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For many Irish fans, the first three-and-a-half quarters of Saturday's game against Pittsburgh were gut-wrenching.
The Irish offense was turning over the ball again, and for the first time this year looked outplayed. While Pittsburgh deserves much of the credit for the Irish's mistakes, Notre Dame showed a toughness that was missing so far this season and from the program over recent years.
Notre Dame has unfair standards. Almost every major college football program does. Fans demand instant success and anything less than that is considered "too slow" or "not showing enough improvement."
In order to appreciate how far the program has come, analyze Notre Dame like any other program rebuilding. In year one, they won four-straight games to end the year, including a bowl game. They seemed to improve as the year went on.
In year two, the Irish lost two tough games to start the year but showed flashes of greatness on offense with 508 total yards against South Florida and 513 total yards against Michigan.
After an opportunistic win against Michigan State, Notre Dame sat at 1-2 and was predicted by most "experts" to win their game against Pittsburgh.
That's when Notre Dame appeared to be the same old Notre Dame team of years past. Two early turnovers killed Irish offensive chances, and Pittsburgh claimed a 12-7 lead into the fourth quarter. Amidst all this frustration and fear from Irish fans of history repeating itself, the defense was sensational. They held Pitt to 268 total yards and remained consistent before and after the Irish figured out a way to take a 15-12 lead.
This wasn't the 2010 Irish defense, or the Irish teams of the last few seasons. The defense didn't bend and break like they did in 2010 in a stunning last-second loss to Tulsa. They weren't dominated by a less talented opponent like Navy.
Take this development, combined with recent outstanding defensive recruits like Aaron Lynch. Times appear to be indeed different.
The Irish won an ugly game the right way: defensively.
Many teams find ways to win shootouts. Good teams and good programs can win games with defense. This was a huge step for a program that needed a change.
After an up-and-down 2010 and two tough losses to begin 2011, Saturday's win over Pitt signaled a change in South Bend. Despite sloppy offensive play, the Irish won a game that they would have given away in years past. It's a big step for the team that is trying to change the culture of it's program one game at a time.
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