Notre Dame resumed its quest for a postseason playoff berth on Saturday night and delivered a 52-3 pounding to the Florida State Seminoles. The Irish scored in double-digits in each of the final three quarters and won its seventh straight contest to improve to 8-1. On the flip side, the Seminoles’ season of misery continued with their sixth straight loss to fall to 1-9.
Over those final three quarters, Notre Dame gained 360 yards on offense, finishing with 453 for the night. On the other side of the ball, Florida State put together an impressive first drive but did little else for the remainder of the evening. To cap the battering, reserve defensive back Luke Talich had a 79-yard pick-six in the final two minutes.
Below are some of the key aspects of the win:
Slowly Getting Back in Swing
Notre Dame’s slow starts at home looked as though they might be on hiatus Saturday night after the Irish took a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of play. However, Riley Leonard’s weaving 34-yard run, which was capped by a dive into the end zone, would prove to be the lone Notre Dame score of the first quarter.
Florida State responded with a time-consuming 16-play drive that stalled out but still resulted in a field goal that sliced the deficit to four. Some nervous moments followed after two consecutive three-and-outs helped at least maintain the possibility of another stunning upset. However, two second-quarter scores, the last one coming with 17 seconds left in the first half, gave Notre Dame a 21-3 halftime lead.
Mills on a Rampage
After Howard Cross left the game in the first half with a sprained ankle, his cohort on the defensive line, Rylie Mills, took command. On the first two plays after Cross left the game for good, Mills picked up sacks and then added another on Florida State’s first drive after the break.
Earlier this week, Marcus Freeman had pointed to the unsung contributions that had been made by Mills and Cross. Noting that other Irish defenders were the beneficiaries of their hard work, Freeman emphasized their value to the Notre Dame defense. By the time the game had ended, the Irish had collected five other sacks, including a pair from Donovan Hinish.
Running Reversal
Entering the game, Florida State’s running efforts had taken a back seat in their offense, in part due to injuries. Yet, during the first half, it was the Seminole ground attack that supplied a good portion of the offense, gaining 77 of the 100 FSU offensive yards. The total was more than they had gained for an entire game in five different matchups this season.
Florida State’s 18-point halftime deficit effectively ended any more focus on the run game, which explains why the second-half numbers in this department dropped precipitously. Adding just 43 yards to that total after the break, the Irish’s sack attack also helped keep that number in check. For the game, the Seminoles only managed 2.8 yards per carry.
Third Down Rut
Neither team managed to do much when it came to third down, converting a combined eight of 29 times, including two of 16 attempts during the first half. The only saving grace for both teams is that they managed to convert on fourth down three of four times, while the Seminoles also picked up a first by way of a Notre Dame penalty.
The Irish’s futility was something of a step back, considering that they had a 41 percent third-down success rate entering the game. In addition, they were coming off a season-best 62 percent performance against Navy. For Florida State, it was more of the same after entering this contest converting just 25 percent of the time. That issue had been especially prevalent in their five previous games, where they converted just 14 of 67 times, a success rate of only 21 percent.
Playing Lead
Running back Jadarian Price and wide receiver Jaden Greathouse had both contributed to the 2024 Notre Dame offense but took center stage in Saturday night’s rout. Price handled the ball just seven times but gained 95 yards, including a 65-yard scoring run that required some deft footwork at the end to avoid stepping out of bounds. Greathouse snagged five passes for 66 yards, with the reception total matching his career-high.
Next Up
Notre Dame stays at home for a Senior Day matchup against the Virginia Cavaliers, who are coming off an upset win over the Pitt Panthers on Saturday night. That victory improved their record to 5-4 on the year and ended a three-game losing skid. Before Saturday’s win, the Cavaliers’ defense had allowed 113 points in the previous three losses. This clash marks only the fifth time the two schools have met with all four games going in the Irish’s favor, the last time coming in 2021. Playing in Blackburg, the Irish won comfortably, 28-3.
