How this statistic showcases the Notre Dame football identity
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Notre Dame has tangible evidence that the identity the Fighting Irish have embarked on embodying early in the Marcus Freeman era is already taking hold. The Irish rank ninth nationally among Power Five schools in time of possession through Week 9.
Notre Dame hold onto the ball for an average of 32:59.38 per game according to CFBstats.com. Only eight teams in the Power Five and 11 teams in the FBS have better marks through Week 9. That’s a direct result of the Irish’s dedication to running the football offensively and preventing the opposition from doing so defensively.
Power Five leaders in average time of possession
| 1. Minnesota | 35:43.50 |
| 2. Illinois | 35:15.63 |
| 3. Georgia | 35:00.00 |
| 4. Michigan | 34:44.13 |
| 5. Kentucky | 34:30.13 |
| 6. Baylor | 33:16.25 |
| 7. Purdue | 33:16.13 |
| 8. Utah | 33:08.13 |
| 9. Notre Dame | 32:59.38 |
| 10. Pittsburgh | 32:57.75 |
Notre Dame’s Week 9 performance was a heightened example of who the Irish wish to be. The blue and gold ran the ball 53 times for 249 yards excluding kneel downs and sacks. Syracuse ran the ball 21 times for 79 yards excluding sacks. That led to a time of possession edge of 37:40 to 22:20 for the Irish.
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Notre Dame’s ability to possess the ball for long stretches of game time in spite of a passing offense that trended downward in games against Stanford, UNLV and Syracuse is a testament to the offensive line led by coach Harry Hiestand and the stable of running backs overseen by coach Deland McCullough. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and Freeman deserve credit, too. It’s one thing to say, “This is what we want to do. This is who we want to be.” It’s another thing entirely to actually see it through and watch it manifest.
It’s not like this was a recurring theme during the Brian Kelly era, either. It’s new territory for Notre Dame to be ranked as high as No. 12 in the FBS in TOP outside of 2020 when the Irish finished No. 7 in the statistic. The average national ranking for the Irish in TOP during the 12-year Kelly tenure was 70.7. Freeman and his assistants have taken the control the ball, ground and pound mantra to a new level. Now it’s all about sustaining that standard in the years to come if that’s the long-term identity Freeman wants for the program.
