Leading returning rusher George Atkinson III carried the ball 60 times for 388 yards (6.5 per attempt) and
seven scores in his first two seasons in South Bend.
photo by bill panzica
championship contention.
In last year���s final Associated Press top six,
the scoring averages
were sobering: Alabama
(38.71), Oregon (49.54),
Ohio State (37.17), Notre
Dame (25.77), Texas
A&M (44.46) and Georgia (37.79).
Each of the other
five scored at least two
touchdowns more per
game than the Fighting
Irish.
Moving the ball and
the first-down chains
was not a problem for
Notre Dame, which averaged a healthy 412.2
yards total offense per
contest. The issue was
leaving an inordinate
amount of points on the
field once it penetrated
past the opponent���s 20yard line, the area of the
field better known as
���the red zone.���
��� In the 20-17 victory
versus Purdue, Notre
Dame reached the red
zone five times, but
scored only two touchdowns. It also kicked
two field goals and
failed to score any points
on another occasion.
��� In the hard-fought
13-6 win against Michigan, Notre Dame scored
one TD, one field goal
and then zero points on
its three trips into the
red zone.
��� The 20-13 overtime
victory against Stanford
