Four elements that defined Notre Dame’s first road win under Marcus Freeman; 1 unique stat, 1 thing to pivot forward
By John Brice
Special Contributor
LAS VEGAS — Winning in the trenches. Myriad key contributors. Three wins in a row.
Fittingly Notre Dame’s enthralling 28-20 win against BYU Saturday night here at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders but on this night, the Irish’s home in front of a sold-out crowd, featured a bit of everything from a defensive score to more records shattered by the program’s indomitable tight end to the way that the Irish closed out their second win under Marcus Freeman away from Notre Dame Stadium.
Above .500 for the first time this season at 3-2, the Irish return home for consecutive contests against struggling Stanford and a rebuilding UNLV program. There are opportunities to sustain the very real confidence and momentum that Freeman is infusing into his program.
In an item we’ll bring you after each Notre Dame contest, here’s the 4-1-1 on Notre Dame’s rugged win against BYU.
FOUR ELEMENTS THAT DEFINED NOTRE DAME MAINTAINING THE PROGRAM’S UNBLEMISHED RECORD IN SHAMROCK SERIES GAMES
- 0: In early-season losses at Ohio State and home against Marshall, Marcus Freeman lamented his Fighting Irish defensive unit’s inability to get a critical stop that could have altered the outcome of those hard-luck losses. As BYU found pockets of second-half momentum here Saturday night in Las Vegas, the Irish defense made a pair of galvanizing stops that could become the type of plays that prove further turning points in Notre Dame’s first season with Freeman at the helm. Ahead 28-20 inside the game’s final five minutes, Justin Ademilola and Marist Liufau stopped Cougars ballcarrier Christopher Brooks after just a yard on third-and-2. On the next snap, a fourth-and-1 that essentially closed out BYU’s hopes of a late-game jackpot, Jayson Ademilola and Nana Osafo-Mensah thwarted Lopini Katoa for zero gain. The Irish offense then melted away the game’s final 3 minutes, 37 seconds. In holding the Cougars scoreless on the drive, ND sealed its third-straight win. Moreover, earlier in the frame the Irish defense forced BYU into a short-lived possession that came after the Cougars’ tipped-ball interception of the Irish.
- No. 1: Michael Mayer, All-American. The Fighting Irish’s sensational tight end further stamped his name in indelible ink into the Notre Dame record books. Mayer’s 24-yard touchdown reception in the first half broke the program’s all-time record for receptions by tight end with his 141st snag. His 11-catch effort also broke his own single-game program mark of 10. His two-touchdown performance pushed Mayer’s career total to 146 catches and lifted him to 14 touchdowns, one short of matching the program’s all-time record by tight end Ken MacAfee.
- 46: Audric Estimè barreled into the center of the Notre Dame offensive line and the tiring BYU defensive front. There was little there, but Estimè kept his legs churning, feet moving and quickly darted through a crease to his right. Forty-six yards and a nice stiff-arm on a BYU defender later, Estimè had set up the Irish with a first-and-goal opportunity and their lead only 25-20. Blake Grupe polished off the possession with a no-doubt triple for the game’s final margin.
- 2: As in points scored by the Irish defense, when Jack Kiser scored in a Shamrock Series game for the second-straight year. Helping blow-open last year’s win against Wisconsin in Chicago with a pick-six interception, Kiser bottled up Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall for a safety in game’s opening half. The Notre Dame defense also forced two fumbles, and effectively packaged the safety with TaRiq Bracy’s game-opening interception on the first play from scrimmage for what played like two turnovers forced.
ONE THING TO NOTE
Take a moment to appreciate what Drew Pyne has done across his past two games – neither of them at home, mind you, even if the Irish traveled rather well to help pack sold-out Allegiant Stadium.
In Notre Dame’s wins against North Carolina last month and BYU Saturday night, Pyne has gone 46-for-62 passing for 551 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception off a tipped pass.
Additionally, Pyne has rushed for 25 net yards combined in those two wins, part of Notre Dame’s three-game winning streak, and his only run against the Cougars moved the chains and helped ND command 11 minutes of possession in the decisive fourth quarter.
“Drew Pyne is always ready to go,” Freeman said postgame.
ONE THING PIVOTING FORWARD
For all the individual plays that provided highlight-moments in the Irish win, Freeman immediately pointed postgame to Notre Dame’s ability to “rise to the occasion” along its offensive and defensive fronts to secure the victory.
In addition to the 11-minute offensive possession in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame finished with a season-best 40 minutes, 55 seconds of ball control.
Pyne heartily praised the offensive line post game, and it showed in Pyne’s stat sheet: Never sacked and rarely hurried, Pyne’s 22 completions went to seven different receivers – even with Mayer’s prodigious output.
On the defensive side, the Irish never allowed BYU to score more than seven points in any quarter; limited the Cougars to just six first-half points en route to a 25-6 advantage and amasses four tackles for losses, including a pair of quarterback sacks – most notably Kiser’s safety.