By Brian Hamilton
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The fast start? Not an issue.
The everything after? Looking like everything that's happened to Notre Dame to this point.
The Irish settled for a 14-10 halftime lead against Connecticut after building a two-touchdown lead to start, the defense faring much worse against the Huskies run game in the second quarter and the offense failing to move the ball effectively on three straight possessions before the break.
Two plays into the second quarter, the Irish made it a two-score game when Jimmy Clausen snuck in from a yard out to cap an 80-yard drive and build a 14-0 lead.
The problem then was the beleaguered Irish defense returned after a one-quarter hiatus. First, safety Sergio Brown kept a Connecticut drive alive with a personal foul penalty on a third-down incompletion for the Huskies.
Five plays after that, four Irish defenders had a shot to tackle the Huskies' Jordan Todman at the line... and didn't. Todman scampered 43 yards to a score as a result, slicing the Notre Dame lead in half and making it a 14-7 game.
A six-minute drive by Connecticut would result in a 39-yard field goal with three minutes left in the half. But the Irish failed to muster any momentum on two possessions after that score, heading into the locker room with the four-point edge.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The fast start? Not an issue.
The everything after? Looking like everything that's happened to Notre Dame to this point.
The Irish settled for a 14-10 halftime lead against Connecticut after building a two-touchdown lead to start, the defense faring much worse against the Huskies run game in the second quarter and the offense failing to move the ball effectively on three straight possessions before the break.
Two plays into the second quarter, the Irish made it a two-score game when Jimmy Clausen snuck in from a yard out to cap an 80-yard drive and build a 14-0 lead.
The problem then was the beleaguered Irish defense returned after a one-quarter hiatus. First, safety Sergio Brown kept a Connecticut drive alive with a personal foul penalty on a third-down incompletion for the Huskies.
Five plays after that, four Irish defenders had a shot to tackle the Huskies' Jordan Todman at the line... and didn't. Todman scampered 43 yards to a score as a result, slicing the Notre Dame lead in half and making it a 14-7 game.
A six-minute drive by Connecticut would result in a 39-yard field goal with three minutes left in the half. But the Irish failed to muster any momentum on two possessions after that score, heading into the locker room with the four-point edge.
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