For ND and BYU, ball control is paramount

The Irish have held the advantage in time of possession in every game this season.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Notre Dame and Brigham Young run radically different offenses, yet have similar game plans today.
The ninth-ranked Fighting Irish (4-2) and the Cougars (3-3) want to run the ball.
"Our mind-set as an offense is to keep the ball away and try to control the clock," Irish tailback Darius Walker said. "If we have the ball, we feel we can control the game and the game can be played at whatever tempo we want it to be played at."
The Irish almost used that plan to perfection in a near-upset of top-ranked USC last week, possessing the ball for 38 minutes, 40 seconds -- about four seconds shy of what they needed.
The Irish, who have had an advantage in time of possession in every game this season, want to keep the ball from Brigham Young quarterback John Beck, second in the nation with a 64.5 percent completion rate.
Led Cougars to 13-0 lead
Last year against the Irish, he was 7-of-10 passing for 96 yards, leading the Cougars to a 13-0 edge before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. The Irish don't want him to have the ball too long because Notre Dame has the nation's fourth-worst pass defense, giving up an average of 305 yards.
The Cougars, 71st in the nation in total defense, want to keep the ball away from the Irish.
"Ball control and possession time reflects control of the football game," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "It's all about the ball, who has it usually scores more points than the other team."
Last year, the Cougars had the ball seven minutes longer than Notre Dame in upsetting the Irish 20-17. BYU befuddled Notre Dame with its 3-3-5 defense and held the Irish to their worst rushing performance in 39 years.
"Everybody knows that we had 11 yards rushing last game. That's just unacceptable," offensive tackle Ryan Harris said. "That's nowhere near where we want to be as an offensive line. We've come a long way."
The Notre Dame offense sure has. The offense the Cougars saw in the season-opener last year is nothing like the current Irish attack. Gone is Tyrone Willingham and the West Coast offense, replaced by Charlie Weis and his pro-style, dink-and-dunk approach.
Explosive offense
Notre Dame struggled to average 345 yards a game last year. This season, the Irish are averaging 319 yards passing. Throw in an average of 171 on the ground and the Irish are averaging 509 yards a game total offense -- just under the school record of 510.5 set in 1970.
Walker, who inexplicably watched the game from the sidelines last season because he was a freshman, is averaging 100 yards a game this season.
Mendenhall hopes even with the change of offense the Irish will have trouble dealing with BYU's unorthodox defense, which makes it difficult to determine blocking responsibilities.
"Just like people used to say about the run-and-shoot, how it's tough to prepare for in a week, I think that's how they perceive their defense," Weis said.
Weis, though, believes it's a risky defense.
"If you make a play, it could be a big play," he said. "But if you give up a play, it could be a big play as well."
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.