Offensive outburst
Irish offense puts together historic performance as Notre Dame improves to
By MOLLY SAMMON Sports Writer
Air Force and Notre Dame combined for 92 points Saturday, lighting up the Notre Dame Stadium scoreboard like never before. Both teams combined for 1,125 total offensive yards — 565 for Air Force (3-2) and 560 for Notre Dame (4-2) — in an offensive show-and-tell.
But while the offensive output may have been close, the game was never in doubt, as Notre Dame triumphed 59-33.
“There is a lot of things coming together for us offensively with so many different outlets that … we are getting to the point where our guys feel very confident that if they just, during the week, do the little things right, they will be able to execute on Saturday,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said.
The Irish improved their win streak to four games, tied for their longest undefeated streak under Kelly. Kelly said the Irish have not yet “arrived,” but they are getting there.
“We have made progress to the level where we know what it looks like on the other end, but there’s still so many areas to iron out,” Kelly said. “We have got to get more consistent on special teams. We have glimmers of really good play. We have got to obviously tighten things down defensively with our younger guys, and then just play with more consistency. Four in a row is not enough for this group, you know, but I like the direction that we are going.”
Some early successful offensive drives on the field allowed the Irish to explore new parts of their roster. The Irish opened the scoring just 2:47 into the game when senior wide receiver Michael Floyd jumped for a 34-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees.
4-2 with 59-33
victory
that momentum.”
By the end of the first quarter, sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees passed for three touchdowns to three different receivers.
“Four in a row is not enough for this group, you know, but I like the direction that we are going.”
Brian Kelly Irish coach
“We started off fast. Michael Floyd set the table for us early on and that’s probably why he’s one of the best, if not the best receiver in the country,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said. “The touchdown pass where he went over the top in man-toman coverage kind of gave us
player of the game
Jamoris Slaughter Notre Dame safety
Aside from Floyd, junior tight end Tyler Eifert and junior wide receiver Robby Toma found the end zone to build a 21-3 breakaway lead from which the Irish would never look back. The final touchdown of the quarter was Toma’s first career touchdown reception.
“A team like Air Force, they are a team that runs they ball a lot, and if you can get up
By forcing two turnovers in the first half, Slaughter allowed the Irish to jump out to the early lead they would not give up.
early and speed their game up a little bit, it’s big for us,” Rees said.
Rees completed 23 of his 32 passes for a total of 261 yards, with four touchdowns and no turnovers.
“He’s growing as he goes here,” Kelly said. “He’s 8-1 as a starter and he continues to grow and develop, and we are seeing that maturity. [Rees] got flushed out of the pocket a couple of times, threw the ball away, made some very good decisions in pressure situations when something wasn’t there. He’s just developing, maturing.”
Rees split time with sophomore quarterback Andrew Hendrix who completed all four of his pass attempts, adding 33 pass yards of his own to Notre Dame’s overall 294.
Hendrix was also the leading rusher on the day at the quarterback position with 111 yards. He earned 78 of those with 6:44 left in the fourth
stat of the game
8.6 yards per play
The Irish averaged nearly nine yards per play throughout the game on their way to a historic offensive effort.
quarter when he broke away from the Falcon defense only to be tripped up two yards short of the goal line. Freshman running back George Atkinson rushed the ball in from the two-yard line for a 59-19 lead before the Irish gave up two touchdowns to Air Force in the final minutes of the game.
Hendrix’s performance at the quarterback position does not change senior Dayne Crist’s spot on the depth chart, but his playing time suggested he provides some security in that part of Notre Dame’s roster.
“Andrew [Hendrix] does not have all of the grasp of the offense, everything that he needs. But he certainly is somebody that can go in the game and can do some very good things,” Kelly said. “We featured six different formation looks for him, and it’s a package that can continue to grow with him.”
Aside from competitive
play of the game
Jamoris Slaughter’s forced fumble in the first quarter
Slaughter’s forced fumble allowed Notre Dame to open up a twopossesion lead and forced Air Force to play from behind all game.
play, the Irish sported pink armbands in honor of breast cancer awareness. The cause is particularly dear to Notre Dame as Kelly’s wife and Rees’ mother are both survivors of the disease.
After six straight games and four straight wins, the Irish head into a bye weekend that Kelly hopes will give them enough recuperation time without sacrificing any of their recent success.
“I think we need it. We need a break,” Kelly said. “This break comes at a good time for our guys to get home and see their families a little bit. So any momentum that is lost in that is gained by our guys getting a chance to get home.”
With a week’s break from games and a week off from classes, the Irish continue their season against USC on Oct. 22 in the first home night game in over two decades.
Contact Molly Sammon at msammon@nd.edu
quote of the game
“Everyone is picking up their game, and I think the score today [shows] that.”
