:: Notre Dame Football: Irish Game Day ::
Quick-Striking, Surging Notre Dame Beats Western Michigan 44-20
Leprechaun Express: Notre Dame Football Intel Update Oct. 16, 2010
Quick-striking, opportunistic Notre Dame topped Western Michigan 44-20 in The House that Rockne Built to improve to 4-3 on the season with a three-game winning streak. Four of the six Irish scoring drives took less than a minute, including an 80-yard touchdown pass from Dayne Crist to Michael Floyd on the opening play from scrimmage.
The opening one-play drive took 0:12 off the clock. Other scoring drives with starters in took 0:08, 1:56, 0:52, 0:38 and 4:06. Reserves scored a field-goal after a drive that took 5:32.
Notre Dame also led the turnover ratio 4-1, with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, and had six sacks.
After leading 27-17 at the intermission, the Fighting Irish put the game away in the second half, igniting their running game and clamping down on defense. The two teams were almost even at half-time with 214 yards for Notre Dame and 212 yards for Western Michigan. By game's end, Notre Dame had outgained the Broncos 448 yards to 314, so that Notre Dame had a 232 to 102-yard advantage in the second half, and a 17-3 scoring advantage, albeit with reserves eventually getting in for both teams.
It was the two schools' first meeting on the grid-iron since two Notre Dame blowout victories led by George Gipp and Head Coach Knute Rockne in 1919-20. While Notre Dame and Western Michigan had not played football in 90 years, they are in the same hockey conference, the CCHA.
With the win, Notre Dame pulls above .500 for the first time since their opening victory over Purdue. At 4-3, Notre Dame needs only two more wins for bowl eligibility, with games remaining against Navy, Tulsa, Utah, Army and Southern Cal.
On the day, Crist was 18 of 28 (64%) passing for 255 yards and 3 passing touchdowns, plus a 9-yard touchdown run, against 1 interception. Crist left during the fourth quarter with Notre Dame up 44-17.
Floyd had 9 receptions for 157 yards (17.4 yards per catch)and 3 touchdowns, including an athletic catch, spin-move and run-after-catch on the opening 80-yarder that put Notre Dame up 7-0.
Notre Dame wide receiver John Goodman, a former high school quarterback, threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Floyd after taking a reverse pitch from Crist, to put the Irish up 14-7 in the first quarter. The one-play drive took :08.
Notre Dame's defense, snagged two first-half interceptions and two fumbles, one fumble recovery in each half.
Western Michigan was spirited, fearless and hard-playing, including with a trick "Polecat" formation featuring the center as an eligible receiver. The Broncos kept the game close for at least a half, with the score 7-7 after one quarter.
Notre Dame's first interception, by linebacker Darius Fleming, set up Notre Dame at the Western Michigan 32, followed by the Goodman-to-Floyd trick-play touchdown and a 14-7 Irish lead.
In the second quarter, Notre Dame safety Gary Gray forced a fumble recovered by Notre Dame defensive end Ethan Johnson at the Notre Dame 44.
While Notre Dame did not score directly off the turnover, a Ben Turk punt knuckled off the Western Michigan return man, recovered by the punt returner near the goal line. Notre Dame wide-out, kick-turner and special teams gunner Bennett Jackson made a flying special teams tackle to knock Western Michigan out around the 1. The Irish defense stopped the Broncos to retain field position, forcing a punt fair-caught at the Western Michigan 36.
Crist then drove the Irish 36 yards in 1:36, capping the drive by running it in from 9 yards out for a 20-7 Notre Dame lead just a few minutes into the second quarter.
Western Michigan repeatedly fought and scrapped its way back in the first-half, first making it 20-10 with 5:13 to go in the half.
Notre Dame would later put together another quick-strike drive off a turnover, after Gary Gray intercepted Western Michigan and returned it to the Broncos 44. Crist led the Irish 44 yards in 52 seconds, capped by a 39-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Eifert.
Eifert was starting in place of Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph, out until spring after hamstring surgery on Friday. On the day, Eifert was Notre Dame's second-leading receiver, with 4 catches for 72 yards, including the 39-yard touchdown. Notre Dame would have a 12-yard pass completion to another tight-end, Mike Ragone.
With Notre Dame up 27-10 with 2:19 to go, the Broncos drove for another touchdown, making it 27-17 at the half.
Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly, heading into the locker-room at half-time, publicly challenged the defense to be less sloppy, have more attention to detail and choose to play like they were capable of.
Another serious situation for Notre Dame at the half, however, was negative net rushing yardage in the first half.
The Fighting Irish answered the challenge.
The Notre Dame defense did indeed clamp down more in the second half, limiting Western Michigan after the intermission to one field goal late, when substitutions were underway. After the end of the game, Kelly praised the defense for limiting the Broncos to less than 50 yards of offense after half-time.
Kelly also would later praise Crist for continuing to step up his game after the half.
And the ground game intensified considerably. Improvements by the defense, by Crist, and with the running game imply intense effort by the players, as well as good adjustments and motivation by the coaching staff.
Notre Dame struck quickly again, this time on the ground, with a 2-play, 44-yard touchdown drive featuring a 39-yard touchdown run by Notre Dame running back Cierre Wood that put the Irish up 34-17. The drive took 38 seconds.
On the day, Notre Dame rushed for 149 yards, which meant they rushed for 153 yards in the second half (to make up for minus-four yards on the ground in the first half). Wood finished with 11 carries for 94 yards and his 39-yard touchdown, at 8.5 yard per carry. Woods also had 3 catches for 29 yards.
With 12:17 to go in the third quarter, Notre Dame did sustain a somewhat longer-lasting drive, moving 53 yards in 9 plays and eating up 04:06 off the clock. Crist went 4 of 5 for 51 yards on the drive, capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass to Floyd, Floyd's third touchdown catch on the day, that put the Irish up 41-17.
Notre Dame still led 41-17 into the fourth quarter, with Crist playing a limited amount of time in the final quarter before leaving.
Nate Montana would drive the Irish to a 33-yard David Ruffer field goal that put Notre Dame up 44-17 midway through the fourth quarter.
Ruffer, an academic transfer from William and Mary who never played high school football, started at Notre Dame with full-pads intramural football. With his 33-yarder against Western Michigan, Ruffer has now extended his school record consecutive field goals streak to 17 in a row across two seasons.
Ruffer is at or near the top of the nation for field goal percentage and total field goals, and the time has come for him to be considered one of the rightful front-runners for the Lou Groza Award. Against Western Michigan, there was what was, apparently, a last-minute change, with Ruffer back on kick-offs, instead of Nick Tausch, who had started the season on the Groza Award watch-list.
Back to the game action .... With substitutions from the bench already getting onto the field, Western Michigan would manage a field goal late to make it 44-20, the Broncos' only points of the second half.
Towards the end, Notre Dame back-ups were driving towards another possible score, presumably against Western Michigan back-ups, before taking a knee to run out the clock.
Robert Hughes had 8 carries for 63 yards, at 7.9 yards per carry, with "Huuughes" raining down from the fans. Admittedly, some of Hughes' carries came towards the end.
On defense, Notre Dame gave up 212 yards and 17 points in the first half, and then only 102 yards and 3 points in the second half, with some of the second-half yardage coming later when substitutions were being inserted.
On defense it was a team effort in general, with respect to Notre Dame's tackles and six sacks, to go with the two interceptions and two recoveries of Western Michigan fumbles.
Notre Dame's first interception, by , set up Notre Dame at the Western Michigan 32, followed by the Goodman-to-Floyd trick-play touchdown and a 14-7 Irish lead.
Safety Gary Gray had the interception, a forced fumble and 8 total tackles.
Linebacker Manti Te'o led the Irish in total tackles with 10.
Linebacker Darius Fleming had an interception, a key sack, and another tackle.
Defensive end Ethan Johnson had 5 tackles, including 2 sacks.
Linebacker Kerry Neal had 5 tackles, a fumble recovery and a sack.
Noseguard Ian Williams had 5 tackles and a sack.
Linebacker Carlo Calabrese had 7 total tackles, and cornerback Robert Blanton had six.
Defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore had two tackles including a sack.
Next up, it's the U.S. Naval Academy hosting Notre Dame at the Meadowlands outside New York City region. CBS will provide a true national television broadcast at 12 Noon ET.
- Back to the Top -
:: Irish Fly By Western Michigan, 44-20 - AP/UND.com
:: Floyd scores on 1st play as Notre Dame romps 44-20 - Chicago Tribune
:: Irish wake up, blowout Broncos - rivals.com
:: NFL Commissioner experiences first Notre Dame game with family - WNDU
:: Notre Dame football: Back-up QBs pass the test - South Bend Tribune
:: Notre Dame beats Western Michigan - Indianapolis Star
:: Notre Dame coach has 'chat' to spur victory - News-Sentinel
:: Cierre Wood jumpstarts Irish - rivals.com
:: Notre Dame kicker, David Ruffer, remembers his Inter Hall Football roots
:: Notre Dame football: Imagine if Floyd was 100 percent - South Bend Tribune
:: ND's Floyd retruns to form - Chicago Colleges Blog - ESPN Chicago
:: Final Stats/Play-by-Play: Notre Dame 44 - Western Michigan 20 - UND.com
:: Post-Game Quotes: Notre Dame 44 - Western Michigan 20 - UND.com
:: Post-Game Notes: Notre Dame 44 - Western Michigan 20 - UND.com
:: Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan Box Score - ESPN
:: Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan game notes [PDF]
:: Notre Dame Roster
:: Notre Dame 2010 schedule/statistical summary - NCAA database
:: Notre Dame Football official site - UND.com
:: Western Michigan 2010 schedule/statistical summary - NCAA database
:: Western Michigan Football official site
Keywords: Notre Dame Football, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Notre Dame Depth Chart, Notre Dame Offense, Notre Dame Defense, Notre Dame Special Teams, Brian Kelly, University of Notre Dame
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