Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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30 NOV. 13, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED What Worked Offense Shows Its Versatility: Wake Forest had a very similar defen- sive game plan to the one Notre Dame saw from USC Oct. 21. The Demon Deacons were not going to let junior running back Josh Adams rip off a lot of early yards between the tackles. By inserting its safeties into the box and moving its line around after the snap, the Deacons were able to throw off the timing of the Irish offense. Notre Dame offensive coordina- tor Chip Long had a quick answer, and that was to attack to the perim- eter and hit Wake Forest over the top with the pass game. After falling behind 3-0, Long called for a jet sweep to sophomore wide receiver Kevin Stepherson on the sec- ond play of the following series. With Wake committing so many resources to the box, Stepherson was able to eas- ily get outside for a 35-yard gain. Two plays later, Wimbush pulled the ball after a run fake and threw a quick post route to sophomore wideout Chase Claypool for a 16- yard gain. It's no surprise that after attacking the defense with a sweep and throw behind the linebackers that Notre Dame then found room for a 15-yard gain on the next play. Long had Wake Forest off balance all game long, which is a big reason Notre Dame was able to rack up an incredible 710 yards of total offense. QB Run Game Eases Loss Of Ad- ams: When Adams went down late in the first quarter, the onus for carrying the offense was placed on Wimbush's shoulders, and he responded ex- tremely well. He set a career high with 280 passing yards, but it was the dam- age he did with his legs that eased the loss of the team's star running back. Adams is a home run threat for the Irish offense, and Wimbush became that player following the injury. He ripped off a 50-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and had an- other 28-yard run down to the 1-yard line, setting up a touchdown the fol- lowing play. Wimbush converted a third-and-11 with a 14-yard run, and he dragged a Wake linebacker forward to convert a fourth-and-two, which set up Notre Dame's first score of the third quarter. What Didn't Work Wake Forest Tempo Causes Major Issues: Notre Dame had its worst defensive performance of the sea- son, giving up season highs of 37 points, 239 rushing yards and 587 total yards. Wake Forest ran and threw the ball on Notre Dame, and made a game the Irish largely controlled seem much closer than it actually was. The visitors used an up-tempo attack to get the Irish defense off its game. By going so quickly, the Wake de- fense was able to force Notre Dame into more basic looks on first and second down, it opened up the pe- rimeter pass game and softened up the inside of the defense. Notre Dame's interior linemen didn't handle the tempo well, and their inability to anchor inside opened up far too many run lanes for the Wake Forest ground attack. Although many of the Demon Deacons rushing yards came late on quarterback scrambles with the game no longer in doubt, the Irish defense gave up too much room. The tempo seemed to have an im- pact on Notre Dame's tackling as well, and the Irish defense was out of position far too often in the game, something that had not happened much this season. Missed Opportunities In The Pass Game: For the second straight game, the Irish offense missed on far too many downfield opportunities. Notre Dame pass catchers dropped five deep shots, including a bomb to Claypool that was muffed. Wimbush was late on several other throws that allowed Wake Forest defensive backs to contest balls that would not have been as easily chal- lenged had he gotten the ball out on time. Statistically, the Irish offense was impressive against the Deacons, but the inability to convert more drives into touchdowns was troublesome. At one point, Wimbush threw three straight incompletions in the red zone on two separate second-quarter drives, which forced a pair of field goals instead of putting the ball into the end zone. Touchdowns there would have made even the minor Wake Forest comeback impossible. ✦ Wake Forest: What Worked And What Didn't Work CLOSER LOOK BRYAN DRISKELL Bryan Driskell has been a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated since April 2015. He can be reached at bdriskell@blueandgold.com. The Irish defense struggled for the first time this season, surrendering season highs of 37 points, 239 rushing yards and 587 total yards against the Demon Deacons. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA