Saturday proved once again why college football is America’s most wacky, wild, and unpredictable sport. Alabama lost on, what some may consider, the “play of the season” through week three. USC, a popular pick to make the playoff, lost to Stanford, who lost to Northwestern just two weeks ago. Ohio State, a team that experts praised for quarterback depth all offseason, turned the ball over five times as they struggled to beat Northern Illinois. Finally, Notre Dame proved perhaps the entire country wrong by beating Georgia Tech, who was favored over the Irish on the road. Notre Dame’s struggles against the triple option are well documented, and fans and experts all around the country expected the Irish to fall victim to the scheme once again.
Brian VanGorder and Irish Defense Solve Triple Option
Notre Dame, however, had different plans. The Irish were able to contain the Yellow Jackets triple option, allowing just seven points through fifty-nine minutes before collapsing in the final minute of the game; they allowed Tech to score two touchdowns, making the game seem much closer than it was. C.J. Prosise paced Notre Dame’s offense yet again, finishing with a career high 198 yards and three touchdowns. In his first start, DeShone Kizer did what Notre Dame will need him to continue to do – keep the ball in Notre Dame’s hands. Kizer’s lone turnover, an interception on a third and goal fade to Corey Robinson, did not come back to bite the Irish. “He saw press on Corey [Robinson], and his eyes got big… he didn’t take his time… it was a great learning experience for him,” Coach Brian Kelly said at his postgame press conference.
The Toledo native responded well to the mistake, leading the team down the field for a score on the following possession. Kizer struggled in the same way Saturday as he did in his first appearance against Virginia, under throwing receivers on short routes, however he played well overall. The freshman showed poise in the pocket, standing in, making throws and taking hits while keeping his eyes down field. He was able to escape the pocket when needed, gaining positive yardage while avoiding taking any big hits. If Kizer can continue to play the way he has thus far, Notre Dame might live up to the preseason hype and be a legitimate playoff contender, despite the issues with injury.
Throughout the offseason, experts questioned Notre Dame’s defense and its coordinator, Brain VanGorder, for his aggressive style. Critics pointed to the USC game last November, in which the Trojans led 21-0 by the end of the first quarter in a 49-14 thrashing of the Irish. Those criticizing ND seemed to forget to mention that their defense was without nine starters from week one, having to start multiple true freshmen. Experts from all over the country predicted the Irish to lose to Georgia Tech months before the season even started, citing Notre Dame’s defensive struggles late last year. But after Saturday, it is safe to say VanGorder and Notre Dame’s defense passed their test, doing so without Jarron Jones and while losing Drue Tranquil in the third quarter, all the while proving Brian Kelly’s new motto “culture beats scheme” to be true.
Georgia Tech was unable to complete a pass in the first half Saturday as quarterback Justin Thomas felt pressure every time he dropped back. Tech finished with more passing touchdowns (2) than rushing touchdowns (1), which speaks to how well Notre Dame defended the triple option. The Irish loaded the box every play with different looks, which confused the experienced Thomas, causing Tech to burn timeouts in both halves. “They had to use a number of timeouts, as you saw, [us] giving him looks he had not seen before,” Kelly said. “We needed to mix it up… we didn’t feel like we could give him vanilla looks.” The defense seemed to play with a chip on their shoulder, sending a message to the media that Notre Dame’s defense is no pushover.
Culture overcame scheme on Saturday when safety Drue Tranquil went down in the third quarter, tearing his ACL after coming down in his knee awkwardly while celebrating a pass break-up on a Tech third down. The Irish came together following the injury, and instead of letting Tech seize the momentum, they tightened their grip on the lead. Tranquil was becoming a bigger part of Notre Dame’s defense with every game after spending a lot of time in only nickel packages. Tranquil was leading Notre Dame in tackles Saturday before becoming the sixth player the team has lost for the year in just three weeks.
Notre Dame fans need not worry just yet, however.
Replacing Tranquil is senior Matthias Farley, who was a starter the past three seasons and helped the team reach the BCS national title game in 2012. Farley is one of five team captains on this 2015 squad, but has seen little action this year while sitting behind Tranquil. In his first play on Saturday, Farley forced a fumble, instantly making his presence felt. He went on to finish the game with four tackles. While Tranquil spent most of his time in or around the box blitzing and helping to stop the run, Farley is a more natural safety, patrolling any medium or long throws. Being a captain, Farley will certainly bring an element of leadership that the defense will need if they are going to continue to perform at this high level despite injuries.
Notre Dame’s season rested on their performance Saturday, and its outlook now looks a lot different than it did after the Virginia game. USC lost Saturday, forcing some to reevaluate the preseason hype, Clemson struggled against Louisville Thursday night, and one could argue that Georgia Tech could end up being Notre Dame’s toughest test of the year. The team survived and can now put it behind them. If Georgia Tech truly was Notre Dame’s toughest game of the year, the Irish have a great opportunity to make a run for the playoff; especially if they can make it through the next month, which includes games against Clemson and USC. Finding a way through those two games could have Irish fans drooling over a different quarterback than they were just last week. As this season has already shown, however, teams must take things one game at a time and not look too far ahead. So, for now, Notre Dame fans can sit back and watch their fairy tale season unfold.
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