Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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CHALK TALK BRYAN DRISKELL A football team's ability to effi- ciently finish scoring drives can often be the difference between a good season and a great one. Dur- ing head coach Brian Kelly's five-plus years at Notre Dame, the Irish have been inconsistent in this area. Including the first 10 games this season, the Irish have converted only 80.3 percent (240 of 299) of their red zone possessions into scores. Digging a little deeper, only 58.9 percent (176 of 299) of those opportunities resulted in touchdowns. The Irish have done slightly better in both categories this year, with marks of 82.1 percent (32 of 39) and 64.1 per- cent (25 of 39), but Kelly has stated his team needs to do better in that depart- ment. He knows that Notre Dame's in- ability to consistently put the ball into the end zone has kept it from being as dominant on the offensive side as it is capable of based on the talent on hand. Below is a breakdown of how a team goes about developing a champion- ship-caliber red zone offense. PUTTING THE PLAN TOGETHER Coaches will build specific red zone plays into their game plan each week. When the staff first gets its next op- ponent's film, all the snaps of the op- position defense in the red zone will be broken down to determine what they like to do in that area of the field. The emphasis will be on identifying the fronts and coverages the opponent likes to employ. Defenses will utilize specific looks in the red zone, often us- ing the shorter field to its advantage. Many teams will play tighter cover- ages and be more aggressive. The offensive coaches will work to Developing Red Zone Success Head coach Brian Kelly's team ranked 77th nationally in red zone offense (82.1 percent) through 10 games this season. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA