Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Niklas across the middle and the junior tight end scampered 66 yards to the end zone in what amounted to a crushing blow to the Owls' hopes. The play marked the longest in both players' respective careers and handed Rees a stellar stat line for the first half: 11-of-16 passing for 268 yards with three touchdowns. "I saw some really good things, and some things that we're going to have to get better at," Kelly said. "We had six possessions in the first half, and I think we missed a couple of throws that he'd like to have back. … But I think we had four or five chunk plays of over 30 yards. Obviously, a lot of the questions coming in [were whether we could] push the ball down the field. "I think we answered a lot of those questions right away with his ability to push the ball down the field. I thought his patience was better, and it will continue to get better. I was pleased with his performance, and he knows he can play better." Temple opened the second half with a 14-play, 53-yard drive that stalled at the Irish 6-yard line. Four Connor Reilly incompletions — the Owls went for it on fourth down with a 15-point deficit after their first-half kicking issues — turned the ball over to Notre Dame's offense. "When your back's against the wall, you play it a little differently," fifth-year senior linebacker Dan Fox said. "We just stuck together pretty much. We knew we had each other's backs, and we needed that to be successful." Junior running back George Atkinson III scored the first rushing touch- down of the season with a two-yard rumble to cap off a seven-play, 94-yard drive following the red-zone stop. Sophomore wide receiver Chris Brown sparked the offense with a 33-yard reception — his third catch of the game after notching just two in 2012 — that put the Irish in the red zone. After junior Cam McDaniel's 16-yard rush, Atkinson completed the drive with his two-yard plunge. A comfortable victory certainly contributed to Notre Dame's offensive balance, with seven Irish players catching a pass and six attempting a rush in the 543-yard output. "I was very pleased," Kelly said. "I thought you saw what I was hoping for. You had Daniels catch a touchdown. You had TJ Jones and obviously Chris Brown [make big plays]. You had Troy Niklas, you had the running backs catch footballs. You had [freshman running back] Tarean Folston catching a nice ball coming out of the backfield. "I think you're going to see great distribution of the football across the board, and it's going to be somebody new each week. "Now TJ Jones is going to be in the mix every single week, because he's one of the best wide receivers in the country. But you're going to see a lot of guys contribute offensively. I think it's for the better. I think it gives us great balance across the board." With the season opener — Notre Dame's 13th consecutive regular-season victory — behind them, the Irish focus now turns to Michigan, who will host Notre Dame in prime time at The Big House Sept. 7. ✦