"Sorta good" is exactly right. But hey, that's a pretty big step up at this point. Here's what I wrote for the blog ...
"Here we go again ..."
A phantom personal foul after a long completion just outside the goal line. A missed field goal. An inefficient drive following a defensive stand, and then a late hit in punt coverage that gets flagged for 15 yards. These are the kinds of plays that have killed the Irish offense all year long, and for a while on Saturday they did the same.
Mistakes breed mistakes like rabbits in the Spring: a false start on fourth-and-two, a beautiful pass on fourth-and-17 that goes through the receiver's hands, and suddenly you're staring at 0-0 halftime score against one of the worst teams in college football.
And then, the momentum changes: the defense forces turnovers on consecutive drives, and each of them is turned quickly into seven points. It's 14-0 at the half. You've got things back under control.
THAT'S the storyline that matters from Saturday's game. Not the 400 yards of total offense, not the three touchdown passes by <strong>Jimmy Clausen</strong>, not even the explosive emergence of <strong>Robert Hughes</strong> or the always-gratifying Senior Day win. For once, this team showed a bit of resiliency: they didn't let themselves get overwhelmed when things went badly. And say what you will about the quality of their opponent, but a 28-7 win (which could very well have been more like 42-0 if not for mental mistakes and bad calls) is a 28-7 win. Suddenly the future looks a lot brighter.
A few numbers to take away from the game:
<ul>
<li>Hughes (17 carries for 110 net yards, and a reception for another 13) obviously earned that game ball, though <strong>Armando Allen</strong> (nine rushes for 43 yards, and two receptions for 17) and <strong>James Aldridge</strong> (eight carries for 28 yards, plus a catch for another seven) had solid days as well. One of the biggest challenges facing <strong>Charlie Weis</strong> (or whoever is calling the plays) in 2008 will be finding a way to get enough carries for each of his three horsemen, together with throwing enough balls in the direction of <strong>Duval Kamara</strong>, <strong>George West</strong>, <strong>Robby Parris</strong>, and <strong>Golden Tate</strong>, not to mention <strong>David Grimes</strong>, <strong>Will Yeatman</strong>, <strong>Mike Ragone</strong>, and <strong>Michael Floyd</strong>. The talent is there; I imagine they'll enjoy letting the spotlight fall where it may.</li>
<li>Clausen's numbers (16-of-32 for 194 yards and three touchdowns) don't speak to how well he played, especially given that at least four or five catchable balls were dropped. He also showed some good presence in the pocket, and did a good job of avoiding pressure, picking up 25 yards on his six scrambles.</li>
<li>The offensive line continued to show some signs of improvement, though pass protection was still a bit spotty at times. It was especially nice to see the screen game start to click.</li>
<li><strong>Joe Brockington</strong>, <strong>David Bruton</strong>, <strong>Trevor Laws</strong>, and <strong>Darrin Walls</strong> each had a half-dozen tackles, and the defense on a whole played very well. This was the first time this year we saw freshmen <strong>Kerry Neal</strong> and <strong>Brian Smith</strong> both starting at the outside linebacker position, and they had quiet but solid days with three tackles a piece. Freshman<strong> Ian Williams</strong> getting his first start at the nose guard position, also played well, picking up three tackles and generally doing a good job of clogging up the middle.</li>
<li>The Irish possessed the ball for over 35 minutes, the first time all year they've really managed to control the clock - their previous high had been 32:02 against UCLA.</li>
</ul>
Finally, a few areas where a good deal of work is still needed:
<ul>
<li> I've already mentioned the troubles in pass protection, as well as the dropped balls by the wide receivers. Clausen's never going to be able to win those seven Heismans if his teammates don't help him out.</li>
<li>While the Irish pass defense was largely sound, giving up only 138 total passing yards, there were still some blown coverages, and Duke could have picked up some more yardage if open receivers hadn't been missed.</li>
<li><strong>J.J. Jansen's</strong> long-snapping was iffy once again, though <strong>Eric Maust</strong> made a remarkable play to bail him out and get the punt away under pressure.</li>
<li>Notre Dame continues to lack any semblance of consistency in the kicking game, as <strong>Brandon Walker</strong> missed his lone field goal attempt, from 30 yards out. It may have had something to do with the weather, but those are the kind of kicks you've got to make. It will be a shame if the Irish continue to cripple themselves by having to go for broke on fourth down instead of putting points on the board the cheap way.</li>
<li>Lastly, penalties were a problem once again: the Irish were whistled eleven times for 103 yards, after committing only nine penalties in their previous three games combined.</li>
</ul>
All in all, a solid day against an undermanned opponent. There should be plenty more of those in the future as this team continues to develop.
