Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1044500
38 NOV. 5, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI THE WEEK AFTER Many years ago, 1991‑96 Purdue head coach Jim Colletto — later Notre Dame's offensive coordinator in 1997‑98 — was asked if it was ad‑ vantageous to have a bye the week before playing the Fighting Irish. "I'd rather have the bye the week after playing them," he replied. The reasoning was because so much was invested into preparing for Notre Dame, the week following their matchup was even more chal‑ lenging both physically and emotion‑ ally, and made the drained opponent more vulnerable to a letdown. Believe it or not, Navy has been that way for Notre Dame the past decade, with the Irish sporting a 4‑7 record from 2007‑17 the week after playing the Midshipmen. It's not that Navy is an annual superpower, but the emotional and physical investment of preparing for the triple option has had a residual effect, specifically on the Irish de‑ fense rebooting against a more con‑ ventional offense. In fairness, most of the opposition after the Midshipmen was pretty darn good, too, or there were extenu‑ ating circumstances. Here is a look at "the week after" Navy, dating back to 2007: • In 2017, Notre Dame lost 38‑20 at Stanford, which presented a more formidable passing attack. • The 4‑8 season in 2016 was a no‑ table exception with the 44‑6 rout of Army in 2016 — in part because the Black Knights also ran the triple option and were dominated by the more well‑versed Irish defense that limited them to 229 rushing yards and a meager 13 passing yards. • In 2015, Notre Dame rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat USC 41‑31, although the Irish did permit 590 yards of total offense. • In 2014, the 49‑39 win versus Navy was followed by a 55‑31 defeat at No. 11 Arizona State in which the Irish fell behind 34‑3. • In 2013, the back‑and‑forth 38‑34 victory versus Navy, in which there were a Notre Dame school‑record nine lead changes, was draining and possibly showed the next week when the Irish were upset 28‑21 at Pitt (which had lost to the Midshipmen). • In 2012, the Irish needed a field goal with seven seconds left to defeat Purdue 20‑17 the week after defeat‑ ing Navy 50‑10 in Ireland, which led to a long trip back. • In 2011, following a 56‑14 win over the Midshipmen, Notre Dame trailed at halftime at Wake Forest be‑ fore rallying to a 24‑17 win. • In 2010, the 35‑17 debacle against the Midshipmen carried over with a 28‑27 home loss to Tulsa. The death of Notre Dame student manager De‑ clan Sullivan that week also created a tremendous pall on campus. • In Charlie Weis' final three sea‑ sons as Notre Dame's head coach (2007‑09), the week after Navy was a problem with losses to Air Force (2007) and a 2‑8 Syracuse team at home (2008). The Navy loss in 2009 (23‑21) was the first of four defeats in a row to end his career with the Irish. JEKYLL & HYDE: PITT II? Pitt, Notre Dame's Oct. 13 oppo‑ nent, is a Jekyll‑and‑Hyde outfit be‑ cause you never know what you're going to get from them with the ten‑ dency to play up or down to the level of the competition. The 21‑point underdog Panthers pushed the Irish to the brink, leading most of the contest before an Irish touchdown with 5:43 remaining in the game provided the 19‑14 win. The 2018 Northwestern edition is similar. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has done magnificent work in his 13 seasons at his alma mater — includ‑ ing three 10‑win campaigns since 2012 — but this year's Wildcats were an enigma during a 4‑3 start. • They opened the season with a terrific 31‑27 victory at Purdue, who would go on to crush then‑No. 2 Ohio State 49‑20 Oct. 20. A week later at home, the Wildcats laid an egg in a 21‑7 defeat to Duke. • In week three, Northwestern GAME PREVIEW: NORTHWESTERN Top STorylineS Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has led the Wildcats to three 10-win seasons since 2012, but his 2018 squad has struggled to find any consistency. PHOTO BY STEPHEN J. CARRERA/NORTHWESTERN ATHLETICS