For Clemson it was a Perfect Storm. It had been 38 years since a Notre Dame football team last visited Clemson, 17 days since the Tigers took the field against Louisville. 17 nearly pristine plays by Clemson, aided and abetted by bewildered Irish misfeasance (Special Teams), malfeasance (Defense) and nonfeasance (Offense) helped Clemson fashion a 14-0 lead with a mere 6:17 having elapsed.
The Fighting Irish fought back gamely and ended a mere yard away from a two point conversion that would have sent the game into overtime. It was short and so were the Irish. Clemson 24-Notre Dame 22. Notre Dame is now 4-1.
The game exposed some serious Irish flaws, particularly on offense.
The offensive line, compounded by the first quarter play selection, was overwhelmed by Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables’ pressure schemes, implemented by the young, but swift Clemson front seven.
Venables had mandated that the Irish run game with C.J. Prosise would not beat Clemson and the Irish countered too little, too late.
First of all, Clemson succeeded because they were not afraid of Notre Dame’s offensive line. Eyes in Heritage Hall, Chestnut Hill and Palo Alto will notice. We will see this defensive approach again, perhaps often, maybe weekly.
Mackensie Alexander dominated his matchup with Will Fuller. On October 17th Fuller will see Adoree Jackson when USC comes to town. Fuller must be much, much better, and quickly.
The other receivers struggled with separation and catching the ball.
Deshone Kizer was spunky, showing a lively arm and mature pocket presence. He can be a tactical, but not destructive runner. He can throw on the move after the initial pocket breaks down.
Turnovers
Notre Dame partially self-destructed with four second half turnovers, an egalitarian effort, with a contribution from each class.
Frosh C.J. Sanders fumbled the treasured opening kickoff of the second half. Clemson converted it into a touchdown in a mere 46 seconds. Sanders, for now, is high reward, high risk. He has shown ball security issues on his punt returns all year.
Junior (in terms of eligibility) C.J. Prosise left the ball on the wet turf while galloping in the second level. At that point Notre Dame had touched the ball for two plays in the second half, both of which were fumbled.
Sophomore (redshirt frosh) Deshone Kizer threw an interception when he did not see a safety. But Kizer’s not going to be a high turnover guy.
Senior Chris Brown coughed it up on the Clemson four yard line, struggling for extra yards. Do less, Chris!
As remarkable as the four second half turnovers is that Notre Dame had the will, and the talent, to be within a two-point conversion of sending the game to overtime.
Based on pregame expectations, the Notre Dame defense performed well.
Defensive Line Rotation
Good defenses play 4-6 Defensive linemen. Great defenses play 8-10 defensive linemen as part of the regular rotation. ND plays only Rochell, Tillery, Cage, Day, Okwara and Trumbetti.
That, simply, is too few against potent offenses. William Gallman carried the ball 14 times for 78 yards in the second half. That is unacceptable. It just will not do. Van Gorder and Gilmore need to involve more defensive linemen.
The secondary played well, though Watson is not a great passer. Our coverage depth will not be tested until October 17th. USC will be bringing some “ath-uh-leets” to South Bend.
Max Redfield led the team in tackles and he now may be ready to move past his injury.
You Don’t Want to be in that Room
Harry Hiestand’s Monday meeting with his offensive line group will not be a pretty sight. 4 sacks yielded, 9 Tackles for Loss. And there is not one villain. All five share some of the blame. One would surmise, given Harry’s fire and the personalities of the offensive line, that they will have a better effort against Navy.
Where do we go from here?
Clemson was a good, young team, but not a great team. If Team 127 decides to go for it, there is a lot to play for. Notre Dame may not control its fate regarding a playoff berth, but it may well control the fate of the Pac-XII having a playoff berth due to the games against USC and Stanford. Those games are a two-edged sword. Cutting against the two Pac-XII opponents (who have a puncher’s chance of meeting in the Pac XII Championship game) would cut for the Irish.
