Second Half Report Card

In a real small nutshell...

7. Notre Dame 49 (5-2) BYU 23.
Notre Dame threw the ball...a lot. And scored...a lot. BYU hung tough early, but not long enough to withstand the onslaught.

8. Notre Dame 41 (6-2) Tennessee 21.
When Tennessee tied the score 21-21 late in the 3rd quarter, stomachs churned as ND fans feared that the TW regime had returned. When Notre Dame proceeded to score the final 20 points, they were assured said regime was gone forever.

9. Notre Dame 42 (7-2) Navy 21.
Navy won the time of possession battle, ND won the war.

10. Note Dame 34 (8-2) Syracuse 10.
Possibly the best defense Notre Dame has seen to date, but not enough to stop the air assault.

11. Notre Dame 38 (9-2) @ Stanford 31.
Walt Harris schemes and Cardinal special teams nearly cut short Fiesta Bowl dreams.

SECOND-HALF GRADE: B
To recap the handicapping...
September 3 at Pittsburgh W
September 10 at Michigan L (W)
September 17 Michigan State W (L)
September 24 at Washington W
October 1 at Purdue L (W)

October 15 USC L
October 22 BYU W
November 5 Tennessee L (W)
November 12 Navy W
November 19 Syracuse W
November 26 at Stanford W
...for a projected final record of 7-4.

The second half began with nearly the highest of highs, as ND took USC to the wire in one of the best games of the year. But just as a loss is a loss, the subsequent five wins count equally on the other side of the ledger. In each of those wins ND looked sluggish or sloppy--or both--at times. Yet the true test of how far the team has progressed in just the first year under Charlie Weis was evident in the manner in which they won each game. Only the final victory at Stanford was ever in doubt until the final sequence of possessions.