The Irish and their embattled coach have survived yet another Saturday involving a too-close-for-comfort win over an opponent that — on a paper at least — is theoretically inferior to the '09 version of the Fighting Irish. With a hobbled Jimmy Clausen and without star running back Armando Allen Jr. Notre Dame rallied in the final seconds of the game to beat the unranked Boilermakers 24-21. And while Clausen, without a doubt, did his best "Joe Montana/Willis Reed" impersonation, the reality is that this is a team that continues to under-perform.
Watching this squad — even in victory — one cannot help but get the feeling that another frustrating, upseting, disappointing, gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, embarrassing....you get the point....loss is right around the corner.
But let's try to put the cynicism aside for a second and take a look at the Irish's gutsy performance Saturday. With the injured Clausen and the inexperienced Dayne Crisp running the offense, Notre Dame largely took to the ground game, a move both out of character for the team's current incarnation and simply suspiring considering, as previously mentioned, the Irish were without their leading rusher Armando Allen Jr.
But on the cool, breezy night in West Lafayette, Charlie Weis' strategy worked.... just barely. The big load grinder, Robert Hughes (Junior) led the way, picking up 68 yards (4.5/carry) and a touchdown. More creatively, receiver/flanker Golden Tate (a former high school running back) did his best "Rocket Ismail" impression, handling 9 carries — mostly out of the recently-implemented Wildcat formation — for 55 yards (6.1/carry) and a touchdown of his own. Add on his five catches for 57 yards (for 112 all-purpose yards) and it is clear that it will be Tate who will step into the role as Clausen's main offensive weapon in Michael Floyd's absence. Before the season is out, both Clausen (if he can get healthy) and "The Golden One" will likely both be competing for the Heisman Trophy.
The passing game for the Irish was less effective than the ground game, which was largely the reason this game was so close. Jimmy Clausen — showing obvious effects from the turf toe that has plagued him all week — posted his lowest totals of the season, going 15-of-26 for 171 yards (his first sub-300 yard passing game this year), one touchdown, and one interception. He looked best on short passing situations, including the signature Irish screen plays, but had trouble combining accuracy and strength downfield due to his altered mechanics, obviously from mere observation caused by the injury.
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