IN THE TRENCHES ANDREW OWENS
I
t was the storyline surrounding
Notre Dame all week.
For the past few games, red zone
woes had held the Irish back from
putting away opponents, most notice-
ably in the 24-20 squeaker at Temple
Oct. 31.
Seven days later, Notre Dame dis-
posed of Pittsburgh 42-30 — it was
42-17 at one point — due in large part
to the team's improvement within 20
yards of the end zone.
Four trips, four touchdowns and a
relatively stress-free Saturday after-
noon at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
"What we did is we … met as a unit,
all 11 and really focused," head coach
Brian Kelly said. "We didn't think it
was one player [that caused the strug-
gles]. As a unit, we wanted them to be
more alert and recognize play calls in
that area.
"A heightened awareness of where
we were, when we were making these
calls and more of a sense that we had
to be more efficient, and spend more
time in film study and practice."
Notre Dame entered the game with
Red Zone Improvement
Helps Irish Pull Away
Sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer led an Irish offense that managed to score four touchdowns in
four red zone opportunities.
PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA
