Notre Dame in Driver’s Seat

Notre Dame’s 38-34 victory over the Naval Academy is the perfect metaphor for the Fighting Irish’s 2013 campaign.  Though victorious, what does the victory actually mean?  Was the win an anomalous match that every program endures, where a team of lesser talent nearly rises up and knocks off an unsuspecting favorite?  Or was the near-defeat a harbinger of malevolent circumstances gathering formation at season’s end?  Such uncertainty has become the duality of Notre Dame’s storyline this season, where each weekend presents positive and negative aspects with plenty of cushion room for interpretation.

Was the Navy game an alarm for the rest of the season?  There is certainly evidence to suggest so.  Allowing an opposing team to rush for over 330 yards should cause any program to begin to doubt their defensive capability.  To make matters worse, it wasn’t simply a lack of execution that caused Notre Dame’s defensive meltdown.  Notre Dame’s coaching decisions raised more than a few eyebrows.

Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco received criticism this past week for playing two safeties deep against Air Force before making the requisite adjustments that would shut the Falcons down.  The negativity aimed at the defensive game plan didn’t seem to faze Diaco, however, as Notre Dame’s defense once again played their safeties deep against Navy’s triple option attack, choosing to keep all plays in front of them rather than bringing safeties forward for run support.  Such a defensive strategy appears all the more perplexing considering the Irish still managed to give up big chunk plays despite the depth of the safeties, with Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds throwing a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Matt Aiken in the 4^th quarter to give Navy a 34-31 lead with less than 9:00 minutes to go.

Notre Dame’s time management also fell into the realm of a head-scratcher.  Trailing 34-31 and unable to stop Navy’s option, starting quarterback Tommy Rees and company managed an impressive 11 play, 76 yard touchdown drive that took 5:08 off the clock.  What many couldn’t see if they were watching NBC’s coverage was the play clock and offensive coordinator Chuck Martin’s decision to snap the ball on multiple occasions with 15-20 seconds remaining.  Had the offense snapped the ball with only one or two seconds left on the play clock for each play, Navy wouldn’t have received the ball with 3:47 and three timeouts left on their final drive – they would have had a full minute, if not more, less to work with.

Navy’s final drive of the game yet again brought to the surface one of the most frustrating and least explained facets of the Brian Kelly era: special teams.  In addition to giving Navy a full extra minute to operate their offense by not draining the play clock, the Fighting Irish spotted the Midshipmen half the field after a 50-yard kickoff return.  Overall, Notre Dame surrendered nearly 100 yards on kickoffs alone against the Midshipmen.  Why Kelly has had one of the worst special team units in the nation every year since coming to South Bend – which is made all the more bizarre considering he had one of the best special teams units in America while coaching the Cincinnati Bearcats – is still unknown.

Pat Kirwan, respected NFL analyst, has written on the topic of special teams troubles in his bestselling book, Take Your Eye Off the Ball.  “The truth is not enough coaches devote the necessary time and attention to special teams.  You can tell the coaches who do; they’re the ones who practice special teams right in the middle of practice, with everyone involved.”

It’s hard to be anything but discouraged by poor clock management and special teams coverage that has struggled for years with basic lane assignments.  However, despite the extensive evidence pointing toward the Navy game forecasting trouble ahead, ample evidence also exists illustrating the strides the Fighting Irish have made in other areas.

The Fighting Irish struggled against the Midshipmen but did so with an injury-ravaged and inexperienced group.  Brian Kelly gambled by letting star nose guard Louis Nix take the weekend off in order to heal for the team’s November push, and the gamble paid dividends.  Despite the yardage, the points, and the close contest, it was encouraging to see true freshman star Jaylon Smith and inexperienced safety Eilar Hardy become heroes by thwarting Navy on a 4^th and 4, sealing an Irish victory.  Depth has been a struggle for Notre Dame, and Navy offered résumé-building for a number of Irish defenders.

Notre Dame also made establishing the run a point of emphasis and succeeded on multiple levels.  The Fighting Irish offense did well as a group, piling on 250 rushing yards with an average of 7.3 yards per carry.  George Atkinson responded to calls for running back Cam McDaniel to be named the starting running back by averaging 10 yards per carry, including a 41-yard touchdown run where he showcased his speed.   And, perhaps most importantly, true freshman running back Tarean Folston flashed cutback ability, speed and vision the Fighting Irish have not seen in the Internet recruiting era, and is proving he’s every bit as good as his high school accolades indicated.

What does the Navy game mean?  Are the negative or positive outcomes from the contest foreshadowing what awaits the Fighting Irish in their last three regular season games?  The answer is simple: Notre Dame has continued to find ways to win even when their performance  has been underwhelming, and a victory over Navy means they’re 7-2 and control their own destiny.

Come November, being in a position to write your season’s final chapter is all you can ask for.

Scott Janssen is a blogger for the Huffington Post and has authored several nationally-featured articles as well as co-founded a nationally-featured non-profit organization. In his spare time he takes his NCAA Football ’13 online dynasty way too seriously and alienates those around him by discussing football 24 hours a day. Scott can be reached at scottjanssenhp@gmail.com.