Grading the Irish: Notre Dame D superb, offense sub-par vs. Wolverines
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Correspondent
Notre Dame’s a third of the way through its regular-season schedule and if the remaining two-thirds is anything like what we have seen; Irish eyes will definitely be smiling.
The Irish are in the midst of their bye week and are enjoying a 13-6 victory over 18th-ranked Michigan this past Saturday night.
That win improved No. 10 Notre Dame’s record to 4-0 on the season and gave it a sweep of the three Big Ten teams on its schedule.
The Irish defense was again the story against the Wolverines, coming up with six turnovers and keeping Brady Hoke’s club out of the end zone.
On the other hand, Notre Dame’s offense didn’t look good and there seem to be more questions than answers on that side of the ball.
IndySportsLegends.com provides you with its weekly report card on the Irish after their victory against Michigan.
QUARTERBACKS C-
For the second time this season, Brian Kelly turned to Tommy Rees after Everett Golson looked like the rookie quarterback that he is.
Golson struggled mightily throwing a pair of interceptions and completing just 3-of-8 passes. His ill-advised throw that was picked off in the end zone in the second quarter spelled the end of his day and had all those in Notre Dame Stadium wondering if the Irish had a quarterback controversy brewing.
Rees came off the bench and managed the game just like Kelly wanted him to. He didn’t turn the ball over and was efficient in the passing game, throwing for 115 yards and completing 8-of-11 of his aerials.
In Rees’ defense, Kelly admitted the game plan wasn’t structured around him so a lot of the plays didn’t necessarily fit his strengths.
Kelly continues to say Golson is the starter going forward. We shall see.
RUNNING BACKS C-
Cierre Wood was the most productive Notre Dame back as far as yards per carry average. He gained 5.6 yards every time he touched the ball.
Theo Riddick was the Irish workhorse, carrying it 17 times for a team-high 52 yards.
Holding down Notre Dame’s grade is failing to crack the century mark and the fact that its longest run from scrimmage was just 15 yards.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS C-
The grade here would’ve been below average had it not been for tight end Tyler Eifert’s clutch reception, his only one of the game and his lone grab since the Purdue game.
Rees’ 38-yard completion to Eifert on third-and-four allowed the Irish to run out the clock, preventing Michigan from getting the ball back. It was Notre Dame’s longest pass play of the night, topping a 24-yarder to TJ Jones.
Other than Eifert’s reception, the Irish had just three players catch passes, led by Riddick’s game-high five catches.
Needless to say 145 yards generated in the passing game leaves a lot to be desired.
OFFENSIVE LINE C
The o-line was OK at best. The good was it didn’t allow a sack. The bad was Notre Dame’s rushing attack averaged only 3.0 yards per carry.
The line played a clean game as Eifert drew the only two flags on it (one for an illegal shift and one for a false start).
What’s concerning here is the line’s inability to open up holes for the running game. Notre Dame’s longest run from scrimmage was was just 15 yards and that didn’t come until midway through the third quarter. Prior to that, a seven-yard gain was Notre Dame’s longest scamper.
DEFENSIVE LINE B
It took Michigan 41 rushes to gain 161 yards, just under 4.0 yards per carry. The Irish will take that especially since Denard Robinson had feasted on them in the past. This time around though it was a different story as the Michigan quarterback’s longest run was 20 yards and that came in the first half.
The line accounted for all three of Notre Dame’s sacks, counting outside linebacker Prince Shembo, who lines up as a defensive end.
The Wolverines was the largest and most athletic line the Irish have faced this season. That was the reason the Notre Dame front wasn’t in Michigan’s backfield more, but it still had another very productive outing.
LINEBACKERS A
Manti Te’o continues to be the face of this Notre Dame team. If you’re looking for an MVP four games into the season, No. 5 wins the award in unanimous fashion.
He was terrific against the Wolverines. Te’o made eight tackles (second highest on the team), but what were really impressive were his two interceptions. Keep in mind, he had just one career pick prior to Saturday night.
Three of Notre Dame’s top six tacklers were linebackers and the backers held Wolverine running back Fitzgerald Toussaint to 58 yards on 13 carries. One of his runs was a 31-yard dash so take away that and the Irish held Michigan’s No. 1 running back to 30 yards on 12 carries.
SECONDARY A
With two new starters in the secondary in the last month due to injuries, Notre Dame has improvement to make in terms of coverage. Michigan had open receivers, Robinson just had trouble getting the ball to them.
With that said, the Irish did intercept five passes and held Robinson to barely over a 50 percent completion percentage (13-of-24) for just 138 yards.
It was a Notre Dame secondary that held Michigan receivers to no more than three catches and none of their 13 catches went longer than 20 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS C+
For the first time this season, punter Ben Turk had a game to forget. He shanked a couple punts, which held his average down to 37.8 yards per boot.
Turk struggled, but place-kicker Kyle Brindza didn’t as he continued to be good. He connected on both of his field goal tries – from 33- and 39-yards out.
The Irish coverage teams were OK as they did allow a 33-yard run back.
COACHING B
Kelly’s Irish are undefeated so he gets a good grade in the coaching department. The lone criticism is his continuing short leash with his quarterbacks.
You have to wonder if Golson will now play tight, fearing that if he makes a mistake, he’ll spend the rest of the contest next to his head coach on the sideline. That’s not exactly the way to infuse confidence into your young quarterback.
At the same time, Kelly knows his defense is good enough to win a lot of games with as long as the offense isn’t turning the ball over with regularity and giving the opponent a short field to work with.
OVERALL A
I thought Notre Dame would win, but I didn’t think it would be a defensive struggle, let alone a turnover fest, especially with Robinson throwing ball after ball up for grabs.
The game was by no means a thing of beauty, but a win is a win, right?
The Irish are 4-0, winning with defense and taking care of the ball. That’s a good recipe for success going forward. Expect the blue and gold to try to duplicate that blueprint the rest of the way. After all, why fix something that isn’t broken?
