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Notre Dame 31, LSU 28
Confused? Visit the Advanced Stats glossary here.
| Basics | LSU | Notre Dame | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Plays | 52 | 77 | |
| Close Rate (non-garbage time) | 100.0% | ||
| Avg Starting FP | 20.6 | 29.2 | 30.0 |
| Possessions | 9 | 11 | |
| Scoring Opportunities* |
5 | 6 | |
| Points Per Opportunity | 4.20 | 5.17 | 4.65 |
| Leverage Rate** | 76.9% | 70.1% | 68.3% |
| Close S&P*** | 0.605 | 0.523 | 0.506 |
|
* A scoring opportunity occurs when an offense gets a first down inside the opponent's 40 (or scores from outside the 40). ** Leverage Rate = Standard Downs / (Standard Downs + Passing Downs) *** When using IsoPPP, the S&P formula is (0.8*Success Rate) + (0.2*IsoPPP) |
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| EqPts (what's this?) | LSU | Notre Dame | |
| Total | 26.6 | 29.7 | |
| Rushing | 18.2 | 18.5 | |
| Passing | 8.4 | 11.2 | |
| Success Rate (what's this?) | LSU | Notre Dame | Nat'l Avg |
| All (close) | 50.0% | 42.9% | 41.8% |
| Rushing (close) | 58.3% | 39.2% | 43.2% |
| Passing (close) | 31.3% | 50.0% | 40.3% |
| Standard Downs | 47.5% | 42.6% | 47.0% |
| Passing Downs | 58.3% | 43.5% | 30.6% |
| IsoPPP (what's this?) | LSU | Notre Dame | Nat'l Avg |
| All (close) | 1.02 | 0.90 | 0.86 |
| Rushing (close) | 0.87 | 0.92 | 0.74 |
| Passing (close) | 1.68 | 0.86 | 0.99 |
| Standard Downs | 1.10 | 0.92 | 0.77 |
| Passing Downs | 0.83 | 0.86 | 1.13 |
| Line Stats | LSU | Notre Dame | Nat'l Avg |
| Line Yards/Carry (what's this?) | 4.07 | 2.94 | 2.92 |
| Std. Downs Sack Rt. | 20.0% | 0.0% | 4.8% |
| Pass. Downs Sack Rt. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 7.6% |
| Turnovers | LSU | Notre Dame |
|---|---|---|
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Turnover Points (what's this?) | 3.9 | 0.0 |
| Turnover Margin | Notre Dame +1 | |
| Exp. TO Margin | LSU +0.22 | |
| TO Luck (Margin vs. Exp. Margin) | Notre Dame +1.22 | |
| TO Points Margin | Notre Dame +3.9 points | |
| Situational | LSU | Notre Dame |
| Q1 S&P | 0.636 | 0.530 |
| Q2 S&P | 0.499 | 0.594 |
| Q3 S&P | 0.786 | 0.504 |
| Q4 S&P | 0.492 | 0.492 |
| 1st Down S&P | 0.695 | 0.428 |
| 2nd Down S&P | 0.512 | 0.549 |
| 3rd Down S&P | 0.590 | 0.678 |
| Projected Scoring Margin: Notre Dame by 7.0 | ||
| Actual Scoring Margin: Notre Dame by 3 | ||
Obviously there was a horrific replay review that negated an LSU touchdown late in the first half, and obviously that would have potentially made a difference in how the second half played out. But if you forget about that play, you can certainly see a game in which Notre Dame simply outplayed the Tigers.
The Irish won the field position battle and finished scoring opportunities better. They matched wits in the big-play department (which is saying something considering how good Leonard Fournette looked), and they won the turnover battle (with some luck). They played with fire they hadn't really shown since the Florida State loss. It was a welcome sight.
LSU put itself in position to win this game with Fournette's kick return score and an efficiency advantage, and ... really, this was just a fun, well-played game. Both teams looked good.
I guess this was just a fun bowl season, too. Most teams showed up and seemed to care. (Not all teams, no, but most.)