The team played poorly but never quit last Saturday. Only they control the zeal and focus with which they play from here.
Brian Kelly’s Milestone
Brian Kelly coached his 70th game as Notre Dame’s head coach, tying the criminally under-appreciated Dan Devine. Devine was dour, mediocre at the podium but remarkable on the sideline. Dan Devine coached five of the most memorable Notre Dame victories in the modern era:
’77 Notre Dame 49 USC 19
‘77 Cotton Bowl (1/2/78) Notre Dame 38 Texas 10
’78 Cotton Bowl (1/1)79) Notre Dame 35 Houston34
’80 Notre Dame 29 -Michigan 27 (Harry O)
’80 Notre Dame 7 Alabama and Bear Bryant 0, in Legion Field in the Belly of the Beast. Bear’s fourth and final loss against the Irish. Paul Bryant died WINLESS against Notre Dame.
Kelly, if he takes the sideline against Navy, as expected, will trail only Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian and Holtz in games coached for Notre Dame.
The records of the modern four after 70 games
Ara Raoul 57-9-4
Holtz 54-16
Devine 53-16-1
Kelly 49-21
What will we see against Navy?
- The Navy Option that has challenged Notre Dame the last two years. Will the Bob Elliott defensive architecture on defense that flummoxed Paul Johnson also stymie Ken Niumatalolo?
- Niumatolo has a vastly more experienced quarterback in Keenan Reynolds and has had three weeks to study the Notre Dame-Georgia Tech game film. He will have some ideas. Reynolds is a cool customer, who plays with less emotion that Justin Thomas. He is not easy to frustrate.
- Cut blocks.
- A chance for Notre Dame’s athletes at linebacker and defensive back to get more snaps and use their athleticism to make tackles. The four leading tacklers against Georgia Tech were Schmidt, Martini, Smith and Shumate. It would not be shocking to see Onwualu, Coney, Redfield, Farley and Russell drift toward the top of the tackle list against Navy.
- A Middie defense that has not stopped the Irish, AT ALL, in the last four years. Over the last four years, the Irish have averaged 48.25 points per game, 24.5 first downs, 238 yards rushing 253 yards passing and one punt per game. The Irish have scored on the Middies in 15 of the 16 quarters. Some think that this 2015 Notre Dame offense is a tad better than the four predecessors.
- An opportunity to get a lead, and rest the starters. USC plays on October 8th against Washington, its only game between the Arizona State game and the Notre Dame game. Fresh legs and fresh minds would enable the Irish to be rested and prepared. But it is Navy. “Each day has enough care of its own.”
GO IRISH!
Ah, that’s more like it Ron! Just refer to your psycho stalker files, take the red one, then the blue….
Didn’t Vermeil have a very successful career? On and off the field. I thought he was known for being a quality person. Didn’t the majority who worked for and with Vermeil admire him? Give it rest. Plan “B” so to speak.
The O-line passed protected very well. Kiser had time. Plus Clemson was blitzing. From what I can remember watching (wondering really). On the running plays, why none of ND’s lineman weren’t chipping d-lineman then peeling off and attacking their LB’s. Looked like they were doubling then picking up backers when they came. Guards and center. 5 on 4 not counting TE’s. Now seriously, we all saw a stacked box. As many as 8 to 9 within 5 yards of the ball. Not just Kelly. He is at field level. They had coaches, spotters, in the box. Hell, didn’t one of the O-lineman speak up? Usually coaches have them grouped on the bench going over what the players/coaches are seeing and how to address it. FOREVER A MYSTERY. I am in the camp that Kelly is a really good coach/executive. He has built a good program with quality people. They face tough competition. Rarely any gimmes. I have been critical of game day calling in the past. This year has been really good. I am not going to say he can’t win a title. I think he might have already? I think he can. If and when they do, got to have a stout defense. Thanks
david
September 17, 2015 at 11:34 am
You are in for one brutal dose of realty this Saturday. Johnson wants to rub VanGorder’s nose in it bad enough to shorten his career. GT will whip ND like a rented mule.
