Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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that the Fighting Irish were also No.��1 in scoring defense with a 10.3 average during those 12 contests. It���s also not a surprise that it was the lowest regular-season figure since the 12.3 points per game posted by the defensive unit of the 1988 national champs. Conversely, in 2012, Notre Dame finished only 78th in scoring offense among Football Bowl Subdivision teams with a 25.77 average (compared to 15th in 1988 with a 32.6 figure). It would be safe to assume that had Notre Dame ended up 78th in scoring defense instead of offense, it wouldn���t have experienced an unbeaten regular season with a bid to the BCS National Championship Game ��� whose winner, Alabama, ended up finishing No. 1 in scoring defense after crushing the Fighting Irish, 42-14. While building a fortress on defense has been the first priority since head coach Brian Kelly���s arrival at Notre Dame three years ago, a potent, consistent offense ��� and special teams ��� to complement it is the next step to becoming a perennial national championship contender, not just a one-hit wonder. The irony is that Kelly arrived at Notre Dame with offense purportedly his forte: ��� His reputation at Grand Valley State was built on a prolific scoring offense from 200103 that averaged 47.3 points per game during those three seasons. ��� When Kelly led Central Michigan to the 2006 Mid-American Conference title in his third season, with redshirt freshman quarterback Dan LeFevour under center, the Chippewas finished 23rd in scoring offense (29.7 points per game), easily the best in the league. ��� Kelly���s first season at Cincinnati in 2007 saw the Bearcats finish 16th in scoring average (36.31), and during a 12-0 regular season in 2009 they finished fourth nationally with a 38.62 figure. Yet at Notre Dame, the offense has never achieved full lift-off under Kelly. The first year in 2010 was an adjustment phase, especially with true freshman quarterback Tommy Rees at the throttle in the final five games, requiring more simplifying and scaling back. Notre Dame finished 67th with a 26.31 scoring average. The second year there was improvement statistically to 49th with a 29.23 scoring average. However, Notre Dame sputtered at the end, tallying only four offensive touchdowns in the final three games en route to an 8-5 finish. Last year���s 78th finish in scoring offense was mainly a product of poor red-zone efficiency. Red-Zone Alert Generally, a top-10, BCS-caliber bowl team has a ���magic number��� of averaging at least 30 points per game. Notre Dame was an exception to the rule in 2012 with its modest 25.77 figure. Since the end of World War II in 1945, none of the eight consensus Fighting Irish national champions averaged less than 30.1 points per game. Those extra five or six points often make a difference between a four- or five-loss campaign and bona fide