Notre Dame Football: 3 Things Learned From Irish-Hurricanes
By Andrew Hall
The Notre Dame football team traveled south to Miami, Florida to play the No. 7 Hurricanes. Miami (FL) dominated the Fighting Irish from the outset. The Hurricanes jumped out to an early 34-0 lead before the Irish responded late with a touchdown. Here are three things we learned from Notre Dame’s difficult loss to the Hurricanes.
Playoff Hopes Over
The Irish entered this matchup separated from the College Football Playoffs by three victories. The night ended with the Irish out of the race emphatically. On a night that saw Georgia, TCU and Notre Dame fall as Top 10 teams, the Irish suffered their worst loss since the Crimson Tide blasted them in the BCS National Championship game. Since 2002, Notre Dame has not won a game in the state of Florida.
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Too Much Speed
The common thread between the losses for Notre Dame this season is the speed in the front seven of the defense. The speed in the Miami (FL) front seven completely affected Notre Dame’s running game.
The Irish were held to their second lowest output on the season with 87 rushing yards on 33 carries. Notre Dame Heisman hopeful Josh Adams was held to 40 yards on 16 carries. It is unclear whether or not Adams was still suffering from an injury. Adams left in 3rd Quarter and did not return.
Brian Kelly is Not 100% Confident in Wimbush?
After the Irish fell behind early in game, Brian Kelly and Chip Long made the switch to Ian Book. Were the coaches just trying to get a spark for the offense? Was Wimbush’s hand affecting him? Regardless of what Kelly says in post game presser, he is still not completely confident in Wimbush.
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If Wimbush was healthy, he was clearly the best option for the Fighting Irish to make a comeback. Putting Ian Book into the game was a really poor decision and a misread of the situation.