Notre Dame Football: Position report card for the Irish in Week 4
By Jacob Wilson
At first look, it may appear as if the Notre Dame secondary struggled in this game, but further investigation quickly opposes that notion. While Lewerke was able to throw for 340 yards on the Irish, they came off of 51 attempts. Lewerke finished with a 61.7 quarterback rating, further displaying the success of the Irish secondary.
Cornerback Julian Love set the pace of the game early, jumping a pass from Lewerke and returning it for six. Junior Shaun Crawford forced and recovered the same fumble, all but putting the nail in the coffin for a defeated Spartan offense.
Notre Dame struggled greatly in terms of forcing turnovers last season, but have seen an uptick in playmakers this season, thus setting up more opportunities for a young and learning offense. Turnovers were key in a game that saw the Notre Dame offense sputter on a few occasions, taking much pressure off an offense in the midst of a hostile environment.
Brian Lewerke has been the best quarterback this secondary has faced so far, and they held down the fort well. They were not the best unit on the field, but they were extremely effective in coverage outside of a few big plays.