Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1165986
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 23, 2019 23 NEW MEXICO RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Breakaway touchdown runs at or near the end of each half were the high- lights of the afternoon for the Lobos. With 29 seconds to go in the first half, Bryson Carroll adroitly navigated through the Fighting Irish defense for a 47-yard tally to cut the deficit to 35-7. Then on his first career carry with 6:26 left in the contest, Bobby Cole zoomed past the reserve unit for a 37-yard touchdown gallop. New Mexico's game plan centered on controlling the ball with a run-heavy emphasis, and its 44 other carries averaged only 2.9 yards, with eight resulting in lost yardage. We're calling it even only because Notre Dame still should not have permitted the Lobos to eclipse 200 yards on the ground. ADVANTAGE: Even NEW MEXICO PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Among all the mismatches in this game, none was as pronounced as this. Three first-half interceptions tossed by Sheriron Jones (4 of 15 for 19 yards) triggered the blowout early, with the first pick resulting in the initial touchdown by freshman safety Kyle Hamilton. The other two by senior safety Jalen Elliott and fifth-year senior cornerback Shaun Crawford set up two more touchdowns. New Mexico receivers had prob- lems getting separation against the veteran Irish secondary, and on a couple of occasions where there was an opening the pass was inaccurate or rushed. Tavaka Tuioti (6 of 13 for 132 yards) completed 38- and 41-yard passes to Aaron Molina when the score was 52-7 and 66-7, respectively. Yet the Lobos still finished with only 5.2 yards per pass attempt while completing only 34.5 percent of their throws. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. NEW MEXICO RUN DEFENSE The 157 rushing yards and 4.1 yards per carry look subpar on paper, but there is a misleading element here. The 59- and 54-yard touchdown runs by junior running back Avery Davis and fifth-year senior receiver Chris Finke on jet sweeps had zone-read elements to them, and the only reason they were not counted as running plays is they were a forward flip instead of a straight handoff. New Mexico built its defense around controlling the middle, so Notre Dame responded by having running backs and receivers get a running start while in motion and fielding quick, forward pitches that just as easily could have been viewed as running plays. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. NEW MEXICO PASS DEFENSE Just like the running game final numbers might have been misleading — even though the offensive line surge on many occasions generally was nothing to write home about — so too were the passing numbers by senior Ian Book (15 of 24 for 360 yards), mainly because of short flips or forward laterals that resulted in immense gains after the catch. Still, Book was more poised in the pocket this week, took his shots down the field and even connected on several to make the defense honor it. Sophomore Braden Lenzy's first two career catches were a welcome sight — first a 52-yard rocket from sophomore Phil Jurkovec on a post to set up one touchdown, and then a leaping catch of a bubble screen from freshman Brendon Clark in which he broke tackles and eluded several defenders on a 22-yard score. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS The Irish set a positive tone early when sophomore Lawrence Keys III re- turned the opening kickoff 45 yards to the New Mexico 49, and freshman punter Jay Bramblett's first punt was downed at the two-yard line. Gradu- ate student Chris Finke had a 17-yard punt return, junior Jonathan Doerer converted his lone field goal attempt (36 yards) and the Irish kickoff coverage was strong, with no return longer than 15 yards and two punt returns totaling merely two yards. New Mexico botched a short field-goal attempt with a fumbled snap. The positives for the Lobos involved punter Tyson Dyer (46.5 average) pinning Notre Dame inside its 20-yard line three times and also converting a fourth-and-one fake with a two-yard run. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Talk about a stat having no bearing on the game. Notre Dame was 1 of 10 (10.0 percent) — but that was mitigated by finishing 5 of 5 on fourth down, including two one-yard touchdowns on fourth-and-goal. New Mexico was 4 of 18 (22.2 percent), but also only 1 of 3 on fourth down, with the conversion coming on a short run by punter Tyson Dyer on what first appeared to be a rugby punt attempt. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame TURNOVERS All three New Mexico interception tosses in the first half resulted in Irish touchdowns, one directly by Hamilton. The fourth and final turnover by the Lobos, a fumble on a field goal snap, set up a 58-yard touchdown drive. Notre Dame had zero turnovers. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame ANALYSIS How refreshing it is for everyone to expect you to win easily — and then do just that. It was a clear mismatch, which is why Notre Dame was a 34.5-point favorite, and it was beneficial for a lot of the younger players such as Keys, Lenzy, sophomore C'Bo Flemister and freshman Kyren Williams on offense to taste some success. Keeping it in context for Georgia while not letting it become fool's gold also will be important in the preparation this week. ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI Fifth-year senior cornerback Shaun Crawford had one of three interceptions for Notre Dame, all coming in the first half. It was his first pick-off since 2017, and the fourth of his career. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS