Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/400621
UNDER THE DOME Offense Re-Installs Its Screen Door Over the final eight games in 2013, Notre Dame's running backs totaled a paltry 10 catches for 64 yards: five by Cam McDaniel for 37 yards, four by Tarean Folston for 26 yards and one by George Atkinson III for one yard. That was particularly surprising because a short, controlled passing game — especially screens — proved to be a hallmark of Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly's offenses at Cincinnati from 2007-09. "The screen association threatened to take my card away," Kelly joked. "That's all I did when I was at Cincinnati. … We needed it as part of our offense, and it was definitely missing within our offensive structure [at Notre Dame]." CHARTING THE IRISH IN THE (RED) ZONE During Notre Dame's unbeaten stretch in the first half of the season, the Irish reached the 30-point plateau in five of six contests. A major reason for the offensive improvement is the success in the red zone. In the first six games, Notre Dame scored a touchdown on 71.4 percent of its trips to the red zone, which ranked tied for 23rd overall in the country. In 2013, the Irish finished No. 100 out of 125 Football Bowl Subdivision teams with a red zone touchdown rate of 53.3 percent. Even in 2012, when the Irish advanced to the BCS National Championship Game, they did so in spite of the red zone offense. The unit that season performed even worse than it did in 2013. That season, Notre Dame finished 112th overall with a 48.33 percent red zone touchdown rate. Too many times it settled for field goals and left points on the field. Head coach Brian Kelly has preached the importance of converting red zone trips into touch - downs since the spring, when he predicted Notre Dame would need to win more often in shootouts than in past years. That proved to be prophetic Oct. 11. In the 50-43 win over North Carolina, the Irish scored six touchdowns in their six trips to the red zone. Senior quarterback Everett Golson's mobility has helped Notre Dame change its fortune in the red zone this season. Four times in six games he rushed for a touchdown, compared to former Irish signal-caller Tommy Rees, who notched one touchdown on the ground in his career. When considering Notre Dame's bid for a College Football Playoff berth or New Year's Six bowl, red zone offense will have a dramatic effect on those aspirations. NOTRE DAME'S TD PERCENTAGE IN THE RED ZONE (NATIONAL RANK) 2014: 71.4 (T-23)* 2013: 53.3 (100) 2012: 48.3 (112) 2011: 66.7 (T-28) 2010: 56.5 (87) * Through six games