Great Shane of Subway Domer video fame decided to sit down and simulate the 2012 Football Season on NCAA Football 2013. He took notes as he watched the Notre Dame games unfold. Dear god, he’s going to die at a young age…
Next up: BYU
Week 8 – Brigham Young vs. Notre Dame (South Bend, IN)
The Irish seem to be building a little momentum heading into this week as they prepare to face the 5-1 BYU Cougars. After stunning Stanford last week, the Irish are now #19 in the polls and looking to prove to the world that they aren’t just a fluke. This week’s game will surely be charged with all kinds of “parallel”-type conversations with BYU being another of the few religious institutions in the country as well as also being independent and what that has done for their “relevance on the national scale” and whatever other bullshit ESPN can draw up to bash this matchup. As far as I’m concerned, if we can still call Boston College a “little brother” of sorts, then I’d say BYU was our brother from another mother. Their record seems pretty solid but after looking over their list of opponents, they’ve only beaten one respectable team in #20 Utah in Week 3. Other than that they’re just coming off their first loss of the season to Oregon State, who let me tell you, aren’t exactly the bee’s fuckin knees. This one could still go either way as the Irish are steadily holding that “worst in the nation” spot with the turnover margin and total offense while still hanging our hat on our #1 ranked run defense. BYU seems to lean heavily on the pass so we’ll see how that upholds. On to gameday.
BYU wins the toss and elects to defer to the second half. Following a touchback, the Irish will start off at the 25.
Everett Golson and company come out on the first drive looking to execute a running game plan. After a poor option play Cierre Wood takes a run up for a solid gain of 11. Golson then passes over the top to Tyler Eifert getting him involved for a gain of 8, immediately followed by a delayed hand off to John Goodman who picks up another 8 yards. As the Irish truck down the field they hit a small snag when they get called for holding having to move back to their own 44. On 1st and 16 following the penalty Golson finds Cierre Wood on a 12 yard pass. The next play they go back to the option which once again lets them down and they lose 5 yards which forces a 3rd and 9. On 3rd down Golson simply holds onto the ball for far too long and ends up getting sacked to bring up 4th and 11 as they Irish are forced to punt for the 50. The Cougars don’t get a chance to bring it back as Ben Turk drops it out of bounds at the BYU 13.
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BYU starts off their drive with a strong run out to the 28 but then try their luck again and get taken down in the backfield for a loss of 4. This prompts the Cougars to try going back to what they know, which is the passing game, but it doesn’t quite do them any favors as they pass to the tight end who gets tackled at the marker by Zeke Motta and fumbles the ball which Bennett Jackson recovers! BOOYA! We take over inside the BYU 35.
Notre Dame comes back out on 1st down and finds TJ Jones for a pickup of 5. Following a failed run play that gains nothing, Golson passes to Goodman on 3rd who gets the 1st down to the BYU 18. Cierre Wood picks up 8 yards on 1st down and on 2nd Golson tries to scramble and can’t find a lane as he loses 3 yards. Now on 3rd down Golson targets Robby Toma but overthrows him and it sails out of bounds incomplete. Notre Dame elects to get the easy 3 and they go up 3-0 in the first quarter. BYU gets the ball at their own 25 after the kickoff goes into the end zone.
The Cougars come out passing on 1st down and pick up 7. They try to run it on 2nd and get about 2 before Zeke Motta stops that run short of the 1st. On 3rd down and 1 they try to hit the receiver over the middle and can’t connect as the ball falls incomplete. BYU is forced to punt and Riddick returns the kick to Notre Dame 39 where we’ll go to work.
Notre Dame comes out on 1st and almost throws an INT but it falls to the ground instead incomplete. On 2nd Golson uses his feet to pick up 11 yards to the 50 and the first quarter comes to a close with the Irish up 3-0.
To start the 2nd quarter Golson once again tries to scramble but only gets about a yard which give the Irish a 2nd and 9 where they find Goodman over the middle for a pickup of 9. On 3rd Golson dumps off to Robby Toma and he gets the first down up to the BYU 42. Golson hands off to Cierre Wood on a delay and following hi blockers, he gets into the secondary and finally gets taken down by the safety at the BYU 20. Golson stands in the pocket a little too long and can’t find an open target on 1st as he throws incomplete. Cierre Wood can’t find any running room on 2nd down either and they lose 3 yards to bring up 3rd and 13. On 3rd down Golson appears to have had enough of the bullshit and he strikes across the middle on an indefensible to TJ Jones who turns it up and into the end zone for a Notre Dame touchdown! Following the PAT the Irish are up 10-0.
BYU takes the kickoff from their own 1 down to the 24 to get started. They hand off to the back on 1st and pick up 7 up the gut. On 2nd they don’t waste any time and connect a short pass to the 36 for the 1st down. They connect again on 1st this time to the tight end and pick up another 9 yards bringing up 2nd and short as fuck, but on 2nd they try to run only to meet Danny Spond and lose a couple feet which forces a 3rd and 2. On 3rd and 2 they try to option to the right but Manti Te’o doesn’t give a FUCK and slams the QB to the dirt before he can even think about pitching that shit and they lose 5 to bring up 4th and 6 and the punt team. They kick it down to the Notre Dame 18 and Riddick gets it out maybe to the 26.
Golson hits Tyler Eifert on both 1st and 2nd and they get down to the 44 inside of two minutes left in the half. They try a screen on 1st and lose 4 yards so on 2nd Golson tries to scramble and gets hit hard enough to fumble to ball but Cierre Wood is there and keeps possession bringing up 3rd and 6. On 3rd Golson tries to target Goodman underneath but he gets taken down quickly in the backfield for a short loss forcing the Irish to punt with exactly one minute left to play in the half. The Irish line up at their own 46 to punt and for some ungodly reason they fake the punt and try to pas but can’t find anyone open and instead turn it over own downs….really? REALLY?
So BYU gets the ball at the Notre Dame 46 and almost on cue, complete their first pass down to the Notre Dame 29. They line up quickly and on 2nd down the QB drops back with Louis Nix III and Kapron Lewis Moore barreling hard at him as he tries a screen. Just as he’s about to get hit he lobs it over to where he though the back was only to find Stephon Tuitt making a fucking INTERCEPTION! Tuitt is a big fucking dude but not even the back can catch this speedy bulldozer as he takes it back and all the way to the HOUSE for a pick-six!! Fuck. Yes. This is awesome. With 35 seconds lefts in the half Notre Dame goes up 17-0.
BYU tries to return the ensuing kickoff and get out to their 20 yard line before Chris Salvi takes care of that shit. SALVI!!!
With time winding down in the half BYU throws a few passes and get down to maybe their own 29 before the clock runs out on them and its halftime. Looking great so far, let’s see them put this bitch AWAY!
BYU gets the ball coming out to start the second half as they return the kick off to the 25. I guess the game plan didn’t change too much because they come out of 1st and the QB spends what seems like an eternity staring down his man and lobs it over to him only to find Lo Wood right there who makes the pick and returns it to the BYU 26! WE”RE FUCKING KILLING THE TURNOVERS!!!!
Notre Dame takes over at the 26 and right away Golson completes a pass to Cierre Wood who takes it down to the BYU 11. On the next play Golson hits Wood again underneath and only gets about a yard. On 2nd down he tries the same play again and it yields the same results bringing up 3rd and 9. On 3rd down Golson gets it together and stands calm in the pocket and after following his progression, spies an incredibly wide open Davonte Neal in the corner of the end zone for another Notre Dame touchdown!! The PAT makes this one 24-0. I must say at this point I’m impressed.
BYU takes the kickoff up to their own 23 to get started once again. They come out on first down and throw one late over the middle and are maybe 1 second from throwing another pick but instead Chris Salvi breaks up the pass and it falls incomplete. On 2nd down they find a receiver at the sideline down to the 38 for a 1st down. The QB tries to scramble on the next play only to meet Louis Nix III and get taken down for a loss of 3 to bring up 2nd and 13. They connect on a pass for about 12 yards on 2nd down and are faced with 3rd and inches. On 3rd they pas again and the receiver steps out of bounds at the Notre Dame 49. They complete a short pass for a pickup of 4 on 1st down. On 2nd down they get good protection for the QB and he makes the right decision throwing downfield as he connects with his receiver for a BYU touchdown. The score is 24-6 and there’s just over 2 minutes left in the third quarter so BYU lines up to go for 2. They go for a quick screen and it gets wrecked and they don’t get it. The score is now 24-6.
Notre Dame starts off at their own 25 and on 1st Cierre Wood can’t find any room on the outside as they lose 2 yards. Golson goes to Wood again this time on a screen and he picks up 5 to bring up 3rd and 7. On 3rd down they go once again to the screen and Wood just can’t get the blocks he needs as he’s tackled shy of the marker bringing up 4th and 3 as they Irish are forced to punt. BYU returns the punt to their own 38.
BYU tries a slant pattern to the sideline and it gets broken up by Josh Atkinson on 1st down. On 2nd they go long and this time they connect down to the Notre Dame 35 for 27 yards. BYU has found their momentum now because on the next play they target their tight end deep and he finds the ball right in the end zone for another BYU touchdown. They go for the PAT and the score now is 24-13…I spoke too soon.
Notre Dame takes the ball at the 25 following a touchback and on 1st Golson gets hit hard and he’s forced to thrown away. On 2nd he throws late over the middle and its bobbled by a BYU defender before luckily falling to the ground incomplete (what the fuck is happening right now?). On 3rd and 10 Golson stands in the pocket for what seems like forever and he misfires on the pass and it gets batted down. Once again the Irish are forced to punt…not good people.
