:: Notre Dame Football: Irish Game Day ::
Notre Dame rolls over Miami (Fla.) 33-17, led 30-3 heading into 4th quarter; Fighting Irish 2010 Hyundai Sun Bowl Champions, finish 8-5 on the year (Update 1)
Leprechaun Express: Notre Dame Football Intel Update Dec. 31, 2010
Amidst the snow-covered Franklin Mountains of west Texas and the rare air of El Paso's 3800-foot elevation, Notre Dame woke up the echoes with a 33-17 trouncing of Miami in the 2010 Hyundai Sun Bowl. It was the teams' first meeting since the electrifying rivalry last hit the gridiron in 1990.
The Fighting Irish looked sharp and opportunistic with two first quarter touchdowns, a 27-3 halftime lead, and a 30-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
After playing the toughest regular-season schedule in college football, Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly finishes his inaugural Notre Dame season at 8-5, the only Notre Dame coach to win his first bowl effort with the Irish.
Notre Dame now rides a four-game winning streak, as well as a two-game bowl winning streak dating back to their 2008 Hawai'i Bowl victory.
Big Day for Notre Dame Offense
The Irish offense was a multifaceted symphony of power and precision, featuring ... productive and timely passing from freshman quarterback Tommy Rees to veteran star receiver Michael Floyd and others ... a nifty Wildcat offense with Theo Riddick at Wildcat QB ... and sophomore halfback Cierre Wood making gashing, fluid runs out of the spread, with bruising fullback Robert Hughes running hard with the offensive line firing out of a traditional three-point stance for Hughes, not unlike a freight train.
Against the #2 passing defense in college football, and the #6 defense for sacks, Rees was a solid 15 of 29 for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns, with no interceptions and giving up no sacks.
Floyd, named the Player of the Game for the bowl, had 109 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns on just 6 catches. Floyd also altered the defense just by being on the field, whether drawing coverage or a Miami penalty.
Sophomore tight end Tyler Eifert had 4 catches for 31 yards, with wide receiver John Goodman, senior fullback Robert Hughes, Theo Riddick, and halfback Cierre Wood also having catches.
Left offensive tackle Zach Martin was named Lineman of the Game in an effort by the O-Line that surrendered zero sacks and nearly 200 yards rushing at more than 4 yards per carry.
On a day that, perhaps appropriately, hearkened back to the Lou Holtz era with tough defense, hard running and good special teams, Notre Dame ran the ball 48 times for 196 yards at 4.1 yards a clip.
Cierre Wood and Robert Hughes both had 81 yards rushing on the day, but got the yards in very different ways, and apparently with different offensive sets.
Wood got 81 yards on 12 carries, including his 34-yard touchdown run, for a whopping 6.7 yards per carry.
Robert Hughes only averaged around 3 yards per carry, but was more of a workhorse with 27 carries for the 81 yards. Considering that Hughes evolved into a power running back, and appears to possibly now be more like 250 or 260 rather than his listed 245, Hughes brought both power and consistent, intense effort.
An interesting twist on the day was a now-healthy Theo Riddick serving as Wildcat quarterback, picking up 32 yards on 8 carries, at 4 yards per carry across multiple sessions. Riddick seemed to play with a full head of steam, perhaps relishing the opportunity, bringing some athleticism and flash with some hard-running and toughness.
The Irish offense rolled up 397 yards on 77 plays, throwing only 29 passes to 48 runs.
Notre Dame defense shuts down Miami starting quarterback, limits Miami to three points in three quarters
The Irish defense intercepted Miami four times in the first half, with safety Harrison Smith intercepting Miami's starting quarterback three times out of seven passing attempts before the Hurricanes made a quarterback change.
While Miami was able to add some chunks of yardage late in the rout, Notre Dame limited the Hurricanes to 30 yards in what was, for Miami, a scoreless first quarter.
In the first half as a whole, Notre Dame gave up 165 yards, but Miami's seven first-half drives ended with a punt, four interceptions, another punt, and a last-second field goal.
Notre Dame seemed to win the battle of adjustments and half-time coaching, with the Irish defense giving up only 42 yards in the third quarter.
Miami would not score again until the fourth quarter.
Senior safety Harrison Smith, who apparently could get a fifth year, had 3 interceptions and 7 total tackles on the day. Cornerback Robert Blanton had 9 tackles and an interception. Cornerback Gary Gray had 7 tackles and broke up a pass, while second-team All American Linebacker Manti Te'o had 6 tackles and broke up a pass.
Safety Zeke Motta, linebackers Kerry Neal and Brian Smith, and defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore all had 4 total tackles each.
Notre Dame advantage in Turnovers and Penalties
On the day, Miami had more than five times as much penalty yardage as Notre Dame, 106 yards on 10 penalties, compared to Notre Dame giving up 20 yards on three penalties. There key penalties too, sustaining drives, and even helping to set up Notre Dame's first touchdown by moving the ball to the three yard-line off a Miami pass interference call.
Entering the game, Notre Dame was one of the least-penalized teams in the country, and Miami one of the most-penalized.
Penalties are one area impacted by a head coach, and Notre Dame has benefited greatly from Kelly's leadership.
Miami, perhaps, struggled with penalties further in an interim situation with a good assistant coach serving as temporary head coach, after the firing of one coach, with the new coach not fully taking the reins until after the bowl.
Notre Dame did not commit a single turnover on the day, while Miami had four first-half interceptions.
Notre Dame rolls in efficient, opportunistic first half before bringing home the win
Notre Dame freshman kick returner (and kickoff gunner) Austin Collinsworth took the opening kickoff to mid-field, followed by a 54-yard drive in 6 plays that included a 36-yard pass from freshman quarterback Tommy Rees to junior wide receiver Michael Floyd.
A Miami pass interference penalty put the ball at the three, after which Rees tossed a three-yard touchdown pass to Floyd, the first of two touchdown catches on day by Floyd.
After the Irish stuffed the Hurricanes in a three-and-out on Miami's first possession, the Irish got the ball on their own 26 after the punt, and marched 74 yards in 8 plays. Rees hit Floyd on a 34-yard pass for their second touchdown, putting Notre Dame up 14-0 after just two Irish possessions.
Early in the second quarter, Notre Dame intercepted Miami on the Hurricane 39. After a 5-yard Miami penalty, Notre Dame sophomore halfback Cierre Wood ripped off an electrifying 34-yard touchdown run to put the Irish up 21-0 and seemingly begin to bury an overwhelmed Miami.
Notre Dame would add two field goals by second-team All American David Ruffer, of 40 and 50 yards, to go up 27-0. Ruffer's 50 yarder matched his career best, one of the top-10 longest field goals in Notre Dame history.
(Ironically, going 3 of 4 on the day, Ruffer later broke his school record streak of field goals made in a row. But, to put his performance in perspective, Ruffer was still named Special Teams Player of the Game for his efforts. Time will tell, whether walk-on Ruffer is offered a scholarship to come back for an extra year as a graduate student.)
In the first half, Notre Dame scored five times on seven possesions, three touchdowns and two field goals, with the other two possessions ending in punts.
After a quarterback change, Miami eventually tacked on a field goal as time expired at the end of the first half. The Hurricanes, in fact, would muster only three points in three quarters, before tacking on two scores in the fourth quarter after the game was effectively put away. Notre Dame led 30-3 after three quarters, with Ruffer adding a 19-yard field goal in the second half before his only missed field goal in his collegiate career.
In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame added a 34-yard field goal by sophomore Nick Tausch. Ironically, Tausch has his own streak of consecutive field goals made that now continues, dating back to when he was starter as a freshman. Tausch, in fact, was on the watch list for the Lou Groza Award entering the season, before losing the starting job to Ruffer a few days before the season opener against Purdue. Ruffer would go on to be one of three finalist for the Groza Award.
Tausch did handle some kickoffs earlier this year as well.
Notre Dame better suited for weather?
Thoughtful watchers of El Paso weather would have noted that the west Texas town was enjoying mild weather in the 60's, or even low 70's, for much of December, even when big cold snaps hit other parts of the country, including warm-weather locations like Florida.
But, almost on cue, in the days, if not hours, leading into the Hyundai Sun Bowl, the weather turned colder and windier, with snow and some rain. Snow had to be cleared from the field, and some light snowfall seemed to be occurring during the game.
The Miami Herald reported that Miami's starting quarterback had never seen snow in person before.
Notre Dame, used to some winter weather this time of year, seemed to take the conditions in stride, with most players going sleeveless, while Miami was loaded up with long-sleeves, layers, and even something akin to ski-masks. Miami, especially early on, looked a bit tenative, and one might wonder how much the weather aggravated their play.
Indeed, Miami, for a few decades, occupied the spot in Notre Dame's schedule currently held by Stanford. When Notre Dame plays Southern Cal at home in October, they play Stanford on the road at the end of the regular season, for a late warm-weather game to close out the regular season. That used to be a game in Miami, back in the day.
Alternatively, when the Irish finish up the regular season at the L.A. Coliseum, they play Stanford at home earlier in the year. That used to be Miami as well.
(An interesting aside regarding this arrangement ... Southern Cal used to always play Notre Dame the last game of the year, regardless of the location, until Notre Dame apparently gave in to Californian sensibilities to alter the arrangement. The last time Southern Cal ever played in snow was apparently at Notre Dame, in the late 1950's.)
Miami plays to the end, tees up solid return for national rivalry
Miami stepping it up to move the ball a bit in the second quarter, and then moreso in the fourth, undoubtedly helped them exhibit some commitment to playing hard, and also helped set the groundwork for a stronger return to a rivalry.
Unless they meet earlier in a bowl game after the 2011 season, Notre Dame's next game with Miami will be the season after next, on Oct. 6, 2012, at Soldier Field in Chicago.
At one time, before its reconfiguration, Notre Dame played in front of crowds of 120,000, and slightly less than 120,000, at Soldier Field, against the likes of Southern Cal and Navy. So there is some history there, just as there is some memorable history in the Notre Dame-Miami rivalry.
In the meantime, Miami moves forward with a new coach, a former player of Joe Paterno's, bringing new fire and energy. Notre Dame continues what Brian Kelly has called a process, completing another successful stage in the journey after a hard-fought season also marked by tragedy. It will be interesting to see what both teams look like a little less than two years from now, and whether we see two programs that have surged into the elite ranks like before, once again pushing each other along the way.
Keywords: Notre Dame Football, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Hyundai Sun Bowl, Notre Dame Offense, Notre Dame Defense, Notre Dame Special Teams, Brian Kelly, University of Notre Dame
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