flag and immediately looks at the offensive lineman.

Sometimes that's where the problem started. Sometimes it isn't.

On a running play, the blocking scheme is designed to create a particular path. The lineman establishes leverage expecting the back to go one direction. If the back decides there's greener grass somewhere else and bounces the play back across that block, suddenly the defender is trying to disengage in the opposite direction. The lineman can let go. The official can still see holding.

Flag.

And the guy wearing #73 gets blamed by 2,000 people who have absolutely no idea what just happened.

So "clean football" Friday doesn't simply mean telling the offensive line to stop holding.

It means everybody doing his job.

Trust the block. Hit the hole. Take the four yards.

Get lined up. Know the assignment. Don't turn it over. Don't turn 2nd-and-4 into 2nd-and-14.

Notre Dame doesn't need to become more talented this week.

It needs to become more dependable.

That's a much easier problem to fix.

2. CAN NOTRE DAME ENJOY BEING BORING?

This may be the biggest question of the night.

Grace showed us what Notre Dame looks like when the talent advantage is overwhelming.

Rhea County showed us what Notre Dame looks like when everything goes wrong and this team has to fight its way out of a ditch.

CAK showed us what happens when you keep putting yourself in that ditch against a good football team.

Friday night, I'd like to learn something considerably less exciting.

Can Notre Dame simply control one?

Young teams love explosive plays. Everybody does.

A 65-yard touchdown is exciting.

Nobody's mother has ever jumped out of the bleachers screaming: "THAT WAS THE BEST FOUR-YARD RUN I'VE EVER SEEN!"

But championship teams eventually learn to appreciate four yards.

Because four becomes four. Then six. Then three.

Then an eight-yard completion.

Then five.

Then the defense starts putting its hands on its hips.

And eventually the other team realizes Notre Dame has had the football for most of the quarter.

That's the maturity I'm looking for Friday.

Not more athletes; we have plenty.

Not more explosive plays; we can make those.

I want to find out whether this team can go be disciplined, dependable and profoundly uninteresting on somebody for four full quarters.

No drama.

No circus.

No need for me to double up on the blood pressure meds late Friday night.

Just a professional evening of high school football.

ONE PREDICTION

NOTRE DAME WINS THE TIME-OF-POSSESSION BATTLE BY A LOT.

I was originally tempted to predict 200 rushing yards.

I'm backing off that.

Not because I don't think Notre Dame can run the football. I absolutely do.

But Boyd has enough ability on its defensive front that I don't think the objective should be proving some philosophical point by running directly at them 45 times.

Take what they give us.

If Boyd loads the box, throw it. If they spread out, hand it to Raptor.

If they lose track of JT, somebody please alert Colt or Andrey immediately.

And if Turbo gets the edge, I'll see everybody in the end zone.

The statistic I care about Friday isn't rushing yards. It's possessions.

I think Notre Dame controls them.

I think Boyd comes out energized. I think Fant has a good opening script. I wouldn't be surprised if the first quarter is competitive.

But over four quarters, I think Notre Dame's size, depth and offensive versatility take over.

So give me three six-minute touchdown drives, no turnovers, about four penalties — and have this thing wrapped up in time for me to get the pork shoulder on the Traeger.

I've got things to do Saturday.