Tied up neat in a bow.

The Champs Sports Bowl was the antitheses of the Notre Dame Football Season.  Glimpses of greatness, enough to cheer and hope for yet disappointing again.  When a child screws up do you blame the child or the parent?  I look back at the offensive play calling and am bewildered.  With Kelly’s offensive coordinator gone to begin his reign as head coach at UMass he took over directing the offensive play calling.  Offensive play calling often left me asking why. 

During Notre dame’s first drive the offense looked solid with Wood rushing for 4 yards at a time decent passes and getting to the Florida State 10 yard line.  This was the exact time Andrew Hendrix should have been inserted, instead the Florida State gets a 5 yard offside’s penalty, Wood rushes for 1 yard to the Seminoles 4 yard line setting up first and goal.  Instead of passing it in behind and experienced offensive line the Irish call pass and Rees throws into heavy coverage for an interception.

Although Motta would recover a fumble for a touchdown forced by Manti on the next play I think the writing was on the wall.  Going into the half with a 14 – 0 lead felt good with eh pace of the game favoring the Irish but like all season long when would the shoe drop?  With three interceptions and a missed field goal attempt a close game lose would be inevitable.  Hendrix did not get the reps Kelly had talked about leading up to the game: Rees went 16 for 27 passing for 163 yards with 2 interceptions, and 1 touchdown (all Michael Floyd) whereas Hendrix was 3 for 8 passing for 24 yards and 1 interception.   As for the quarterback rushing game, a so called integral part of Brian Kelly’s spread offense Rees rushed 4 times for a negative 28 yards and Hendrix had 4 rushes for 26 yards.

For two and a half quarters the defense looked like the 86’ Bears or the Steel Curtain of Pittsburg in the 70’s.  5 sacks, 7 tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble for a touchdown made the defense look has if it would be the hero of this bowl game.  There seemed to be only one adjustment made at halftime by the Irish, they stopped blitzing and frustrating the Florida State quarterback and his offense.  Just like many games this season and the season itself this game started out with great expectations and potential but sell short and left fans felling cheated.