It’s only one game but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish certainly showed promise for the upcoming college football season in their Week 1 38-3 thrashing of the Texas Longhorns.
Notre Dame entered the game with plenty of question marks. After quarterback Everett Golson transferred to the Florida State Seminoles, Malik Zaire was given the starting job. Known more for his running ability than his throwing ability, there were lots of questions about how Zaire would do as a first time starter for the Fighting Irish.
Zaire silenced the doubters and critics with a monster night, completing 19 of 22 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns while not throwing a single interception against an above-average Texas defense that surrendered just 23 points a game last season. Zaire did all of his damage in barely three quarters as he was taken out of the game with ten minutes to play to give the second-stringers some playing time.
Most people figured the running game would be led by C.J. Prosise and he did not disappoint. Prosise ran for 98 yards on 20 carries in the game, complimenting the passing game nicely. Their running game overall was very strong with 214 yards coming on the ground. However, their other top running back, Tarean Folson, was lost for the season to injury in the first half. How this will affect Notre Dame’s offense against stingier defenses remains to be seen.
On the receiving end of things, Zaire had plenty of options. His favorite target was Will Fuller who caught seven passes for 142 yards but Amir Carlisle, Chris Brown, Corey Robinson, and Torii Hunter Jr. all caught multiple passes from Zaire. Having that many weapons at Zaire’s disposal is a great advantage for Notre Dame’s offense as the season goes on.
On the defensive side of things, Notre Dame looked very strong, holding Texas to 163 yards of offense. The Longhorns' starting quarterback Tyrone Swoopes was hassled by the Irish defense. He completed just 7 of 22 pass attempts. They forced Texas off the field quickly, holding the Longhorns to just over twenty minutes of possession time and allowing Texas to convert just two of fourteen third-down plays. Overall, Texas managed just eight first downs against the strong Notre Dame defense.
The one aspect of Notre Dame’s game that still remains largely a question mark is their kicking game. With the wildly inconsistent Kyle Brindza signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Irish are looking for big things from freshman Justin Yoon. Yoon was 1-2 in field goal attempts, making one from 38 yards out but missing a 45-yarder.
However, as promising as Notre Dame’s performance in the opening game was, Notre Dame fans must still be realistic. Notre Dame needs to prove that they can do much more than beat an unranked opponent handily. It was an impressive win but after last season, an opening win isn’t enough to prove that the Irish are ready to contend for a playoff spot. Notre Dame started 6-0 last year, but lost five of their final six games and finished just 7-5 and unranked. This season, the Irish have tough games at Clemson and at Stanford and they will also host USC. All three were ranked in ESPN’s preseason rankings. USC routed the Irish last season 49-14 in the regular season finale.
Notre Dame was promising, there is no denying that, but Notre Dame needs to prove themselves against top opponents before they can be regarded as a serious contender.