BYU takes the punt down to their own 40 and they’re ready to get back to work. On 1st they pass right on down to the Notre Dame 42 and the third quarter comes to a close.
Starting the 4th quarter they pass underneath and get about 7. On 2nd and 3 they run it and pick up 2 before getting stopped by Danny Spond to force a 3rd and 1. On 3rd and short they try a quick dump off pass but Zeke Motta isn’t having it and stops the receiver for no gain forcing a 4th and 1 from the Notre Dame 33. They line up to go for it on 4th down and connect on a pass down to the Notre Dame 22 for a 1st down…dangerous time now.
On 1st they can’t connect with the tight end and its incomplete so on 2nd they run it on a delay and make it all the way down to the Notre Dame 2 where on 1st down they give it to the fullback and he takes it in for another BYU score for make it 24-19. As you can imagine, they elect to go for 2 and after just about getting wrecked the QB somehow connects with his man right at the goal line and they convert making it 24-21 Notre Dame. With 3:24 left in the game they kick off to Notre Dame and Davonte Neal brings the ball out to the 27 to get this team started.
To start the pivotal drive now, Golson comes out on 1st and finds TJ Jones across the middle who turns up field and picks up 14 to the 41. Golson connects with Wood for 5 yards on 1st down and 2nd he locates John Goodman down at the BYU 45 for another 1st down as the clock ticks inside three minutes. On 1st down Golson hands off to Cierre Wood on a draw which gains only about 2 yards. Golson allows time to wind down and the snap count confuses the defense as they’re called for encroachment making it 2nd and 3. Golson drops back on 2nd and can’t find a man so he throws it out of bounds to make it 3rd and 3 still trying to preserve the lead. On 3rd down Golson drops back and again has trouble locating a man so he decides to take matters into his own hands and runs up the field down to the BYU 27 for a 1st down. The Irish start trying to kill some clock now and on 1st they option to Cierre Wood who gains 5 yards. The clock hits 2 minutes and BYU calls their first timeout.
Coming out of the timeout the Irish line up on 2nd and 5 and Wood takes another carry to the 20 to bring up 3rd and 2. On 3rd down Golson rolls out of the pocket and tries to find Goodman to the left but overthrows him by way too much and it sails out of bounds incomplete to bring up 4th and 2 from the BYU 27. Kelly plays it safe in this situations and elects to kick the field goal and they get the 3 points to make this one 27-21 Notre Dame.
BYU starts the drive at their own 25 after a touchback on the kickoff. On 1st down they try to throw underneath to the right and it gets tipped by Lo Wood and falls incomplete. BYU comes out on 2nd down and even throwing off balance the QB someone launches one downfield and connects with his man at the Notre Dame 27! WTF!!!! They line up on 1st and spike it to stop the clock. On 2nd he has a man open in the end zone and simply overthrows him…thank goodness…3rd down. On 3rd they go back to the same man and this time Josh Atkinson is there to break up the pass and it falls incomplete bringing up 4th and 10 from the Notre Dame 27. Do or die time for BYU as well as this Irish defense.
So BYU lines up with 5 wide on 4th down and once the QB snaps the ball he drops back and surveys the field. The pocket holds, but KLM is closing in hard. The Irish DBs are cutting off the easy throwing lanes and the QB senses he’s going to have to beat someone over the top so he lobs on to the left trying to get the first down yardage, still having about a minute and half to play in the game. The toss floats a bit on him and just as his receiver lines up to make the catch, Bennett Jackson is there to knock it down and put the ball back in Notre Dame’s hands forcing a turnover on downs. *Unclenches butthole*
Notre Dame takes over with BYU having no timeouts left and they begin to run the clock out, after 2 running plays the clock winds down to all zeros and Notre Dame manages to put it away…PHEW! 27-21 Notre Dame is the final score here.
So just a couple of comments…fuck that, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! Domination for the first 2 1/3 quarters and then it was like the Weis era snuck back into the stadium all over again and we couldn’t defend a fucking thing!! I mean thank god we actually put some offense together to begin with because if not we would be saying how fucked this season already is right now (I mean more so than when we stopped caring after the Michigan game.) I’d say this was a good game but it really wasn’t. The offense is still lethargic as hell with the run game as Wood STILL hasn’t eclipsed 100 yards (at this rate I doubt he will either), and if Golson had turned the ball over at all we would be screwed. Thankfully he didn’t, and overall he had a solid game. The one thing we owe this season to has to still be the defense, there’s just no two ways about it. We cannot think this is going to help up next week as we face currently #2 Oklahoma in motherfucking Norman. We’re so fucked. Soooooooooo fucked.
Golson: 20/28, 152 yds, 2 TDs, 0 INT, 71% Completion, 1 sack
TJ Jones: 4 Recs, 53yds, 1 TD
Wood: 13 Carries, 42 yds
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