Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/216396
on paper revisited By lou somogyi Junior defensive end Stephon Tuitt and the Irish put good pressure on BYU signal-caller Taysom Hill, sacking him twice and registering eight QB hurries. photo by Bill Panzica BYU Running Game vs. Notre Dame Run Defense Although 247 yards rushing by BYU won't look good on paper for Notre Dame, the Irish did well to take away the inside from 1,000-yard rusher Jamaal Williams, whose 18 carries netted 43 yards (2.4 yards per carry). Dangerous dual-threat quarterback Taysom Hill — also a 1,000-yard rusher — did pick up 101 yards, but there was much improvisation with limited success on his 24 carries, many of which were not by design. Paul Lasike's 40- and 46-yard romps in the second half bolstered the numbers, but a touchdown-saving tackle by cornerback KeiVarae Russell on the latter made it possible for BYU to total only three points combined off those two big plays. Sophomore defensive lineman Jarron Jones played outstanding football in his first major action, and fifth-year senior linebacker Dan Fox may have had the best all-around game of his career. ADVANTAGE: BYU BYU Passing Game vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense Our "Stat Of The Game" was the way Notre Dame limited Hill to 168 yards through the air on his 36 attempts (plus about a dozen other potential pass attempts in which he was forced to run or ad-lib). BYU's swing passes to the short side of the field were one area where Notre Dame made some concessions, but its double zoning on the wide side of the field kept everything in front and did not allow one pass play to go for more than 15 yards. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame Notre Dame Running Game vs. BYU Run Defense The Irish had marginal success with its favored zone stretch play to the left, but they consistently produced between the tackles. That fit right into junior Cam McDaniel's wheelhouse (24 carries for 117 yards), and for the second year in a row the Irish had much success on the ground against the Cougars, rushing for