Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME "So we're stronger as a football team right now." "It's all based for us to just the opposite." Two other factors have peak in November," fifth- year senior center Braxs- ton Cave said. "I don't think [Longo] would tell anybody his secret, his formula of how he does it, but since I've been here it's worked every year." Cave attributes it to ef- ficiency during the course of the year, from January through December. "We're only in there in his first two seasons (2008-09), the Irish were 1-8 during the month of November. "When I first came here, for 45 minutes," Cave said. "It's high intensity and getting work done. I don't know what it is, but it works." Cave recalled how been significant in the fourth-quarter success. One was ranking eighth nationally in turnover margin through eight games after finishing 118th last season (out of 120 teams). The other was establishing a strong ground game with a 196.5-yard average after not finishing higher than 138.9 yards the past six years. "Running the football has allowed us to assert our will later in games," Kelly said. Equally telling is how we were losing weight and losing strength as the season went on," Cave said. "Now, we're doing the Irish have been stellar in the first and third quar- ters during the 8-0 start. They hadn't allowed a touchdown in the first quarter and held a com- bined 44-6 scoring edge. "In preseason camp we talk about the percentage of teams that score first BCS Bowl Game TICKETS & PACKAGES Preferred Tickets of Indianapolis NotreDameTickets.com • 1-800-925-2500 AIR ✦ LAND ✦ TRANSFERS 24 years in business in terms of likelihood for success," Kelly stated. The Irish were out- standing in the third quarter last season, out- scoring foes 91-16. The 16 points were the few- est points given up in any one quarter by an Irish team since the 1988 na- tional champs allowed 16 in the first. This year the Notre Dame advantage in the third quarter through eight games was 47-7. "That team that has ef- fort and enthusiasm in the third quarter begins to take control of the game," Kelly noted. The second quarter was the lone blemish, with Notre Dame holding only a 47-40 edge. "Generally, enthusiasm and emotion kind of takes its course going into the second quarter," Kelly said. "And that's where we tell our guys attention to detail is very impor- tant." The fourth quarter is about finishing with a flourish. "Our guys know each quarter has a message, and I think they have brought that to light in terms of the way they play," Kelly concluded.