Notebook: The Notre Dame Offense Proves It Can Win With An Air Attack
Notre Dame dominated a quality Pittsburgh defense 45-3 on Saturday by racking up 434 yards of total offense, which was just 6.5 yards fewer than the season average for the Irish. But prior to the game, the Notre Dame coaching staff made a conscious decision to accumulate its offensive production in a different way.
In the first four games of the season, Notre Dame relied on its offensive line and potent rushing attack to put points on the board and move the chains. On the ground, the Fighting Irish were averaging 261 yards and 3.3 touchdowns on the group per game, as well as 5.9 yards per carry.
But Kelly was well aware of Pittsburgh’s stout run defense, which had allowed just 61.5 rushing yards per game (1.9 per attempt) in six contests and adjusted accordingly.
“This game plan was going to be centered around our ability to make plays down the field throwing the football,” Kelly said. “It's difficult to run the football when there are nine guys there and it's a man-to-man coverage, regardless of how good your offensive line is.”
Book Thrives Under Pressure Against Pitt
Ian Book felt angst after his poor performance against Louisville last weekend. The Notre Dame offense produced just 12 points against a struggling Cardinal defense and he barely exceeded 100 yards through the air.
“Last Saturday night, we were hanging out after the game, and I could just see the frustration on his face,” said wide receiver Ben Skowronek.
The following day, Book was done wallowing and focused on his preparation for Pittsburgh. He put in extra work by watching more film and spending more time on the practice field. Book was determined to make sure he didn’t have a repeat performance against the following weekend.
His hard work paid off. Against Pittsburgh, the Irish signal-caller came out swinging and threw three passes for 60 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown pass, on the game’s opening possession. More importantly, he didn't let up until backup quarterback Brendon Clark was put in late in the third quarter.
In a 45-3 win, Book finished the game 16 of 30 through the air with 312 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
His play was also critical when it came to Notre Dame's ability to keep the Pittsburgh front seven at bay. The Panthers came into the contest averaging 4.8 sacks per game but, in large part thanks to Book’s pocket presence and agility, Pittsburgh had just two sacks.
“Ian's got great escape-ability, and he's very difficult to handle,” Kelly said.
He finished the game with eight carries for 40 yards, which accounted for more than half of Notre Dame rushing production in the first three quarters of the game.
Mayer, Skowronek Become Major Targets
Prior to the game, The Athletic’s Pete Sampson reported that Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin was out for the season.
“We're going to get him back in the spring, and he doesn't lose a year,” Kelly said. “I know he's very disappointed. We're disappointed for him. He's had a rough run of it.”
All of a sudden, the Fighting Irish were without one of their most explosive offensive players against, perhaps, the best defense they would see all season. Other players needed to step up in order for Notre Dame to move the ball in the passing game. But who?
The Fighting Irish found their answers in fifth-year wide receiver Ben Skowronek and freshman tight end Michael Mayer. Combined, the pair was targeted 11 times for seven catches, 180 yards and three touchdowns. Three of those receptions went for more than 20 yards.
Skowronek produced Notre Dame’s two biggest plays of the game with 34 and 73-yard touchdown receptions. The latter came on a third-down play with 14 yards to go, where Book threw a jump ball to Skowronek and the 6-4 wide receiver out leaped a cornerback before outsprinting the rest of the Pittsburgh defense in a race to the end zone.
“Ben had not been healthy, but we knew what he was capable of, and he went up and took the ball away and set a great tone for how we were going to be moving forward,” Kelly said.
After the game, Skowronek received the game ball.
For Mayer, his longest reception of the game was a 23-yard catch on second down and 11. He also had two catches to move the chains on third down, but his biggest play of the game was his 14-yard touchdown. He finished the game with five catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.
“He's now become a guy that we're featuring in third-down situations,” Kelly said. “Ian knows where he's going to be. They've built a really good rapport in a very short period of time. He's a very, very important weapon for us.”
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