Notre Dame's Red Alert In The Red Zone

During head coach Brian Kelly’s 8-5 campaign in 2011, Notre Dame lost four games while appearing to be on of the most snake-bitten red zone offenses (the opponent’s 20-yard line and in) in college football history.

• The stunning 23-20 loss at home to South Florida saw a tone set on the opening possession when a Notre Dame fumble on third-and-goal at the one (one of five Irish turnovers, mostly in the red zone) was returned for a 96-yard score by the Bulls.

• The following week in a 35-31 defeat at Michigan, Notre Dame had five more turnovers — two of them at the Wolverine 18 and seven (and a third at Michigan’s 30).

• Trailing 17-10 versus USC, Notre Dame drove 88 yards to the USC one — where a fumbled snap on third down resulted in an 80-yard touchdown return by the Trojans in their 31-17 win.

• In the Russell Athletic Bowl with the Irish trailing Florida State 18-14 and about three minutes left, Notre Dame had a first down at the Seminole 18, but two plays later an interception too into the end zone ended its hopes. Earlier in the game, Notre Dame had a turnover after reaching a first down at the FSU four-yard line.

One would think the Irish would have used up their quota of red zone turnover misery for at least a decade in that one single year.

Unfortunately, the 2014-15 Notre Dame teams also turned over the football in the red zone a total of 14 times — six in 2014 and eight in 2015 — the most in college football over the past two years. Many proved to be game changing:

• In the 31-27 loss at No. 2 Florida State in 2014, the Irish lost the ball twice inside the Seminole 20, the last on the game’s final series after an offensive pass interference call controversially negated the winning touchdown.

• An interception at the Arizona State seven in a game where the Irish rallied from 31 points down to cut it to 34-31 proved costly in a 55-31 defeat.

• A week later in the 43-40 upset loss at home to Northwestern, the Irish lost fumbles at the Wildcats’ five- and one-yard lines.

• In 2015, a second-half fumble at the Clemson four with Notre Dame trailing 21-10 proved crucial in the 24-22 defeat.

• With Notre Dame leading USC 21-10, it lost a fumble in the Trojans end zone that helped shift momentum and enabled USC to take a 31-24 lead before the Irish rallied to a 41-31 win.

• One game later, interception tosses at the Temple 11 and six might have put the Owls away earlier, but Notre Dame had to rally in the final minute for a 24-20 win.

• Against 3-9 Boston College, three Notre Dame red-zone turnovers allowed the Eagles to keep it close before losing, 19-16. Nevertheless, the closer-than-it-should have been win dropped the Irish in the Playoff Committee polls.

Those red-zone turnovers against Temple and Boston College might seem inconsequential because the Irish still won — but they made a difference in “style points,” which do count for something in the Playoff race.

In the finale at Stanford, a long run by Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer reached the Stanford 23 with 21 seconds left in the first half, but a lost fumble by Kizer on the next play prevented a field goal attempt — which could have been the difference in a 38-36 Irish loss.

That wasn’t quite red zone territory, but proved crucial anyway.

It’s the red (zone) that has made Notre Dame most blue in recent years.