Notre Dame football honored its senior class in its final home game of the regular season, hoping to take another step closer to a potential return to the stadium in the postseason. The 29 seniors celebrated with a 35-14 victory over Virginia to help the Irish improve to 9-1 and extend their win streak to eight.
Former Irish transfer Chris Tyree fumbles the opening kickoff
After winning the coin toss, Notre Dame elected to defer and let its defense set the tone. But after former Irish wide receiver Chris Tyree muffed the opening kickoff into the hands of graduate cornerback Max Hurleman, it was the Irish offense that saw the field first. Since Tyree called a fair catch, rendering the fumble unreturnable, the ball was placed at the Virginia 25-yard line. From there, Jeremiyah Love and the Notre Dame offense wasted no time capitalizing on the early opportunity. After Love gained a first down, a roughing the passer penalty kept the drive alive, setting up the sophomore running back to punch in his 11th rushing touchdown of the season, extending his streak of scoring in every game.
Fumble stifles Virginia’s best offensive opportunity of the half
After a cagey defensive first half marked by several three-and-outs on both sides, Hurleman found himself on the other end of a special teams miscue, muffing a punt to set up the Cavalier offense on Notre Dame’s 42-yard line. After a 15-yard first-down rush from Xavier Brown, his backfield partner Kobe Pace looked to have broken out another chunk run putting Virginia in the red zone for the first time all game. However, a big hit delivered by graduate safety Rod Heard II at the end of the play dislodged the ball, which was secured by graduate safety Xavier Watts. The crushing turnover provided much-needed momentum for the Irish, as they put together nine plays for 88 yards and a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Before that score, the group had sputtered out the gate, keeping the game at 7-0 for the entire first quarter after the opening-drive touchdown.
Irish defense overwhelms Virginia, leading to instant offense
Notre Dame’s defense dominated the first half, with Al Golden’s unit holding the Cavaliers to a mere 153 yards of total offense while keeping them scoreless. The forced turnovers headlined the performance, however. The Irish managed to pick off starting quarterback Anthony Colandrea three times, two of which led directly to Irish touchdowns. Sophomore safety Adon Shuler grabbed the first and returned it to the 1-yard line. From there, it took one play, a play-action toss to sophomore tight end Cooper Flanagan, to make it 21-0 Notre Dame. On the following drive, freshman cornerback Leonard Moore made an impressive adjustment to intercept Colandrea for the second time. Notre Dame started on the Virginia 32-yard line, where it needed three plays to punch it in, senior quarterback Riley Leonard connecting with senior tight end Mitchell Evans, who leapt over a defender en route to the end zone. Watts would make it three in a row on the next drive, getting his second takeaway of the game. With under 30 seconds remaining in the half, the Irish were unable to capitalize as sophomore kicker Marcello Diomede misfired on a 54-yard field-goal attempt. The turnovers ignited Notre Dame's offense, allowing the team to seize control of the game. After the score sat at 7-0 for the whole first quarter, the Irish finished the second with a commanding 28-0 lead, all three touchdowns coming off of turnovers created by the defense.
Love shoots out of a cannon for his second touchdown of the day
After extending his streak of scoring a touchdown in every game on the opening drive, Jeremiyah Love found the end zone for a second time after exploding for a 76-yard touchdown run. The score removed any lingering doubts early in the second half, increasing the Irish advantage to 35-0. Love finished the day with 137 rushing yards on 16 attempts to go with the pair of touchdowns and showcased his game-breaking speed. On his long dash to the end zone, he only needed a sliver of space to break the Cavalier defense open. The sophomore star continues to be a dangerous weapon for this Irish offense, instilling fear in opposing defenses with his game-breaking ability.
Leonard spreads the love as the offense finds its footing
While quarterback Riley Leonard and the offense were far from perfect on Saturday, the senior transfer continued to spread the ball to his full selection of receiving options all game. Leonard finished 22 for 33 for 214 yards and three touchdowns, earning himself a 145.1 QB rating. In the process, 11 different Irish players caught passes. His interception was a rare mistake, it only being his second since the two-interception performance against Northern Illinois. He also strung together nine completions in a row after the slow first-quarter start. Leonard's steady improvement and growing chemistry with receivers and tight ends have driven consistent team success. Performances like this showcase both the team’s high ceiling and its reliable foundation — hallmarks of a postseason contender.
