Notre Dame returned hometo take on Boise State after dismantling Arkansas a week ago on the road. The Irish entered with questions about the pass defense and overall defensive consistency, but responded to the criticism with a season-high four interceptions and four sacks. The Irish put together a complete performance on both sides of the ball in a 28-7 victory to bring their record to 3-2 on the season.
Notre Dame opened the game with a long drive that included consecutive 24-yard completions from freshman CJ Carr to senior wide receiver Will Pauling and junior wide receiver Jordan Faison. Pushing the ball toward the goal line, the offense had afourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line that was stuffed by the Broncos.
Notre Dame stopped Boise State on their first offensive series by dialing up pressure on third-and-15 to give the ball back to the offense. On the ensuing drive, junior Jeremiyah Love burst through the defense for a 36-yard run that set up a Carr touchdown pass to Pauling for the first points of the game. The 19-yard strike helped the Irish take a 6-0 lead and was the first of Carr’s two touchdown passes. Carr completed 15 of his 23 passes for 189 yards and no interceptions in the game, another strong performance in his thirdhome game.
In the second quarter, both teams traded punts until the Irish were again stifled on fourth down. Boise State took over from their 28-yard line and promptly led a 10-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Maddux Madsen. Now trailing 7-6 with four minutes left in the first half, Notre Dame had a chance to respond in a big way.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s offense rose to the occasion in the final Irish drive of the half by earning three consecutive first downs to get the ball into Bronco territory with just over two minutes remaining. Now with the ability to manage the clock, the Irish went back to the run game, which proved to be consistently reliable against the Boise State defense. Love found the end zone for the fifth consecutive game of the season on a 4-yard scamper, giving the Irish a 14-7 lead after a successful two-point conversion. Notre Dame’s star running backended the game with 16 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown. The Irish once again broke 200 yards as a team on the ground.
Boise State attempted a 40-second drive to cut the lead before getting the ball after halftime. After a 20-yard first-down run from Dylan Riley, the Broncos were intercepted by freshman safety Tae Johnson two plays later, preventing any more damage in the first half. Head coach Marcus Freeman spoke about Johnson’s play after the game.
“He’s been close the last couple of games in getting some of those picks, and it was good to see him get one today.”
The Irish defense opened the second half in a physical manner, forcing another punt on third-and-long. Starting at their own 21, Notre Dame marched the ball down the field, converting a critical third-and-7 with a pass to the reliable Faison, who ended the game with 83 yards on six receptions. The drive ended with a jump-ball to the 6-foot-4 senior wideout Malachi Fields for a 6-yard touchdown pass to give the Irish a more comfortable 21-7 lead. Fields caught four passes for 44 yards and a touchdown in the contest.
Boise State attempted to respond and put together a much-needed scoring drive in the second possession of the half, but once again, was stymied by the Irish defense. At midfield on third-and-4, sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore, back after missing the Arkansas game with a high ankle sprain, intercepted Madsen’s throw. This was the first of Moore’s two interceptions in the game and gave the defense a huge boost on the back end.
After a punt and Boise turnover on downs, the Irish got the ball back with 8:37 remaining in the fourth quarter. Handing the ball to junior running back Jadarian Price, it only took two plays to pay out the drive. Price navigated between the tackles and outran the Broncos’ secondary en route to a 49-yard, gut-punching touchdown run. That gave the Irish a commanding 28-7 lead. Price ended with 83 yards and a touchdown.
Already up two in the turnover margin, defensive coordinator Chris Ash could be satisfied with his group’seffort through three and a half quarters, but the intensity only increased. The next Bronco possession ended in Madsen’s third interception. This time, junior safety Luke Talich jumped in front of a fourth-and-10 desperation play with 4:26 left in the game. To make matters even more demoralizing for the Broncos, their next drive ended in another Moore interception, as Madsen once again tested the pre-season All-American corner in man coverage. The game ended 28-7 in Notre Dame’s favor after the dominant defensive display.
Commenting on the turnover margin and defensive effort, Marcus Freeman said, “Proud of the way we took care of the football. And we got four takeaways, which is huge. You win the turnover margin plus-four, you’ve got a great chance to be on the right side of the outcome.”
The Irish will take on the 4-2 NCState Wolfpack in one week at home. In the best defensive effort of the season, the Irish proved their ability to compete in lower-scoring and gritty efforts against a talented offense. As both sides of the ball mesh together, this team has an opportunity to hit its stride before taking on rival USC in two weeks, looking to keep its Playoff hopes alive. Tune in to Notre Dame and NCState at 3:30 p.m. on NBC on Oct. 11.