Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, it looks like Notre Dame football is finally back.
After being teased season after season by former coaches Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis, the Irish have finally earned the right to put the word “Fighting” back in its nickname.
When you think Notre Dame, you probably think about an above-average offense led by a quarterback who you probably don’t like (i.e. Brady Quinn, Jimmy Clausen) carrying a mediocre defense to a bowl that it likely lose.
But the 2012 Fighting Irish do not fit this mold.
After its impressive 30-13 victory over No. 8 Oklahoma Saturday, the Fighting Irish climbed to No. 3 in the BCS poll and finally resemble the team that its fan base has been waiting for almost 20 years to see.
Rather than following the formula of every other failed ND team of recent years, head coach Brian Kelly built this year’s team on a much more successful formula.
This year, Notre Dame has the No. 2 scoring defense, stifling powerful offenses from teams like Michigan, Stanford and, most recently, Oklahoma. ND allows a miniscule 9.9 points per game.
The Fighting Irish offense, however, ranks No. 97 in passing yards and No. 33 in running yards per game.
A dominant defense paced by an opportunistic offense—where have I heard that before?
Ah yes, that’s the blueprint for the defending national champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Bama is the only team this season to allow fewer points per game (8.1) than Notre Dame. The Crimson Tide rank No. 73 in passing yards and No. 22 in rushing yards per game.
Yes, Alabama is still the better team and no, I do not think that the Irish could keep up with the Crimson Tide, but the two teams do share a similar on-the-field make up.
The biggest reason for the Irish’s turnaround this year is unquestionably senior linebacker Manti Te’o. Already the leader of the Notre Dame defense for the last three seasons, Te’o took another leap in 2012, going from very good to transcendent.
Te’o has racked up 78 tackles this season to go along with one sack and five interceptions in eight games. According to ESPN’s Heisman predictor, Te’o is currently in second place for the trophy behind only Kansas State senior quarterback Collin Klein.
If Klein stumbles down the stretch, it could put Te’o in position to become only the second defensive player to win the Heisman in the award’s 77-year history.
The Irish have four games remaining, and each one is winnable. After taking on a four-win Pittsburgh team at home next week, Notre Dame will only need to get through Boston College and Wake Forest before a road matchup with its archrival USC in Los Angeles.
The Trojans began the season among the top-ranked teams in the country, but after losses to Stanford and Arizona, they are looking more and more vulnerable. The Fighting Irish look to be in prime position to take down the Trojans for just the second time since 2002.
If the Irish can close out the last four games of their season, they may just have a date this January with Alabama in Miami for the National Championship.
How do you feel about Notre Dame’s success this season? Do you hate Jimmy Clausen? Let Matt know at sports@dailycardinal.com.
