Following a pregame fireworks display that lit up the stadium, the Notre Dame football team wasted no time in delivering fireworks of their own on the field.
Less than two minutes after the start of the game, Riley Leonard ran one into the end zone for the Irish. The first play of the game, a pass to graduate wideout Beaux Collins, fell incomplete, but that was the only miscue of the drive. The senior quarterback hit freshman running back Aneyas Williams for 28 yards on third down before running it in from 34 yards himself.
On their opening possession, Florida State's offense looked unusually comfortable, orchestrating a methodical 16-play, 75-yard drive that drained nearly eight minutes off the clock. Graduate linebacker Jack Kiser almost put an end to the drive with a forced fumble, but the runner was ruled down after replay. After taking a sack on third and goal, the Seminoles settled for a field goal.
The teams exchanged punts before Notre Dame got the ball back with less than three minutes to go in the first quarter on the 21-yard line. But the Irish would go three-and-out quickly. Sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love lost one yard on first down. On second down, junior back Jadarian Price lost two on a rush along the sideline. An inaccurate deep ball from Leonard cemented the three-and-out.
On the next Irish drive, Price bursted for a gain of 17, giving the Irish a bit of momentum going into the second quarter. That momentum set up an explosive 65-yard touchdown run by Price to give Notre Dame a 14-3 advantage. Price was originally ruled out of bounds three yards out of the end zone, but a replay revealed impressive footwork to stay in bounds.
Florida State regained some offensive rhythm in the second quarter before Notre Dame's defense responded firmly, ultimately stalling the drive. During the sequence, graduate defensive tackle Howard Cross III went down with an injury before walking off under his own power. Amid growing concerns about the health of the Notre Dame defense, graduate defensive tackle Rylie Mills recorded back-to-back sacks, allowing Leonard and the offense to take the field again.
Notre Dame was unable to do anything with the ball and gave it back to the Seminoles, but sophomore safety Adon Shuler would get a hand on the ensuing punt (though it was not called a block), and Notre Dame would take over on the 50-yard line, its best starting field position of the night. Leonard then kept it for a 7-yard rush. Several plays later, Leonard aimed for junior tight end Eli Raridon, and pass interference was called to get the Irish a fresh set of downs. After the drive stalled out, graduate kicker Mitch Jeter’s field-goal attempt went no good from 42 yards out.
The Irish’s next drive seemed destined to end with another long field-goal attempt by Jeter. However, following a Florida State timeout, Notre Dame reconsidered and decided to go for it. Leonard connected with sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison for a 22-yard gain, setting up several plays later a 12-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Mitchell Evans.
Florida State appeared ready with a fresh strategy after halftime, but graduate nickelback Jordan Clark swiftly derailed their efforts, intercepting Brock Glenn’s pass and setting the Irish up at the 40-yard line. Six plays later, Leonard ran it in for Notre Dame’s fourth touchdown of the night.
The Irish were pretty dominant on defense during Florida State’s next possession, racking up several sacks and really getting the crowd involved in the game. Ball back in hand, Leonard rushed and then threw deep for graduate wide receiver Jayden Harrison, who caught it for a 26-yard gain. Leonard was roughed on the play and the Irish moved even closer to scoring. However, the Seminoles defense got a stop and the Irish had to settle for a Jeter field goal.
On what turned out to be Leonard’s final drive of the game, he led the Irish right down the field with some help from Love and sophomore wideout Jaden Greathouse, who drew a pass interference flag and then caught a 26-yard pass to set the Irish up at the 1. Love handled it from there and increased Notre Dame’s lead to 35.
After that, it was Steve Angeli’s turn. The junior quarterback hit junior running back Justin Fisher for 16 yards on his first pass attempt of the day. Connecting with several different receivers, Angeli eventually found graduate wideout Deion Colzie for another Notre Dame touchdown.
With just over four minutes remaining, Florida State regained possession, hoping to put some points on the board. Glenn led a promising drive upfield, but sophomore safety Luke Talich intercepted a pass and returned it 79 yards for the final touchdown of the night.
After the game, head coach Marcus Freeman was proud of the way his guys played.
“[I'm] proud of those guys — proud of the way they prepared. As you watch film, you know you’re going against a talented group, but it could have been easy to overlook those guys in terms of preparation because of their record, but we have a mature group. We have a bunch of seniors who are continuing to lead this group in the right way.”
Notre Dame delivered a commanding performance, especially in the second half. A 52-3 victory — even against a team like Florida State — was a statement win.
