Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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T The Good, The Bad, The Usual UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE ry as we might, getting overly excited about the football sea- son wasn't easy to do around the Notre Dame program in 2011. On the plus side, the team did a good job of avoiding the unthinkable upsets and played well in the games it was heavily favored in — with the exception of South Florida. Routinely taking care of business against the second-tier competition on the schedule was clearly a step in the right direction compared to the results of the previous coaching staff, and perhaps something to build on moving forward. On the down side, the 2011 season brought disappointment because it became just another year without a signature win or any solid proof that this program is ready to consistently beat the better teams on the schedule. With the 2011 body of work complete, we can conclude that Notre Dame is a top-30 program at this point, or among the top 25 percent in the 120- team Football Bowl Subdivision. In a season full of disappointments, opportunities and near misses, a few plays and players stood out for the contributions that helped steer a stretch of eight wins in nine games at one point, but also brought losses to Michigan, USC and Stanford — the three toughest tests on the schedule. BEST PLAYER With all due respect to All-American wide receiver Michael Floyd, junior tight end Tyler Eifert had a more pro- found impact on the Irish offense. Floyd was expected to pile huge receiving numbers, and he did. But Eifert became the go-to guy for sopho- more quarterback Tommy Rees in key third-down situations and around the goal line. Without the work this offense got from Eifert, the defensive attention could have all been placed on Floyd. Eifert became a Mackey Award fi- nalist — given to the nation's top tight end — after he led all Division I play- ers at his position with 4.75 receptions per game, while his 59.4 receiving yards per game was second only to junior Ryan Otten of San Jose State. SURPRISE PLAYER Junior linebacker Dan Fox made 4 FEBRUARY 2012 season with a score, USF's Kayvon Webster picked up a Gray fumble and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown. The play brought a 14-point swing and a momentum-changing sequence the Irish never recovered from in a 23-20 loss. The fumble served as a precursor for a season-long comedy of turnovers, and in many respects the play also helped seal the fate of senior quarter- back Dayne Crist going from open- ing-day starter to season-long backup after he was benched at halftime with the Bulls ahead 16-0. GREATEST LETDOWN From the pumped in music and the Junior Tyler Eifert led all Division I tight ends in receptions per game (4.75) during the regular season and ranked second in receiving yards per game (59.4). PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND a strong case in this category, going from unheralded backup in 2010 to the team's sixth-leading tackler during the 2011 regular season. But the work Notre Dame got from senior running back Jonas Gray de- serves top billing as the biggest sur- prise. Moderate production was ex- pected from Gray as the backup to starting tailback Cierre Wood. Unsatis- fied, Gray played his way to the top of the depth chart and cemented himself as the most consistent, dependable and explosive option in the Irish run- ning game as the season moved along. Gray averaged 6.9 yards per carry, while tallying 791 rushing yards and a team-leading 12 touchdowns, before a knee injury against Boston College Nov. 19 prematurely ended his season. BIGGEST PLAY Speaking of Gray, the Irish tailback was involved in maybe the most mem- orable — and damaging — play of the season. It's rare to have the biggest play of the season happen in the first series of the first game, but that was the case against South Florida Sept. 3. With Notre Dame set up at the South Florida 1-yard line and poised to cap its first offensive drive of the first night game in 21 years at Notre Dame Stadium to the 12-hour tailgate parties and enough hoopla to rival a bowl game, Notre Dame pulled out all the stops for its critical meeting against USC Oct. 22 — only to have the BCS rug pulled out from under it in a stinging 31-17 loss. Riding a four-game winning streak and sneaking back into BCS consider- ation, the Irish faced the most critical game of the season, a contest that of- fered a chance to right the ledger and make a statement after an 0-2 start. But as so often happens with this football program, Notre Dame laid the pro- verbial egg at the most inopportune moment and was exposed again by the Trojans. The loss sapped a lot of enthusiasm out of the 2011 season and made the four-game winning streak that fol- lowed the USC defeat feel somewhat hollow and meaningless with BCS chances gone and another season of high hopes shattered before Novem- ber even arrived. High expectations will always re- main at Notre Dame, but until the Irish can start winning these marquee games against top competition, the "Greatest Letdown" category will re- main on this season-ending recap, and those wrenching losses will continue to keep this program solidly in the bottom half of the top 30. ✦ Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED