Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/296331
UNDER THE DOME MOVING? Let our customer service department know your new address! CALL US 1-800-421-7751 WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM MARCH 2014 • $3.50 VOLUME 33 • ISSUE 15 • EST. 1981 IMPACT HIT All-American linebacker Nyles Morgan headlines a 23-man class focused on strength in the trenches 2014 RECRUITING ISSUE CHARTING THE IRISH RED ALERT One of Notre Dame's top priorities during spring practice this year was to sharpen its skills in the red zone. The Irish finished 79th nationally by converting 80.0 percent of their red zone chances into points in 2013. Only 53.3 percent of those trips (24 of 45) ended in touchdowns. The major culprit in Notre Dame's struggles inside the 20 appeared to be the passing game. Former quarterback Tommy Rees struggled to connect with receivers in tighter quarters. His completion rate dropped from 56.3 percent in the first 80 yards of the field to 42.4 percent in the last 20. Yet, the Irish stuck to the pass anyway. They threw the ball 66 times inside the red zone and ran it only 62 times. Any incomplete pass in the red zone cut Notre Dame's chances of scoring a touchdown in half according to the statistics. The team's 53.3 percent success rate dropped to 26.9 percent (7 of 26) when at least one play on the red zone trip ended in an incomplete pass. They scored touchdowns 17 times on the 19 drives when Rees didn't throw an incomplete pass. Other mistakes hampered Notre Dame's chance of getting to the end zone even more. On red zone trips with a negative play (a penalty, tackle for loss, sack or turnover) the team converted only 21.1 percent of its chances into touchdowns. They made at least one of those mistakes on 19 of their 45 trips inside the 20 last season. To start scoring more in 2014, the Irish will need to eliminate mistakes and increase efficiency in the passing game when they get inside the red zone. Play Selection Run 62 Pass 66 Completion Percentage Outside the 20 56.3 percent (196 of 348) Inside the 20 42.4 percent (28 of 66) Red Zone Touchdown Success Rate Total 53.3 percent (24 of 45) With an Incompletion 26.9 percent (7 of 26)