Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Team Navy Purdue Michigan State 63 Michigan Miami 36 Stanford Total First-Half Yards 158 18 106 55 426 CHARTING THE IRISH RUSHING ATTACK 270 112 668 Second-Half Yards 135 34 59 58 first six games, the Irish ran for significantly more yards in the second half than in the first. The two exceptions were Navy, when they consistently moved the ball for all four quarters, and Michigan State, where they struggled before closing the game on an extended drive fueled by the running backs. Notre Dame's running game, like a bottle of wine, gets better as time goes by. In all but two of their Team Navy Purdue First-Half Yards 74 Michigan State 126 Michigan Miami 189 75 Stanford Total 157 61 682 PASSING ATTACK Second-Half Yards 123 135 52 70 54 91 525 second-half success is as much about a change of philosophy as it about physically wearing a team down. The Irish have attempted more running plays after halftime than before it in each of their first six games. It's no surprise that the majority of their passing yards (56.5 percent) come in the first half. In total, 61.1 percent of Notre Dame's ground game has come in the third and fourth quarters. The Quarter: Total Time 1: 42:59 2: 44:49 3: 51:40 4: 56:16 TIME OF POSSESSION third quarter. The Irish held double-digit leads at the start of the second half in four of their first six games. Running the ball has allowed them to improve their time of possession steadily in each quarter. It appears, though, that the second-half success is more a result of game situation than outlasting an opponent. If Notre Dame is to keep its postseason hopes alive, its running game will have to improve as much in the second half of the season as it has in the second half of games. That change in philosophy comes in part because Notre Dame has typically led at the start of the