Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/95140
ON PAPER REVISITED as efficient in the red zone, and thus it left a lot of points on the field. Advantage: Even game record with five field goals in six attempts, highlighted by a career-long 52-yarder as time elapsed in the first half to provide a 16-10 lead. Sophomore George Atkinson III's 39-yard kickoff return — the longest by Notre Dame this season — provided good field position at the Irish 45 to set up another field goal and the eventual 22-13 margin of victory. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Sophomore Kyle Brindza tied a Notre Dame single- BY LOU SOMOGYI highlights coming on the first-quarter touchdown drive when Golson completed passes of 11 yards to Riddick on third-and-five and 12 yards to Eifert on third-and-10. USC was 1 of 8 (12.5 percent), twice coming up short near the goal line. Advantage: Notre Dame THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Notre Dame was 5 of 11 (45.5 percent), with the Notre Dame did not commit a turnover, whereas USC had two passes picked off. The first interception led to a field goal, while the second squelched any potential momentum for USC. Advantage: Notre Dame TURNOVERS For the fourth time in six road games this season, trol of the contest, but this victory fittingly mani- fested Notre Dame's modus operandi the entire year. Offensively, spread out the opponent in the first half (181 yards passing) and run them into submission in the second (126 yards rushing). Defensively, bend some to avoid the big play and then hunker down in the red zone, where Notre Dame allowed touch- downs at less than a 25-percent rate to rank first ANALYSIS The 22-13 score didn't reflect Notre Dame's con- Sophomore kicker Kyle Brindza tied a Notre Dame single-game record by connecting on five of six field goal attempts, highlighted by a career-long 52-yarder. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA overs in six road games, and the defense allowed merely three touchdowns, never more than one in a game. Add in a quality special teams effort from Brindza, a 39-yard kickoff return and solid coverage until the last kickoff, and it was another blue-collar effort that was more about making plays when most needed rather than "style points." nationally in that category. Offensively, the Irish committed only three turn-