They were supposed to be past this by now, these Notre Dame coaches and players. This was supposed to be their year.
A defense starting 10 guys who entered Saturday with 11-plus starts to their names is not supposed to be shell-shocked on its first two drives.
A coach who has made questionable two-point decisions in the past is not supposed to be chasing points with 14 minutes left.
A team with 26 fourth- and fifth-year players is not supposed to come undone on its biggest stage, dropping a number of passes and losing three fumbles in the second half.Yet here the Irish are, five weeks in, their championship hopes dealt a serious blow thanks to a 24-22 loss to Clemson that was littered with problems they were supposed to have outgrown by now.
And the worst part? That alleged vulnerability, a redshirt freshman quarterback who entered Death Valley with two career starts to his name, was more than good enough in less than ideal conditions.
It takes a special kind of 19-year-old to size up one of the nation’s top defenses, ignore the three previous quarters of futility it had put his offense through and proceed to lead his team to three fourth-quarter touchdown drives. It is even more impressive when said teenager does that in spite of his own mistakes, namely an interception deep in his own territory with just 6:36 left.
No, DeShone Kizer was not perfect. His 19-of-34 line included several misfires. But expecting a guy who was a third-stringer six months ago to be flawless in his first road start is unreasonable. He needs support, the kind that juniors and seniors are supposed to provide in environments like Clemson’s.
And yet, there was Will Fuller dropping a pass near midfield in the second quarter, the first real opportunity that came his way. There was Corey Robinson letting a potential 49-yard touchdown slip out of his hands, with the Irish desperate to generate any kind of momentum.
And then, of course, there was that offensive line, which the Irish always figured they could lean on in its darkest times. Their backbone instead surrendered nine tackles for loss (four sacks), paved the way for just 52 rushing yards by running backs, committed three penalties and looked all too predictable to an unforgiving Clemson defense.
Yes, Notre Dame has had tough luck in losing six key players for the season. But the Tigers they lost to have lacked a full deck much of the way as well, winning Saturday without receiver Mike Williams (neck), center Ryan Norton (MCL), end Dane Rogers (ankle) and linebacker Korrin Wiggins (ACL). And that does not even account for the non-injury personnel hits Clemson took this summer, from defensive tackle D.J. Reader taking a leave of absence and linebacker Korie Rogers quitting football, to end Ebenezer Ogundeko getting dismissed and left tackle Isaiah Battle entering the supplemental draft.
Every team has excuses. That does not mean Notre Dame should surrender 14 points on its first two defensive drives. And it does not mean Brian Kelly should go for two down 21-9 with 14:13 left -- a decision all the more perplexing when taking into account the fact the Irish had extra time to prepare for the point-after try since C.J. Prosise’s touchdown was reviewed, and the fact Kelly had a chance to call a mulligan when Robinson had not gotten on the field on time. Instead of a penalty and easy field goal, a potentially key timeout was burned and Robinson dropped the pass anyway. The sequence bit the Irish late, much the same way their misguided two-point try against Northwestern last season led to their undoing.
“We've got to get right to work on Navy, but you don't want to forget about losing an opportunity that we lost here and that should be with them because you can't give away the opportunity,” Kelly said Sunday.
Now what? To even begin to think about re-entering the College Football Playoff picture, Notre Dame must regroup for a Navy team that has recently given it fits, something more difficult to do with USC looming one week later. And even if the Irish were to sort out all of their issues and finish 7-0, their fate would likely remain out of their hands anyway.
“You're on the clock now,” Kelly said. “Every single weekend, you're playing elimination football.”
If they’re lucky -- all of which makes Saturday’s showing even more disappointing. This was supposed to be the deepest team of the Kelly era, with the talent and maturity to match the 2012 group whose shortcomings were exposed by Alabama.
After watching Notre Dame’s alleged title destiny disappear in the Death Valley night, you have to wonder: If not now, then when