A Plan B for yourself for the 2nd half will prove prescient.
Well I never believed I’d ever see it. Ron Burgundy came closer to an original thought than I thought possible. He cut-and-pasted something from somewhere. Praise Allah!
And it surely reveals all, does it not? The magic chart with the answer key. Kelly was simply obeying Vermiel’s Commandments, you dolts! Now pay him his millions…I grow weary of your nonsense.
I was at the game and was embarrassed to be an ND fan. The first 40 minutes of the game were atrocious – some of the worst football I’ve ever seen. Kelly did not have the team ready to compete. Yes, the players bear some responsibility for the slow start but that is largely a failure of the coaching staff. His play calling was terrible in the first half and beginning of the second half – continuing to call predictable slow developing running plays while quick low risk crossing routes over the middle were available for the taking. That should have become obvious to Kelly after the first couple of series, not well into the second half. And his calls for the two point conversions were wrong strategically and tactically. And we continue to fail getting play calls finalized and relayed to the field in a timely manner.
Kelly is a decent recruiter and developer of player talent once they are on campus (although there is a tendency to over-coach and over-complicate). But he is a lousy game day coach. Time after time we see him being out-coached by the opposition both in terms of overall game strategy as well as particular plays. He needs to give up play calling and give this responsibility to a single OC up in the press box. I continue to hope that this is Sanford and this transition happens sooner rather than later. Until this happens, I’m afraid we will continue to see a team of capable players constrained by poor game day coaching. There certainly was plenty of this last year and we saw a repeat of it again this past Saturday.
I think the argument isn’t about the chart for the 2 pt Conv, it is the fact that if they kicked the extra point, they still had the opportunity to go for 2 on their next score, if needed. Once Clemson kicked the field goal, it was not needed, they were going to need 14pts, so he obviously should not have gone for it at that time, he should have waited for the next score and gone for it if necessary.
BK never really seems to take any blame for his decisions. The 2 pt was obviously a mistake. The second 2 pt conversion is the one no one is talking about, that play call was atrocious, and to say “well we just didn’t execute” is a f-ing joke. The facts were, we were being dominated up front by Clemson’s front 7 ALL GAME, and you call a run/pass option???? Really, are you f-ing kidding me?? THAT was the play we should be talking about. You are going to leave it up to your qb to make the decision, and run the ball??? Against that front? Horrendous call, I’m still in shock
A game ND should have won!!!! ND has superior athletes, and more of them than Clemson. Jeff, above in this string, said it well: BK is a good, but NOT great coach. He has shown a willingness to change his approach this season, has a better staff, recruited better talent, developed depth, improved player development. He is a clear upgrade over the post Holtz era. But how many times are there bad calls, poor management, lack of timely game adjustments. Too many.
But when we talk championships, returning ND to past glory, he is NOT the man. We are talking about championship status, when talking championship considerations, and playoff teams, he comes up short. The man to get to the next (championship) levelat ND is not our current coach.
I think ND has a shot a a good season. I hope i’m wrong about BK, we all love ND dearly. Nowhere in my thought process does the word championship and Kelly appear joined.
I hate calling out a single defender but he is a captain and Joe Schmidt needs to step up his play in a major way. Your starting MLB can’t have just 1tackle. Captains are suppose to lead the way. Being able to get everyone in their right positions shouldn’t be needed in year 2. Schmidt played well in the Tech game but this isn’t the first poor performance from Schmidt this season. If I notice this I am pretty sure his teammates do as well.
I think all you guys complaining about running the ball too much are underestimating the weather. This game was lost in the first six minutes. Once Clemson had a two score lead they were able to sit on the ball and not chance turnovers. Once Kelly felt the game slipping away he gambled more with the passing game. Really, who has ever blamed Kelly for running too much? Im convinced that in dry conditions we blow that game open if they keep putting 8-9 in the box. I disagree with Duranko that teams will stack the box from here on out. They may try it, but will get burned in dry conditions.
Jeff,
You are right about BK. He (and Swarbick) to some extent have moved ND football into the 21st century. Is BK an elite coach? I can’t honestly say yes or no yet. BK has had great success in the past, I mean, his Cincinatti team went undefeated in the regular season, and that was with many recruits that had few stars next to their names. He has shown an ability to adapt and develop talent. He and his staff can recruit also. They have improved to the point that usually, now, we usually win the games we are SUPPOSED to win (games against Pitt notwithstanding). We also win a number of games now against ranked teams too. But it’s still inconsistent against highly ranked opponents. We lost to Clemson, we may beat USC later this month. I worry a lot less about playing teams like UMass and even Navy these days.
Also, to be fair, it seems someone has put a curse on BK. We’ve faced more injuries and suspensions in recent history than I can remember. Nick Saban would have a hard time dealing with the loss of both star running backs, and your QB, and then having to rely on someone who started practice as your 3rd string QB, among a number of other players. I wonder how this team would have done had Bryant and Folston still been on the team, and Zaire (though I have very little to complain about Kizer, he has risen to his role).
This year is still not a loss. If they win out, they at least should be guaranteed a NY Day 6 bowl (which I always felt was a minimum must achieve for this year).
And I agree with SteelFanRob. If BK does fail, I really don’t know where ND turns to next. Some fans can be delusional, thinking someone like Nick Saban or Urban Meyer would come to coach at ND. It’s not going to happen. I always felt, whether you like the guy or not, as fans, we need BK to succeed. They’ve taken steps in the right direction, but there is room for improvement.
Anyone who thinks Brian Kelly gets paid “the big bucks” or is “in it for the money” needs to check out the list of University paid coaching salaries in USA Today.
In 2014 Kelly ranked 64th in coaching salaries.
A few notables ahead of him on the list:
Charlie Strong –Texas
Mike London – Virginia
Paul Johnson- Georgia Tech
Dabo Swinney – Clemson
Ken Miumatalolo – Navy
Some of the comments point out the very slow (second half) change in the game plan away from being run focused to “taking what they give you”. To me, as I viewed it live, this was the key to the game. I don’t fault the OL (or CJ Prosise) nearly as much as the play calling. “The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.” Albert Einstein
Asking our OL to run block against a stacked box throughout the first half was demoralizing and ineffective. Yes, turnovers are huge. Yes, we started out in a hole. But running CJ into the Clemson gauntlet time after time was hard to watch! There were so many other options available.
Right call, wrong call, whatever. ND lost by 2 points, 2 gimme extra points. Tough to digest that after the fact. Fuller dominated himself with a subpar game. Of course Alexander had safety help over the top too. Fuller needs to get to work catching with his hands instead of waiting for ball to hit his body. He will have a very short NFL career if he can’t fix that. Does BK script his plays? He seems to be very hesitant to change his play calls early in games. For a team that has pretty good veteran leadership NONE of them seemed to be prepared for the moment. I was most disappointed in that.
Kelly would have been the only one on the planet that did not know Venables would line up 8 or 9 in the box. Yet, it wasn’t until deep in the second half that Kelly decided te advantaging of the short and intermediate passes. Did they practice what they would do to counteract lbs and db’s up tight to the line? How about just sending the wide receivers deep and tossing the ball to the open guy. Thought we had some speed receivers. Practice it in such a way that your qb understands what you’re trying to do. If you have speed receivers the db has to either grab the player going by or interfere if the play is run correctly. You don’t keep giving the ball to the RB hoping that 6 will somehow block 8 or 9. Kelly was out coached and out prepared.
Ron is it just me or what but I can’t make sense out of your 2point conversion theory. Can you explain one and then I can apply to the rest. I guess I’m getting too Damn old. Sorry
I think the problem is the trail by should be moved over the second set of numbers is that correct? Sorry for dbl post
Jeff,
I agree on all accounts. I don’t see any big-time, established coach coming to ND given all the challenges on and off the field. If BK fails to win it all at ND, and that’s what he’s getting paid the big bucks to do, not win second-tier bowl games, then I don’t know where ND turns next. I really think ND’s at a crossroads. I hope ND makes the right decision and gets back to the top. However, the program’s recent history does not make me hopeful. 2012 looks more and more like an exception to the rule rather than the new (return to the old) rule.
Ron is it just me or what but I can’t make sense out of your 2point conversion theory. Can you explain one and then I can apply to the rest. I guess I’m getting too Damn old. Sorry
I am curious what you all think. I think Brian Kelly has improved the program by leaps and bounds especially in terms of the talent pool. However, I do not think he is a great coach. I think he is a good coach.
To win championships you need great players and great coaching. I don’t really think we have either right now though we are much closer than we were during the Willingham, Davie, Weis years.
The problem is there is no one out there that may be available that would do better than Kelly. Maybe Whittingham or Pat Fitzgerald but I don’t know why either guy would come to Notre Dame.
What do you think?
After the game Clemson’s DE Lawson said they knew when the IRISH were running or passing because of the way the OL placed their feet and hands down..That’s something the coaches need to look at because other teams will pick up on it.
As for Navy having a better QB? Maybe/Maybe not, but Navy does not have the caliber of other skilled players that GT has. It was the Stanford transfer running back that gave the defense the most trouble in that game.
2 point conversion was the right call. I agree with that completely.
I loved Kizer’s quote and I think he sums things up pretty well. “Champions don’t lose games.” Great teams win these games even if it is an ugly win.
In these types of games you need your best players to come up big and make plays. That didn’t happen on offense for the most part (partly due to the play calling although I am not blaming this loss on the coaches). The receivers struggled, the line struggled, the defense put us into an early hole, our punter put us into an early hole, our kickoff team put us into a hole. We had four turnovers versus a top 15 team. We simply played badly.
I’m afraid this isn’t the last time we see us playing badly. We have done it in stretches all season long, we made Virginia look like an offensive juggernaut, we let Georgia Tech back into the game after dominating, we went into half 21-20 to UMASS. We are talented but not a great team. It bums me out.
Ron & Duranko, it’s not second guessing when you’re questioning while it’s happening. Also, my post was significantly longer than 140 characters.
BK made questionable decisions all night long. The WRs dropped balls didn’t help but Clemson’s WRs dropped a few as well. Again, it waa sloppy out there. Too sloppy to give a pass to a defense that couldn’t get a single fumble. That has to change.
I did come awayiimpressed with DeShone He seems like a cool customer when the chips are down.
Correction. Wheel route.
Duranko. So true on how “D”s will play the offensive line now. I saw a lot of players at the snap of the ball in the box. Play calling didn’t adapt. Also agree BVG must play more D linemen. He has enough. The 2 pt conversions? Really moot. Only assured a tie. ND gave the game away by coaches not adapting, players not executing. I did see some bright spots though. Thanks. Oh yea, you called the C.J. swing pass.
Brad,
Please stop being so rational and pointing out that you know something about this game!
It was absolutely the wrong call. It’s not hindsight. I didn’t like the call in the moment. You do not go for 2 points until you know you absolutely have to. Plus we burned a time out there. Awful decision.
If you kick the XP, it’s not a 2 TD game. It’s an 11 point game and you go for 2 later. By missing and being down 12, now it’s a 2 TD game.
4 turn overs and some bad play calling = loss. We were a much better football team than Clemson and sometimes the better team doesn’t win. This is a really good Notre Dame team!
GO IRISH!
..Chris Brown did not “cough it up” at the four line line: watch the film again and you can clearly see the Clemson players hand strike the ball; again that’s a forced turnover.
Let’s not forget about the HORRENDOUS kick off coverage. The opponent was returning the ball to midfield regularly, which set up at least their first TD
..the ND fumble to begin the second half was an obviously *forced* turnover when the Clemson kicker stuck his helmet right on the ball, textbook style. That was a great play by the kicker and not a poor play by the ND runner. So give some credit to Clemson on that one…
Mike, in general, I demur from the theory of the “single play” or “single call” theory of winning and losing.
while I respect your point, I feel that it’s always a 60 minute game and as a matter of personal preference, I renounce ESPNISM which tends toward crediting/blaming a single hero/villain. Sometimes athletic events are more layered and complex that the twitteresque world would like.
Sometimes the truth refuses to be confined in 140 characters.
Turnovers killed us no doubt but the defense came out flat playing with no energy or passion and that can’t happen if you think you are going to go and beat a good Clemson team in their house. I put that on BVG because the defense is still thinking to much. Brian Kelly should no better than to start chasing points that early regardless of the excuses he gave after the game. That second two point conversion play had worked earlier in the gme but Clemson knew that as well and they were expecting it and jumped all over it. It had no chance to work.
We are going to be in trouble when we play U$C in two weeks. I don’t think we can win. At this point I am just hoping its not a blowout with all the big time recruits in for the game!
After being really irritated during and right after the first 2 point conversion, I think I now understand the play call. Kelly explained it by saying that he doesn’t “chase” points until the 4th quarter, and that they have these game situations scripted and double checked.
I am really worried about Cory Robinson – he is one of my favorite players, but really hasn’t been the same since mid-season last year. He used to catch everything, but he seems distracted or rattled now.
Kizer is really good IMHO.
Half the people on boards always say RTDB – I think the first half running set up the second half offensive success.
I agree with Chris completely. I noted in another thread that the call at that point in time made sense. In fact, I didn’t even question the call to go for 2. It seemed the natural thing to do at the time. We all see now that it didn’t work ultimately, but no one can predict the future. And the play on that first try was a good one, the receiver missed a catchable ball.
Try not to let common sense, intelligence or logic get in the way of a good second guess here Chris.
Why is math so hard for people to figure out when it comes to 2pt conversions? You’re not thinking about having them score again. You’re not thinking about what if they kick a field goal. It would have made it a 10 point game. A TD and a FG. If you kick the XP there, it’s still a 2 TD game. Missing the 2pt conversion put them in the same position where it was a TD game to take the lead. Again, you don’t count on them scoring again, you have to assume you’re going to hold and play to that point. Hindsight is 20/20, but what Kelly did at that time is 100% correct. Catch the damn ball on in open play and this is moot. Use that OL and block better on the second one and the point is moot.
I didn’t see the game as Duranko saw it. I put this loss squarely on the loss of BK with a little assist from BVG.
I don’t think the O-Line played poorly. You have to take what the defense gives you. Clemson was putting 8-9 men in the box for much of the night. They were daring DeShone to beat them. He needed to pass more and run less early on but refused to do so.
I disagreed with BK going for the 1st 2 pt conversion. IMO, there was still too much of the game to be played to be worried about that. On the 2nd 2 pt conversion, I though it was a poor play call. I agreed with the pundits that they should have used the spread formation. IMO, DeShone would have either found a receiver or a lane to run into the endzone.
Many people think the defense did a great job. They did, but not when it mattered. They settled down once they gave up 14 pts in the 1st 7 minutes. That turned to be too big a hole to overcome. Also, the defense has got to induce more turnovers. 2 interceptions in 5 games isn’t going to cut it. They played in a monsoon Saturday night and recovered ZERO fumbles. ZERO !!!
People are looking at the 4-1 turnover margin and are blaming the offense. Although not ideal, losing 3 fumbles on offense given the playing conditions isn’t unreasonable. Failing to recover any on defense is unreasonable.
So far this season, the defense plays well for large portions of the game. But they give up too many big plays and can’t make big plays particularly in crunch time. The talent is there. But someone needs to step up in crunch time and record a sack or get a turnover or does something that prevents the big play for the other team’s offense.
The team played to the end which is a mark of a great team; they need the same urgency and fire from the start of the game. Great half time adjustments by the coaches.
PS. The five dropped passes didn’t help Kizer who may be the future of ND football… time will tell.
GO IRISH
The Irish showed guts to get back into it but the play call on the last 2 point conversion by BK was
horrible. Who knows if we would have made it but wish we were given a chance. Clemson was
tired by than and we had a great chance in OT.
Anyone that had the misfortune of watching Saturday night’s game knows that very little was positive on the Irish side. The one thing that did come out of the game was the knowledge that Kizer is the real thing and is headed for Irish immortality. Even with the interceptions his effort was a valiant one! Unfortunately that can not be said about anyone else on the ND side except Torii Hunter who was impressive. That makes two players with an A+ for the evening. Why did it take so long for ND to realize that they couldn’t run Prosise and Fuller was never really open? The Irish have so many options offensively and to not go to them is a mortal sin. When they went to them they almost pulled it out. Oh well, they better play better against Navy, USC and Stanford or the record could fall to 4-4 in no time at all. The play calling was atrocious but Clemson had something to do with that but the plays called showed no imagination and in many cases didn’t make much sense. Hey fumble the ball more than twice in a game and your looking for trouble! Throw interceptions and watch your team lose! Go Irish!
Duranko,
I don’t think ND will get the chance to rest starters. Navy is a good football team, (not UMass), and will give ND all they can handle. I never take Navy for granted, Reynolds is better than the GT QB. I think ND needs to get up by two scores and pound the rock, if they do that they will be fine.
A few things from Saturday night I didn’t like:
1. The borating of Corey Robinson and sitting him for the second half
2. Not being ready to play in the first quarter
3. BK’s reluctance to change it up when Clemson was selling out to stop the run
4. Another loss when ND out gains and opponent, but has multiple turnovers
That being said, he has done an excellent job this year so far. I said this in the beginning of the year, if they can make it through this gauntlet of the five games with no losses or even one, they will have a shot at the playoffs. I don’t think any team this year will be undefeated and an ND team with one loss has a good shot of making the playoffs. They now can make no errors and need to beat every team on their schedule, starting this week with Navy.
For the hindsight is 20/20 crew out there.
Lead By Trail By
1 Point Go For 2 1 Point Go For 1
2 Points Go For 1 2 Points Go For 2
3 Points Go For 1 3 Points Go For 1
4 Points Go For 2 4 Points Go For 1
5 Points Go For 2 5 Points Go For 2
6 Points Go For 1 6 Points Go For 1
7 Points Go For 1 7 Points Go For 1
8 Points Go For 1 8 Points Go For 1
9 Points Go For 1 9 Points Go For 2
10 Points Go For 1 10 Points Go For 2
11 Points Go For 1 11 Points Go For 1
12 Points Go For 2 12 Points Go For 2
13 Points Go For 1 13 Points Go For 1
14 Points Go For 1 14 Points Go For 1
15 Points Go For 2 15 Points Go For 1
16 Points Go For 1 16 Points Go For 2
17 Points Go For 1 17 Points Go For 1
18 Points Go For 1 18 Points Go For 1
19 Points Go For 2 19 Points Go For 2
20 Points Go For 1 20 Points Go For 1
Agree with all your points. It was an ugly rainy windy day for both teams. ND had its chances and couldn’t capitalize when it counted most. What will be important is that they learn from their mistakes and move on. The offensive line was disappointing, but I think they are still a talented bunch. Hopefully this week was just an anomaly and they come out dominant again. This defense has shown it can handle the triple option so I’m confident they can beat Navy. The key, like it was with GT, is to stay disciplined on defense. They weren’t fooled by GT (even though I was–there were numerous times I couldn’t find who had the ball–even the cameramen once or twice seemed to lose it–but thankfully the defense didn’t).