Back on track
Notre Dame takes early lead, wins its first game of the season behind a strong defensive effort
By ANDREW GASTELUM Sports Writer
Last year, No. 15 Michigan State rode a fake field goal play called “Little Giants” to a thrilling overtime victory over Notre Dame. It turns out the sequel is no success, as Notre Dame rolled to a 31-13 win Saturday to avoid an 0-3 start.
Down 21-10 with 48 seconds left in the first half, the Spartans (2-1) attempted a fake field goal on fourth-and-goal from the Irish 2-yard line. Notre Dame senior defensive end Ethan Johnson broke through the Spartan front and disrupted the shovel pass intended for sophomore running back Le’Veon Bell, swinging momentum to the Irish heading into halftime.
“They got some push right there on the wing side and they got penetration right there,” Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said. “It knocked the tight end back, the guard back, and because of that it didn’t go. He could not get around. Had he gotten around, it looked like [Bell] would have walked in.”
“We had some time to talk about it and just reminded our guys to be gap-conscious and do their jobs,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said. “We just did our job on that and obviously were able to come up with a big play.”
Sophomore running back Cierre Wood led the Irish attack with two first-half rushing touchdowns. The Irish (12) set the tone early with an eight-play, 76-yard drive to start the game and never gave up the lead after Wood capped the drive with a 22-yard touchdown run.
Wood also scored on a 6-yard run with three minutes left in the first half to put the finishing touches on a 92-yard drive. Wood and senior running back Jonas Gray combined for 112 rushing yards in the first half.
“[Getting the running game going early] helps a lot,” sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees said. “It keeps the defense on their toes, not having to go out there and throw it a lot. It all starts with the offensive line. They did an awesome job, not only protecting me but providing running lanes. It’s fun having the whole offense click like that.”
Rees balanced the attack, throwing for 161 yards, including an interception and a touchdown — a perfectly-thrown 26yard strike to sophomore wide receiver T.J. Jones with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter to make the score 28-
player of the game
Robert Blanton
Notre Dame cornerback
10.
“T.J. and I came in together [in the spring of 2010],” Rees said. “We have a great chemistry out there. [We’re] just building the confidence with each other. [The receivers] are getting a little more used to how I’m playing, and me the same way, and I think we have done a really good job staying on the same page.”
Rees spread the ball out to four different receivers, as senior wide receiver Michael Floyd led the effort with 84 yards on six receptions.
“I thought [Rees] managed the game well,” Kelly said. “He went in there knowing that we had to find a way to control the line of scrimmage to the point where we could run the football and set up some passes later that gave us big-play touchdowns.”
Rees struggled in the first quarter, turning the ball over twice on consecutive drives. But with a minute remaining in the first quarter, freshman running back George Atkinson bailed out the struggling Irish offense and electrified the crowd with an 89-yard kickoff
Blanton recorded three tackles for a loss, deflected three key passes and sealed the game with a fourth-quarter interception.
return for a touchdown, giving the Irish a 14-3 lead.
“[Atkinson] certainly is someone we looked at all year,” Kelly said. “We felt like, based upon some of the things that happened on kickoff return against Michigan, this would be the right opportunity for him.”
With the return, Atkinson became the first freshman to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Raghib Ismail in 1988.
“It feels great,” Atkinson said. “[Ismail] is a great returner. I’d like to see some film and see how he does things and pick up some pointers and stuff. I was on the sideline [after scoring] and I was like ‘what just happened.’ It was like a dream come true. I thought I was dreaming. It was a great feeling to get the points on the board and to know the special teams unit put some points on the board.”
The Irish defense pressured the Spartan backfield throughout the game, which was highlighted by a colossal blind-side hit by freshman defensive end Aaron Lynch that caused Spar-
stat of the game
29 rushing yards
Notre Dame held Michigan State to only 29 rushing yards Saturday, forcing the Spartans into a one-dimensional offense.
tans senior quarterback Kirk Cousins to fumble the ball in the first quarter.
“There were a number of times where they were forced to throw the football,” Kelly said. “We were able to pin our ears back, and Aaron is an outstanding pass rusher. I think he showed that today.”
Notre Dame limited the Spartans rushing attack to just 29 yards, a year after Bell and junior Edwin Baker combined for 204 yards in Michigan State’s 34-31 victory.
“Credit Notre Dame in what they were able to do,” Dantonio said. “I thought they played hard and they made plays. They made plays on the ball down the field as a secondary and got a push out of their defensive front. Cousins was on his back a lot after throwing the ball.”
Up 28-13 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Irish senior cornerback Robert Blanton intercepted a pass from Cousins at the Irish 3-yard line and returned it 82 yards to the Michigan State 12-yard line. Blanton’s interception set up senior kicker David Ruffer’s 33yard field goal to put the game
play of the game
George Atkinson’s 89-yard kickoff return touchdown
Atkinson gave the Irish a 14-3 lead with his kickoff return touchdown in the first quarter, the first since 2008 for Notre Dame.
out of reach.
“We woke up Monday and we went to work, and we did the same thing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,” Blanton said. “We just keep taking [the] coaching and knowing that we can keep getting better as a unit. We need to play great to win. The coaching staff makes sure we practice that which makes us prepared on game day.”
The Irish gained only 275 yards of offense compared to their 500-plus yard outputs in losses to South Florida and Michigan. Despite the lowest offensive showing of the season, Notre Dame came away with its first victory, something Kelly felt his team had coming.
