Fighting Irish Keep National Championship Hopes Alive

The Fighting Irish continued their winning streak with a 28-7 win over Wake Forest. The highlight of the game was Josh Adams’ 98-yard touchdown run, the longest run in Notre Dame history. The Irish were outgained in total offense by Wake Forest 340 yards to 282 yards, but the Irish defense was able to stop Wake Forest for no points on three trips to the red zone.

Although it was not a dominating performance, the Fighting Irish were in control the entire game.

Brian Kelly had an abbreviated news conference, but there were some important points discussed.

Notre Dame had less than 50 offensive snaps due to Wake Forest controlling the ball offensively and for most of the time letting the play clock run down to a few seconds. The Demon Deacons also rushed for over 100 yards. They not only had more total yards than the Irish, they also held on to the ball more minutes than the Fighting Irish.

Kelly discussed injuries suffered by the Fighting Irish. James Onwualu had a second degree MCL, but will not undergo surgery. Daniel Cage and Nic Weisbar had mild concussions, but Kelly expects them to play against Boston College. Equanimeous St. Brown was injured in the Pitt game with a grade 3 AC and he will be out of action for six weeks. C.J. Prosise will be examined this week to see if he can play against Boston College. The injury discussion concluded by Kelly stating Amir Carlisle had a minor ankle injury.

With Wake Forest having two weeks to prepare for Notre Dame, Kelly said they played their defensive front seven differently than they had during the year. They also played differently in the secondary, but this did not hinder the Irish offense. Kelly expects Boston College to play their usual defensive sets.

With Notre Dame playing in Boston this week, there were questions concerning the recruitment of freshman kicker Justin Yoon who is a native of the Boston area. The Irish came to know Yoon at a kicking camp. Yoon liked Notre Dame and Stanford and decided on Notre Dame after Kelly visited him at his school, Milton Academy. Kelly liked Yoon because he had great poise, confidence, and the ability to bounce back. He was also an athlete who played hockey and soccer. Kelly was impressed with his intangibles and his competitive spirit.

Kelly stated the players love the Shamrock Series and are especially happy to be playing at Fenway Park. Besides the players being happy to play at Fenway, so is Kelly, who is a native of the Boston area. He is an avid Red Sox fan and he threw out the first pitch at a game there this past summer. This should be a great weekend for the Fighting Irish and it will only be great if Notre Dame wins the game.

The Fighting Irish have to dominate Boston College this week. The Irish are in a tough situation because of Stanford’s loss to Oregon. Stanford will fall out of the top ten in the playoff standings and an Irish win over them will not be as meaningful as if they were still winning.

The Irish need to finish strong and they may need some help from other teams. Boston College ruined Notre Dame’s national championship hopes in 1993 and they have to make sure it does not happen again. With a sound game plan and good execution, the Fighting Irish should win and keep the national championship hopes alive.