Irish Stifle Miami (OH), 28-3 – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Site

The University of Notre Dame football team (3-1) defeated Miami (OH) (0-3) 28-3 on a warm and sunny late fall day at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish defense stifled the RedHawks offense all day, holding Miami to just 229 yards and two of 12 third down attempts.

Notre Dame led 14-3 at halftime and scored two more points in the second half, led by 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Riley Leonard. Leonard also threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Beaux Collins in the second quarter.

Freshman defensive end Boubacar Traore was the highlight of the Irish defense. In his first career start, Traore tied for the team lead with five tackles, two sacks (career-high), a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Notre Dame made a defensive stop on Miami's first possession, but Jordan Faison, in his first game back from an ankle injury, botched his punt reception at the Notre Dame 26-yard line. The RedHawks took the ball to the five-yard line, but Christian Gray jumped a slant route, threw the ball in the air, and Junior Tuihalamaka dove for the ball at the four-yard line for his first career interception.

The Irish couldn't move the ball on their next possession, but James Rendell turned the field around with a career-best 53-yard punt. Miami managed two first downs on its next drive before the Irish defense stepped in and ended another drive. On third-and-2 at the Irish 32-yard line, Miami attempted a quick swing pass that was swallowed by Tuihalamaka for a loss of four yards. The RedHawks called a timeout to get the game back on track, but Adon Shuler picked off a pass on fourth down, giving the ball back to the Irish.

On the first play of the drive, Leonard threw a long pass to Mitchell Evans, which provoked a 15-yard pass interference. Jadarian Price then charged left and ran 14 yards to the Miami 35-yard line. However, the drive stalled there after two incomplete passes and a holding call. Mitch Jeter came in for a 51-yard field goal attempt, but the snap was too low and was fouled. Jeter picked up the ball, rolled to the right and threw it away, saving Notre Dame 20-30 yards of field position.

That field position was crucial as Miami mounted a 10-play drive to the Irish five-yard line before the Irish defense forced them off the field. Benjamin Morrison defended two fade routes perfectly on first and third downs, while Jordan Clark made a crucial tackle in the open field on second down. Miami's 26-yard field goal was successful and the RedHawks took a 3-0 lead.

Notre Dame reversed the kick return when Jayden Harrison handed the ball off to Jeremiyah Love, who charged beyond the 40-yard line, but a block in the back penalty ended with the Irish buried at their own five-yard line. Three short runs later, Notre Dame punted again, this time on a 54-yard run by Rendell.

Howard Cross III effectively ended Miami's next drive with a second-down sack that brought the ball right back to the Irish offense. Notre Dame then got its first scoring drive of the game, aided by a pass interference and face mask penalty from Miami. The Irish running backs set the tone, with Price (twice) and Love (once) rushing for more than eight yards on first down. Leonard followed with short first-down passes to Jayden Thomas, Harrison and then Thomas again in the red zone. Leonard capped the drive with an eight-yard cut back touchdown run to a designed quarterback keeper.

The Irish defense made another quick stop, highlighted by the pass defense of safety Adon Shuler deep down the field.

Notre Dame took over at its own 19-yard line and quickly scored again. Leonard held the ball for 21 yards on the right sideline and then threw it 14 yards to the Miami 38-yard line. On the next snap, Leonard stepped back and found Collins running five yards behind the nearest defender on the right sideline. Collins caught the ball at the two and scored easily, giving the Irish a 14-3 lead at halftime.

The Irish got the ball in the second half and looked to be in position to score again. On the third play of the drive, Leonard faked a handoff and kept the ball on the left side for a long 43-yard run. However, Miami hurried and knocked the ball out of Leonard's hand. The RedHawks won a battle for the football and took over at their own 14-yard line.

The Miami offense didn't get very far, however. On third and 1, Jaylen Sneed stormed down the line, stopped the runner without gaining any ground, and forced a punt.

Notre Dame got a first down on their next drive before Miami's sack on second down forced Notre Dame's third punt of the game. The RedHawks tried to test Christian Gray on their first play, but Gray made the smooth interception at the Notre Dame 40-yard line.

Another pass interference call against Miami put the ball at the Notre Dame 27-yard line. Harrison snagged a perimeter catch and ran 12 yards on third down for a first down at the 15-yard line, then Love finished it off with a sprint up the middle for a touchdown.

The two teams traded possession before Miami completed a potential scoring drive. The drive was taken 59 yards into the red zone on 13 plays and ended by linebacker Drayk Bowen's first career sack on a blitz through the middle. The big loss of 12 yards forced a 49-yard field goal attempt that was blocked by freshman Bryce Young.

Notre Dame took over at its own 39-yard line and found itself in a fourth-and-short situation at the midfield. Leonard kept the ball after a fake and broke through a huge gap, running 50 yards unchallenged and scoring a touchdown. The 50-yard run capped a 143-yard rushing day for Leonard, who became the first Irish quarterback since Carlyle Holiday in 2001 to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games.

The defense got another stop on Miami's next attack, and the Irish substitutes came in and secured the win in the final four minutes.