If Charlie Weis hasn’t developed an ulcer yet this season, I’d be shocked.
A win is a win and Notre Dame will certainly take it, but the Irish weren’t very crisp in their 37-30 victory over Washington in overtime on Saturday.
The offense was once again outstanding for the golden domers, as Jimmy Clausen (23 of 31, 422 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) and company racked up 530 yards. But the Irish settled for five field goals and was just 2-of-10 on third downs.
The defense had major issues once again, as the Huskies compiled 457 yards, including 176 on the ground. Washington was also able to come up with a couple of huge plays in the final minute of the game and come away with a game-tying field goal to force overtime.
That said, the Irish defense came up with three goal line stands in this game to keep the score close. Notre Dame’s front four really stepped up and this win should give the Irish confidence for when they play USC in two weeks.
It’ll be interesting to see how Weis’ offense does against the Trojan defense. Notre Dame has proven it can score at will, but the defense has allowed opponents to keep things close. Considering that USC’s offense has been rather conservative this year, Notre Dame might be able to keep things close in South Bend on October 3.
