Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/424772
UNDER THE DOME SAFETY HAZARDS When Notre Dame's two best athletes at safety, sophomore Max Redfield and junior Elijah Shumate, did not start or record a tackle during the 31-28 loss to Louisville Nov. 22, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly explained the next day that he has not given up on either "but they've got to continue to show more consistency in practice." Fifth-year senior Austin Collinsworth started in place of Shumate at strong safety, while freshman Drue Tranquill played in place of Redfield. Collin- sworth admitted shoulder problems continued to nag him, and he conse- CHARTING THE IRISH RED (ZONE) ALERT One of the top storylines heading into 2014 was whether the Irish offense's production in the red zone could improve after it struggled in that area during much of head coach Brian Kelly's tenure. While Notre Dame has grown in that area, the defense's play in the red zone has fallen off a cliff. Fans criticized former defensive coordinator Bob Diaco's bend-but-don't-break scheme, but it mostly held up when it mattered most: in the red zone. The 2012 unit, which finished the regular season as the nation's top scoring defense (10.3 points yielded per game), allowed opponents to score touchdowns on only 34.2 percent of red zone trips. This year, that figure more than doubled through 11 games. Part of the issue has been the play of the sudden-change defense, featured in last week's issue of Blue & Gold Illustrated. Through 11 games, Notre Dame had turned the ball over in its own ter- ritory eight times. The opponent scored a touchdown on seven of the ensuing drives and added a field goal on the eighth. The falloff in red zone defense has contributed to the close losses this season. Notre Dame had won eight consecutive games decided by four points or less until the 31-27 loss to Florida State Oct. 18. With the 31-28 loss to Louisville Nov. 22, the Irish have now lost three straight contests decided by four points or less. In those three losses, the opponents combined for 11 touchdowns and three field goals in 16 red zone opportunities for a touchdown percentage of 68.8. OPPONENT RED ZONE TOUCHDOWN PERCENTAGE Year National Ranking (Opponent Touchdown Percentage) 2014 115 (69.1) 2013 18 (52.1) 2012 3 (34.2) 2011 46 (58.1) 2010 7 (42.5) 2009 55 (56.8) 2008 38 (54.6)