The problem with a slow start is not its inherent effect on a game, but its absolute effect on perception. Notre Dame may have gained only seven yards in Saturday’s first quarter against Duke, trailing 3-0 at the break when the University announced a contract extension for Irish head coach Brian Kelly, but that plodding beginning hardly held back Notre Dame as much as it initially seemed.
The Irish had an 87 percent chance of winning when looking at the stats afterward, arguably a better description of the game as a whole than the 27-13 final score.