A knock out in the first.

Nearly a week has passed and the swelling has subsided (a bit) after being punched in the mouth by the Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday night.   When Brian Kelly arrived in South Bend, he instituted a 24- hour rule for his team - you have a day to celebrate a win or a day to mourn a loss.  I extended that a bit after the National Championship debacle.  Although most of the Irish faithful took the loss in stride, being thankful for a great season and believing Kelly has this program truly returning to glory, it is hard to dismiss the true domination Alabama had over Notre Dame.  Some fans are sour on some early officiating, bad bounces and mistakes, but there is no question that this was a one-sided effort from start to finish.   Here are some statistics that I didn’t expect to see, which demonstrate the tale of the tape.  We’ll use some boxing terminology since the Irish took such a beating.

Halftime Score:  Alabama 28 – Notre Dame 0

Rushing First Downs:  Alabama 12 – Notre Dame 3

Net Rushing Yards:  Alabama 265 – Notre Dame 32

Average Per Rush :  Alabama 5.9 -  Notre Dame 1.7

Time of Possession:  Alabama 38:13 - Notre Dame 21:47

Defensive Stats: Alabama 2 sacks, 5 tackles for loss (26 yards), 1 interception, 4 Pass breakups, and  quarterback hurries – Notre Dame 0 sacks, 3 tackles for loss (7 yards), 0 interceptions, 1 pass break up, and 0 quarterback hurries.

Special Teams Stats: Touchbacks: Alabama 4 – Notre Dame 1

Oh yeah, Alabama reached the Red Zone five times and scored touchdowns each time.  And as for the officiating complaints, Alabama had more penalties called against them for more yardage than the Irish.

Even though the season ended in disappointment, the Irish seem to have a bright future.  Talking Irish will take the weeks leading up to National Signing Day in February to look at the positives moving forward.