Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/200019
three observations Turning Point After Notre Dame's Kyle Brindza drilled a 51-yard field goal with 3:57 remaining in the first half to give the Irish a 24-10 cushion, Air Force marched 57 yards to the Irish 18. The gutty Falcons stayed competitive throughout most of the first half and had a chance to take momentum into the halftime locker room before also receiving the secondhalf kickoff. But with one minute remaining, running back Anthony LaCoste mishandled a toss sweep, and sophomore cornerback KeiVarae Russell recovered the fumble. Then, on the opening series of the second half, Air Force again drove inside the Notre Dame 40 before a scramble by quarterback Matt Romine led to a forced fumble by junior linebacker Ben Councell that freshman linebacker Jaylon Smith recovered at the Irish 38. Six plays later Notre Dame was ahead 31-10. The back-to-back turnovers by the Falcons sealed their fate. Stat Of The Game Air Force entered the game ranked second to last nationally in pass efficiency defense (162.06 rating), including the opposition completing 73.2 percent of its passes while averaging 8.1 yards per attempt. Notre Dame senior quarterback Tommy Rees and the Irish offense exploited that deficiency. The three quarters that Rees played were a pitch-and-catch exhibition in which he completed 17 of 22 passes (77.3 percent) for 284 yards (12.9 yards per attempt) with five touchdowns to five different players. By lou somogyi Rees' 260.71 pass efficiency rating in the game was the best by a Notre Dame quarterback since Jimmy Clausen's 303.7 against Nevada in the 2009 opener. It also was the seventh best in the nation this year for a single game — and fifth best against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. In his last two games, Rees is 31-of-43 passing for 450 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions for a 213.72 rating. Freshman Orientation These are the games where freshmen begin to emerge, and it was evident at almost every position group: • Outside linebacker Jaylon Smith led the team in tackles (eight) for the second time in three games and also recovered a fumble that should have been a touchdown. • One corner, Cole Luke, had six tackles. The other, Devin Butler, had two solo stops, and both of them played the triple-option with controlled aggression. Safety Max Redfield also contributed three tackles. • Defensive end Isaac Rochell had four tackles (three solo) while replacing an injured Sheldon Day. • Steve Elmer made his first career start, at right guard. • Corey Robinson and Will Fuller had their first career touchdown receptions, and their three combined catches averaged 42.7 yards. • Running back Tarean Folston's 11 carries (for 47 yards) were the most on the team, and he displayed shifty maneuverability in traffic.