Sep 5, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Josh Adams (33) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Texas Longhorns at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Offensive Line: A
There’s no way around it. I tried to find something wrong with the way the offensive line played on Saturday just because I don’t like to give off the image of perfection, but that’s the only way to describe the way the performed. They were simply perfect. Looking at the stat line alone, you can get the whole story of what went down in the trenches.
The line dominated Texas’s front seven, aside from a couple of big plays linebacker Malik Jefferson made, and helped the Irish rushing attack accumulate more than 200 yards. On the 52 run plays called, the Irish averaged four yards a carry. On a number of those plays, the offensive line did a phenomenal job of getting off their initial blocks, once the running backs cleared the trenches, and moving up into the second level. They also played to the whistle on every play. If a back was fighting for extra yards, the offensive line was quick to jump in and push the back the extra two or three yards.
They also did an excellent job of keeping Zaire upright. Aside from one sack given up on a blitz from Texas on the outside, Zaire had more than enough time to stand in the pocket, make his reads and complete 86% of his passes.
Next: Grades: Running Backs