Notre Dame Exorcises Demons in Defeat of LSU

Sophomore quarterback Malik Zaire looked into ESPN’s cameras after Notre Dame’s stunning 31-28 victory over LSU and couldn’t prevent the tears from rolling down his cheeks. All of the work, frustration and patience required of him since his arrival in South Bend two years ago finally resulted in an opportunity, and the young Ohio native made the absolute most of it.

Zaire led the Notre Dame program as the Fighting Irish managed a therapeutic 4^th quarter. LSU held possession with less than ten minutes remaining, an unfavorable position for Notre Dame as the Irish had been unable to find any way to bottle up star Tigers running back and 2015 Heisman contender, Leonard Fournette, who had gashed the Irish defense all throughout the contest. Notre Dame’s defense managed to come through at the right time and held Fournette to 9-yards on LSU’s last offensive drive, however, forcing the Tigers to punt and giving Notre Dame’s offense one final shot to clinch the game.

Both Everett Golson and Malik Zaire played critical roles in leading Notre Dame’s offense 71 yards for the game-winning field goal, draining nearly six minutes off the clock in the process. Facing an important third down, Zaire used his feet and rushed 7-yards to move the chains. Golson threw a key 12-yard pass to senior tight end Ben Koyack to keep Notre Dame alive on a game-defining 3^rd and 10. Faced with a 32-yard game-winning field goal attempt, senior kicker Kyle Brindza overcame his slump and back-to-back icing attempts from LSU head coach Les Miles and booted Notre Dame to its first victory over an SEC program in nine years. As Brindza and holder Malik Zaire returned to the sideline they were greeted by a jubilant Golson who kept his excitement despite losing his starting status to Zaire.

Upsetting LSU was an overall team effort, and Notre Dame exercised all of its 2014 season demons to do so. The maligned Notre Dame defense forced a late 4^th quarter punt. Zaire kept the chains moving despite the increased pressure of a final offensive drive. Golson, whose accuracy had plummeted in recent games, converted a critical third down with his arm. And Brindza, who seemingly lost all of his confidence, shook off LSU’s attempts to psych him out and hit a game-winning field goal. But the most important result of Notre Dame’s victory in the Music City Bowl involved shedding a stigma attached to the program for far too long: that Notre Dame was incapable of defeating an elite, physical SEC team.

Notre Dame faced an LSU defense that was No. 1 in the SEC, allowing only 308 total yards per game, an intimidating feat considering the bevy of explosive offenses LSU had encountered. The Fighting Irish offense managed to pile up 263 yards on the ground alone against the Tigers, and it was accomplished without gimmicks or finesse. The best way to summarize Notre Dame’s offensive game plan against LSU came courtesy of 6’7”, 310-pound offensive lineman goliath, Mike McGlinchey: “Kick some ass.”

Notre Dame’s offensive line averaged one inch taller and over 25-pounds heavier than the defensive line of LSU’s vaunted defense. An extreme amount of credit should be given to Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. Notre Dame has come a long way since its BCS National Championship contest against Alabama when its lines were blown off the ball by a more physical SEC team.

Notre Dame will also have much to process after the performance of Malik Zaire, the MVP of the Music City Bowl. Zaire combined for 192 yards and two touchdowns against LSU with no turnovers. He also averaged over four yards per carry on the ground while completing 80-percent of his passing attempts. And while Kelly went to lengths to protect Zaire in his first career start by throwing screens and other shorter passing routes, when Zaire did throw downfield, he did so with accuracy and touch.

Where Notre Dame goes from here remains a question mark, particularly at the quarterback position. But the most important development is the emergence of Notre Dame’s rushing attack. Rushing for nearly 300 yards against LSU means the Fighting Irish can run against anyone, and with nearly every offensive weapon returning next season, Notre Dame could be in store for a dynamic and balanced offensive attack.

Notre Dame fans and the media will have an entire offseason to debate who Notre Dame’s quarterback will be and whether or not Brian Kelly will lean on his dominant ground game. For now, it’s best to take a page out of the Mike McGlinchey playbook and simply enjoy the fact Notre Dame kicked some ass.

Scott Janssen is a blogger for the Huffington Post and has authored several nationally-featured articles, including an appearance on MSNBC as a sports contributor. He talks football 24-hours a day, much to the chagrin of his wife and those around him. Scott can be reached at [email protected].