Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ON PAPER REVISITED BYU free safety Joe Sampson had a bee-line on him for a loss back at the 5-yard line before Atkinson made a superb juke inside for the go-ahead score. Particularly impressive is the Irish accumulated 270 yards rushing sans the zone read that had been implemented in recent weeks with sophomore quar- terback Everett Golson (out with a concussion). To compensate, Atkinson was often sent into motion behind the backfield. His threat to take a jet sweep on those motion plays may have been just enough to freeze the defense and help develop openings on quick hitters to the inside. Advantage: Notre Dame Varis Daniels resulted in an interception that set up a 30-yard touchdown drive for the Cougars. The Irish threw only three times in the second half, with junior starter Tommy Rees (7-of-16 passing for 117 yards with a score and a pick) not having an accurate touch on this day. Advantage: Brigham Young for 73 yards and one touchdown came in the first quarter, with well-timed leaping grabs for 33 and 29 yards. The lone passing highlight thereafter was junior wide receiver TJ Jones climbing high for a 31- yard grab to ignite the game-winning 72-yard drive. A muffed pass by sophomore wide receiver Da- NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. BYU PASS DEFENSE All of senior tight end Tyler Eifert's four catches BY LOU SOMOGYI Notre Dame 6 of 14 (42.9 percent). Both of Notre Dame's touchdowns came on third-and-short inside the 5-yard line — highlighted by a jaw-dropping fake by Atkinson when it looked like he would be thrown for a loss. BYU's first score came on third-and-goal from the THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Brigham Young finished 6 of 13 (46.2 percent) and 6-yard line, and in the second half it converted on third-and-12 and third-and-16 (the latter on a pen- alty). Riddick had a 55-yard run on third-and-one when it appeared he might be stopped. Advantage: Even one, but it's a wash because the Cougars second in- terception toss came from way back at their 10-yard line with less than two seconds left in the contest. Notre Dame's first interception by senior linebacker Manti Te'o was squandered when it was unable to get any points despite starting at the BYU 34. The Cougars' turned an interception that bounced TURNOVERS The numbers show BYU had two to Notre Dame's Kyle Brindza from 40 and 28 yards in the first half, plus 50-, 52- and 55-yard punts by BYU — two pin- ning the Irish inside the 20 — gave the Cougars a huge advantage in the first 30 minutes. The Irish fared better in the second half, especially SPECIAL TEAMS Two missed field goals by Irish sophomore kicker with Brindza making his 24-yard attempt. Mean- while, BYU's Justin Sorensen missed from 46 yards that could have made it 17-7. Neither return game could muster anything. Advantage: Brigham Young Kelly said that a lot of programs in the country have built their identity on winning games by scores like 7-6 and 13-7. Almost every game seems to be a grinder for the Irish, but their mental and physical resolve has come to the forefront along both sides of the line of scrimmage. In the last eight Notre Dame games decided by ANALYSIS After the game, Notre Dame head coach Brian seven points or less, dating back to the 15-12 win at Pitt last Sept. 24, Notre Dame is 7-1, including 4-0 this year. Prior to that streak, the Irish were 2-9 in the previous 11 games decided by seven points or less. That's a testament to "learning how to win." At Oklahoma, it will need more help from special teams and the overall offense. ✦ off Daniels' hands into a 30-yard touchdown drive to move ahead, 14-7. Advantage: Even