Notre Dame Finds National Championship Blueprint Week 1 vs. Texas

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Malik Zaire walked up the tunnel beyond the north end zone, reached atop his still-dripping head and grabbed his red camouflage hat. He flipped it above the railings into the crowd, only for it to tumble back down to the cement.

Outside of that incompletion, the Irish quarterback did little wrong in No. 11 Notre Dame’s 38-3 drubbing of Texas on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium in the season opener.

“I think we put him in a good position to succeed,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said of Zaire, who completed 19-of-22 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns.

And with Zaire at the controls of the Irish offense, Notre Dame certainly appears to have found its blueprint, confirmation of the hypothesis tested in the Music City Bowl victory over LSU in December—Zaire’s lone career start before Saturday.

Notre Dame ran 77 plays—51 rushes—against the Tigers.

Notre Dame ran 75 plays—52 rushes—against the Longhorns.

“I think the game plan was such that we wanted to run the football,” Kelly said. “I thought we did that and gave him some throws that we thought would really be high-percentage for him, and I think it worked out very well for him.”

For each of its first six drives, Notre Dame alternated whether it ran or passed on the first play. Yet when the Irish went to the air to start a possession, they followed with two, three and five consecutive running plays, respectively, afterward. Notre Dame revealed and adhered to a ground-based attack. When Zaire did drop back to pass, Notre Dame’s play-calling collaboration dialed up short and intermediate throws, mostly: a sideline toss to Torii Hunter Jr.; a crossing pattern for Amir Carlisle; a screen for C.J. Prosise.

Not until the second half did Zaire truly take shots downfield, connecting with Will Fuller on 66- and 30-yard heaves.

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“He clearly has the ability to throw the football as much as we would need him to throw it and throw it accurately, which he did tonight,” Kelly said of Zaire. “Vertically, down the field, I thought he pushed the ball down the field accurately. He threw precision routes on dig routes. So we knew what he was capable of. I think he put it together tonight, and he's got room to grow.”

The offense, of course, was bound to take a different shape with Zaire at the helm, as opposed to Everett Golson, a pass-first quarterback with some running ability. And against the Longhorns, Notre Dame piled up 214 rushing yards on 52 attempts. Couple those ground gains with Zaire’s proficiency slinging the ball, and the Irish amassed 527 yards of total offense.

“I think it was the beginning of what our offense can be and just showing a glimpse of just what we can be,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said.

Running backs Tarean Folston and C.J. Prosise were primed for key roles in an offense emphasizing the run, but Folston left the game in the first quarter with a right knee injury, Kelly confirmed following the game. So Prosise shouldered much of the load and gained 98 yards on 20 carries.

Meanwhile, true freshman back Josh Adams ascended into a more prominent role and delivered with two scores and 49 yards on just five attempts. Much of that success, naturally, can be attributed to Notre Dame’s offensive line, which Kelly has touted as a strength since the spring.

“When we were able to pick up their movement, we were able to control the line of scrimmage,” Kelly said.

“You had to control the line of scrimmage, and the thing you want to do is just make sure that you stop the run and we didn't do a great job of stopping the run,” Texas head coach Charlie Strong said. “If you can't stop the run, then you don't stop the pass, you're going to have [an] issue.”

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The Irish appear comfortable leaning more heavily on the running game with a physical offensive line and a quarterback in Zaire, who smoothly operates the zone read and swiftly eludes tacklers in the backfield and in the open field.

The sample size—two Zaire starts—is small, and it’s worth tempering the excitement that comes with one 38-point performance.

But Notre Dame sure seems to have settled on an offensive identity, a key character component in the quest to build a playoff contender.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Mike Monaco is the lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.