Leftovers & Links: Estimé's fumble, Liufau's physicality and Notre Dame's appreciation of both

Marcus Freeman’s initial thought Saturday night after No. 13 Notre Dame beat up Navy, 42-3, in Dublin made sense. Audric Estimé went to the bench after a 25-yard gain complete with a physical broken tackle; that may have simply earned a breath.

No, Estimé was pulled from the game because he fumbled at the end of that 25-yard rush, a moment denied further ignominy solely because junior tight end Mitchell Evans’s hustle pushed the loose ball out of bounds before Navy could recover it.

The Saturday clue of Estimé’s reality was that he first headed toward the middle of the field and the huddle before being called to the sideline.

“There’s a standard that he and our offense has set for that (running backs) room,” Freeman said Monday, long since fully informed by a postgame — perhaps somewhere over the Atlantic on Sunday — conversation with running backs coach Deland McCullough. “You can’t put the ball on the ground. We don’t care if you’re Sam Hartman or Audric Estimé. If you aren’t doing the things that we say are the standards for this program and this room, then there’s consequences.”

Let’s be clear: Quarterback Sam Hartman will not be benched after his first turnover, no matter when it comes.

There are times and places to send these messages, and early in an expected rout is an ideal time and place.

“I thought it was a great example to not just [Estimé and McCullough], but to everybody in that room, even our entire team,” Freeman said. “Nobody’s bigger than the standard. Nobody’s above the standard. If you don’t perform to the standard, there’s consequences. We understand that.

“We know Audric Estimé did not mean to put the ball on the ground, but the ball’s on the ground. So we have to hold him accountable to that standard. It’s a really proud moment to see that. There’s no pouting, no guy throwing his helmet, mad.”

That may have been in part because Estimé knew it was an avoidable fumble. He bounced off a tackle in the box, showing impressive balance as he spun away from the defender and moved up the field, drifting toward the near sideline. But Estimé never moved the ball to his outside arm, never appeared to even consider it. The next Navy defender to reach him would have a clear view of the ball, and safety Rayuan Lane took advantage of that.

If Evans had not used his 6-foot-5 ⅛ frame to reach for the ball and propel it out of bounds, the Midshipmen would have recovered at midfield.

Freeman and McCullough could reasonably assume that momentary mistake would not cost Notre Dame the game. The Irish were already up 7-0 and even that problem of a play gained 25 yards. Frankly, it may have been a coach’s favorite opportunity, akin to the film study after a close win.

Freeman pointed to Notre Dame’s one failed drive, missing a field goal late in the third quarter, the only Irish drive not to result in a touchdown or the end of the game, and the three quality drives from Navy.

“Those are great, I love it, they’re great teaching opportunities,” he said. “You look for those moments to evaluate, especially after a big win like that. You look for opportunities, continue to teach, continue to make sure your players know the urgency you have to have to fix mistakes.”

For Estimé, he is bordering on a fumbling problem. Two lost fumbles last season were costly, one ending any chance Notre Dame had at a comeback against Stanford, the other taking a touchdown off the board at North Carolina.

Missing three drives and the rest of the first half Saturday may have seemed a bit harsh, but it served Freeman’s broader purpose and could be a needed reminder for Estimé to protect the ball.

If he can, Estimé should earn national notice in short order. On just 16 carries and two catches Saturday, he created 12 missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus, gaining a combined 121 yards and scoring once.

ON MARIST LIUFAU’S PHYSICALITY
Freeman sounded a bit impressed as he praised Liufau.

“Listen, I’ve played linebacker,” the former Ohio State All-Big Ten linebacker said. “There’s certain plays, certain formations you can see and say, okay, we’re going head-to-head, we gotta go.

“It’s not natural to really like and enjoy that over and over and over and over.”

Liufau likes and enjoys that over and over and over and over.

Though it took him a play to dial in. On the first Navy snap, Liufau moved into the running lane and launched himself at the lead blocker. Senior Khalil Crawford, 20 pounds lighter than Liufau, put the Hawaiian on his back. Crawford even began chirping, a questionable decision against Liufua, who proceeded to make seven tackles.

“They got in the same formation four or five times, and every play, Marist went and took [Crawford] on,” Freeman said. “That’s what you love to see, a guy willing to sacrifice his body.”

DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
Navy gained six yards on that opening play, with Liufau watching the last few of them from ankle height. The Midshipmen then found success on their next two plays, as well, both by the eye test (14 yards, 11 yards) and by the definition of “success” used to craft rushing success rate.

They would then succeed on only 40 percent of their remaining rush attempts, including 36.8 percent in the second half.

Some of that stat is usually rendered off-base by the triple-option with the service academies more likely to attempt a fourth-down conversion and thus changing the practical impact of gaining only two yards on a third-and-short, for example. But by the time Navy attempted its second fourth-down conversion, it was already trailing 14-0 and 35-0 by the time it tried its third. The Midshipmen issue was not failures on fourth downs, not when they had five straight unsuccessful rushing plays to open the second half, the stretch in which Notre Dame turned its 28-0 halftime lead into a 35-0 lead with only four minutes left in the third quarter. (The Irish also missed a field goal in that interim.)

If there had ever been any Navy hope, it died on those five straight unsuccessful rushes, the game-flow counter to the three straight successful rushes to open the first half.

INSIDE THE IRISH
— Notre Dame and Sam Hartman enjoy an Irish Blessing in 42-3 rout of Navy in Dublin
— Highlights: Notre Dame 42, Navy 3 — Sam Hartman, Jaden Greathouse lead Irish in Ireland
— Things We Learned: On a long-awaited night in Ireland, Notre Dame’s offensive calm stood out
— Notre Dame’s long travel day foreshadows Sundays off all season; DT Gabriel Rubio injures knee

OUTSIDE READING
— How might an expanded ACC schedule look in football, basketball, Olympic sports?
— In life after Navy, Ken Niumatalolo is not looking back
— What’s the plan for USC and Caleb Williams? An all-access look inside San Jose State’s game week
— USC-San Jose State first thoughts: Caleb Williams’ magic, Zachariah Branch’s debut
— Vanderbilt’s win against Hawaii displays beauty of progress, ugliness of bad football
— I have a pretty good idea why Michael Oher is angry

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