At 2:44 p.m. EDT on Nov. 5, the 2016 Notre Dame season essentially came to an end on the heels of a 28-27 loss at the hands of Navy.
In my years of watching Notre Dame football, this is one of most frustrating losses. Certainly, it’s the most frustrating loss to Navy.
As I sit here and write this though, it should not be a surprise. Between missed opportunities and an inability to win close games, this is a really bad football team.
It is a team with zero identity. Is it a passing team? Are they quarterback centric?
And while better defensively, it’s embarrassing to watch Navy push Notre Dame around. The Midshipmen had a touchdown drive that exhausted more than nine minutes and ran the final seven minutes off the clock after Justin Yoon cut the score to 28-27.
In addition to zero identity on offense and a below average defense, the Irish are terribly undisciplined. There were two pass interference penalties in a row – only one was called – which gave Navy a first down on the critical drive where the Midshipman were able to run the clock out.
The penalty for having 12 men on the field after a defensive stop – the only in the second half – was worse. At 24-21, Notre Dame had a tremendous chance to seize control of the game. It was thwarted by their own doing. That is squarely on the coaches. It’s not only the special teams coach but the head coach and the roughly 20 highly paid assistants. Not one coach saw this? The guys in the box? No one had the wherewithal to call a time out? No one thought to call down to Kelly and say, “Hey coach, you have 12 on the field. Burn a timeout.” That is a JV high school football error.
SETTLING FOR FIELD GOALS WAS A MISTAKE
The decision to kick a field goal will also be heavily debated. Kelly remarked at halftime: “You can’t kick field goals against Navy.” Then he proceeded to do exactly that. More than the field goal, the entire final sequence should be questioned. Josh Adams was running well and averaged over six yards per carry on the day. He does not touch it once? Kizer had also run the ball well.
Three passes. The first one terribly thrown or a terrible route by Tori Hunter Jr. — take your pick. There was a terribly thrown hitch to Kevin Stepherson on second down. And on third down, there was a third terrible throw that Stepherson somehow caught.
Did Kelly talk to Kizer at all during that sequence or before? If you are going to kick a field goal if you are short on third down, wouldn’t you target someone at the sticks? I know it was a crossing route, but the poor throw negated a real chance at yards after the catch.
Finally, the field goal in general. Navy had just held the ball for around 9 minutes. The Irish defense forced one punt all day (which they squandered). What made Kelly think he would get the ball back?
COACH MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE
Earlier in the season, I argued that Kelly’s time had passed. I was roundly criticized. I’m not predicting he will be fired or even advocating his dismissal. However, he must be accountable.
This team could very easily finish 4-8. If you take out the 12-1 season, he is 46-28. That winning percentage isn’t a whole lot better than some of the coaches that were run out of South Bend.
Is it time to kick the tires on Les Miles? Before you laugh, LSU fired Miles despite a .770 winning percentage. Georgia parted ways with Mark Richt despite a .740 winning percentage. Right now Brian Kelly’s winning percentage at Notre Dame is lower than both.
- Restoring Faith in College Athletics - April 3, 2018
- Notre Dame and the Citrus Bowl…Heck Yeah! - December 6, 2017
- Looking for Answers in Another November Meltdown - November 27, 2017