Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Brindza. "He punted effectively with great hang time. He kicked the ball off extremely well. I don't know what his numbers were, but he clearly impacted the game." Senior wide receiver TJ Jones returned a punt 18 yards in the first quarter to give the Irish a total of 41 punt return yards in two games after amassing only 46 in all of 2012. "We were able to get a punt return that was very important to field position," Kelly said. "I think if there was one area where we needed to play better it was our kickoff coverage. "We made a slight adjustment there and did a nice job in the second half." Amir Carlisle Plays Lead Role A week after receiving seven of Notre Dame's 35 rush attempts, Kelly called upon junior running back Amir Carlisle for most of the carries against Michigan. In his 12 attempts — the team finished with 19 total — Carlisle recorded 64 yards and broke several tackles in a steady performance. "I thought he did some good things, but we're still a work in progress there," head coach Brian Kelly said. "We made way too many mistakes in the passing game tonight that were critical at times. But we ran hard. I think all the backs did that when they got in." Fellow junior running back George Atkinson III's one reception went for 16 yards, but his three drops slowed the Irish offense in the 41-30 loss. He finished with 37 rushing yards on five carries. Carlisle received most of the playing time in the second half after finding a Junior Amir Carlisle paced the Irish rushing attack, carrying 12 of the 19 times Notre Dame ran the ball and picking up 64 yards. photo by bill panzica rhythm before halftime. "I thought the offensive line did a great job," Carlisle said. "There were a lot of holes for me, and George and [junior running back] Cam [McDaniel] to run through. They did a great job, and that's just a testament to them. "We came up short on a few plays out there. We just have to learn from it in film study and come back strong the next week." Missed Opportunities, Penalties Hurt Irish Brian Kelly pointed to several missed opportunities that he said changed the outlook of the game. In its five trips to the red zone, Notre