There were missed blocks, missed tackles, missed catches, missed passes and missed kicks. And on a cooler than expected late-summer Georgia night, all of that added up to a slew of maddeningly missed opportunities for a Notre Dame team that seemed to have left its fight at home.
A season in which Notre Dame is expected to elevate “Return to Glory” from rallying cry to reality got off to the shakiest of starts Saturday night at Georgia Tech’s Grant Field.
Although it has been Yellow Jackets senior quarterback Reggie Ball who has suffered from bouts of poor decision-making and inconsistent play throughout his career, it was Irish senior quarterback Brady Quinn, the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, who often looked out of sorts and out of sync.
But this No. 2-ranked Notre Dame team was not about to let a touch of imperfection ruin its national title dreams. By hook, by crook and by the feet of Quinn, the Irish managed to hang on through the first half. And in the second, with the offense looking more mid- than high-octane, the defense, the putative weak link on the team, pitched a shutout, as the Irish hung tough for a 14-10 season-opening victory over unranked Georgia Tech.
“I definitely give the game to the defense,” said Irish wide receiver Rhema McKnight, who finished with eight receptions for 108 yards.
The Irish closed out the first half with a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Quinn, who at that point was an inconsistent 15 of 27 for 104 yards passing, capped the drive with his feet, plowing 5 yards for a touchdown that closed the Irish’s deficit to 10-7.
And it closed the second half by converting a fourth-and-1 with just 70 seconds left on the clock to preserve the harder-than-expected victory.
With 2:06 remaining in the back-and-forth first half, the Yellow Jackets finally put together a drive that could wind up a personal highlight reel for returning All-American wide receiver Calvin Johnson, against whom even blanket coverage proved useless.
Johnson set up first-and-goal with a 29-yard reception that saw him run through safety Chinedum Ndukwe and cornerback Darrin Walls. He finished the job on the next play, leaping up to grab a 4-yard scoring pass despite being smothered by Irish corner Mike Richardson.
The lead grew to 10-0 late in the first half on Travis Bell’s 30-yard field goal.
By the end of the first half, Johnson had five receptions for 95 yards, and running back Tashard Choice had added another 44 yards on 10 carries. But in the third quarter, the Irish defense asserted itself and limited Johnson to two receptions for 16 yards, and Choice added just 10 yards on four carries. Neither player would add to those totals in the fourth.
McKnight, meanwhile, had three third-quarter receptions for 62 yards, and Darius Walker had eight carries for 48 yards and a touchdown, a 13-yard run midway through the period after a 12-yard catch from Quinn that gave the Irish a 14-10 lead.
Quinn finished a respectable 23-of-38 for 246 yards, while Walker finished with 99 yards on 22 carries.
Neither team could mount much of an attack and Weis made sure of that in the game’s waning moments. With just 70 seconds remaining on the clock, and the Irish facing fourth-and-1 from the Georgia Tech 47-yard line, he decided to go for it.
The call was risky. But giving the ball back to the Tech offense, and giving Johnson another opportunity to make a big play, was riskier, Weis thought.
“When you have a half a yard to go with the game on the line,” Weis said, “you can make a half a yard.”
And possibly save a season along the way.
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apatel@tribune.com
