Notre Dame-Stanford Review

            Everybody in the college football world had their eyes on the Stanford-Notre Dame matchup. ESPN’s College Gameday and Mike & Mike in the Morning and NBC’s Sports Report were broadcasting their shows live from the campus of Notre Dame. The game even garnered more eyeballs than the SEC’s Top 10 matchup. Everybody who tuned into the game saw a hard-fought, physical, drag out knockdown fight that was won by the Fighting Irish on a 4^th down, goal line stand in overtime.

            The two teams traded momentum and scores all the way until the final seconds. Notre Dame’s final drive of regulation and only drive of the 4^th quarter began on the Irish’s own 16 yard line with 6 minutes left in the game. Down by 3 and a perfect season on the line, Everett Golson came the offense calm and under control and moved the ball close to midfield. On the next play, Golson scrambled out of the pocket and got hit hard by a Stanford defender. The young quarterback, Golson, suffered a concussion and was taken out of the game. Onto the field marched Tommy Rees, making his third “closing” appearance. Rees completed all four of his passes and moved the Irish into the redzone. Then Notre Dame kicker, Kyle Brindza, kicked a 20-yard field goal that tied the game at 13-13 at the end of the fourth quarter.

            The game moved into overtime and Rees remained in the game. Again he got the Irish into the redzone and threw a touchdown to TJ Jones. The Stanford Cardinal then had to score a touchdown or they would lose. They pounded the ball down and pounded. They fought their way into a 1^st & goal sitation. They stayed with the run and gained a few yards. 2^nd & goal and the Cardinal stuck with the run and they gained a few more yards. 3^rd & goal and they ran the ball once more but this time they gained nothing. 4^th down & goal with the game on the line. The crowd was roaring. This was it. Notre Dame’s perfect season and climb to relevance hung in the balance. Stanford quarterback Josh Nunes handed the ball to Stephan Taylor. Taylor got hit and spun around to try and maintain his balance but he was and hit again by an Irish linebacker. He was finally tackled short of the goal line and the Irish had won the game

            The game was not without controversy though. That final play was reviewed by officials because Taylor’s forward motion was stopped but his knee never touch the ground. After he was stopped, he squirmed and placed the football over the goal line. The referees ruled that since his forward motion was stopped and they blew the play dead, his attempt to put the ball in the endzone was irrelevant. You have to be lucky to be good, and good to be lucky. (You could also use the saying “Stanford lost its Luck last year. The Irish will always have theirs”)

3 Things I Liked

Tommy Rees- It’s time to show some love for the guy I heartily supported just one year ago. This young man has tremendous poise and heart to do what he does. He has been called upon three times with the mission of win when Everett Golson can’t. He has successfully performed that mission every time. He was the starting quarterback in 2011 but is the backup this year because head coach, Brian Kelly, believers Golson is the quarterback of the future. I also believe this and understand it and don’t argue with the thinking. It has to be hard for Rees to live with it though. Yet he does and he doesn’t let it bother him. There aren’t a lot of coaches or teams that could pull this kind of relationship off.

Passing Attack- Look who finally got the ball thrown to him, Tyler Eifert. The senior, All-American tight end has been nonexistent in the stats sheet for the first half of the season but finished with four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown against Stanford. Also getting involved was junior receiver TJ Jones. He had four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. The Irish desperately need a go-to receiver and Jones may well be that guy, especially since Eifert is usually double-covered.

Cornerbacks- This unit had the biggest question mark on them when the season began. They started as a group of young players that would be forced to grow up quickly. Well, they have done just that. They held Stanford to 125 receiving yards and allowed no touchdowns. They also forced Stanford quarterback, Josh Nunes to throw two interceptions. Time for these young men to get some recognition. Starting cornerbacks: KeiVarae Russell (freshman) and Bennett Jackson (junior). Starting safeties Zeke Motta (senior) and Matthias Farley (sophomore).

3 Things I didn’t Like

Didn’t Capitalize- The game was tied 0-0 in the 1^st quarter. The Irish had an excellent chance to score early and set the tone for the rest of the game. They began a drive on the Stanford 16 but could not get a first down and settled for a field goal. When you start in the opponent’s redzone, you have to score a touchdown. Notre Dame also fumbled the ball on a field goal attempt right before halftime. Finally, the Irish got the ball in Stanford territory a total of five times but only scored three times with two of those being field goals.

Too Lucky- This game could have ended up as a Stanford victory if a few plays had gone the Cardinal’s way. I counted seven passes that Stanford receivers dropped that they were very catchable. Stanford also missed a 25-yard field goal in the 1^st quarter that would have given them an early 3-0 lead. The Irish also had a fumble in the second quarter that was somehow recovered by Theo Riddick when Stanford defenders were all around him.

Turnovers- This is Notre Dame fans’ worst nightmares after last season’s turnover madness. Notre Dame committed three turnovers in the game. Two were fumbles by Golson and another was an interception. One of the fumbles would have been difficult to prevent but you have to protect the ball if you expect to win.

Another thing I noticed was Golson rolling out of the pocket too early. Granted, Stnaford was blitzing on almost every play and his line was having difficulty protecting him. It just seemed like he would try to make a play with his feet a little too early and there were was still room in the pocket to make an accurate pass.

Final note: Notre Dame is ranked #5 in the latest AP Poll as well as the BCS Rankings. This is bull crap. #1 Alabama and #2 Oregon have yet to beat a team ranked in the BCS Rankings. Rankings should be: #1 Florida, #2 Kansas State, #3 Notre Dame, #4 Alabama, #Oregon.