No. 6 Notre Dame Falls Short in Comeback Attempt at No. 10 Miami
- Liam Farrell
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Turnovers, inconsistencies, and poor game planning derail No. 6 Notre Dame against No. 10 Miami, as the Irish fall 27-24.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Marcus Freeman has always preached the importance of the middle eight, the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes in the second half. The Irish were outscored 14-0 during that stretch tonight and was ultimately too big of a gap to withstand.
Miami's back-to-back touchdown drives to end the first half and open the second half put the Irish down 21-7. That score would eventually hold until the fourth quarter as the Irish got the game back to a one-possession affair thanks to a Jordan Faison touchdown.
After a consecutive stop on the following Miami series, Notre Dame had the ball down by one score with the opportunity to tie the game. CJ Carr threw a wide receiver screen that got tipped three times before a Hurricane defensive end would intercept the pass. A Miami field goal would open the game back to two scores and seem to put the Irish away.
However, Notre Dame followed up the interception with two improbable scoring drives, one, a three-play, 75-yard series to tie the game at 24-24. In the end, the Miami offense that fell asleep for most of the 2nd half resurrected and set up field goal kicker Carter Davis, for a go-ahead 47-yard kick that would end the Irish's heroic comeback bid.
Here are a few immediate thoughts about the game:
Let Carr Rip It
For as highly regarded as offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is, his game plan tonight for the Fighting Irish was simply subpar. There were far too many passes near the line-of-scrimmage and a lack of creativity to give Jeremiyah Love the football.
The sole possession that Jadarian Price was in the game, he was extremely affective while running the ball. Price ended the game with 45 rushing yards.
While the lack of rushing attempts could be attributed to the nature that Notre Dame was playing from behind, Denbrock must find a way to adjust the play-calling and play to the strengths of this team. The biggest strength being Jeremiyah Love, but also, the downfield passing prowess of Carr. In this game alone, Carr showed tremendous poise keeping his head downfield and finding an open receiver.
Carr finished the game with 221 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Tough Introduction to Chris Ash
This Notre Dame defense looked lost for most of the night.
Players out of position. People not understanding the play call.
The whole operation felt off, especially to what most Fighting Irish fans are accustomed to with Al Golden running the show.
The biggest killer for the Irish defense was the inability to stop the run, coupled with the true freshman slot wide receiver, Malachi Toney, absolutely carving up the Irish.
The secondary continuously was rotating during the first half as well. I'm not sure if that was due to fatigue from being on the field for the majority of the game, or whether or not the coaching staff wanted to keep switching its players.
All things considered; the defense had a very poor showing.
Dominated on Both Sides of the Line of Scrimmage
As previously mentioned, both sides of the line of scrimmage were simply overmatched in this game. Part of the reason the Notre Dame running backs struggled was because of the constant pressure administered by the Miami front seven.
This offensive line, that was highly touted, was getting bullied off the ball and was being pushed into the backfield.
From a whole coaching perspective, the Irish have two weeks to reconsider and go back to the drawing board before facing an equally physical Texas A&M team.
While it was a disappointing fate tonight, the Irish still have plenty of room for growth and potential as the season continues on.
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