Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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for another 325 and accounted for 12 touchdowns. The offense was more balanced, incorporating his running skills with an aggressive aerial attack. Zaire brings a similar skill set, ex‑ cept he is a far more dynamic runner and passer. Here's what the offense could and should look like with Zaire at the helm: BETTER BALANCE I don't put stock in splits between run and pass, yards per game and other traditional numbers used to de‑ scribe a "balanced" attack. What is important is the ability to create a genuinely balanced attack, one that can push teams on the ground and through the air. Notre Dame should look to establish the ground attack early, letting opponents know it is willing and able to dominate on the ground. It should look to be efficient and explosive through the air. The more balanced the attack, the more difficult it will be for even the best teams to contain the potent Irish offense. A balanced attack will also remove from Zaire some of the pres‑ sure to carry the offense that has been placed on previous Notre Dame quar‑ terbacks, at least in the passing game. GOOD TEMPO Putting more emphasis on varying the tempo would be a huge benefit for Zaire. Notre Dame needs to push the tempo to a far greater degree. In the past, Kelly has shown a desire to get into the "perfect" play, which slows down the offense and allows defenses to show more looks and wrinkles. Pushing the tempo would allow Kelly to limit the number of checks, limit the scope of the offense (espe‑