Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/608448
TURNING POINT In a game that featured seven lead changes and where neither team was able to pull ahead by more than seven points, the ebbs and flows were too constant to pick just one momentum changer. Nevertheless, just like Michigan in 2011 making an unlikely 80-yard touchdown drive in just 30 seconds to win 35-31 versus Notre Dame, Stan- ford took possession at its 27 with 25 seconds remaining and used a 15-yard Irish facemask penalty and a 27-yard slant from quarterback Kevin Hogan to wideout Devon Cajuste to set up kicker Conrad Ukropina's 45-yard field goal as time expired. Those two plays for 42 yards with the final seconds ticking down became the ultimate determinant when Notre Dame still controlled its destiny in the game. STAT OF THE GAME Stanford was 5 of 5 on its red zone possessions — with all of them touch- downs. Conversely, Notre Dame was 4 of 4 on red zone opportunities — but three of them were field goals, while only the fourth was a touchdown. That's a difference of 35 points to 16 for Notre Dame. Freshman kicker Justin Yoon's three field goals were all inside 30 yards because the Irish were not able to punch it in or air it past the goal line. Against Boston College, the Irish nearly lost that 19-16 decision because it had three turnovers in the red zone, giving it a national high eight this season. Plus the 14 red zone turnovers the past two seasons also are No. 1 in the country. This does not even include sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer's lost fum- ble when Notre Dame had a first down at the Stanford 23 right before halftime. AN IRONIC TWIST After sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer scored from two yards out with 30 seconds to tie the game at 35 (followed by the go-ahead extra point by fresh- man kicker Justin Yoon), Stanford turned to the replay booth for review. The replay seemed to show that Kizer was down at the 1-yard line, but the Pac-12 crew in the booth upheld the call that it was a touchdown. That seemed like a plus for the Irish, but it actually became a negative because Stanford still had 30 seconds left to win the game (25 seconds when it began its final series). There is no guarantee the Irish would have still scored a touchdown, espe- cially with its red zone woes, but if it had Stanford might have not had enough time to score the game-winning field goal. Either way, a defense must make a stop in those closing seconds. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI