:: Notre Dame Football: Irish Game Day ::
Notre Dame Tops Army 27-3, Gains Bowl Eligibility
Leprechaun Express: Notre Dame Football Intel Update Nov. 20, 2010
Notre Dame beat Army 27-3 in the new Yankee Stadium to rise to 6-5 on the year and become bowl eligible.
With two straight wins by multiple touchdowns over quality opponents, Notre Dame has shown a lot of character, perseverance, conscientious preparation, game-day smarts, and player development, and brings powerful momentum into their final regular season game against Southern Cal.
Donning green jerseys for their 50th meeting with Army, the Irish doubled up the Black Knights with offensive production, 369 yards to 174.
Notre Dame was led on offense by early-enrolling true freshman quarterback Tommy Rees, going 13 of 20 for 214 passing yards and a touchdown against one interception, with the Irish also gaining 155 yards on the ground. The Irish defense also scored a touchdown, and walk-on placekicker David Ruffer added two field goals, extending his streak.
Notre Dame vs. Army 2010 Video Highlights: NBC Sports
Notre Dame Wins Turnover Battle
Even though Notre Dame had an interception in the end zone early, they had a 2-1 turnover advantage on the day, turning the tables on an Army team that had been top-5 nationally in turnover margin entering the game. As with Utah, the Notre Dame turnover advantage, of course, corresponded to a victory.
Notre Dame Trails Early, Surges in Second Quarter and After the Half
After Notre Dame's opening drive ended with their sole turnover, and Army's impressive opening drive resulted in a field goal, Army led 3-0 heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Notre Dame tied it 3-3 on a 47-yard field goal by David Ruffer, and went ahead 14-3 after a long pass from Tommy Rees to tight end Tyler Eifert near the goal line set up running back Robert Hughes' first touchdown of the year, a 1-yard run. Another second quarter pass from Rees to Eifert was good for a 31-yard touchdown and a 17-3 Notre Dame lead.
One minute into the second half, Notre Dame cornerback Darrin Walls made it 24-3 Irish with a 42-yard interception return. Ruffer added a 31-yard field goal to make it 27-3 Notre Dame, still in the third quarter.
Notre Dame Defense Dominates
The Notre Dame defense, after giving up a field goal on Army's opening drive, effectively shut down Army's fullback up the middle as well as Army's option attack around the edge. Army's passing game turned into a nightmare for the Cadets.
Army had entered the game with a top-10 rushing attack, averaging 273 yards per game prior to Notre Dame.
The Irish defense limited Army to less than half Army's average, giving up 135 yards on the ground on 43 carries, at only 3.1 yards per carry.
Notre Dame's passing defense was even more impressive.
Out of eight Army passing attempts, Army had two completions and two interceptions, one of them returned 42 yards by senior cornerback Darrin Walls for a Notre Dame touchdown.
Senior linebacker Brian Smith snagged the other interception, and then calmly handed the ball off to defensive back Gary Gray to continue the return, as Smith was being brought down.
Notre Dame sophomore linebacker Manti Te'o, a top-10 tackler nationally coming into the game, led the Irish with 9 tackles, but had to leave the game late with what the NBC sideline reporter tweeted might be a bloodied nose.
Darrin Walls added 7 tackles, including a tackle-for-loss, to his interception touchdown. Defensive lineman Kapron Lewis-Moore also had 7 tackles.
It appeared Notre Dame was tweaking its defensive formation to adapt from lessons learned against Navy's triple option, including having four or more down linemen, and additional players at or near the line of scrimmage. Notre Dame, at times, also had players in interesting configurations possibly mirroring, or at least accounting for, Army skilled position players lest they get to the edge.
The Irish defense, which seems to be developing a full head of steam, has limited opponents to a field goal in each of their past two games.
Notre Dame has an interesting set-up with its coaches, where the head coach started out as a defensive coach, but is also apparently calling offensive plays, and a still somewhat young defensive coordinator essentially in his second year as a sole coordinator but considered an up-and-coming talent.
Notre Dame Running Game Continues to Develop, while
Irish Passing Game is Efficient and Timely
With Notre Dame starting early-enrolling true freshman Tommy Reese at quarterback for the second week in a row, the Irish offense continued to be balanced and opportunistic.
Rees once again went 13 of 20 on the day, throwing for 214 yards and a touchdown, as well as another long pass that was, at first, called a touchdown, then on review was called down near the goal line.
