Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/216396
Junior running back Cam McDaniel had a careerhigh 117 yards on 24 carries to pace an Irish rushing attack that racked up 235 yards against a typically tough BYU defense. photo by bill panzica nior safety Matthias Farley corralled a scrambling Hill on third-and-goal from the Notre Dame 6-yard line. Later in the quarter, junior defensive end Stephon Tuitt's pass rush forced Hill to flail an incomplete pass to the ground that clinched the victory. "We gave up some things to hold up big plays," Kelly said. "We gave up some swings and some quick gains into the short field. I was tempted to get into some real coverage in the boundary, but it would have put us in a position where they could possibly get over the top. We weren't going to let them get over the top. We were trying to keep the ball in front of us. "We rallied pretty good to some of their quick gain stuff. It was a game plan decision to give up some swing passes and spot routes into the short field to take away some big plays." Offensively, Notre Dame rushed for more than 200 yards (235) for just the third time all season. Junior running back Cam McDaniel contributed 117 yards on 24 carries in his first career 100-yard performance. Folston added 78 and junior George Atkinson III finished with 42. Vaunted BYU senior linebacker Kyle Van Noy missed several tackles and became a non-factor with just two stops in the defeat. "Van Noy is a great player," fifthyear senior offensive tackle Zack Martin said. "Anytime you can run at a good pass rusher, it slows him down a little bit. We were able to run the ball, so we weren't drop-back passing a whole lot. That helped to keep them there a little bit." Kelly — whose team rushed for 270 yards in a 17-14 win over BYU a year ago — said he expected his squad to have success on the ground against the Cougars. "They are very rangy players on their edge," Kelly said. "Van Noy is an outstanding football player. But … the way they are built in their 3-4 defense, we felt like with our big tight ends, we could cover them up. We just matched up a little bit better when they were in their three-down. "We match up pretty good in the running game when we get into teams that run three-down." Notre Dame allowed BYU to hang around by failing to capitalizing on chances in Cougars territory. At one point, the Irish reached the BYU side