Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/396685
BY LOU SOMOGYI A n historical achieve‑ ment occurred with Notre Dame's 17‑14 vic‑ tory against Stanford Oct. 4. For the first time ever, the Irish defeated a ranked opponent (Stan‑ ford was No. 14 at the time) while attempting at least 40 passes. Senior quarterback Everett Gol‑ son completed 20 of 43 attempts — the last to se‑ nior tight end Ben Koyack for a 23‑yard yard score on fourth‑and‑11 with only 1:01 remaining in the game. Had the pass fallen in‑ complete, it would have continued what has been a pattern of mostly disap‑ pointment when wing‑ ing the football more than 40 times in a game, although fifth‑year head coach Brian Kelly has been somewhat changing the trend. Under Kelly, Notre Dame is 7‑7 in games where it attempted at least 40 passes, but it started 1‑4 in such con‑ tests his first season in 2010 and improved to 6‑3 since then. That is an enormous upgrade from previous seasons and coaching predecessors at Notre Dame (see sidebar). Nevertheless, never having previously de‑ feated a ranked team with so many passes generally signified that an inability to develop a strong run‑ ning game would eventu‑ ally catch up against the better opposition. Prior to the Stanford game, Notre Dame had also won its two previous games where it attempted 40 or more passes — 29‑16 versus Rutgers in the 2013 Pinstripe Bowl (47 pass attempts), and 30‑14 this Sept. 20 against Purdue (40 attempts). The week before the Stanford game, Golson flung the ball 39 times, completing 25 in a row at one point, one short of the UNDER THE DOME THE BALANCING ACT Brian Kelly is committed to mixing in the run with a passing offense Senior Everett Golson became the first Notre Dame quarterback to lead a victory over a ranked team while throwing at least 40 passes, when he led the Irish past Stanford 17‑14 Oct. 4. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL