Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 21, 2016 25 ARMY RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE With starting quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw and starting fullback Andy Davidson — the team's top two rushers — both sidelined because of injuries, Army West Point faced an uphill battle despite ranking second nationally in rushing yards per game (320.3). The Black Knights were held to only 229 yards on the ground, with the Irish run support by the corners and safeties particularly exceptional. Freshman cornerback Julian Love, outstanding against Navy the week prior before getting injured, shifted to safety to line up against the slots. Other than three busts — fullback Darnell Woolfolk's 40-yard burst at the start of the second half, slot back Jordan Asberry getting loose for 37 yards on a pitch and backup quarterback Malik McGue breaking free for a 32-yard jaunt — Army's other 39 carries totaled a meager 120 yards. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame ARMY PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE The Black Knights entered the game dead last in the Football Bowl Subdivi- sion in passing yards per game with 89.9. It showed against the Irish —the Black Knights were 2 of 8 for 13 yards — even though backup quarterback Chris Carter was deemed the better passing threat in the offense. Unlike Navy, Army West Point was a non-threat off play action, which helped allow the Irish safeties to play much closer to the line to support the run while not having to worry about helping in man coverage. An early 40-yard gain by the Cadets' off the pass was nullified because of a chop block. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. ARMY RUN DEFENSE Similar to last week against Navy, the most productive Irish running play for the better part of the first three quarters usually was unplanned. On what were called pass plays, redshirt sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer (seven car- ries for 72 yards) had 27-, 23- and 15-yard yard scrambles. The first two aided scoring drives, and the latter came on third-and-13. Senior Tarean Folston (13 carries for 84 yards and one touchdown) ran downhill and through traffic with consistency throughout the second half, while sophomore Josh Adams (15 carries for 70 yards) ran with his best physical ferocity this year, including breaking through would-be tacklers, to help Notre Dame amass a season-high 261 rushing yards. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. ARMY PASS DEFENSE Two pass interference calls against Army in the first quarter aided two different touchdown drives by the Irish. With Army jumping the underneath routes, the seams up the middle were repeatedly open. This allowed Kizer to go deep success- fully numerous times, including 37- and 31-yard touchdown passes to freshman wideout Kevin Stepherson and senior tight end Durham Smythe, respectively. Although decimated at corner, the Black Knights did a respectable job on occasion, but were vastly overmatched against the run, which opened up too many easy opportunities with the pass. That allowed Kizer to complete 17 of 28 attempts for 209 yards with three scores in what often were easy pitch-and-catch situations. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Sophomore C.J. Sanders 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown put Notre Dame ahead for good just 12 seconds into the game. Later in the quarter, sophomore Chris Finke's 22-yard punt return gave the Irish possession in Army West Point territory to set up the third touchdown. Army West Point would later miss an extra point and a 33-yard field goal attempt. Finally, an 18-yard punt in the third quarter by the Cadets set up a 37-yard Irish touchdown drive, the lone tally of the second half. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS The most significant conversion was with the Irish leading 21-6 and facing third-and-14 at the Army 30. Kizer sidestepped a blitz and while off balance flipped a short toss to sophomore wideout Equanimeous St. Brown that gained 25 yards to set up another touchdown. Right before halftime, Notre Dame also had third-and-eight at Army's 31 and answered with a second touchdown pass to Smythe. The Irish dominated this category on both sides, finishing 10 of 13 on offense (76.9 percent) while limit- ing Army to 3 of 11 (27.3 percent). ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame TURNOVERS The lone turnover for Notre Dame came in the third quarter with the Irish already leading 38-6. Near the Army West Point 5-yard line, Kizer forced a pass into a tight window, but at that point of the game it was inconsequential. Later, Army West Point also tossed an interception, recorded by Love, after reaching the red zone. ADVANTAGE: Even ANALYSIS With all due respect to the lion hearts at West Point, the 44-6 result is what one basically expects in a Notre Dame game against the Black Knights. A 3-6 start can make one leery of anyone or create a pessimistic outlook, but this was a huge mismatch in physical talent. One had the feeling the Irish offense could do almost whatever it pleased when it wanted to if it didn't get bored or sloppy. Notre Dame immediately asserted itself with a 14-0 lead just five minutes into the game, but maybe pulled off the throttle a bit on offense after building a 38-6 halftime lead. The defensive performance versus the triple option a second straight week was consistently effective. ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI The Black Knights triple-option attack produced three long runs (40, 37 and 32 yards), but their other 39 carries netted only 120 yards (3.1 yards per rush) against a stout Irish defense. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA