Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/102697
Prime Performances The top individual and team efforts during the 2012 regular season E By Lou Somogyi ntering the 2012 season, Notre Dame was 32-31 the previous five years and had lost at least five games each season. Another five-loss campaign in 2012 would have set the school record of six in a row, eclipsing the total from 1959-63 and 2007-11. Yet just like in 1964 with first-year head coach Ara Parseghian when the Irish were awarded the MacArthur Bowl, emblematic of a national title, the long-awaited "Where Did That Come From" Dream Season arrived at Notre Dame in 2012. The prime figures that spearheaded this turnaround have been well documented. Head coach Brian Kelly has received numerous National Coach of the Year honors, senior linebacker Manti Te'o earned a record seven national awards and senior tight end Tyler Eifert, the offense's aircraft carrier, was the recipient of the Mackey Award as the nation's top player at his position. They, and others, are featured in another section of this issue. Here is a review of some of those many personalities and facets that made the 12-0 regular season one of the more amazing ones in the 125-year history of Notre Dame football. Five Notable regular season Team Stats 1. No. 1 Ranking In Eight Defensive Categories — Would you believe that as recently as 2009 the Irish were 86th in total defense (397.8 yards allowed per game) and 89th in rushing defense (170.25) and were known as Notre Ame (no 'D')? Among the defensive categories in which it was No. 1 at the end of the regular season were scoring defense (10.33 points allowed per contest) for the first time since 1946, and red-zone touch- downs allowed percentage (24.24 percent) — the lowest total the past eight years in the NCAA. It also permitted the fewest rushing touchdowns (two), and lowest yards per completion (9.7) in the country, a remarkable combination. Notre Dame allowed only one TD of more than 20 yards (25 yards by Navy in the opener), went 17 quarters without yielding a TD, and opponents crossed the goal line only six times in the last 10 games.