We all remember the epic November collapses of the Charlie Weis era. Everyone knows about those games that nobody is allowed to talk about – losses to teams such as Syracuse in 2009 and Connecticut last year. The past three seasons saw the Irish go 3-10 in the month of November, in games where the team appeared physically outmatched and seemed to lack the stamina to finish games.
The first season under Brian Kelly was supposed to be different. He came in promising to turn the team around, whip them into shape, and put the fight back into the Fighting Irish. But going into November, with a 4-5 record and consecutive losses to Navy and Tulsa, the Irish faithful had reason for concern. With opponents such as USC and Utah left on the schedule, there were doubts whether the team could even pull off the two wins needed to become bowl eligible.
Rather than imploding, as in past years, Notre Dame showed the fight that fans have been anticipating for years. With backup freshman quarterback Tommy Rees and a dominant defense, the Irish reeled off three wins in a row to finish the regular season 7-5 and put Notre Dame in great position for a respectable bowl game.
Not only did the Irish go undefeated in November (after failing to get a win in the same month the season before), but they gave up only one touchdown in those three games. And even that touchdown seemed like a fluke, as it occurred only after the Trojans recovered a fumble at the two yard line, and it still took them four tries to pound it in. The thirteen straight quarters without giving up a touchdown prior to that was the best record for an Irish defense since 1981.
The last time Notre Dame played USC at the Coliseum, they lost 38-3. However, the Irish pulled out a win as they continued to play the tough defense that contributed to Notre Dame’s victory streak. The defense stifled Utah’s high-scoring offense to a mere field goal and held Army’s triple option to only three points on 135 rushing yards (232 yards and 32 points better than against Navy). Despite capitalizing on some crucial USC drops, the defense prevented the Trojans from sustaining drives, giving up all sixteen points off turnovers that occurred in Irish territory.
After the game, Brian Kelly seemed to take the words right out of the mouths of many fans. When asked how the team has played at the end of the season, he said, “Overall, we wanted to play better in November. All the work that we’ve done all year, we work toward when we want to play our best football – in November.”
Following some heart-breaking Novembers the past few seasons, the Irish have given fans something to be proud of, and reason to hope for next season. In a press conference following the victory at USC, Kelly expressed his belief that he was accomplishing his main objective since becoming head coach at Notre Dame: “I think more than anything else, today we brought the fight back into the Fighting Irish.”
Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter used to say that a defense needed a certain toughness, nastiness, and attitude about it to be successful. He called it having some “dog.” It looks like Brian Kelly, Bob Diaco, and the Irish defense have brought the “dog” to Notre Dame.
Contact Mike at mjohns32@nd.edu.
