Notre Dame’s disappointing finish to the 2014 season came to
a disastrous end yesterday when the USC Trojans pummeled the Fighting Irish,
49-14. The Trojans got off to a fast start and never looked back as the Irish
delivered a lackluster performance to close the campaign at 7-5. The only good
news to take away from yesterday is that an excruciating season is finally
over. Now, the Irish will have a few weeks to recover and prepare for a bowl
game.
USC had no problems against a depleted Irish defense,
scoring 35 points in the first half. Quarterback Cody Kessler lit up the Irish
secondary with 372 yards passing and six touchdowns. The Trojans also added 205
rushing yards with Javorius Allen (93 yards) and Justin Davis (81 yards)
leading the way. I knew that Notre Dame would have trouble against USC’s
offense since I predicted the Trojans would put up 41 points, but they made it
look even easier than I could have imagined. I guess it really shouldn’t be a
surprise considering all of the injuries, and it didn’t help with several more occurring
during the blowout loss. At one point, Notre Dame had three true freshmen and a
5th-year journeyman in Justin Utupo playing the bulk of the
defensive line snaps. Regardless of the injuries, this game should have been
more competitive if the Notre Dame offense did its job.
In a game where everyone knew the Irish would have to keep
up with the Trojans offensively, Notre Dame laid an egg. Quarterback Everett
Golson was very erratic by completing just seven of his eighteen pass attempts for
75 yards and one interception. Golson was also credited with a fumble when he tried
to throw a pass while being hit, which would eventually lead to him being
benched before halftime. Sophomore Malik Zaire replaced Golson and played well
by throwing for 170 yards and rushing for another 18 yards and a touchdown.
Zaire showed his inexperience by completing just nine of his twenty passes, but
he made some nice throws and at least provided a little bit of a spark to the
offense. As promising as Zaire looked, the brightest spot of the game was Greg
Bryant. The sophomore running back looked electric at times, rushing for 79
yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Bryant has been hampered with injuries
throughout much of his time at Notre Dame, but it appears that he is ready to
breakout. It’ll be interesting to see how much Brian Kelly utilizes Bryant in
the bowl game, but his future looks bright. With Cam McDaniel departing, Tarean
Folston and Greg Bryant should provide a formidable one-two punch for the
Fighting Irish next season.
Before I wrap up the 2014 season, I’d like to take a moment
to address a couple of things that I read over the weekend. Throughout the
years, I have learned how to avoid reading emotionally charged comments from
angry fans or Notre Dame haters after a loss, but yesterday the comments found me.
I follow several Notre Dame beat reporters on Twitter, and a few of them either
retweeted or responded to some fans’ reactions.
First, the idea that Notre Dame should reject an offer to go
to a bowl game is moronic. While I am frustrated with how they are playing and
don’t want to see another embarrassment, this team desperately needs the extra fifteen
practices that you get for going to a bowl game. This team is very young and
could use those three weeks to get better and playing in a bowl game against
another quality opponent is a valuable experience for such a young team.
Second, the notion that Brian Kelly should be fired is
idiotic. Obviously, this season was a disappointment (especially after starting
6-0), but that is not grounds for termination. Realistically, this team was
projected to win about seven or eight games (I said nine) by just about every national
pundit, so going 7-5 isn’t a shock to most people. I know people don’t want to
hear the excuses, but this team was devastated with injuries on defense and
were forced to play a lot of young players. With having a young team even prior
to the injuries, Notre Dame should be positioned for a good season next year.
At this point, firing Kelly would do more harm than it would help this program.
Now, if the Irish win seven or eight games next year, then the “Fire Kelly”
claims will warrant much greater attention.
-Eric Tichelbaut
Twitter: @etichel07
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