Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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while finishing with only 25 yards on the ground. The zeal to stop Prosise challenged sophomore quar- terback DeShone Kizer to keep the ball on the zone read, and he made the Owls pay with 143 rushing yards, highlighted by a 79-yard second-quarter score in which the right side was wide open after a fake to Prosise. Kizer's ability to execute the zone read and willingness to confidently keep the ball makes this year's Irish offense more the prototype of what head coach Brian Kelly envisioned. Irish quarterbacks already have rushed for 513 yards this year through eight games, the most since 2001 with Carlyle Holiday. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. TEMPLE PASS DEFENSE Two interceptions by Temple in the red zone helped keep the Owls in the contest into the final minute, which is why this area is categorized as a wash despite Kizer's 299 passing yards. With Temple concentrating on limiting All-America candidate Will Fuller with its aggressive scheme — which also resulted in four pass-interference penalties — the Irish operated mainly with a steady diet of slip screens and intermediate routes. For the second game in a row, freshman tight end Alizé Jones made a pivotal catch late, a 45-yard grab during the game-winning march (he caught a 35-yard toss on a halfback pass versus USC). Senior wide receiver Chris Brown (six catches for 72 yards) has become a valued and reliable safety valve — and he has become of one of the nation's more profi- cient downfield blockers, especially on Kizer's keepers. ADVANTAGE: Even SPECIAL TEAMS After an exceptional game in the 41-31 victory versus USC, special teams were less a factor at Temple, and at times a liability, including a 26-yard punt (a couple of others came close to being blocked) and an out-of- bounds kickoff to give the Owls possession at their 35. Freshman Justin Yoon's field goal accuracy has be- come a constant, but Temple converting both of its attempts gives it a slight nod. ADVANTAGE: Temple THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Notre Dame has the edge by converting 6 of 14 (42.9 percent) compared to Temple's 4 of 14 (28.6), but what levels it out is the Irish missed on their lone fourth- down attempt, while Temple converted both of its, including a 31-yard pass on fourth-and-four. Notre Dame's first touchdown drive saw it convert third-and-eight and third-and-five situations, and its game-winning TD march had a seven-yard completion to Fuller on third-and-four. ADVANTAGE: Even TURNOVERS There are always exceptions, but Notre Dame has developed a reputation as a team that has difficulty putting its foes away when opportunity strikes. A main reason is it leads the nation in red-zone turnovers the past two years with 11 — including two more at Temple that took off anywhere from six to 14 points off the board. Russell's late interception helped seal the game, but the 2-1 edge for Temple allowed it to be in the contest for 60 minutes. ADVANTAGE: Temple ANALYSIS If you would have told us before the game that Prosise would be limited to 25 rushing yards on 14 carries, Fuller would be held to 46 receiving yards on five catches, and Temple would win the turnover battle, including two interceptions in the red zone, then we would have likely picked the Owls to pull off the upset. The game was put more on Kizer's shoulders, and the sophomore signal-caller's composed demeanor and continued excellence in the clutch, or adverse sit- uations, came to the forefront again. Inconsistency on defense from the Irish has been a common theme this season, but it also has made late stops when needed. ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI