Upon Further Review: Notre Dame pitches perfect game vs. Sooners
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Correspondent
Beating a top-10 team on the road is never easy, especially when you’re a double-digit underdog, but Notre Dame made it look about as easy as possible Saturday night when it handled Oklahoma with relative ease, beating the Sooners by 17 points.
As they have all season long, the Irish relied on their terrific defense and didn’t beat themselves en route to one of the program’s biggest wins in the last couple of decades.
Notre Dame played about as clean a game as possible. It didn’t turn the ball over and committed just one penalty against the Sooners.
Obviously one penalty in a game of that magnitude goes a long way, Irish coach Brian Kelly said. Playing smart football for us was absolutely crucial.
That intelligent style of football was spearheaded by the play of Everett Golson, who had his best outing of the season and Kelly agreed.
“I think our quarterback did a very good job of when things did not materialize, zero was a good play for us,” Kelly said.
Golson was critical in the win and so, too, was the way the Irish handled the hostile environment. Notre Dame took the crowd out of the game early and it was never much of a factor throughout the evening.
Not getting caught up in the moment, in the atmosphere, our guys stayed focused and disciplined on the game plan and played that way was well, Kelly said.
Following, IndySportsLegends.com hands out its weekly grades for the Irish’s impressive performance against the Sooners.
QUARTERBACKS A+
Golson was the MVP of the game. He only completed a little better than 50 percent of his passes (13-of-25), but he didn’t throw an interception and made the most of each one of his completions.
The Irish averaged 13.6 yards per Golson completion.
He showcased his arm strength on a 50-yard completion to Chris Brown, Brown’s first catch of the season.
Golson just missed on a few other passes that would’ve resulted in big gains.
He ended the evening with 177 yards passing against a very talented OU secondary.
Golson’s performance was even more special when you consider he averaged 5.8 yards per rushing attempt. He finished with 64 yards rushing (better than any Sooner) and his 1-yard TD run with just over five minutes to play in the game gave the Irish the lead for good at 20-13.
RUNNING BACKS A
Notre Dame knew it had to run the ball effectively if it were to have any chance at knocking off the Sooners.
It needed a ball-control style of offense to keep OU’s Landry Jones off the field as much as possible and needed to be able to pick its spots as to when it would throw the ball so it could keep the Sooners off balance.
Making things even more challenging for Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick was the fact that George Atkinson was home with the flu.
Being somewhat shorthanded though didn’t faze Wood and Riddick. They combined for 148 yards rushing on 26 carries, an average of 5.7 yards per attempt. Wood and Riddick, who each finished the night with 74 yards rushing, also had a touchdown apiece.
Wood’s 62-yard touchdown run with 6:24 remaining in the first quarter really sent a message. It was a blow to OU’s gut after the hosts seemed to have some momentum at least early. Wood’s scamper, in which he was untouched, also put the Irish ahead 7-3. They never trailed after that.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS B+
None of the receiving corps had huge impacts, but they all contributed either in the passing game or helping in the run game with their blocking ability.
A total of six players caught passes on the night. TJ Jones led the way with five receptions for 55 yards. Tight end Tyler Eifert was his usual marked self, but still managed three grabs for 22 yards.
Of course, no one had a longer catch than Brown.
All in all, it was a good night for this bunch as they had 14 receptions for 188 yards, which included quarterback Tommy Rees’ only throw – an 11-yard completion to Eifert – to go along with Golson’s golden evening.
OFFENSIVE LINE A
Not only did the o-line block for a running game that produced 5.5 yards per carry, but it kept OU off of Golson.
The Sooners entered the game having sacked opposing quarterbacks six times in their last three games and had forced nine turnovers due to its tremendous pressure in the backfield.
Well, once again Notre Dame’s line came through, winning the battle in the trenches and controlling the line of scrimmage so the Irish could hold a 32:28-27:32 advantage in time of possession. Don’t think that Notre Dame having the ball for 11:35 of the third quarter didn’t decide the outcome in this one because it did. The Irish led 10-6 at halftime, but OU hardly touched the ball in the third quarter so the visitors still led after a scoreless third quarter.
Golson was sacked only once and hardly was pressured.
