When Kirk Cousins’ pass to a wide-open Larry Caper sailed over the receivers head in the back of the end zone with just over seventy seconds to play in the game, the Irish got something they had been searching for all season:
A break.
Cousins’ very next throw was intercepted by safety Kyle McCarthy, effectively ending another late game drive that could’ve broken the Irish’s spirit, and sent their season somewhere they couldn’t afford it to go. The Irish walk away winners against the Spartans, but not without a sizable loss. Sophomore Michael Floyd’s broken collar bone in the 2nd quarter leaves the Irish searching for answers, and hoping that their star wideout will be healed when a suddenly one-loss USC Trojan team visits South Bend on October 17th. Until then, the Irish have plenty of work to do.
Here’s what we learned today:
1) The Irish defense is still searching for an identity.
Jon Tenuta’s defense looked lost for much of the game. Sending defensive backs off the edge on seemingly every play, Tenuta’s blitzing scheme clearly needs refinement. While it’s clear that the Irish aren’t getting the pass rush needed out of their front four, Tenuta relied too often on simply sending people off the edge, leaving one-on-one coverage to be exploited. Blitzing defensive backs relies on deception, and Tenuta didn’t seem to hide his intent until the final defensive play, where his zone blitz confused the Spartan front and their quarterback, leading to an easy interception by Kyle McCarthy. The Irish gave up 354 yards in the air, and too often the yards were easy. If the Irish have BCS aspirations, things need to get fixed on the defensive side of the ball quickly.
2) The offensive line is a strength.
The transformation of the Notre Dame offensive line is startling. While the Irish only averaged 3.6 yards a carry, Armando Allen and Jonas Gray had big days behind a powerful offensive front. The work Frank Verducci has done with the group is exceptional, and while they did surrender their first sacks of the season, they were the key behind the Irish’s final scoring drive. Many have assumed that maturity and seasoning would improve the offensive line play, but behind Verducci the running game has become a capable compliment to the high-octane passing attack.
3) Jimmy Clausen has taken the next step.
It’s hard to watch the Irish and not be impressed with #7. Battling a bum foot, Clausen showed courage under fire, hanging in the pocket late in the game to buy time for his receivers to get open. Clausen opened the game 10-for-10, and finished 22 for 30, with 300 yards passing, two touchdowns, and once again no interceptions. You could quickly make the argument that his numbers should have been better, with Michael Floyd’s touchdown being called an incompletion and Mike Ragone and Golden Tate both dropping perfect Clausen passes. If the Irish were looking for a leader from the quarterbacking position, they found one today in Clausen.
4) The miscues need to stop.
When Sam Young, a four-year starter along the offensive line and one of your team’s leaders, gets a personal foul when the offense is trying to run out the clock, it’s a sure sign that the Irish are still making too many mental mistakes. While blaming the officiating is a popular cry among Irish fans, too often Notre Dame is battling themselves along with their opponent. 11 penalties for 99 yards is messy football, and a recipe for disaster. Whether it’s a persistent case of drops by Golden Tate, back-to-back personal fouls, early misses by kicker Nick Tausch, or shoddy tackling, if the Irish want to be a premiere team, the setbacks they face can’t be self-inflicted.
5) Michael Floyd’s injury will change the Irish.
When Michael Floyd went down with a broken collarbone in the second quarter, the Irish offense changed. With Floyd, the Irish are a dynamic deep-strike offense, with a capable second receiver in Golden Tate and an emerging star at tight end in Kyle Rudolph. Without Floyd, the Irish rode the back of Armando Allen, relying on key third down conversions from the Wildcat, or short throws to the remaining receivers. In a best case scenario, Floyd will be back for the USC game, but a capable second receiver needs to emerge. Duval Kamara seems to be the most likely candidate, but we’ve yet to see any true results from the promising start of Kamara’s career. With Floyd on the field, the Irish can take shots down the field and open up the game with a wide array of screen passes and runs. Without him, the Irish need to execute better than the opposing defense, a task made more difficult with the sloppy mental play we’ve seen thus far from the Irish. When the Irish take the field next Saturday against Purdue, a capable second receiver must emerge.