Rees did throw an interception this week, one that killed the first drive when it occurred in the end zone. But, bouncing back from the rookie mistake(s) that caused the interception, Rees was otherwise sharp with accuracy and timing, and cool and poised both as a passer and simply "running the operation."
Sophomore tight end Tyler Eifert continues to emerge as both a talented receiver and blocker, showing that he is not simply a solid back-up in the absence of the injured Kyle Rudolph, but a possible future heir apparent to Notre Dame's string of NFL-caliber tight ends.
With the score tied 3-3 in the second quarter, Eifert made a spectacular diving catch near the goal line for a 35-yard gain that set up a short Robert Hughes touchdown run.
While Eifert had been denied a receiving touchdown on review after the catch that instead set up the Hughes touchdown, Eifert came back on Notre Dame's very next drive for another dramatic catch, this one good for a 31-yard touchdown. The score put Notre Dame up 17-3, still in the second quarter.
Eifert, listed at 6-6, 242, led all Irish receivers with 4 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Junior wide receiver Michael Floyd had 3 catches for 63 yards, including some nifty runs after catches.
Robby Toma, offensive player of the year in Hawai'i when Manti Te'o was defensive player of the year there, continues to emerge on game-day. In addition to starting against, Toma matched Eifert's 4-catch total and matched Floyd's 63 receiving yards.
The Notre Dame running game continued its resurgence, with 155 yards on 38 carries, at a healthy 4.1 yards per carry. Sophomore running back Cierre Wood continues to start, after the loss of Armando Allen to injury.
But truly the Notre Dame ground game is a team effort.
Wood rushed for 88 yards on 14 carries, a strong 6.3 yards per carry, joined by 235-pound senior running back Robert Hughes with 9 carries for 39 yards, at 4.3 yards per carry. Jonas Gray added 22 yards on the ground, with 9 carries.
The offensive line appears to be settling in after its midseason reshuffling, although mammoth senior left guard Chris Stewart, who has been nursing an ankle in recent weeks, got banged up again. Kelly has been employing cross-training and rotation of offensive linemen from the beginning, but at least it appears everyone is in their optimal position at present.
Is Notre Dame Kicker David Ruffer the Best in College Football?
Notre Dame senior walk-on kicker David Ruffer added two more field goals against Army, making it 20 straight field goals made across two seasons, and 17 of 17 in 2010.
Ruffer entered the game already the only kicker still at 100% on the year , among the top 100 most prolific kickers in Div. I-A/FBS.
Against Army, Ruffer put through a 47-yarder at a key point in the second quarter to tie the game 3-3. In the third quarter, Ruffer added a 39-yarder to put the Irish up 27-3.
Ruffer apparently has another year of eligibility left, although Notre Dame custom would mean he would have to apply for a fifth year and get accepted into a Notre Dame graduate program for next season. Ruffer is on the finalist list for the Lou Groza Award. Ironically, sophomore Nick Tausch, whom Ruffer beat out, had been on the preseason watch list.
Notre Dame Bowl Eligible
At 6-5, Notre Dame is bowl eligible for the third year in a row, and seven of the last nine years. They head into their final regular season game at the Los Angeles Coliseum with the opportunity to pick up a seventh win against Southern Cal.
Notre Dame-Army Series Now 97 Years Old, Saw Introduction of Passing Offense to the Game of Football
The Notre Dame-Army series dates back to a game in 1913 at West Point where Notre Dame introduced passing offense to the game of football.
In a sport that previously had seen only a few individual plays where the ball moved forward through the air, Notre Dame quarterback Gus Dorais was 13-17 on the day for 243 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Knute Rockne, who later became the winningest coach in football history after taking the helm at Notre Dame, was one of football's first receivers that day, along with his fellow end. Behind their five passing touchdowns, Notre Dame defeated Army 35-14 in that inaugural meeting, under Head Coach and Athletic Director Jesse Harper.
Some of the series' other memorable moments included games during the Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy coaching eras in the 1920's and 1940's.
Many of their past matchups were in the Bronx, whether at the Polo Grounds, where the Four Horsemen earned their nickname en route to Notre Dame's first consensus national championship in 1924, or in Yankee Stadium, where Notre Dame won one for the Gipper in 1928 and fought to a post-war #1 vs. #2, 0-0 tie in the 1946 Game of the Century.
The 2010 game was the 23rd between Notre Dame and Army in the Bronx, but the first since 1969.
- Back to the Top -
::
Irish beat Army in Yankee Stadium showdown - Major League Baseball
::
Notre Dame Beats Army in First College Football Game at New Yankee Stadium - Bloomberg
:: Notre Dame Downs Army, 27-3: Fighting Irish become bowl eligible with win over Black Knights - UND.com
:: Notre Dame 27 - Army 3, Box Score/Statistics/Drive Charts - UND.com
:: Irish Set to Take on Army at Yankee Stadium - UND.com
:: Coach Kelly Tuesday Press Conference Transcript - UND.com
:: [PDF] Notre Dame vs. Army extended game notes 2010
:: Notre Dame comes to the Big Apple to face Army - AP/Wall Street Journal
:: Bowl berth on the line for Brian Kelly and Notre Dame as Irish face Army at Yankee Stadium - New York Daily News
:: Yankee Stadium showdown - Philadelphia Inquirer
:: Yankee Stadium plays host to Army Black Knights and Notre Dame Fighting Irish - ESPN New York
:: Venue's great, but ND focused on sixth win - Chicago Sun Times
:: Irish bring clout to NY - Boston Globe
:: ND hopes to be 'a cut above' - Rivals.com
:: Preparation is key - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
:: Consistency, not history, focus for Irish - ESPN
:: Kelly keeps light, updates injuries - Rivals.com
:: Irish need better showing against Army's option - Chicago Tribune
:: Defining moment for defense - South Bend Tribune
:: Kelly learns his team's personality - ESPN Chicago
:: Nore Dame's Kelly cuts to chase on Army blocks - Chicago Tribune
:: Notre Dame's Smith overcomes setback, frustrations - South Bend Tribune
:: Floyd is rock of Irish offense - NCAA - SI.com
:: Irish monkey around with signals - South Bend Tribune
:: Gary Gray, Irish seek strong finish - TheState.com
:: Irish ready for the Big Apple - Stories - ktar.com
:: Notre Dame vs. Army: Personnel Notes - Blue and Gold Illustrated
:: Notre Dame to get reinforcements for Army game - Chicago Tribune
:: Irish turn their attention to Army - Chicago Colleges Blog - ESPN Chicago
:: Army-Notre Dame Game Stirs Yankee Stadium’s Football Ghosts - New York Times
:: Notre Dame vs. Army 1913 - Introducing Passing Offense to the Game of Football - New York Times Recap From 1913
:: Army vs. Notre Dame: A game of history, tradition - New York Times/TheState.com
:: Respect Your Elder - UND.com
:: Grudge match - Notre Dame vs. Army - New York Post
:: Army/Notre Dame Renew Historic Rivalry At Yankee Stadium - The Gothamist
:: Yankee Stadium is ready to host Army-Notre Dame football - ESPN New York
:: College Football Returns To Yankee Stadium This Weekend - ProFootballNYC
:: A walk(-through) that counts - South Bend Tribune
:: Rees gets Jeter's locker as Irish hold walk thru at Yankee Stadium - WNDU
:: Yankees give Irish "Key to the Clubhouse" at ND Pep rally - WNDU
:: Army football has chance to make statement - The Record
:: Army grad cherished playing in Bronx - The Record
:: Army nose guard is son of ex-Irish player - South Bend Tribune
:: Notre Dame and Army are set to return to the Bronx for the first time in 41 years - UND.com
:: 1946 Army-Notre Dame, Game of Century - Wall Street Journal
:: Notre Dame vs. Army: Renewing College Football History - Blue and Gold Illustrated
:: Going to the Notre Dame-Army game? You could take the train - The Record
:: Notre Dame 2010 schedule/statistical summary - NCAA
:: Notre Dame Football official site - UND.com
:: Army Football 2010 schedule/statistical summary - NCAA
:: Army Football official site
:: UND.com to show ND pre-game and post-game coverage live from Yankee Stadium - WNDU
:: Yankee Stadium Weather - Bronx, NY - National Weather Service 7-Day Forecast for Latitude 40.85°
Keywords: Notre Dame Football, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Notre Dame Offense, Notre Dame Defense, Notre Dame Special Teams, Brian Kelly, University of Notre Dame
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