Notre Dame Football Rose Bowl review: 3 Studs, 3 Duds
By Andrew Hall
Notre Dame football vs. Alabama: 3 Duds
Nick Saban the Gracious Winner
No one likes Nick Saban outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Saban’s unsportsmanlike penalty with three minutes to go, up by 24 points is one of the reasons why. Saban, like Bill Belichick, seems miserable even when winning on the biggest stages. That is probably why those two are the most successful coaches in football – never being satisfied.
Tommy Rees
Overall, Tommy Rees put together a solid game despite only scoring 14 points. However, Notre Dame needed to take more chances to win a game against an overpowering opponent, as the longest pass of 27 yards occurred on screen pass to Chris Tyree.
Rees only called for passes down the field a few times, and there were no trick plays or exotic wrinkles. The game plan was correct. The Irish needed to play defense with their offense, but it also needed to take the occasional risk to have a chance of winning. For that reason, Rees belongs with the duds of the game.
Next. Notre Dame football: Saying goodbye to a special group up front on offense. dark
Notre Dame’s Secondary
Ultimately, Notre Dame’s secondary proved to be the weakest part of the team in 2020. Clark Lea and the rest of the defense covered up for the weakness against most of this year’s slate. However, against a team like Alabama, which threatens an opponent at every level, all weaknesses are amplified. This deficiency was caused by years of recruiting misses, and unfortunately, this will continue to hurt Notre Dame in 2021.