Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 NOV. 28, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT Coaches in basketball often talk about the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half as extremely crucial. They were in this football game, too. With the Irish leading 24-7, Vir- ginia Tech took possession at its 25-yard line with six minutes left in the half. Ten plays and nearly five minutes later, the halftime defi- cit was sliced to 24-14. The Hokies then took the second half kickoff and marched 75 yards again, in just five plays and 2:21. A game where Notre Dame seemed to have control turned into a toss-up at 24-21 after those two series. Although the Irish would take one more 10-point lead, the se- quence at the end of the first half and the start of the second kept the Hokies within striking distance while also asserting themselves. STATS OF THE GAME The Notre Dame passing game was a well-oiled, efficient and pro- ductive machine in the first half with junior quarterback DeShone Kizer completing 13 of 18 passes for 199 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Kizer, who was well protected in the first half, spread the completions to eight receivers. In the second half, Kizer con- nected on only 3 of 15 throws for 36 yards. He was under more duress in the last two quarters, and there were also several well-thrown passes that were dropped — resulting in four three-and-out possessions in the fi- nal 30 minutes (plus a four-and-out). Notre Dame had a 12:29-2:31 ad- vantage in time of possession in the first quarter, but Virginia Tech had a 30:14-14:46 advantage thereafter. This was also Notre Dame's third loss this season without committing a turnover. IT'S NOT HOW YOU START … The one area where Notre Dame consistently has not fallen short of during its nightmare 4-7 season is coming out strong on offense, scor- ing first in 10 of the games, includ- ing touchdowns seven times on its opening possession. This has been especially true at home: • 7-0 against Michigan State Sept. 17. • 14-0 versus Duke within the game's first seven minutes Sept. 24. • 10-0 halftime lead against Stan- ford Oct. 15. • 20-0 advantage in the first half in the clash with Miami Oct. 29. • Finally, 17-0 with 14:53 still left in the first half against Virginia Tech. It lost all but the Miami game (af- ter falling behind 27-20). That's why it rings hollow when one says the Irish have lost their seven games by a total of only 32 points. It doesn't close, a major flaw. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI Senior linebacker James Onwualu (right) recorded 10 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery in his final game at Notre Dame Stadium. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA OFFENSE: QB DESHONE KIZER It wasn't always pretty, but the junior quarterback was without question Notre Dame's best offensive player against Virginia Tech. He was 16-of-33 passing for 235 yards with two scores, while adding another 69 yards on the ground. Kizer started out hot, completing seven of his first eight passes for 134 yards, which included a perfectly thrown ball on a post route to sophomore wide receiver Chris Finke for a 31-yard touchdown. Kizer struggled in the second half, but on the game's final drive he made two clutch throws for what should have been big gains, but both balls were dropped. DEFENSE: DL JARRON JONES AND LB JAMES ONWUALU Notre Dame's defense had a hard time getting off the field in the game's final three quarters, but that isn't due to the play of the fifth-year senior nose guard and the senior linebacker. Jones and Onwualu tied for the team lead with 10 tack- les, with each recording one tackle for loss. Onwualu came up with the team's only sack in the game, and he also forced a fumble that Jones recovered. Jones also made a clutch tackle for loss with on a third-and-goal play at the 3-yard line, which forced a Hokies field goal. SPECIAL TEAMS: PK JUSTIN YOON The Irish special teams struggled once again, but the sophomore placekicker did the job he was asked to do. Yoon nailed the only field goal he attempted — a 25-yarder in the first quarter — and he put all four of his extra point attempts through the uprights. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY BRYAN DRISKELL