How it happened: Breaking down Notre Dame football win over Duke
DURHAM, N.C. — Notre Dame snatched a victory out of the thin, cool, late September air Saturday night. The No. 11 Fighting Irish drove 95 yards in the final three minutes of the game to beat No. 17 Duke, 21-14, after going into that game-winning march trailing by a point.
Here is how the Irish ultimately saved its season with their victory.
FIRST QUARTER: NOTRE DAME 7, DUKE 0
Top moment: Notre Dame’s first drive stalled near midfield, but freshman running back Jeremiyah Love took a direct snap in a punt formation 34 yards around the right end. Junior running back Audric Estimé scored a touchdown from six yards out two plays later.
Feature performer: Estimé was handed the ball six times in the first quarter. He didn’t take any of his carries for more than six yards, but Notre Dame was clearly making an attempt to feed their biggest, best back the ball early and often.
Stats: Notre Dame outgained Duke 138 to 49 in total yards. The Fighting Irish averaged 6.9 yards per play to the Blue Devils’ 4.5.
Items: Duke missed a 38-yard field goal on its first possession … Irish senior safety Xavier Watts had his second INT of the season … Notre Dame had five penalties in the first quarter; Duke did not have any.
SECOND QUARTER: NOTRE DAME 10, DUKE 0
Top moment: On third and seven early in the frame, graduate student defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste and graduate student linebacker Marist Liufau combined for a sack of Duke quarterback Riley Leonard. The play resulted in a loss of 12 yards and signaled things would not be easy for Leonard all night.
Feature performer: Graduate student Howard Cross III had four of his game-high 13 tackles in the second quarter. He forced a fumble late in the frame, too, and Duke ended up missing a field goal as time expired one snap later.
Stats: Duke outgained Notre Dame 82 to 61 in total yards. The Fighting Irish averaged 5.1 yards per play to the Blue Devils’ 3.9.
Items: Notre Dame graduate student kicker Spencer Shrader made a 35-yard field goal early in the quarter and missed a 37-yarder later on … Irish junior tight end Mitchell Evans had a miraculous one-handed catch for the second week in a row … Notre Dame had two more penalties; Duke had zero.
THIRD QUARTER: NOTRE DAME 13, DUKE 7
Top moment: Duke clawed back into the game with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to make the score 13-7 with 3:36 left in the quarter. At that point, it very much felt like the game was anybody’s to win.
Feature performer: Duke running back Jordan Waters had six carries for 22 yards on the Duke scoring drive. He capped it off with a one-yard touchdown plunge.
Stats: Duke outgained Notre Dame 84 to 62 in total yards. The Blue Devils averaged 4.9 yards per play to the Fighting Irish’s 4.4.
Items: Notre Dame senior wide receiver Chris Tyree nearly lost a fumble diving to field a punt … Shrader made a 45-yarder … The two teams exchanged three-and-outs after the Duke touchdown … the quarter ended with a 16-yard pass from Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman to Evans.
FOURTH QUARTER: NOTRE DAME 21, DUKE 14
Top moment: With Notre Dame trying to run down the clock and set up for a medium-range field goal attempt trailing 14-13, Estimé effectively ended the game himself with a 30-yard touchdown scamper on a play in which he was clearly just trying to center the football at first. Instead, he found himself still churning and eventually standing in the end zone with the ball in his hands with 31 seconds left.
Feature performer: Hartman completed four passes for 52 yards and had a scramble for 17 yards on fourth and 16 on Notre Dame’s game-winning touchdown drive that started at the Irish’s own five-yard line with 2:32 remaining. He also threw a successful two-point conversion to freshman wideout Rico Flores Jr.
Stats: Notre Dame outgained Duke 120 to 108 in total yards. The Fighting Irish averaged 7.1 yards per play to the Blue Devils’ 6.0.
Items: Duke scored a go-ahead touchdown and led for the first time all night with 9:22 left; the Irish went three-and-out on the ensuing drive … On third and four from the Irish 31 with less than three minutes left, the Irish defense swarmed Waters for a loss of two; then the Irish got the ball one last time, and the rest is history.
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