Irish Stormed By 'Canes
I️t was billed as another edition of the legendary Miami-Notre Dame rivalry. I️t was supposed to be one of the best games of the college football seasons. Unfortunately, it turned into a nightmare for the Irish as they were humbled by a score of 41-8 on Saturday night in Coral Gables.
The Irish fell to 7-2 as their playoff hopes essentially disappeared with the blowout loss. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes improved to 9-0 and inched closer to the top four.
Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush had a frustrating night, completing just 10 of 21 passes for 119 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He was replaced by Ian Book in the second quarter and the backup didn’t fare much better, going just three of six for 33 yards and an interception. Heisman Trophy candidate running back Josh Adams was held to just 40 yards on 16 carries while Equanimeous St. Brown was the leading receiver with four receptions for 68 yards.
Miami quartervack Malik Rosier was solid, completing 15 of 24 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown to Braxton Berrios. Rosier also had a rushing touchdown back in the first quarter. Hurricane running back Travis Homer was the game’s leading rusher with 146 yards on 18 carries. Chris Herndon was the Hurricanes' leading receiver with four catches for 30 yards.
It didn't take long for the game to get away from Notre Dame.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Irish pushed the ball into Miami territory, but after three straight incompletions, including a drop by Chase Claypool, Notre Dame was forced to punt.
The Hurricanes took over at their own 11-yard line with 11:48 to go in the first quarter.
A throw-and-catch from Rosier to Jeff Thomas and a carry from Homer got the Hurricanes a first down, but they were forced to punt on their opening drive as well. The Irish took over at their own 22-yard line after the punt with 8:49 remaining in the quarter.
After a Notre Dame three-and-out, the Hurricanes took over at their own 43-yard line thanks to a solid punt return by Berrios. After a few short yardage plays, Rosier completed a screen to Homer for a big gain of 25 yards into Irish territory. The Hurricanes got into the red zone after another short completion. Rosier would find Berrios in the back corner of the end zone to give the Hurricanes a 7-0 lead with 4:01 left in the first quarter.
The Irish began their next drive at their own 25-yard line. The Irish didn’t get anything going and Wimbush was intercepted on third down by Jaquan Johnson giving the Hurricanes the ball in good field position. A reception by Thomas got them into the red zone and Rosier scored himself on the next play to give the Hurricanes a 14-0 advantage with 2:33 left in the quarter.
The Irish began the ensuing drive at their own 15-yard line after a penalty and down big early in the game for the first time all season. A sack by the Hurricanes backed the Irish up and they were forced into yet another three and out, giving the ball back to the Hurricanes. