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SOUTH BEND -- Owning the fourth quarter hasn't exactly been a trend this season for the Notre Dame football team's defensive unit.
Thanks to porous performances in the last three weeks, the Irish are giving up an average of 124 yards and just over a touchdown in the final quarter of their eight games this year.
The final frame struggles were painfully evident in the last two games. En route to a 42-28 win over West Virginia, Notre Dame was on the ropes in the final 15 minutes. The Irish gave up 199 yards and seven points before time expired. Against Air Force, the Falcons rolled up 246 yards and 18 points to send the game into overtime before Notre Dame finally prevailed.
Irish coach Bob Davie is still amazed at the momentum swing that brought Air Force back in the game despite trailing 28-10 early in the fourth quarter.
"I go back when it's 28-10 and it's third-and-11," Davie said, recounting the start of the Falcons' resurgence. "All of a sudden, (Irish inside linebacker) Anthony Denman comes out. I never put anything on one player, it's bigger than all that, but I knew on third-and-11 when we didn't run the blitz when they had a guy bust and they completed that curl (pass for 10 yards to the Irish 33-yard line), you could sense that starting to come right there.
"When they caught fire, they caught fire."
The scenario triggered a wave of nostalgia for Davie. He thought back to 1994, his first year as the Irish defensive coordinator, when Air Force came to town. Early in the third quarter, Notre Dame enjoyed a 35-3 lead.
"We ran a reverse to the little kid, Leon Blunt," Davie recalled. "He drops the ball. The next play, they hit a 'wheel route' for a touchdown and it's (35-10). They block a punt, it's (35-17). Next thing you know, it's (35-24). Almost the same atmosphere (as last week's game). It's almost eerie how those start rolling on you.
"It's an unbelievable momentum swing, but that's what college football has become. There's so much parity. The team that gets hot and the team that has momentum ... A few years ago, it didn't matter. They get some...