Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 21, 2016 27 TAKING A CLOSER LOOK What Worked • Fast Start, On Both Sides. Triple-option teams are not meant to play from behind, and all three phases of the Notre Dame football team played a major role in making sure that happened to Army. The special teams started it off with a 92-yard kick return for a score from sophomore C.J. Sanders. Notre Dame's defense answered, forcing a three-and-out on Army's first possession, something it could not do in the previous week's 28-27 loss to Navy. The second defensive possession also ended after just three plays, thanks to a 44-yard reception being called back due to a chop block penalty. Notre Dame's offense made sure the work of its spe- cial teams and defense did not go to waste. Redshirt sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer hit freshman wide receiver Kevin Stepherson for a 37-yard score on the first offensive possession, and sophomore running back Josh Adams punched in a run from two yards out to cap an eight-play, 44-yard drive that put Notre Dame up 21-0 before Army had its third possession. • Third-Down Success. Just as important as getting off to a fast start is winning on third down, which was vitally important for Notre Dame's offense and defense. Its inability to get off the field on third-down crushed the Irish defense against Navy, but that was not the case against Army. The Irish held the Black Knights to just 3 of 11 (27.2 percent) on third down. Army had just one third- down conversion in the first half, and the Irish defense forced Army into a three-and-out on three first-half possessions. Notre Dame's offense excelled on third down, con- verting at a season's best 76.9 percent rate (10 of 13). Its ability to keep drives alive early played a big role in Notre Dame being able to jump out to a 38-6 halftime lead. What Didn't Work • Defense Gives Up Big Plays. Despite scoring just six points, Army was able to take three drives into the red zone. A 37-yard option pitch to slot back Jordan As- berry on the final play of the first quarter set up Army's only touchdown of the game. Fullback Darnell Woolfolk gashed the Irish up the middle for a 40-yard gain on a dive play early in the third quarter. Army got into the red zone on that drive, but kicker Blake Wilson missed a 33-yard field goal attempt. A 32-yard run by Army's third-string quarterback — freshman Malik McGue — resulted in Army's third red-zone trip of the game. Army got the ball all the way to the Notre Dame 6-yard line on that drive, but senior linebacker James Onwualu's sack and Julian Love's interception ended the possession. • Kizer Mental Error Costs Points. Notre Dame me- thodically took its first possession of the third quarter right down the field, taking 7:22 off the clock with a 16-play, 76-yard drive. Unfortunately, Notre Dame did not get any points on the drive. On first-and-goal from the Army 4-yard line, Kizer rolled to his right and instead of throwing the ball away, he forced a pass across his body that was picked off by Army safety Xavier Moss. — Bryan Driskell Sophomore C.J. Sanders' 92-yard kickoff return was the first by a Notre Dame player to open a game since Allen Rossum achieved the feat in a 1997 win at Pitt. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA 3 Times in the 51-game history of the se- ries that Notre Dame was under .500 when it played Army West Point while the Black Knights had a winning record. In addi- tion to this season, the other two were 1933 and 1985. The 2-5-1 Irish in 1933 stunned unbeaten Army (13-12), and in 1985 the 1-3 Notre Dame team defeated the No. 19-ranked Cadets, 24-10. 4 Touchdown receptions this year by senior tight end Durham Smythe after snaring 10- and 31-yard tallies from junior quarterback DeShone Kizer. That is more touchdowns at the position than the last two years combined when the Irish had one last season (Smythe on a fake field goal) and two in 2014. It is the most by a Notre Dame tight end since Troy Niklas nabbed five in 2013. 8 Players in Notre Dame history who have returned two kickoffs for a touchdown in the same season, with sophomore C.J. SAND- ERS the most recent after his 92-yard touchdown runback on the opening kickoff versus Army. The others were: Paul Castner (1922), John Lattner (1953), Nick Eddy (1966), Tim Brown (1986), Raghib "Rocket" Ismail (1988 and 1989), Allen Rossum (1997) and George Atkinson III (2011). 5-6 All-time record for Notre Dame in domed stadiums, including 2-0 in the Alamodome after the 44-6 victory over Army West Point. It won the original Shamrock Series game at the Alamodome in 2009 against Washington State, 40-14. The first dome game was the 17-10 loss to No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1981. 8 The Alamodome was the eighth differ- ent neutral site stadium to host this ri- valry between Notre Dame and Army West Point, joining the likes of Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium (both the old and new). 15 Consecutive wins by Notre Dame against Army West Point, dating back to 1965. That is the second longest winning streak by Notre Dame against any one oppo- nent, breaking a three-way tie of 14 against Northwestern (1965-94) and Indiana (1908-49). The longest is the NCAA record of 43 straight versus Navy from 1964-2006. 38 Points in Notre Dame's margin of vic- tory, tying it for the most in the eight Shamrock Series outings it has had since 2009. The other was the 41-3 victory versus Miami in 2012, held in Chicago. 1997 The last time a Notre Dame player returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Rossum did the hon- ors in a 45-21 win at Pitt to help snap a four- game losing streak. Sanders became the first Irish player to achieve the feat in the 19 years hence — after having the opening kickoff for a score this year versus Michigan State wiped out by a penalty. Also, Terry Brennan in 1947 was the most recent Irish player to return the opening kickoff for a score against Army. BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI