The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, by virtue of a 63-27 demolition of UMass yesterday, are 4-0 and quieting all the skeptics despite a laundry list of players out for the season with major injuries (including starting QB Malik Zaire). What have we learned from the rise of this resilient group in South Bend. Here's 4 things...
1. Brian Kelly Is Doing A Masterful Job
Irregardless of all the grief his critics give him, Brian Kelly is a top-level head coach. Want proof? Well, there are very few head coaches in college football who could handle all of the roster turnover and injuries that Kelly has while still bringing a cohesive, productive squad to the field each and every week. Notre Dame remains a legit College Football Playoff threat, injuries or not. A lot of that has to do with how well Kelly has fostered the "next man up" atmosphere in South Bend.
2. CJ Prosise Is A Heisman Candidate
Prosise has quietly put together one of the most impressive skill-position campaigns in college football this year, adding yesterday's 149-yard, two-touchdown game against UMass to an already sterling 2015 ledger. His 8.11 yards-per-carry average is close to that of LSU standout running back Leonard Fournette’s 8.64 mark, and his stabilizing impact on an offense in flux gets him our vote as Notre Dame's MVP so far this year.
3. The Defense Has Talent, But...
...it still needs work on a 60-minute scale. Yes, the Irish defense clamped down after giving up 20 early to UMass on Saturday, aiding the offense in scoring 41 unanswered points before the Minutemen crossed the goal line one more time late. However, the problem here is that Notre Dame SHOULDN'T be giving up 20 early points to UMass in the first place. Again, injuries have taken their toll. But, there's still work to be done with who's left if the Irish are going to separate themselves as a true CFP team.
4. The True Test Is Yet To Come
Notre Dame travels to Clemson next week and has a date with USC looming three weeks from yesterday in South Bend. The Irish's biggest win so far this year is against Georgia Tech. While that's impressive in its own right, taking both games from the Tigers and Trojans will give Notre Dame leeway to lose a game later on and still make the College Football Playoff field.
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