Notre Dame 30, MIAMi 27 | monday, october 31, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
Weathering its own storm Notre Dame starts fast, overcomes untimely mistakes in return to winning ways against Miami
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Irish sophomore running back Josh Adams sprints into the end zone to score the game-tying touchdown against Miami on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium as junior quarterback DeShone Kizer, right, begins celebrating with the rest of the Irish faithful. Sophomore kicker Justin Yoon hit a 27-yard field goal with 30 seconds left to give the Irish the 30-27 win.
Despite problems, Irish get extremely important victory Zach Klonsinski Assistant Managing Editor
Notre Dame needed this one. No, that doesn’t even begin to capture it: For Notre Dame this game was more of a must-win than sophomore receiver C.J. Sanders’ muffed punt was an absurdly bone-headed decision. After stumbling out to a 2-5 start, the Irish and their fan base were reeling. Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick had to give Irish head coach Brian Kelly a “vote of confidence” and squash rumors Kelly might not lead Notre Dame out of the tunnel in 2017. Recruits were becoming skeptical: Fourstar defensive end Donovan Jeter decided to decommit and jump north of the state line to become a Wolverine over the bye week. Even the student section failed to approach capacity Saturday, large swaths of wooden benches and concrete glaringly visible throughout the game, from the senior to freshmen sections. In short, basically everything had gone wrong. see KLONSINSKI PAGE 2
By ALEX BENDER Sports Writer
On an unseasonably warm day at Notre Dame Stadium, the Irish were able to come away with the 30-27 win over Miami after late game heroics from sophomores running back Josh Adams and kicker Justin Yoon. Miami (4-4, 1-3 ACC) controlled the middle of the game, scoring 27 unanswered points, but Notre Dame (3-5) came up big at the start and finish, and it proved to be enough for the Irish to pick up the win. After Miami deferred to the second half off the coin toss, the Irish got things going early with a drive that saw effective play on the ground and in the air. The Irish eventually capped off the drive and made their way into the end zone off a five-yard shovel pass by junior quarterback DeShone Kizer to senior receiver Torii Hunter Jr., giving Notre Dame the early 7-0 advantage. On defense, the Irish smothered the Hurricanes early on, getting three first half sacks as well as an interception, which often led to good field position for Kizer and company. Between a field goal by junior kicker Justin Yoon and another touchdown — this time from Kizer to sophomore
Equanimeous St. Brown for a 14-yard score — the Irish found themselves on top 17-0 with almost four and half minutes left in the first quarter. Miami was frustrated offensively early on as the Hurricanes concluded the first quarter with just two rushing yards and zero passing yards on three drives. Irish head coach Brian Kelly said Notre Dame’s defensive front seven, especially graduate student defensive lineman Jarron Jones, helped put Miami on its heels early on. “Jarron was outstanding,” Kelly said “He was awarded the game ball, and what I think stands out to me more than anything else is when your senior is playing his best ball, that says a lot about how he feels about coming to work every day, getting better, regardless of the record. That’s a real positive for our program and for him individually, and he was a beast out there today.” Miami would be forced to punt during their first drive of the second quarter with Notre Dame starting back at their own 38 yard-line, but thanks to a big play on a 53-yard grab by freshman receiver Kevin Stepherson, the Irish were knocking on the door step before coming up short. Yoon notched his second field goal of the day, this one
from 26 yards out, and the Irish were up 20-0. The following Hurricane drive appeared to be coming to a close with a punt from their own end of the field, but due to a special teams blunder in which freshman Troy Pride Jr. inadvertently touched the ball while blocking, the Hurricanes pounced on it and kept their drive alive. The Hurricanes were able to generate some offense this time around and capitalized on the mistake when junior quarterback Brad Kaaya hit junior tight end David Njoku in the end zone for the two-yard score. On the following kickoff, Miami caught the Irish off guard with an onside kick attempt, giving themselves great field position and a chance to ride the momentum of the previous drive. Notre Dame’s defense stood strong, however. Nothing would come of it as the teams headed to the locker room with a score of 20-7 Notre Dame. As the second half got underway, the Miami offense seemed to be getting into their first real rhythm on the day, nosing their way into the end zone off a oneyard rush by Mark Walton, and Miami had cut the deficit to six see WIN PAGE 3
Kizer shines in quarterback duel with Kaaya By MANNY DE JESUS Sports Writer
The battle between two of Scout Inc.’s top quarterback prospects was as advertised. Both Irish junior DeShone Kizer and Miami junior Brad Kaaya had a handful of moments where they picked apart the opposing defense like an NFL quarterback would. However, one particular play set Kizer apart as the Irish managed to hold on for a 30-27 win over Miami at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. With 2:11 left in the final quarter and at seven yards away from the end zone, Kizer connected with senior tight end Durham Smythe for a short pass over the line of scrimmage. Smythe turned around with what seemed like a clear lane to a touchdown when a Miami (4-3) defender knocked the ball right out of Smythe’s control. Kizer saw the ball out of the corner of his eye and jumped towards the forming scrum right at the two-yard line. After struggling with several other Miami defenders on top of him, Notre Dame Stadium erupted with cheers as Kizer came out of see KIZER PAGE 3