Random Thoughts on the Possible Turning of a Corner

ShareTweet

While largely absent for the last few weeks, I’ve been keeping up on the action. These are a sampling of my thoughts during this winning streak:

Are you watching, recruits? Over the course of what has been a difficult season, several Irish recruits have opted to jump ship; I hope they’ve been watching the last three games. For all the talk of Notre Dame returning the program to glory over the last decade-and-a-half, this is the first time during that period where the results on the field would seem to substantiate the hype. After having sustained serious injuries to key personnel (see above), Notre Dame has managed to bounce back and win three straight against a ranked team, a triple-option offense (just weeks after being embarrassed by a similar team) and on the road versus their most hated rival. This may not have been Murderers’ Row, but past Irish teams surely would have dropped at least one of those contests. What’s more; the methods which Notre Dame used in these wins – suffocating defense, opportunistic offense based around a solid run game – have been absent for years. All you blue chippers out there should be taking note of a coaching staff who have been able to build a very solid squadwith limited parts in under one season. What’s more, they have shown a willingness to play anyone they think gives the team the best chance of success. Given those components, the nation’s top high school talent should absolutely be giving Notre Dame a look these days.

I’m impressed with the way Brian Kelly has refocused his offense in light of injuries. Early in the season, there was a decided/ lack of emphasis in the run game, and veterans like Robert Hughes languished on the sideline. As the season has progressed, however, the running game has become more of a focal point, and guys like Hughes have helped in that process. Granted, some of this was the natural offshoot of working with what he had, but other coaches would not have been nearly as flexible in their approach. Good for Kelly for eschewing stubbornness in the face of reality.

Speaking of Hughes, there’s no player on this Irish team I’m happier for than him. Coming into the program as an Army All-American, Hughes rose to become the centerpiece of the running game, and offense, by the end of his freshman season. During his sophomore year, he began to be eclipsed by Armando Allen as the feature back, but still carried the ball over 100 times and managed four touchdowns. By his junior year, Hughes had become a role player, albeit an important one who contributed mightily in key spots, such as the win over Washington. This year, however, Hughes has been largely relegated to the sidelines and mop-up duty. With an offense that didn’t feature or appreciate a bruising, north-south runner, this was probably inevitable. Still, Hughes didn’t complain and contributed when asked. The results have been great. On the season, Hughes only has 213 yards rushing, but is averaging over 5 ypc. After gaining 61 yards and a touchdown in games against Utah and Army, he was a key contributor in the win over USC with 69 yards on 11 carries (6.3 ypc) and the winning touchdown. One can only wonder how different ND’s offensive fortunes might have been with a back as talented as Hughes getting 25-30 carries per game with regularity. Hughes has been the prototype of the Notre Dame Man during his time in South Bend and, though it was late coming, I’m glad to see this coaching staff finally realizing his value on the field. He is a player and person who will be sorely missed in the program.

I know that there’ll be some (USC fans and ESPN, but I repeat myself) who will play the “what if” game, largely regarding the drop by Ronald Johnson and, to a lesser extent, Matt Barkley’s injury. Yeah, well, boo-fucking-hoo. It’s football, and sometimes shit happens. Had Duval Kamara not slipped at the end of last year’s game, maybe the Irish win. If Reggie Bush didn’t exhibit his cheating douchbaggery on the field (and not get flagged for it), maybe the Irish win in 2005. Hell, had Jarious Jackson not gotten injured against LSU in 1998, maybe the Irish beat the Trojans the next game. The point is, you can always point to an injury (let’s face it, ND had plenty of their own), a play, or even the weather, in order to support the idea your team should have won. That’s what losers do. It’s what we ND fans have done for the better part of 15 years (how many games have been blamed on officiating?). The fact remains, it’s meaningless. So much goes into each game that all the individual data points in the world are meaningless when measured against the sum total.

The last, and most important, question to be answered is; what does this mean for the program? In the short-term, it means the Irish are 7-5 with a chance for a decent bowl game (likely Champs Sports) and eight wins in Brian Kelly’s first season. For the longer term, Notre Dame finally has something of substance to build off of moving forward. In 2008, the Irish handily won the Hawaii Bowl after stumbling through the end of the season. They then began 2009 with a, superficially, impressive 35-0 win over Nevada. And, that was it. This feels different. Both sides of the ball are executing on fundamentally important things such as run-blocking and 3rd down defense. It seems for the first time in a long time there’s a complete team on the field. Not just a player or two and not just one unit or other. Of course, much can happen in the off-season, but if ever the Irish program was going to turn a corner, it would seem now is the time.

ShareTweet