The Play That Changed Notre Dame's Season

As Notre Dame fans anxiously await the results of this weekend's games to see what bowl they go to, a trip to Orlando and the Champs Sports Bowl is a pretty safe bet. While the Champs Sports Bowl is not the BCS, it is a step up from the Hawaii Bowl. While the Irish don't have a game on this Championship Saturday, it is a good time to reflect on an up and down season that ended strong.

For much of the year, Notre Dame looked to be having the same kind of season that it had for the most recent years. They were sitting at 4-4 and coming off an embarrassing performance against Navy. The team had already suffered serious injuries to Kyle Rudolph, Armando Allen, Theo Riddick, and even Michael Floyd. Then comes Tulsa and Dayne Crist goes down as well.

True freshman Tommy Rees did play well and fought gallantly. However, his freshman mistakes really contributed to yet another embarrassing loss. So there the Irish sat at 4-5 with three games left after a bye. Knowing that they had a freshman quarterback made the thought of 4-8 a very scary reality with Utah and USC still on the schedule.

When the Running Utes came to South Bend,  they were ranked 14th and were coming off a disappointing loss to TCU. So the Irish knew they would have their work cut out for them. When the game started, it looked like the Fighting Irish would suffer yet another defeat.

In their first couple of drives, they went three and out. They looked lifeless on offense as their play calling was very conservative. Meanwhile, Utah moved the ball right down the field to take an early 3-0 lead.

Then it happened.

That is the play that changed the fate of the 2010 Notre Dame football team. It was made by Robert Blanton. Utah was about to punt deep in its own territory when Blanton came in and blocked it. He then took the ball in for a touchdown.

From that point on, it was a different game. Young Rees became more comfortable and threw a touchdown to Floyd and two more to Duvall Kamara. The defense also stiffened and did not allow another score for the rest of the game. In the end, it was 28-3 for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame continued on it's roll with an easy 27-3 win over Army at Yankee Stadium. For the first time in a long time, the Fighting Irish had momentum heading into their season ending game at USC. Their new-found confidence allowed them to pull one out instead of letting another one get away.

To me, it all goes back to the blocked punt by Blanton. The team just played with a new energy after that play. It is a bit ironic that a guy with an up and down career turns around an up and down season. Blanton finished strong his freshman year and had a solid game in the Hawaii Bowl.

I was expecting big things for him as a sophomore. His season was very disappointing. In this his junior year, he really didn't even figure in the battle for one of the starting cornerbacks. He played mostly in nickel and dime packages and special teams. Since that play Blanton has begun to look like the guy I expected him be after his freshman year.

Kamara's career hasn't even been up and down. It has been flatout disappointing. It is also ironic that he has the game of his life on Senior Day in the game that turned Notre Dame's season around.

What would Notre Dame's season have been if not for that blocked punt?

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