Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/195693
three observations Turning Point With 9:31 left in the third quarter and Notre Dame leading 14-10, senior quarterback Tommy Rees dropped back to pass and, in one of the few times this season, was smacked on a blitz, by USC weakside linebacker Lamar Dawson. Rees suffered a neck strain and missed the rest of the game. On its final six full offensive possessions, the Irish netted one first down and finished with 47 yards of total offense in the second half. Maybe the Notre Dame defense would have still excelled with Rees in the lineup, but there almost seemed to be a subconscious elevation in its performance with a magnificent effort (see "Stat of the Game" and "A 2012 Defensive Effort"). To repeat Notre Dame legend and 1964-74 head coach Ara Parseghian's favorite quote: "Adversity elicits talent which under prosperous conditions would have remained dormant." Stat Of The Game After USC converted both thirddown attempts on its opening series, a 96-yard touchdown drive, the Fighting Irish defense held the Trojans to 0 of 11 on third down the rest of the way — plus 0 of 2 on fourth down. Most notable was USC had excellent field position on four consecutive possessions spanning the third and fourth quarters: • Starting from its 48-yard line, three USC plays netted five yards. • Starting from the Notre Dame 33, By lou somogyi USC had to punt from the Irish 39 three plays later. • Starting from the Notre Dame 47, USC drove to the 28 but missed a 46yard field goal. • Starting from the Notre Dame 34, USC had two holding penalties and was stopped on fourth-and-20 from the 31. On the Trojans' final possession from their 25, they were halted on fourthand-eight from the Irish 41. A 2012 Defensive Effort The Irish defense had been a disappointment much of this season for not performing anywhere near to the standards of the 2012 unit that spearheaded the 12-0 regular season. It appeared to be on the cusp of another collapse after USC opened with a 96-yard touchdown drive. What ensued was a vintage 2012-esque effort with exceptional fundamentals and pursuit. Notre Dame stopped the run (14 rushing yards in the second half by USC) and kept everything in front of it. The Irish caught a break when standout Trojans wideout Marqise Lee was sidelined in the second half with an injury, but Notre Dame had its own setback minus quarterback Tommy Rees. The Irish were in "survive and advance" mode the past two games, but the defense is rounding into form for what should be a 9-2 push heading into Stanford Nov. 30 with a BCS bid on the line.