Notre Dame's noisy practices set stage for Doerer; injury, replay notes

It was, essentially, the first sell-out crowd inside Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium, fully lathered on a Sunday night, made-for-tv-broadcast affair featuring the host Seminoles and visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame All-American safety Kyle Hamilton, he of two interceptions and generally transcendent play across four quarters and overtime preceding his appearance, said the Irish's practices had been louder.

At least when coach Brian Kelly tormented place-kicker Jonathan Doerer as Doerer prepped for the Seminoles' ever-raucous environment.

Doerer delivered – twice – and his last field goal, with no time on the clock because the game had shifted to overtime and with a win somersaulting in the balance off his foot, made Notre Dame a 41-38 victor.

“I was so confident he was going to make that,” Hamilton said postgame. “Coach Kelly's been blasting that fight song in our ear all week long. He's made multiple kicks from that distance and further in practice. Honestly, I felt like it was quieter when he actually kicked it than when Coach Kelly was playing it. It's a little much in practice, but it prepared him for the situation, obviously. That's just such a great way for him to build confidence coming into the season.”

A year after Doerer hit pivotal field goals in the Irish's regular-season upset of then-No. 1 Clemson but also finished the year just 15-for-23 on field goals, Doerer hit both treys Sunday night and also buried each of his five extra-point attempts.

New Irish quarterback Jack Coan, similar to Hamilton, professed utmost confidence in Doerer.

“I trust him,” Coan said. “He's our guy, and I knew he was going to knock it through and he did.

“Unbelievable job by him.”

INJURY UPDATES

Irish coach Brian Kelly said the team's medical staff did not believe it was any sort of structural damage to the knee of freshman phenom offensive tackle Blake Fisher, who did not play in the second half.

Kelly said there was no ACL or MCL damage and rather called Fisher's knee injury a “strain.”

However, Kelly said Paul Moala – seen in a walking boot on the sideline – would require an MRI upon his return to South Bend.

“It didn't look good for Paul,” Kelly said. “The big guy, Blake, strain. We felt like that there was no ligament involvement there, looks like a knee strain. (Kevin) Baumann leg injury, gonna have to be X-rayed tonight when we get back. (Shayne) Simon had a shoulder.”

FLAGS OF DISARRAY

Notre Dame saw a trio of plays called one way, seemingly correctly and coincidentally to the benefit of the Irish, go the other way after either referee discussion and/or replay review, all in the second half.

The first play occurred on the kickoff, when Florida State's return man was ruled to have fumbled the ball and Notre Dame's Simon had recovered possession.

The ball-carrier might have been down before the ball jarred loose, but the broadcast did not seem to reveal clear evidence to favor reversing the call – a sentiment the TV crew noted.

However, FSU retained possession.

Later, Notre Dame punter Jay Bramblett appeared to be roughed by a Seminoles defender, hit hard in his extended leg, but officials ruled only a 5-yard, running into the kicker penalty that did not award Notre Dame a first down.

Finally, in overtime, and perhaps most egregiously, Noles QB McKenzie Milton faced tremendous pressure from JD Bertrand and the Irish defense. Milton tried to tuck in the football and reset, only he lost control of the ball and dropped it onto the ground. Milton pounced on the ball in the moment, as he treated it like a fumble.

Irish defenders scrambled to recover as well.

FSU called timeout, and challenged the play. Coach Mike Norvell contended that Milton had thrown an incomplete pass – in the pocket, surrounded by Irish defenders, which perhaps could have been an intentional grounding (maybe that's an entirely different basis for an argument).

Officials reversed the on-field call, agreed it was an incomplete pass and moved possession forward 12 yards for FSU's attempted field goal. Ryan Fitzgerald then missed from 38 yards instead of 50 – the 50 yards he drilled his attempt from as FSU called timeout to issue the challenge.

“What do you have to do to get a roughing the kicker call? The guy got spun around,” Kelly said. “I guess you just don't protect them anymore.

“How was that absolutely conclusive evidence (on the kickoff fumble/non-fumble)? I just don't … look. Jack pays all my fines. It's not that bad.”

Kelly said regardless those calls, the Irish found an immediate need for an improved ground game.

“You saw it, we were just a fingertip away from controlling it,” he said. “We're first-and-5; we've gotta convert that. …

“You're not going to get by running for 65 yards. That's not good enough.”