Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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the fifth quarter lou somogyi tional title that year, so the Sooners must have known what they were doing. Plus, it's much more in vogue today. Nevertheless, I grew up watching USC's Sam "Bam" Cunningham diving over piles for touchdowns. But more so, I appreciated the execution of the quarterback sneak. Forty years earlier versus USC, Notre Dame quarterback Tom Clements on fourth-andgoal from the 1, and seconds before halftime, took the snap, waited for the pile to converge while stepping to his left and found a crease to easily dive over en route to a 13-7 halftime lead and eventual national title. The late Tom Pagna, Notre Dame's backfield coach from 1964-74, emphasized the art of the quarterback sneak. It was not about just bulling into the scrum, but patiently motioning toward an opening after initial contact. Did you know that Joe Montana tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns during the regular season for the 1977 national champs? He scored six times — five on one-yard sneaks and one from two yards — twice against USC and twice in 21‑17 comeback at Clemson. (Montana scored eight more times the next year, two of them in the comeback win over Houston in the Cotton Bowl.) Out of curiosity, we asked Brian Kelly the week after this year's USC game the logic behind going shotgun near the goal line. "Keeping goal-line defenses off the field is one of the reasons, and trying to keep your personnel on the field," he replied. "It lessens the chance of putting another defensive lineman on the field. … There's versatility in the shotgun that allows you to do a number of different things. The ball can get on the perimeter quickly — transition from catch to throw quickly. "When you get down there, you do what you do. You commit yourself to what it is." Notre Dame's current identity is excellent pass blocking, not run blocking. It is not necessarily considered a "power" outfit. There might also be some negative memories from 2010 when quarterback Dayne Crist was sidelined for a half with an injury (he had just snuck in for a touchdown) during a heartbreaking loss to Michigan. Later that year on the opening drive at Navy, Crist's sneak from the 1 was stuffed, and Navy romped to a 35‑17 win. Then again, last year Tommy Rees' surprising quarterback draw from the 2 was the lone TD in a 13-6 Irish triumph versus Michigan. And Everett Golson's sneak from the 1 capped a three-overtime thriller against Pitt. "There are pluses and minuses to being in direct snap, pistol or shotgun," Kelly said. "More than anything else, you've got to do what you do when you get there. You have to rep it, and you have to be good at what you do down there." It's tough to "sneak by" becoming someone you're not. ✦ Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com