Great job by Notre Dame’s front, but what else is new?
DEFENSIVE LINE – A
It seems like the Irish defensive line feeds off the team’s o-line. They probably should, too, since they go against one another in practice.
Notre Dame’s defensive front won the battle at the line of scrimmage and made the Sooners completely one-dimensional. OU managed a mere 15 yards rushing on the night and had to throw the ball 52 times to get nearly all of its 379 yards.
How dominating of a performance was it by the Irish line? Well, leading rusher Damien Williams, a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball, managed a mere 2.2 yards per carry en route to just 29 rushing yards total on 13 carries.
The Irish defensive line is such a handful that offensive lines have to pay so much attention to them that it frees up space for ND’s linebackers to make plays and that they do.
LINEBACKERS – A
In addition to completely helping its defense take away Oklahoma’s rushing threat, Notre Dame’s linebacking corps was very good again.
Led by Manti Te’o’s 11 tackles (which tied for game-high honors), the Irish backers accounted for both sacks. Te’o had one and so did Prince Shembo.
This was an Oklahoma team that had put up 41, 63 and 52 points in its three previous games, respectively, yet hardly did much of anything against the Irish, scoring only 13 points.
SECONDARY B+
Facing Oklahoma’s all-time leading passer was going to be a tough task for the Irish secondary, but they passed the test with flying colors.
Landry Jones did throw for 364 yards, but he didn’t have a TD pass and threw a pick, which was tipped and Te’o made a terrific diving interception on.
It’s worth noting that 53 of Jones’ passing yardage came on the game’s last drive when the outcome was already decided and the Irish were simply playing a soft zone to keep everything in front of them.
OU’s Jalen Saunders did have a huge night as he hauled in 15 passes for 181 yards, but for Notre Dame not to allow any of the Sooners’ talented receivers to catch a touchdown pass was certainly a job well done.
SPECIAL TEAMS – B+
Irish kicker Kyle Brindza connected on 3 of his 4 field goal tries, connecting from 34, 44 and 46 yards out and missing from 35 yards away.
Punter Ben Turk was solid, too, averaging 40.8 yards on four punts with a long of 51 yards. Credit Turk for not allowing 1 punt return yard on any of his punts. That was big considering how dangerous OU’s return team can be.
The Irish kick coverage team did allow Clay Brennan to return a kickoff 44 yards. It was of little significance though as Notre Dame led 30-13 at the time.
COACHING – A+
What a game Brian Kelly called. He had a very talented Oklahoma defense so off-balance that the Irish offense was able to keep the ball, control the clock and keep Jones and the Sooner offense on the sideline.
Kelly and his staff didn’t call a conservative game either. They wanted a breakout game from Golson and got it thanks to them putting him in a position to succeed. They know better than anyone that he excels throwing the ball on the run and that’s why time and again you saw him roll out and deliver the ball to intended receivers in a very accurate manner.
Notre Dame was pretty balanced when you consider it put up 30 points and won time of possession. The Irish ran the ball 39 times and threw it on 27 occasions.
As the season goes along, Kelly seems more and more comfortable with knowing exactly what his team’s strengths are and knowing his team’s identity. Rarely if ever does he call on the offense to do too much or run a risky play that could result in a game-changing turnover. Irish fans are seeing first hand why he made Central Michigan and Cincinnati into winners.
OVERALL – A+
Not many people, including myself, gave the Irish much of a chance at Oklahoma.
Not only did they beat the eighth-best team in the country in its backyard, but did so in convincing fashion.
Notre Dame’s latest outing definitely silenced any and all remaining critics so much so in fact, that now the talking heads are wondering if this Notre Dame team could compete with overwhelming national champion favorite Alabama if the Irish get into the BCS National Championship Game.
Notre Dame only has one opponent left on its regular-season schedule that will really pose a serious threat to its dynamite defense. That one team is quarterback Matt Barkley and his USC Trojans. After the Irish shut down Jones and Co., you have to believe they’ll make things very difficult for the Men of Troy over Thanksgiving weekend.
Notre Dame now sits at 8-0 and will be 11-0 in three short weeks. What a run it’s already been and the best may still be yet to come.
