A methodical win is as good as any other, which the Notre Dame Fighting Irish picked up on Saturday in their 28-3 win over Miami of Ohio. Early on, fans no doubt had flashbacks to the Irish’s loss to Northern Illinois. However, once the offense started to move the ball, any fears of another bad loss to a MAC school ended.
Below are some of the key aspects of the win:
Another Slow Start
One source of irritation among Notre Dame fans in recent years has been the Irish’s problems in getting things moving from the outset. That problem resurfaced against Miami of Ohio, with Notre Dame unable to score for the first 22 minutes of the first half. During the Irish’s first three drives, two three-and-outs were sandwiched around a series that ended when Notre Dame came up short on fourth down. That particular drive was effectively ended after Sam Pendleton was flagged for holding to put the Irish in a third-and-20 situation.
During the opening quarter, Miami was dominant in the ball control department, holding the ball for over 10 minutes and outgaining the Irish, 103-35. The widest margin came in the respective passing attacks, with the RedHawks picking uo 59 yards through the air and Notre Dame just 12.
Defensive Ups and Downs
Notre Dame’s defense managed to keep an opposing team out of the end zone for the first time this season. The lone field goal came after the aforementioned loss of possession on downs and gave the RedHawks their only lead of the afternoon. That first tally might have come much sooner had Junior Talhalamaka’s pickoff at the Irish four-yard-line not snuffed out the first scoring threat of the game.
Still, Notre Dame had problems in the first half stopping the Miami running game. The RedHawks entered the contest with the worst running numbers in the FBS, averaging just 32 yards per game on the ground. Yet, they collected 44 yards in the first quarter and 31 more in the second. After the break, the problem seemed to dissipate as Miami gained only 35 more yards.
Leonard’s Travails
Despite leading Notre Dame to three victories in its first four games this season, new quarterback Riley Leonard continues to struggle in his on-field passing abilities. Toward the end of the first half, he looked to be finally shaking those issues by leading the Irish to two scores, including his first touchdown pass of the season. In that instance, he moved Notre Dame 81 yards in just 56 seconds to give the Irish a 14-3 halftime advantage.
Leonard gained 143 yards on only 12 carries, including touchdown runs of eight and 50 yards. The latter scamper came on fourth down and capped the scoring on the afternoon. However, his 16 completions for 154 yards might have been boosted had his touch on multiple passes been better.
Sloppiness All Around
Both teams had problems when it came to handling the ball and avoiding penalties. On the turnover front, each team coughed up the ball twice. Notre Dame’s inaugural error came on Miami’s first punt, which Jordan Faison mishandled. The RedHawks then failed to take advantage of getting the ball at the Irish 26, with Talhalamaka’s pick ending the threat.
On the opening drive of the second half, Leonard’s 43-yard run had a black cloud attached when he was stripped up the ball. Miami again failed to do anything and on their next drive, gave the ball back to the Irish, thanks to a Christian Gray interception. In the realm of penalties, the Irish were flagged eight times for 66 yards, while Miami was hit a whopping 10 times for 100 yards.
Running with Conviction
Leonard’s big day of running helped power Notre Dame’s ground game, with the Irish racking up 278 yards in the win. That attack was held in check during the first quarter with Notre Dame gaining just 23 yards in the opening 15 minutes. By halftime, however, this unit had gained 70 more yards before then adding 83 in the third quarter and 94 more in the final stanza.
After Leonard’s game-high of 143 yards, the regular duo of Jeremiyah Price and Jadarian Price combined for 99 yards, getting 5.8 yards every time they toted the ball. With one-third of the 2024 regular season now completed, it’s clear that success in this area translates into victories. In the three wins, the Irish have averaged just under 277 yards, while the lone defeat ended with Notre Dame gaining just 123 rushing yards.
Next Up
Next week, Notre Dame faces a stiff challenge as the Louisville Cardinals come to the Golden Dome. On Saturday, the Cardinals came away with a 31-19 home victory over Georgia Tech and will be the second-ranked team that the Irish have faced this season. The earlier matchup came in the win over Texas A&M. Last season at Louisville, the Irish dropped a 33-20 decision.
Agree with Keith. The word is out – the Irish can’t pass downfield. Defenses will start crowding them.
One more thing- why do we have to wait until half time for defensive adjustments?
They will need the forward pass to beat Louisville