The best thing that can be said about Notre Dame’s offense on Monday night is that it wasn’t nearly as bad as the Irish defense.
But it was close, especially in the first half as Alabama built a 28-0 lead on its way to a 42-14 victory in the BCS Championship Game at Sun Life Stadium.
While the second-ranked Tide was plowing its way through what was supposed to be No. 1 Notre Dame’s impenetrable defense, the Irish offense was unable to provide much help. Notre Dame failed to convert on its five third-down situations in the first half and gained only 31 yards rushing, resulting in just 10:14 in time of possession.
The second half wasn’t much better. For the game, Notre Dame converted only two of eight third downs, rushed for only 32 yards and held the ball for less than 22 minutes.
“It’s a tough way to go out,” Notre Dame tight end and Mackey Award winner Tyler Eifert said. “We laid it all out on the line, but Alabama was the better team today. They deserved it.”
This situation exemplified Notre Dame’s frustration on offense: Trailing 21-0 early in the second quarter, the Irish drove into Alabama territory for the only time in the half. Facing a fourth-and-5 at the Tide’s 39-yard line, Notre Dame had no choice but to go for a first down. But Everett Golson’s deep pass sailed wide of receiver TJ Jones.
“We certainly did not feel we could give the ball back to Alabama,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said. “If we were going to get back into the game, we needed to take a shot right there.”
Alabama entered the game ranked first nationally in rush defense, allowing only 79.77 yards per game. Notre Dame, 29th in rushing offense, didn’t even come close to that number, finishing with a season-low 32 yards on 19 carries. Leading rusher Theo Riddick, who gained 880 yards during the regular season, managed only 37 yards Monday, with 20 of those yards coming on one carry.
“It hurts me to see the seniors go out like this,” Golson said. “I felt this. This kind of experience … I don’t want to feel this feeling again.”
Golson’s numbers — 21-of-36 passing for 270 yards and one touchdown — weren’t particularly bad. But much of that production came in the second half when the game’s outcome had long been decided.
Golson threw only one interception, but it sealed Notre Dame’s fate. After driving the Irish to Alabama’s 36 on the opening possession of the second half, Golson was picked off by Alabama’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who made a nifty play near the sideline at his own 3-yard line.
The Tide responded with a 10-play, 97-yard drive that increased Notre Dame’s deficit to 35-0 and sent many of the Irish’s fans to the exits.
Kelly still found some value in the game for Golson, who concluded his first season as Notre Dame’s starter after redshirting his freshman season in 2011.
“The experience that he is able to take from this game, you can’t duplicate it if you’re sitting at home or playing in a (different) bowl game,” Kelly said. “When you’re playing for a national championship, that stuff doesn’t leave you.”
Golson helped make the score respectable by scoring on a 2-yard run late in the third quarter and added a fourth-quarter, 6-yard touchdown pass to Riddick that completed Notre Dame’s best offensive series of the night, a 10-play, 75-yard drive.
“Alabama was the better football team, but I love the way our guys kept fighting and kept competing,” Kelly said. “They didn’t quit at all.”
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