Notre Dame Football: Grading the Irish's Win over Air Force

Notre Dame had its most complete game of the season on Saturday, annihilating Air Force by a score of 59-33.

Those 59 points are the most scored by the Irish since a 62-0 demolition of Rutgers in 1996.

The victory over the Falcons improved the Irish's record to 4-2, but did not vault Brian Kelly's squad into either top 25 poll.

However, a win over hated rival USC in two weeks should do the trick.

Like every week, we are handing out report card grades for the big win over Air Force.

Follow along to find out who played well and who did not.

Quarterbacks

Grade: A

Tommy Rees was outstanding against Air Force, completing 23-of-32 pass attempts for 261 yards and three scores.

He distributed the ball well, hitting Tyler Eifert and Theo Riddick eight times a piece.

Rees' calm demeanor in the pocket was on display as the sophomore didn't seem fazed by any of the pressure Air Force attempted to bring off the edge.

Also, he was able to read the Falcon defense with ease, making his job that much easier.

Rees wasn't the only quarterback to take the field for the Irish.

Andrew Hendrix was brought in as a change of pace option, and finished with 111 rushing yards on six carries. He also completed each of his three pass attempts.

Hendrix brings a new dimension to the Irish offense that will create nightmares for opposing defenses.

Running Backs

Grade: A

Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray had a typical day, combining for 135 yards on the ground.

Wood was excellent in pass protection yet again, an area of concern for the red-shirt sophomore heading into the season.

As for Gray, the Detroit native put all of his 230 pounds to good use while pounding the Air Force defense time and again.

His conversation with former Irish great Jerome Bettis is certainly paying off.

Receivers

Grade: A

The Irish receivers were, in essence, playing pitch and catch with Tommy Rees against Air Force's mediocre pass defense.

Tight end Tyler Eifert used his incredible size to create separation, on his way to an eight reception day.

Joining Eifert in that game of pitch and catch was Theo Riddick, a guy who hadn't made much noise in the previous two games.

The junior led all receivers with 83 receiving yards on eight receptions.

Riddick's counterpart, Michael Floyd, had an "average" game, hauling in six receptions for 78 yards. His lone touchdown catch came on the first possession of the game, but appeared to have been out of bounds.

Floyd's run blocking was also impressive against the smaller Air Force defensive backs.

Offenive Line

Grade: A

Braxston Cave and Co. absolutely shut down the Air Force front seven and provided Tommy Rees with excellent pass protection.

The Notre Dame big boys have played as one through six games, making themselves one of the best lines in the nation.

When there's not much to say about an offensive line, you know it's doing its job well.

Defensive Line

Grade: C

The Irish defensive line was relatively ineffective against Air Force's option attack. Too many times were the Falcons able to gain five yards for a first down up the middle.

Part of the ineffectiveness was the absence of Ethan Johnson due to a sprained ankle.

Freshmen Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Lynch played as well as they could, but are still making too many mistakes when it comes to gap assignments.

Linebackers

Grade: C

Notre Dame's linebackers struggled defending the option on Saturday, as Air Force racked up 363 yards on the ground.

The unit struggled to defend the third level of the triple option attack and failed to execute outside contain on too many occasions.

It was a given that Air Force was going to move the ball, but 363 yards isn't acceptable. A large part of that was the struggles of the linebackers.

On a side note, Manti Te'o played with a weak ankle after suffering a mild sprain in practice on Wednesday, but still recorded 10 tackles.

Secondary

Grade: C-

The secondary was mediocre at best on Saturday, allowing 202 passing yards to an Air Force team known for running the football.

The Falcon receivers ran freely through the secondary, and were left wide open more times than one would like.

The unit must use these next two weeks to prepare for a potent USC passing attack that is one of the nation's best.

Special Teams

Grade: B

The Irish were only forced to punt twice on Saturday. Ben Turk averaged 37.5 yards on those two punts, giving the Irish excellent field position on both occasions.

In the kicking game, David Ruffer got back on track after having a rough start to the season. He converted his lone field goal attempt of the day and connected on each of his extra point attempts.

The most intriguing aspect of special teams was the punt return game. Michael Floyd was the starting punt returner after asking Brian Kelly if he could fill the role earlier in the week.

Both of his punt return attempts ended in fair catches.

Coaching

Grade: A-

The coaching staff obviously had the Irish focused and ready to play on Saturday. The team had its most complete performance of the season.

The offense was hitting on all cylinders on its way to a 59-point day.

However, the defense did not play as well, but still limited Air Force to 19 points when it mattered.

Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco must have his unit ready to play against the potent offensive attack USC will present in two weeks.

Intangibles

Grade: A

Notre Dame showed its mental toughness by pounding Air Force into submission. The game was never in question after the Irish jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter.

The turnovers that plagued the team early in the season are now a thing of the past after the team has played eight consecutive quarters of turnover free football.

Heading into the bye week will give the team a chance to catch its breath and regroup before facing the biggest test of the season against USC.