Notre Dame Takes Out Army 49-14 in Top 25 Clash
BRONX, N.Y. - Jeremiyah Love is so fast he basically put an end to the Notre Dame-Army game here at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night before most fans could get back to their seats from halftime.
The 68-yard burst on the first play of the third quarter was the Irish’s running back’s third touchdown of the game and put the Irish ahead by four scores, helping lead them to a 49-14 victory.
It was the first loss of the season for #19 Army, which had won every game by double-digits coming into Saturday.
The win moved Notre Dame to 10-1 on the season. The Irish’s ninth straight win sets them up with a “win and you’re in” regular season finale at USC next week. Notre Dame sits at #6 in the most recent College Football Playoff standings and a win against their cross-country rival will virtually assure the Irish of a home playoff game in the first season of the 12-team format.
As they’ve done in all but one of their games during the win streak, the Irish turned this one into a laugher early. After going into the half with a 28-7 lead, Love’s lightning strike put the Irish up 35-7 immediately into the second half.
The Irish defense turned Army over on downs on each of the next two possessions. Although Mitch Jeter’s field goal attempt was blocked after the first turnover, backup quarterback Steve Angeli led the Irish on an eight-play, 57-yard touchdown drive on the next, which was capped by a 10-yard JD Price run to put them up 42-7 with less than a minute to play in the third.
The Irish would again turn Army over on downs the next possession and Aneyas Williams broke off a 58-yard touchdown run on the very next play, giving them a 49-7 lead.
Army drove down the field late and scored from a yard out in the final minute to provide the final score.
Quarterback Riley Leonard and Love were pulled midway through the third with the game out of reach. Leonard finished with 148 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 10 of 13 passes. Love only needed seven carries to tally 130 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a six-yard touchdown pass.
The Irish held dangerous Army quarterback Bryson Daily to just 26 passing yards. Daily did manage 129 rushing yards, but the vast majority of that production came when the game was well out of reach, against Irish reserves.
Notre Dame took control from the start, but it wasn’t until Love’s third score that it was really put away.
After the Irish forced a punt on the game’s opening possession, Notre Dame’s offense went to work. The Irish cruised 68 yards in five plays with Love picking up 22 yards on two carries while Leonard connected on all three of his pass attempts, including a 28-yard scoring strike to Jordan Faison to put Notre Dame up 7-0 five minutes into the game.
Notre Dame forced another three-and-out on Army’s second possession and then freshman Bryce Young blocked the ensuing punt attempt, which was scooped up and returned to the five-yard-line by Christian Gray.
Leonard found Love out of the backfield on third down and Love floated over an Army defender and into the end zone to give the Irish a 14-0 lead with 6:30 remaining in the first quarter.
Army moved the ball into Notre Dame territory for the first time after a facemask penalty on its third drive. The Black Knights converted a 4th and short when they drew the Irish offside to get inside the 30 and then pushed into the red zone two plays later. An illegal hands to the face penalty set Army up with a 1st and goal and Daily dove in from four yards out on the next play to make it 14-7 just a minute into the second quarter.
The Irish offense went right back to work with another impressive drive, but were stopped on four straight runs from inside the five, turning the ball over to Army midway through the second.
The Irish defense forced another three-and-out and took over at the Army 41 to begin their next drive six minutes before the half. Love did it himself from there, carrying the ball three straight times for 41 yards and a 14-yard touchdown scamper. Jeter’s PAT put Notre Dame up 21-7 with 4:35 left in the half.
Yet another three-and-out by the Black Knights set the Irish up with good field position again for their final drive of the half. This time it was Leonard’s turn. The Irish quarterback connected two passes for 35 yards and then converted a 3rd and long on a draw play to get to the one-yard-line. After Leonard was stopped twice at the goal line, Price took it around the left edge for the score that put Notre Dame up 28-7, a lead it would take into intermission.
It looked like the Irish would add to the lead when Daily fumbled on Army’s next play and Jack Kiser recovered for the Irish at the 44 with 19 seconds left. But Jeter’s 47-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds fell short.
Leonard finished the half 9-for-11 for 130 yards and two passing touchdowns. Leonard spread the ball around, connecting with eight different receivers in the first two quarters. Love had 62 yards and a score on six carries and another touchdown on a six-yard reception.
Daily was held to 61 yards on 14 carries in the first half and just two yards passing.
Aside from the 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, Army was limited to 10 total yards in the first half.
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