The Working Man: Notre Dame's Steady Attack is Built for the Long Run
Via Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
There was a time in American history when the working man was the dream of every young person: wake up early, carry your aluminum lunch pail and thermos for a hard day of manual labor, then go home to the family and do it all over again the next day. Over time, that dream gave way to suits, ties, and offices with flash and pizzazz.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have become the modern-day working man of college football, and that identity could bring them their first National Championship since 1988.
Much like their opening season matchup against Wisconsin, Notre Dame found themselves in a close game against the Michigan State Spartans at halftime, leading 17-10. The Spartans seemed to be matching the Irish in physicality and toughness, and it gave the Fighting Irish a similar opportunity to dominate the second half as they did in Week One.
In what was a case of déjà vu, the Golden Domers came out and dominated Michigan State out of the halftime break. After Sparty went three-and-out on their first possession, the Irish went on a 17-play drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock and, with it, the will of their opponent. Although that drive only resulted in a field goal, it put a viselike grip on Michigan State. What followed was another Spartan possession where Notre Dame sacked QB Alessio Milivojevic twice in a row and forced a punt.
Then, the flash came into play: a CJ Carr 28-yard pass to Micah Gilbert, followed by another 38-yard pass to Gilbert that set up Carr for a rushing touchdown run. The score turned into 27-10 and the visitor's hope for an upset was gone.
The game wasn’t perfect, but there aren’t many work days that are, as this team is still piecing things together. But in a day where some top-15 teams struggled, Notre Dame's relentless performance evaded any potential upsets. The rushing attack that many have been critical of showed some sense of identity: Nolan James Jr. finished with 121 yards on 26 carries and one touchdown and Gilbert had a career-high 170 receiving yards on eight catches, showing he is a big play threat.
The Notre Dame defense was the key. Forcing two turnovers, a blocked punt, and four sacks. Anytime Michigan State had a spark of hope, the defense doused that spark with physicality and authority, holding the Spartans to 167 yards of total offense.
If this is truly Notre Dame’s identity for this season, it should be welcomed and appreciated. You need steady performances like this in football. For all the teams putting up gaudy numbers, there is a team like Notre Dame that is built to stop them.
While others are built on flash, Notre Dame's steady attack could end up blessing the Irish with national championship glory at the end of the season.
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