Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/651219
IRISH ANALYTICS BRIAN FREMEAU N otre Dame suffered its first defeat of the 2015 season at the hands of the Clemson Tigers, an opponent that went on to run the table through the regular season and play for the na‑ tional championship against Alabama in January. The Irish fell just short of knocking the Tigers off their championship track that night, losing 24‑22 after failing on a two‑point conversion attempt in the final seconds of the game. Following that game, I focused on the cost of turnovers and how they had plagued Notre Dame at Clemson and in several other key games during the Brian Kelly era. The scoring value lost due to turnovers against the Tigers added up to 11.8 points, which the Irish simply could not overcome. Falling only two points short in a game in which almost 12 points were simply coughed away was a bitter pill to swallow. However, it wasn't the only costly turnover game of the season. In the regular‑season finale against Stanford, Notre Dame again fell only two points shy of its opponent, and again the value lost on turnovers exceeded the scoring margin of the game. There was only one turnover in the entire game, a fumble by then‑ sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer at the Stanford 22‑yard line late in the first half with the Irish trailing 21‑20. According to the value of field position in that part of the field, the fumble cost the Irish 4.4 points, which proved to be the difference between victory and defeat in the end. As spring practice gets underway, Kelly and his staff will be evaluating a number of key position battles with an eye toward the upcoming season. Once again the quarterback position takes center stage, with Kizer and se‑ nior Malik Zaire each contending for the job. Is there a specific benchmark of ef‑ ficiency and production that Kelly will prioritize most in the evaluation? Or should ball security and limiting turn‑ overs be the most important factor in determining the 2016 starter? Those Of the 21 teams that won at least 10 games against Football Bowl Subdivision foes last season, none forced fewer opponent turnovers and gener- ated less value from those miscues than Notre Dame. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Irish Defense Needs To Force More Turnovers