Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 26, 2020 23 USF RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Bereft of a passing attack even in the opener versus The Citadel, USF needed to lean on 5-9 and 5-5 scatbacks Kelly Joiner and Johnny Ford, respectively, to have any chance. Ford did break a 42-yard run on the second series for the Bulls, but the other 21 designed run plays for running backs or receivers resulted in 31 yards total. Quarterback Jordan McCloud had some brief success in the third quarter with some keepers, but USF finished with only 106 net yards on the ground. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame USF PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE This USF team passed for only 102 yards in 25 attempts against a Football Championship Subdivision foe in the opener and is trying to settle on a quar- terback by October. The Bulls were only 3 of 6 for 15 yards in the first half against the Irish despite the absence of two defensive back starters in sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton and junior cornerback TaRiq Bracy. Junior Houston Griffith and freshman Clar- ence Lewis excelled in their place while the Bulls inserted three different quar- terbacks who managed a meager 4.3 yards per attempt (125 yards on 29 tosses). ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. USF RUN DEFENSE This was almost like scrimmage work with the outside zone, and junior tight end Tommy Tremble was the standout figure as a lead blocker on the edge, often while lined up in an old-fashioned fullback stance as an isolation blocker. Versus Duke it was a backfield monopoly with sophomore Kyren Williams, but against USF the rotation was far more liberal and by committee with three dif- ferent backs utilized the first three series. The offensive line was much crisper and dominant, as anticipated, resulting in 281 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, with the Irish averaging 6.2 yards per carry. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. USF PASS DEFENSE Rather than trying to "force" the running game early (especially with three tight ends starting), fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book loosened up the defense with three straight passes, and began the first two series with 24- and 22-yard completions to Tremble and junior wideout Braden Lenzy. He passed for more yardage in the first quarter (88) than the rest of the game (56). This was a game more about honing the ground attack, but down the road the passing game will need to be more consistent and effective, especially with the wideouts. The distribution saw five catches for 71 yards by the tight end (three for 61 by Tremble), four for 41 yards by the receivers, and four for 37 yards by the running backs. Book went through his progressions more patiently, but he had the luxury to do so against USF. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS In the first quarter, USF committed a 15-yard facemask penalty on the open- ing kickoff that began a 54-yard touchdown drive by the Irish. On the Bulls' first series, a 21-yard punt required only a 43-yard Notre Dame touchdown march to make it 14-0. The fourth Irish touchdown needed merely 25 yards when a snap that went over the head of punter Trent Schneider resulted in a desperation kick from the end zone. When the Bulls tried to fake a punt in the second quarter while in Irish ter- ritory, sophomore defensive end Isaiah Foskey smelled it, didn't bite on it and recorded a tackle for a nine-yard loss. On the second-half kickoff, an illegal block by USF forced them to start from their own 10-yard line. Later in the third quarter, yet another bad snap from the Notre Dame 45-yard line resulted in a blocked punt by junior linebacker Osita Ekwonu that freshman defensive end Jordan Botelho picked up for a score. It wasn't so much that Notre Dame excelled here but more on how USF struggled mightily, giving the Irish constant field position advantage. Six punts for a 24.0 net average is a stat one doesn't often see. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS The real story here was in the first half when Notre Dame was 7 of 8 while USF was 0 of 6, which helped explain the 35-0 halftime count. Six of the seven conversions were on third-and-three or less, but an 18-yard screen to Jafar Armstrong also moved the sticks on third-and-13. Conversely, five of the Bulls' six third-down attempts in the first half were at least third-and-eight. The Irish finished 8 of 14 (57.1 percent) while USF was 2 of 15 (13.3 percent). ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame TURNOVERS Neither had a blemish here, but Notre Dame had a couple of potential inter- ceptions drop out of its collective hands, while two Fighting Irish fumbles were recovered by offensive linemen Robert Hainsey and Jarrett Patterson. ADVANTAGE: Even ANALYSIS Similar to the 66-14 and 52-0 wins versus New Mexico and Bowling Green last year, this was an egregious mismatch, albeit against a team with more Football Bowl Subdivision speed than the duo from last year. Because so much needed to be cleaned up from last week's win versus Duke, and because so many new faces had to excel to replace numerous starters, Notre Dame did not come out with a bored demeanor but was locked-in and purposeful. With the Irish combining superior talent and a hungry, intentional focus, it made the matchup that much worse for the Bulls. ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI In his first action of the young season, junior wide receiver Braden Lenzy hauled in three receptions for 34 yards. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS