Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame: Game Grades, Analysis for the Fighting Irish
It's difficult to look at a win and say it was less than what was hoped for. But as we get into late November and start talking about a 9-1 Notre Dame team, we have to start grading the team not against our own expectations, not against its record, not against the opponent of the week, but rather against the expectations of the College Football Playoff.
Yes, Notre Dame dispatched Wake Forest, 28-7. But there were stretches of today's game where it appeared as if Notre Dame was simply going through the motions. The Wake Forest offense moved the ball well against what should have been a suffocating defense.
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Let's go through it all in our weekly game grades.
Here is the box score from today's game, via NCAA.com.
| Pass Offense | Incomplete | B+ |
| Run Offense | A | A |
| Pass Defense | B- | B |
| Run Defense | B- | B |
| Special Teams | B+ | B+ |
| Coaching | B | B |
Notre Dame Pass Offense
Completing 68.4 percent of your passes is in no way a bad day. DeShone Kizer did just that, completing 13 of his 19 attempts for 111 yards. But we also expected to see a bit more from the passing game today.
Will Fuller had just 37 yards on three receptions, and he led the team.
Sure, there was some production in the running game, but there really wasn't anything other than "pretty good" coming from the passing game today.
Notre Dame Run Offense
There were only two ball-carriers for the Notre Dame offense today, but the Irish only needed two. Kizer had 13 credited carries for 30 yards and two touchdowns, but it was freshman Josh Adams stealing the show again.
Adams carried the ball 17 times for a whopping 141 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown, by the way, came on a 98 yard run, the longest in Notre Dame history.
Notre Dame continues to showcase its depth at the position, as C.J. Prosise sat out today with a concussion.
The offensive line did a nice job of opening up holes for Adams. And Adams rose to the challenge of spending 60 minutes as really the only viable option (other than Kizer) at carrying the football.
Notre Dame Pass Defense
Wake Forest doesn't really have an offense built on big passing plays or quick strikes. Still, the Irish seemed well-prepared for the mix of offensive play calls Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson pulled out of his books.
Andrew Trumbetti came away with the lone interception of the day, making a great read on a pass from John Wolford. Trumbetti returned the ball 28 yards for a touchdown. That came just after Notre Dame opened up the scoring late in the first quarter when it looked as if we were in for a slugfest. Instead, Notre Dame finished the opening quarter up 14-0.
That provided the Irish with much-needed momentum.
Notre Dame Run Defense
In an area where Notre Dame typically excels, the Irish were challenged all afternoon. Wake Forest had four rushers combining for 121 yards and the Deacons' lone score on the night.
Almost all of Wake Forest's rushing yards, however, came between the 20s. As soft as some of the run coverage was in the middle of the field, the Irish really turned up the heat in the red zone—and especially in goal-to-go situations. Wake Forest had 1st-and-goal from inside the five twice today and failed to get a single point on either drive.
The Demon Deacons were also just one-for-four on all red zone visits today, thanks in large part to great lockdown run stops.
Notre Dame Special Teams
Tyler Newsome punted the ball five times and did a nice job flipping the field. Newsome averaged 44 yards per punt with a long of 54. Three of his punts were downed inside the 20, and none of them ended up in the end zone.
Granted, the special teams weren't called on to do too much today. But the punt game—not glamorous and often overlooked—did a lot to pin Wake Forest deep in its own end with an offense not built on big plays.
Notre Dame Coaching
November is the month that separates the good teams from the great teams. It also often separates the good coaches from the great coaches.
Brian Kelly has plenty of big wins on his résumé throughout his 225 win career.
From 118-35-2 at Division II Grand Valley State where he won two national championships as head coach of the Lakers, to 19-16 at Central Michigan where he returned the Chippewas to respectability, Kelly proved to be a coach deserving of a shot at doing something special. Then, Kelly led the Cincinnati Bearcats to a 34-6 record, including two consecutive Big East titles and BCS bowls.
Now his 54-21 record at Notre Dame stands as an impressive mark all on its own, and there are numerous big wins in those 54 victories.
But the historic win at Notre Dame is still elusive. Be it the narrow (and controversial) loss to then-No. 1 Florida State last season or the blowout defeat at the hands of Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game, the statue-deserving stamp on history has escaped Kelly.
Kelly and his staff coached his team to a win today, but it was a relatively sloppy win. We're certainly going to pass the coaching staff with a solid "B," but there's plenty of room for improvement.
Don't worry, though: the final story of 2015 certainly won't be written based on a November 14 victory over Wake Forest.
Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.
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