ATLANTA — The longest move play of the Notre Dame season is a little bit of a paradox. The Irish do not actually do lengthy move performs.
Notre Dame is 102nd nationally in passing offense, worst by far of this season’s 12 Faculty Soccer Playoff groups. The 194 passing yards per sport are additionally worst for Notre Dame because the 2017 Combating Irish squad had Malik Zaire slingin’ the rock.
However the passing sport, the playoff and the season — maybe a nationwide championship season — might have turned on one explosive play within the Orange Bowl semifinal in opposition to Penn State.
Irish receiver Jaden Greathouse lined up in opposition to cornerback Cam Miller. On the snap, Miller went down as if he’d been tasered.
“I positively take the credit score for him falling on that one,” Greathouse mentioned gleefully.
That left the sophomore receiver vast open down the proper sideline along with his staff trailing 24-17 with 4 ½ minutes left. Quarterback Riley Leonard maybe has by no means had a better throw, hitting Greathouse in stride for a season-long 54-yard rating.
To get to the tip zone, Greathouse then threw a rec league head pretend on Penn State security Jalen Reed. Down went Reed as effectively, ankles and hopes damaged.
Seconds later, the sport was tied in a sport that might conclude in a 3-point Notre Dame victory. This Irish soccer fable continued.
All of it should be addressed in correct context previous to Monday’s Faculty Soccer Playoff Nationwide Championship with out diving right into a vat of cliches about leprechauns and echoes and Rudys.
“I do not imagine in ghosts,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman mentioned at Saturday’s media day. “I imagine in God.”
The enduring actuality? Nicely, it is difficult — and galvanizing.
The underdog Irish have a shot in opposition to Ohio State, although chances are you’ll not have heard a lot of that form of speak this week. They’ve a shot regardless of being almost double-digit underdogs. They’ve a shot, however the path is advanced as a result of the explanations aren’t simply quantified.
These Irish have been so beat up at occasions {that a} stretcher accompanied the sport plan. Two offensive line starters have been misplaced in opposition to Purdue within the third sport of the season. (One returned 4 weeks later). Two completely different o-line starters went down in opposition to Penn State. One of many replacements, Tosh Baker, has 4 profession begins in 5 seasons.
Beginning nook Leonard Moore was pressured into motion after the Irish’s greatest defensive again, Benjamin Morrison, went down with the hip damage in Week 7. This week, Moore was named the Freshman Defensive Participant of the 12 months by the Soccer Writers Affiliation of America.
Christian Grey was a part of a protection that gave up 557 yards at USC. A mere mortal might have wanted soccer counseling after being picked on like that. Then, he intercepted a move and ran again a 99-yard choose six. All-American Xavier Watts took one again 100 yards shortly after as effectively.
Notre Dame received by 14, ending off a 12-week, playoff-clinching rebound from the Northern Illinois loss.
Who cares about 557 yards?
You may also bear in mind Grey from knocking out Penn State with that late interception. The sophomore from St. Louis was amongst Marcus Freeman’s first commits.
“The primary [recruiting] go to, to be completely sincere with you, I believed the place was form of boring,” Grey mentioned. “I did not know the place it was. I did not even realize it was in Indiana.
It simply began to vary each time I saved visiting. I simply felt, ‘OK, this place is completely different.'”
So completely different, at occasions, you could not acknowledge the Irish this season. Notre Dame’s greatest defensive lineman, Howard Cross III, has missed three video games. His final solo deal with was greater than two months in the past. Defensive deal with Riley Mills was knocked out for the season within the first-round sport in opposition to Indiana.
Since working again Jeremiyah Love ripped off the longest run in CFP historical past — 98 yards for a rating in opposition to the Hoosiers — the working sport has averaged a mere 3.27 per carry.
The Penn State comeback was sparked by a late first-half subject objective drive led by backup quarterback Steve Angeli.
This can be a staff a heartless biker gang might love. Leonard took no “official or unofficial” visits — his phrases — in recruiting. He bought to Duke as a result of his private throwing coach, David Morris, had performed for then Blue Devils coach David Cutcliffe at Ole Miss.
“It is loopy to suppose the place I’m right this moment,” Leonard mentioned.
Is that good — or dangerous — sufficient for you?
The temptation is to invoke the affect of a wink and nod from a sure 134-foot tall mosaic deity overlooking the entire enterprise.
The Irish contend it’s one thing else — one thing extra pluck than luck.
“We actually are to not be messed with,” Greathouse added. “We have now playmakers. Whether or not everyone sees that or not we do not care.”
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A college-record 14 wins has been achieved by some degree of magic on this playoff run. Notre Dame could not afford a loss after being upset by Northern Illinois, so it did not lose. The 13-game win streak at the moment leads the nation.
A program that could not match up athletically within the largest video games is out of the blue dictating.
“When you get to the match, this can be a entire completely different expertise,” mentioned former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who has motive to root for each side. “Throw away your entire bowl preparation stuff as a result of this can be a completely different beast.”
In three comparable BCS/CFP video games, the Irish have been outscored by a mixed 72 factors. Within the 2013 BCS Championship Sport, Alabama was charitable in a 42-14 win. In a 2019 CFP semifinal, Notre Dame was run off the sphere by Clemson 30-3. Two years later, Alabama did the honors once more in a 31-14 pounding.
This Notre Dame performs a lot the identical method as these groups did, dominated by protection with bodily play alongside each traces and — sorry, Jaden — a scarcity of big-time playmakers.
However there may be that path carved with intangibles to victory for the Irish. Ask Tressel. He coached Ohio State for 9 years earlier than resigning in 2011. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman performed for Tressel from 2004-08.
Principally, this Notre Dame seems to be like loads like Tressel’s 2002 Ohio State staff that received half its 14 video games by a landing or much less.
These “Luckeyes” have been additionally prohibitive underdogs. They have been equally outgunned within the championship sport by Miami, a staff loaded with NFL expertise. However Tressel devised a sport plan that dragged the Hurricanes down into the mud and made them worth each possession.
That was an all-time Miami staff. Perhaps the all-time Miami staff. Of Miami’s 13 possessions in regulation, 4 ended by punt and three ended with a fumble. Three others ended with a missed subject objective.
The most important play of the sport — maybe the largest play in Ohio State historical past earlier than final Friday — was Maurice Clarett’s snatching of Sean Taylor’s interception.
“We would been up in opposition to it so many occasions,” Tressel instructed CBS Sports activities. “That did not frighten us in being in an antagonistic second. The extra battle examined you get, that helps. That is why while you elevate weights, you tear up muscle tissue, they develop greater. When your staff will get labored out, it grows greater.”
Twenty-two years later, it stays tough to attract a bead on the Irish. They’re a gumbo of various elements.
- The highest-10 protection has given up greater than 25 factors solely three video games because the starting of 2023.
- Opponent passing effectivity and completion share lead the nation.
- Notre Dame is considered one of solely 4 groups to be in man protection greater than half the time this season. And, as evidenced above, it has labored.
- The Irish are kings of the “center 8,” the final 4 minutes of the primary half and first 4 minutes of the second half. They’ve outscored the opposition 27-0 in that span in the course of the playoff. They’re second nationally over the course of the season.
- The Irish lead the nation each in turnovers (32) and factors off turnovers (151).
- Kicker Mitch Jeter went from legal responsibility (6 of 12 within the common season) to really with the ability to get within the staff picture if Notre Dame wins all of it. Together with his hip healed, the senior is 7 of 8 within the postseason, together with the game-winning kick in opposition to Penn State.
- Discuss omens. Notre Dame’s 4-0 document in opposition to the Huge Ten this season is the perfect in opposition to the convention by one staff since 1993. No staff has ever received 5 in a season in opposition to the Huge Ten within the wire-service period (since 1936).
Leonard this week urged it was some form of “divine educating.” However earlier than making use of that to simply the non secular underpinnings of Notre Dame, he mentioned each groups have prospered metaphysically.
“I actually suppose these sorts of issues occur for a motive,” Leonard mentioned. “Not solely us, however Ohio State as effectively. I feel we are the two most important groups to publicly show our religion probably the most … I actually imagine that Jesus was wanting over each of our shoulders all through the entire season and put these two groups on a pedestal for a motive.”
That does not reply the query why the opposite 10 playoff groups weren’t placed on a pedestal, however that is a separate theological query for one more time.
The groups enjoying for the nationwide championship have each been booed at residence. Perhaps it is a signal of the NIL occasions. Perhaps it is outsized expectations for 2 blue bloods.
“We will not carry out to ensure everyone cheers for us,” Freeman mentioned earlier this season.
Perhaps it was additionally a leaping off level. Freeman misplaced two of those championship video games as an Ohio State participant in 2006 and 2007.
No surprise Freeman made some extent to remind his staff of its worst second on the 100-day anniversary of the Northern Illinois loss in mid-December.
“Understanding and remembering the ache we felt in that second and by no means desirous to really feel that once more,” Grey mentioned.
Ohio State has its personal demons attempting to attain the last word comeback from the Michigan loss — distinction being the Buckeyes are anticipated to win massive.
For Notre Dame, there’s a path carved with pluck, luck and even perhaps ghosts.
We’ll discover out Monday night time. Certainly one of these groups actually is to not be messed with.