Theo Riddick
Notre Dame receiver
quarterbacks : Tommy Rees threw for four touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over, and Andrew Hendrix impressed in his debut. Rees did miss a few wide-open receivers.
running backs : Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood reeled off big runs all day, averaging nearly eight yards per carry. Cam McDaniel and George Atkinson finally saw the field as running backs.
receivers : It was another great effort from the receiving corps, who accounted for four touchdowns. Theo Riddick finally broke out, and Michael Floyd was his usual unstoppable self.
offensive line : This offensive line has quietly turned into one of the team’s best units. The line cleared the way for 266 yards on the ground and didn’t allow a single sack.
defensive line : It’s good the Irish jumped out to an early lead, because without Ethan Johnson, the line struggled to contain the triple option when Air Force could afford to run the ball.
linebackers : The outside linebackers seemed to constantly be missing against the triple option, but Manti Te’o and Darius Fleming picked up the slack nicely.
defensive backs : Jamoris Slaughter forced two critical early turnovers, and Robert Blanton was excellent against the run. Still, the secondary struggled to keep receivers in front of them.
special teams : No missed field goals. No turnovers. No terrible punts. It wasn’t spectacular, but considering previous special teams performances, this is nearly cause for celebration.
coaching : The Irish still struggled to defend the triple option, but the offense was nearly unstoppable all day. Even better, Notre Dame fixed most of its special teams miscues.
overall : If the offense keeps playing like this, Notre Dame can beat nearly anyone. The defense is still strong, but the triple-option struggles are cause for worry.
adding up the numbers
For the second game in a row, the Irish did not turn the ball over. Notre Dame had 15 turnovers in its first three games.
The Irish averaged 9.2 yards per carry on the ground, helped in large part by Andrew Hendrix’s 78-yard scamper.
Notre Dame scored a touchdown on each of its six first-half possessions on its way to 42 first-half points.
The 42 first-half points were the most in any half by an Irish team in 21 years, dating back to 1990 against Navy.
Hendrix’s 78-yard touchdown run was the second-longest run by a quarterback in Notre Dame history.
Only one word can describe Saturday’s second half: Boring. Actually, let’s use three: Really, really boring.
It was delightful.
Less than 11 minutes into the first quarter, Notre Dame held a 21-3 lead. At halftime, six Irish possessions had yielded six Irish touchdowns and a 42-16 lead over Air Force.
One week after a 38-10 romp in West Lafayette, Saturday’s 59-33 victory brought the phrase “with ease” to a new level. The final 30 minutes saw more yawns than points, even though there were 34 points.
Talk about a good problem to have.
Douglas Farmer Editor-in-Chief
It has been a long time since Notre Dame dominated two consecutive opponents. The closest the Irish came last season was a 28-3 win over Utah one week followed by a 27-3 triumph over Army. In both instances, a fourth quarter comeback remained possible, if not probable. These last two weeks, comebacks bordered on the impossible.
In three out of this season’s first four games, Irish fans fought off cardiac arrest. Five games last year came down to one possession. These frequent ulcer-inducing weekends have been routine since Lou Holtz left Notre Dame in 1996 — coincidentally, his final home game was the last time the Irish
scored more than 59 points, a 62-0 victory over Rutgers.
This two-week old habit is much preferred to the handfuls of antacids campus has needed for more than a decade.
In place of screaming to the final play, the student section enjoyed the luxuries of a wellreceived “wave.” (Though it should be noted, the northwest corner of the Stadium failed in its attempts to begin a double wave.) Perhaps this trend will continue, and an opportunity will be granted in two weeks under the lights against USC.
In lieu of questioning sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees, or before him senior Dayne Crist, the postgame press conference was filled with questions leading to praise of sophomore quarterback Andrew Hendrix, who took the first snaps of his collegiate career.
Rather than wonder why senior receiver Michael Floyd had such trouble getting open, fans wondered what record he broke this week. Floyd did not break any, however, as he has already broken all, or at least nearly all, of them. Instead, the All-American tried his hand at fielding punts, seemingly just for the fun of it.
Welcome to boring. Isn’t it lovely?
With 6:22 left in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame held a 40-point lead. Air Force needed five touchdowns and five converted two-point conversions to catch the Irish. It just wasn’t going to happen.
Instead of worrying about another late defensive collapse, Irish fans enjoyed the raw talent displayed by Hendrix, freshman running back George Atkinson and
the entire third-string defense.
Only the occasional Air Force fourth-down attempt, and subsequent conversion, reminded fans a competitive game was ongoing, if not all that competitive.
Boring is beautiful.
Usually, when students reach the second half, their impending hangovers make loud noises a nuisance. Saturday, the impending hangovers simply made the 248 aerial pushups that much more comical.
When Officer Tim McCarthy comes on the Stadium address system before the fourth quarter, he normally provides a moment of levity during a stressful game. His “strike out” pun this week may have been the most serious moment of the second half.
The sight of stands emptying was not a result of storms. It was the sight of disinterest, hunger and, well, boredom.
Notre Dame fans should take interest in the young players taking the field at the end of the game. Hendrix, Atkinson and company will be playing the opening half in the years to come.
Notre Dame fans should hit the concession stands a bit harder. Or slip some snacks into their pockets before entering the Stadium.
And Notre Dame fans should get used to boring. It seems it may be here to say.
At that point, only two words are needed to sum up Saturday: Delightfully boring.
Contact Douglas Farmer at dfarmer1@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The Irish offensive line has given up just five sacks this season, but allowed none Saturday.
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