We’ve focused quite a bit on the struggles Notre Dame had last week on third down and short. But after analyzing the last four games, the Irish’s production on first down has probably been the most been hit or miss part of the offense thus far. A deep dig into the first third of the season shows you a boom or bust pattern on first down, often times dictating whether or not a drive is successful.
When it comes to big plays, the majority of Notre Dame’s success has come on first down. Of the team’s twelve offensive plays of 25 yards or more, seven of them come on first down. On the flip side of that coin, there’s been far too many negative plays on first down for the Irish to reach their maximum offensive efficiency, with over 46 percent of the team’s first down plays going for two yards or less.
Let’s take a closer look at the Irish’s work on first down:
TEMPLE
If you’re looking for an example of dynamic work on first down, the season opener has everything you’re looking for. The Irish had ten plays on first down that went for ten yards or more, including four plays that went for 20 yards or more.
The Irish averaged 11.71 yards per play on first down, far and away their best effort of the season. Throwing the football, Tommy Rees was 9 of 11 on first down. Running the ball, the Irish had seven plays of two yards or less, though the majority of them happened in the second half.
Four of the Irish’s most explosive plays this season came on first down -- a big run by Amir Carlisle, a 51-yard catch and run by TJ Jones, another 26-yard catch by Jones and Troy Niklas’ 66-yard touchdown catch.
Final Stats: 28 first downs. 17 runs, 11 passes: 11.7 yards per play.
MICHIGAN
Notre Dame’s success on first down took a step backwards against Michigan, but the Irish still averaging a very solid 5.76 yards on first down. That number is mostly buoyed by some explosive plays that the Irish hit on first down, with ten plays going for more than ten yards. But even with the success, there was a lot of uneven play on first down, with 16 plays going for two yards or less on first down.
On the evening, Tommy Rees completed 14 of 25 passes on first down, a number that’s likely less accurate than the Irish coaching staff wanted. Especially considering the success Notre Dame had running the football on first down. The Irish had seven carries for 58 yards, a stunning 8.3 yards a carry that makes you question the almost 4:1 pass/run ratio on first down against the Wolverines.
After processing Kelly’s postgame comments about the offense missing on its share of plays, you start to understand why the head coach was so disappointed. Still, looking back at this game from this perspective, it makes you wonder if the game plan to beat the Wolverines through the air was the correct one.
Final Stats: 33 first downs. 7 runs, 26 passes: 5.8 yards per play.
PURDUE
The Boilermakers did a very good job shutting down the Irish offense on first down, with Notre Dame simply struggling through most of the first half. After appearing more than a little pass happy on first down, the offensive game plan featured more runs on first downs than passes, though that number is lifted by the final six first downs all being run plays, as the Irish effectively iced the game late.
The struggles the Irish had on first down are easy to notice when you look at the breakdown. Notre Dame had 17 first down plays of two yards or less, a staggering 57 percent. The first ten plays Notre Dame ran on first down went for less than five yards.
Only two plays make this game not a complete disaster on first down, the acrobatic 27-yard catch by TJ Jones that set up the Irish’s first touchdown in the third quarter and DaVaris Daniels’ 82-yard touchdown catch in the fourth. Outside of those two plays, the Irish averaged a miserable 2.85 yards per first down.
Final Stats: 30 first downs. 17 runs, 13 passes: 6.3 yards per play.
MICHIGAN STATE
Another game where it was really tough sledding for the Irish on first down. Over half of the plays Notre Dame ran on first down went for two yards or less. With Notre Dame running the ball on their last four first downs, the balance was still very good -- 13 runs compared to 11 passes -- probably misleading if you think back to your recollection of how often Notre Dame threw the football. But if there’s one big takeaway from this game it’s that the Irish really couldn’t get anything going, with only one big play made on first down, the 37-yard catch by freshman Will Fuller.
It’s amazing to see the difference in numbers between the game against the Spartans and everybody else. Outside of Fuller’s catch, the next longest play from scrimmage the Irish had on first down was nine yards. Rees dropped back to pass 11 times on first down, throwing for just 59 yards while completing just six passes, a pretty meager number when you take into consideration Fuller’s catch.
The Irish were no better running the ball, gaining just 29 yards on 13 carries, just 2.2 yards-per-carry. Those numbers weren’t much better in crunch time, with Notre Dame going backwards on two runs when trying to seal the deal, before Cam McDaniel broke through for the game-clinching run.
Final Stats: 24 first downs. 13 runs, 11 passes: 3.7 yards-per play.