Griffiths: Notre Dame got some lucky breaks against Miami
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Correspondent
I just got done methodically watching my DVR copy of Notre Dame’s win over Miami (Fla.), and upon further review, there’s no doubt the Irish got plenty of lucky breaks against the Hurricanes, which definitely led to the lopsided final score.
For instance, take the first play from scrimmage. Miami receiver Phillips Dorsett got behind the Irish secondary and was wide open for what would’ve been a touchdown and 7-0 lead. However, he dropped quarterback Stephen Morris’ perfectly thrown ball.
A few plays later, the normally sure-handed Dorsett repeated the same mistake as once again he beat his defender and dropped another touchdown pass and another perfectly thrown ball.
Both those errors were early momentum swings and could’ve set the tone for an upset bid.
It wasn’t just Miami’s offense that was making mental mistakes.
On Notre Dame’s first offensive series of the game, the Hurricanes dropped what appeared to be an easy interception, which hit the linebacker right in the hands. Miami didn’t stop there, however, as after forcing the Irish to punt, it roughed Ben Turk, keeping Notre Dame’s drive alive.
Immediately following the roughing the punter penalty, the Hurricanes were called for a late hit out-of-bounds.
To Notre Dame’s credit, it capitalized on Miami’s mistakes, taking a 7-0 lead.
The next time the ‘Canes touched the ball, they drove right down the field and looked like they had tied the score at 7. But Morris’ touchdown run was negated by a holding penalty, and Miami had to settle for a field goal.
The half ended with the ‘Canes missing a 47-yard field goal that would’ve made it a one-possession game, but instead it was 13-3 at the break.
Right before halftime, Cierre Wood fumbled but an offensive lineman recovered.
The second half started the way the first half did, with Miami making another mistake. Right after an offsides penalty against Miami, Wood raced 37 yards to the Hurricanes’ 2 and scored on the next play to give the Irish a 20-3 cushion.
Miami received the ensuing kickoff and had yet another dropped pass by a receiver that would’ve resulted in a first down inside Notre Dame territory. Instead, the Canes had to punt. The Irish responded with a touchdown drive to make it 27-3, but even that drive was greatly helped thanks to yet another Miami penalty. Notre Dame drove deep into Hurricane territory but was stopped short of a first down on third down. Miami committed a dead ball personal foul penalty, moving it half the distance to the goal line and giving the Irish a first down.
Give Notre Dame credit, it didn’t by any means play its best game of the season and still won by 38 points. The Irish were disciplined and capitalized on Miami’s key dropped passes and nine penalties.
It was yet another sign that Brian Kelly’s team has matured, and even when it is not at its best, it can still win in convincing fashion.
So with that, IndySportsLegends.com once again provides you with its weekly report card on Notre Dame after it improved to 5-0 on the season.
QUARTERBACKS A
You couldn’t ask for anything more from Everett Golson. He was mature about his benching for violating team rules, took it like a man and came out and had his best passing performance of the season from a completion percentage standpoint. Golson completed 77.3 percent of his 22 passes for 186 yards. His previous best mark was 21-of-31 (67.7 percent) against Purdue.
Golson seems to excel throwing on the run, rolling out of the pocket. He throws a nice ball and has good arm strength, which he showcased a time or two against Miami when he would throw across the field and get it there in a hurry.
It was a good sign to see nine different players with a reception. That tells you Golson is spreading the wealth and not just looking for his first option.
RUNNING BACKS A
The Irish did a lot of things right when it came to rushing the football. Their production was outstanding as the 376 yards were the most by a Notre Dame team since Nov. 11, 2000 when it gained 380 on the ground against Boston College.
In addition, Wood and George Atkinson III showed why the Irish might have the deepest corps of running backs in the nation. They each had 100-yard rushing games. It marked the first time since 2002 that a pair of Notre Dame running backs had 100 yards rushing in the same game.
It was because of Wood and Atkinson that Notre Dame took a 10-point halftime advantage and blew the game wide open in the second half. Get this the Irish completely dominated the line of scrimmage in the second half as they ran for a staggering 270 yards in the final 30 minutes.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS B-
The production out of the receivers and tight ends was good (19 catches for 211 yards), but their grade isn’t higher for two reasons.
One, the Irish didn’t have a touchdown pass play.
Two, the longest pass completion on the night was just 24 yards.
You’ve got to wonder when teams are going to play almost strictly man coverage against the Irish and load up the box, daring Notre Dame’s offense to beat them with something other than the run and forcing Golson to try to throw down field with regularity.
OFFENSIVE LINE A+
Notre Dame’s o-line was fantastic against Miami.
It didn’t allow a sack. It paved the way for a running attack to average 7.4 yards per carry and helped Golson have an excellent night completing passes.
The line’s play in the Windy City was about as close to pitching a perfect game as you could get. You know Kelly doesn’t want to hear it, but it was even more evident watching the game for a second time and seeing the guys up front manhandle Miami’s front, so much so that they really didn’t pressure Golson much at all.
DEFENSIVE LINE C
Maybe we’re getting a little spoiled with the guys in the trenches for the Irish, but registering no sacks against Morris, who is a nifty scrambler, has to be somewhat of a concern.
The Irish really didn’t get that close to him either. They did flush him out of the pocket on occasion, but he was easily able to sidestep any pressure and have a clear path to set his feet, read his progressions and deliver the ball.
We’re going to give the front just an average grade because of its inability to register a sack.
With that said, though, keep in mind, the Irish have not allowed a rushing touchdown for the last seven games. A lot of that credit has to go to the defensive line.
LINEBACKERS A-
Once again the Irish backers were awfully impressive.
Miami gained just 84 yards rushing on 18 carries and its longest run was just 17 yards. The Hurricane’s leading rusher was Mike James, who had a mere 28 yards on six carries.
Middle linebacker Manti Te’o had a game-high 10 tackles, but what else is new, right?
SECONDARY C-
It’s better to be lucky than good or at least that’s what Notre Dame’s DBs are saying this week after dodging some bullets against the Canes.
Entering the season, we knew the Irish secondary could be susceptible to the deep ball and up until the Miami game no one had really exposed it. The Canes had the plays there to make, getting behind the Irish defensive backfield, but dropped a couple passes that would’ve resulted in touchdowns.
Morris threw for 201 yards, completing just barely above 50 percent of his passes (18-of-35), but again Miami had enough drops in Soldier Field to last a season.
SPECIAL TEAMS B-
When you only have to punt once and you kick off eight times, that’s a pretty good sign that the game is going in your favor.
Such was the case for the Irish.
Notre Dame kicker Kyle Brindza hit his eighth straight field goal of the season to give his team a 13-3 lead, but missed a 34-yarder wide right at the end of the second quarter to snap his perfect season.
COACHING A
There’s nothing really to criticize about Kelly here. The play calling wasn’t overly creative, but it did seem to keep Miami off-balance, especially in the second quarter when the Irish went down the field for a field goal.
He had Golson rolling out and showing what a true weapon he is with the ball in his hands, utilized short passing routes, got the tight ends involved in the passing game and overall didn’t ask Golson to do too much other than simply manage the game. That’s the formula Kelly has had all season and as they say, ˜If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.‘
OVERALL A
Coming off a bye week, the Irish showed little to no rust whatsoever. They played mistake free football, capitalized on Miami’s numerous errors (i.e. dropped passes and penalties) and remained unbeaten.
Notre Dame ran its mark to 10-0-2 all-time in games played at Soldier Field and ran its 2012 record to 5-0, its best start since 2002.
The Irish haven’t allowed a touchdown over their last 12 quarters and feature a defense that is allowing just 7.8 points per game and is the only team in America to have allowed three or less touchdowns all season (Notre Dame has permitted three).
As long as this team continues to take care of the football and play the kind of defense its playing, there’s no reason to think it can’t win every game left on its schedule and end the regular season undefeated.
