Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/594735
TEMPLE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Outside of a 39-yard burst by explosive junior run- ning back Jahad Thomas in the second quarter dur- ing Temple's season-best 94-yard touchdown march, Notre Dame's front seven controlled the line of scrim- mage. Thomas' 20 other carries netted only 43 yards. The Owls' best chance was to use mobile junior quar- terback P.J. Walker more off the edge because all exits were blocked in the interior. Walker was effective with a couple of scrambles, but on conventional running plays the Irish had a significant advantage. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame TEMPLE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Although Temple's passing efficiency was pedestrian, including completing less than 50 percent (13 of 30) at only 6.3 yards per attempt (7.0 would be considered solid), it did just enough to keep the Owls competitive. This included a 22-yard flea-flicker to set up its first score; a pass interference call on the Irish defense on third-and-10 to set up the second tally, which culmi- nated with a third-and-goal touchdown pass to senior wideout Brandon Shippen despite blanket coverage by fifth-year senior linebacker Joe Schmidt; and a 31-yard completion to Robby Anderson on fourth-and-four that helped knot the game at 17 in the fourth quarter. For the second game in a row, though, a fourth- quarter diving interception by Irish senior cornerback KeiVarae Russell clinched the victory, while helping him regain his reputation as a playmaker. ADVANTAGE: Even NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. TEMPLE RUN DEFENSE The vaunted Temple defense, which included a No. 6 national ranking against the run (91.9 yards allowed per game), prioritized swarming to star senior running back C.J. Prosise. On five of the Prosise's 14 carries he was dropped for lost yardage, and several other times he was fortunate to get back to the line of scrimmage ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI Notre Dame's defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage and limited Temple junior running back Jahad Thomas to 82 yards on 21 attempts. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA