Bring on the Trojans

By Justin Albers


basketballss132002@yahoo.com


INDIANAPOLIS- Notre Dame did what they were expected to do on Saturday, and now look forward to playing once beaten USC next week. Quinn put up great numbers, and had the offense rolling all afternoon in an easy 41-9 Notre Dame victory before a crowd of 80,795 at Notre Dame stadium.


The first quarter was the last thing that Notre Dame wanted. The Irish failed to score on Army in the quarter, and the Black Knights led 3-0 after one.


What Notre Dame didn't do in the first, they made up for in the second. The Irish scored just 5o seconds after the start of the 2nd quarter on a 10 yard Darius Walker run. The drive covered 65 yards in 6 plays and gave Notre Dame a 7-3 advantage. The Notre Dame defense stepped up and stopped Army on the next drive, and the offense got it done again. With 8:15 remaining in the first half Brady Quinn hooked up with Jeff Samardzija for a 16 yard touchdown. This drive covered 78 yards in 9 plays, but Carl Gioia missed his 4th extra point in the last 2 weeks. For the rest of the first half the Irish defense continued to step up, hardly allowing Army across the line of scrimmage. The Black Knights learned again that you shouldn't allow Brady Quinn to touch the football, and Notre Dame added another score with 1:01 left in the half. They put together a long drive of 9 plays for 69 yards with an 8 yard pass from Quinn to Rhema McKnight to cap it off. The Irish had a 20-3 halftime lead.


Notre Dame got the ball first in the second half and took full advantage. David Grimes scored from less than a yard out to finish off a 6 play 78 yard drive. The scoring drive took less than two minutes off the clock. The Army offense continued to struggle, and once again they were forced to punt. It was one of their 4 punts on the day. Quinn got the ball back and Charlie Weis kept firing. This time Brady Quinn hit Rhema McKnight on a 24 yard TD pass. Notre Dame had a 34-3 lead with 9:46 still to play in the 3rd quarter. Neither Notre Dame nor Army was able to add any more points in the quarter, and the Irish went into the 4th with a commanding lead.


Just when you thought Weis would pull his starters out, Quinn led his team to one more touchdown drive before his Notre Dame faithful. Walker finished of a 6 play 42 yard drive with a 7 yard run. Army was finally able to find the end zone in the final seconds when David Pevoto hit Tim Dunn for a 12 yard touchdown. When the final whistle sounded Notre Dame showed the respect they have for the Black Knights in a very heart-warming performance. It's time to bring on the Trojans.



Key Performers: Notre Dame
Brady Quinn 22/30 218 yards 3 TD 1 INT
Darius Walker 24 carries 162 yards 2 TD
Jeff Samardzija 9 rec 87 yards 1 TD
Rhema McKnight 3 rec 50 yards 2 TD

Key Performers: Army

David Pevoto 7/13 76 yards 1 TD 1 INT

Wesley McMahand 11 carries 41 yards

Grading the Irish





RUSH OFFENSE...........A


It may have been another weak opponent for Notre Dame, but the running game has picked it up. The Irish picked up 221 yards on the ground, which is a great improvement over what they were able to do earlier in the season. Darius Walker is looking like the back of old, and should be ready for the showdown next weekend.





PASS OFFENSE.............A-


Brady Quinn threw his first interception in the last 7 games in the first quarter, but was able to pick it up after that. Quinn threw for 218 yards and 3 more touchdowns. His confindence should be soaring going into Pasadena. There is really not much more Quinn could have done.





OVERALL OFFENSE...........A-


The only reason why I would give them an A- is because of Brady Quinn's interception. The Irish put up 41 points and really looked as if they could not be stopped except for that first quarter. The offense has looked great ever since that Michigan game. Next week will be the real test at how much it has improved.





RUSH DEFENSE...............A


Notre Dame gave up only 51 yards in the game. Fifty one yards against a team who loves to run it. The Irish defense has improved throughout the season, and they really showed that on Saturday. Once again next week is the real test, can they stop the Trojans?





PASS DEFENSE.................A-


The pass defense was pretty good all day long, giving up a lone touchdown in the closing seconds. The secondary has really looked better after being burnt to a crisp by Mario Manningham in week 3. They will have their hands full when they have to cover Dwayne Jarret and Steve Smith next week.





OVERALL DEFENSE...............A


How can I not give them an "A" when they gave up only 152 yards and 9 points in the game. Six of the points were in the last seconds of the game, the Irish defense really stepped it up on the afternoon. How will they react in a week?





NEXT GAME: @ USC on ABCHD

THE REST OF THE TOP 25

#1 Ohio State 42 Michigan 39

#3 Florida 62 West Carolina 0

#4 USC 23 #17 California 9

#5 Arkansas 28 Mississippi St. 14

#7 Rutgers 11 Cincinnati 30

#8 West Virginia 45 Pittsburgh 27

#9 LSU 23 Ole Miss 20

#10 Louisville 31 South Florida 8

#12 Wisconsin 35 Buffalo 3

#13 Boise State 49 USU 10

#14 Wake Forest 6 #19 Virginia Tech 27

#15 Auburn 22 Alabama 15

#16 Oklahoma 36 Baylor 10

#18 Georgia Tech 49 Duke 21

#20 Boston College 38 #21 Maryland 16

#22 Tennessee 39 Vanderbilt 10

#23 BYU 42 New Mexico 17