“[It was a] much-needed victory for our kids today,” Kelly said. “We obviously felt, coming into the ballgame, we hadn’t lacked any confidence in our ability to win football games … Sooner or later you got to get paid. You got to be validated in what you do, and so it was a big win for us.”
Contact Andrew Gastelum at agastel1@nd.edu
quote of the game
“It was a much-needed victory for our kids today ... You got to be vaildated in what you do, and so it was a big win for us.”
Brian Kelly Irish coach
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quarterbacks : Overall, Tommy Rees managed the game well, but he committed two more turnovers against Michigan State, giving him seven on the season.
running backs : Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray were an effective duo as the Irish gained 113 first-half yards, but were ineffective in the second half, when they garnered only one yard.
receivers : Michael Floyd highlighted the receiving corps’ effective downfield blocking, but the unit was mostly quiet outside of receptions by Floyd and T.J. Jones of 33 and 26 yards, respectively.
offensive line : The big men up front continue to play well as a unit. The first half blocking allowed Notre Dame to take an early advantage and gave Rees time to throw for much of the game.
defensive line : Notre Dame allowed only 29 rushing yards in the contest and pressured Kirk Cousins throughout the game, highlighted by Aaron Lynch’s sack and forced fumble.
linebackers : The linebackers were effective while blitzing and containing the run, but some miscues in pass coverage allowed Cousins to bail out the offense.
defensive backs : Gary Gray was much improved after struggling at Michigan, and Blanton shut down the passing game before sealing the victory with his fourth-quarter interception.
special teams : Between George Atkinson’s kickoff return touchdown and Ben Turk’s improvement after switching to rugby-style punts, the unit played a key role in the win.
coaching : Bob Diaco’s defensive gameplan was nearly flawless as the defense shut down Michigan State’s running game. The offensive gameplan was effective in establishing the run early.
overall : The Irish must be relieved after a nightmarish start to September, but the team still has mistakes to correct before all is well at Notre Dame.
adding up
the numbers
Notre Dame gained 275 yards of total offense Saturday, its lowest total of the season.
The Irish again committed multiple turnovers Saturday, giving them 13 on the season.
Notre Dame sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees has turned the ball over seven times in just 10 quarters in 2011.
Kirk Cousins attempted 53 passes Saturday, surpassing his previous careerhigh of 43.
The Spartans scored just one touchdown in five red zone appearances Saturday. They also added a field goal.
It was not perfect, but a win is a win
It wasn’t perfect but a win is a win, and that’s exactly what Notre Dame needed to prevent a stunningly disappointing start from turning into a lost season.
“We just had to find a way to win,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said after his team’s 31-13 win over No. 15 Michigan State on Saturday. “By any means, just find a way to win the football game.”
Andrew Owens Associate Sports Editor
Kelly’s words couldn’t be truer, as the Irish mixed-and-matched its way to a crucial victory with changes in personnel.
Freshman running back George Atkinson scored in his first game handling the kickoff return duties and punched Michigan State in the stomach, a blow from which it never recovered.
Freshman linebacker Troy Niklas and senior linebacker Steve Filer replaced starting sophomore Prince Shembo, who was absent due to a family emergency. The two did well enough for a unit that pressured Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins all day.
Junior punter Ben Turk pinned the Spartans deep in their territory a couple times after switching to the rugby-style punt midway through the game. His performance in the first two games put the defense in difficult
positions and the team could not afford to continue to lose valuable field position.
Kelly said he was impressed with the performance of the six true freshmen who contributed Saturday, highlighted by Atkinson and defensive end Aaron Lynch’s sack and forced fumble in the first quarter.
Now that the Irish seem to have found some answers at a few puzzling positions and some playmakers have sparked the team at others, the team finds itself at 1-2 and with an opportunity moving forward.
The next three opponents before the pre-USC bye week are Pittsburgh, Purdue and Air Force. The Panthers and Boilermakers have struggled mightily in September and the Falcons are simply not a team that should give the Irish headaches.
But before Notre Dame fans prematurely place a ‘W’ next to those three dates, they should remember what happened in 2010.
After a 1-3 start, Notre Dame seemed to be rolling again with wins over Boston College, Pittsburgh and Western Michigan to improve to 4-3. The next two games, Navy and Tulsa, were assumed to be a cinch for Kelly’s inaugural squad.
Long story short, the Irish lost both games to fall to 4-5 on the season, before reclaiming its consistency and finishing 2010 on a four-game winning streak.
While Notre Dame should (soundly) defeat its next three opponents, nothing can be taken for granted by a team that has a tendency to take two steps forward
and one step back.
At this point in time, that cannot happen. Notre Dame needs to take the next step forward and roll over the teams it should roll over. It cannot expect to rejoin the top-25 and truly belong there until it does so.
Kelly described Notre Dame’s play down the stretch Saturday as “outstanding.” For the team to continue to rehabilitate its 2011 campaign, it will require more mixing-and-matching and more sparks from the playmakers.
When a kickoff returner sparks the squad by bringing one back or a freshman defensive lineman forces a turnover in a key situation, it removes some of the pressure from an offensive unit lacking consistency.
Contrary to what many people believe, the 2011 squad will not be defined by the first two games. Sure, they will not be forgotten whatever their final record may be, but it is how the team responds to the 0-2 start that will determine how they are remembered.
If Notre Dame takes care of business, as it should, the next three weeks, it will enter the USC game with a 4-2 record, which, while not perfect, would mark a shift in the right direction for the program.
And that’s exactly what Notre Dame needs right now.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Andrew Owens at aowens2@nd.edu
The Spartans converted a first down on only five of 17 third-down attempts.
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