Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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scheme were unable to generate anything against a defense that ranked 88th nationally against the run (180.9 yards allowed per game and 4.4 yards per carry). Sophomore Tarean Folston and senior Cam McDan- iel combined for 54 yards on 20 carries (2.7 yards per attempt), with McDaniel monopolizing the playing time in the second half because of his pass blocking, specifically at picking up the blitz. ADVANTAGE: Arizona State NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. ARIZONA STATE PASS DEFENSE On one hand, senior quarterback Everett Golson's 446 passing yards and 10.6 yards per attempt kept Notre Dame in the game. On the other, his five turn- overs are unacceptable, although one was a dropped pass by the normally sure-handed Corey Robinson that resulted in a 58-yard interception return for a score. The seven sacks of the normally elusive Golson spoke volumes, although the Irish did a better job of blitz pick-up in the second half en route to 28 straight points. Three consecutive turnovers in the first half with the passing game put Notre Dame into a hole that became just too deep for it to crawl out of despite a superb second-half effort. ADVANTAGE: Even SPECIAL TEAMS Both teams were up and down. Arizona State was backed up by a penalty on the opening kickoff, had a 25-yard punt and also booted one kickoff out of bounds. A slight edge would have gone to Notre Dame — until a dropped hold by junior Hunter Smith on a 32- yard field goal attempt by senior kicker Kyle Brindza, with the Irish trailing 34-17, aborted a crucial scoring opportunity. ADVANTAGE: Even THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Neither team excelled here, with Notre Dame con- verting 5 of 13 (38.5 percent), while Arizona State was 5 of 15 (33.3 percent). Irish senior running back Cam McDaniel scored on short touchdown runs on third-and-goal and fourth-and-goal. Arizona State hardly faced a crucial third-down situation while building a 34-3 cushion. Kelly did scramble for four yards on third-and-three two plays before his 43-yard touchdown strike to sophomore wideout Cameron Smith upped the score to 34-3. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame TURNOVERS This was easily the top story of the game, with Notre Dame's five turnovers that produced 28 points for the Sun Devils. Two of the miscues resulted in 58- and 59-yard interception returns for touchdowns, and two other touchdowns after Irish turnovers required only 13- and 23-yard drives. ASU finished plus-four in this category because the Irish were able to force only one turnover, a 27-yard interception return by senior nickel back Matthias Farley that set up a 50-yard touchdown drive to cut Notre Dame's deficit to 34-24. ADVANTAGE: Arizona State SUMMARY When a football team loses the turnover battle 5-1 and gets outgained on the ground 188-41, it doesn't matter whether the game is at home or on the road, played in desert heat or arctic conditions. Those are the type of numbers that practically guarantees defeat. Yet after falling behind 34-3, Notre Dame was on the cusp of its greatest comeback in school history when it cut the margin to 34-31 with 6:37 left in the game and had reeling Arizona State backed up at its 25. To their credit, the Sun Devils responded with a clutch touchdown drive, and then some window dressing scores at the end made the final score a bit misleading. The Irish youth on defense, miscues on offense and no game-altering plays on special teams finally caught up with them. ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI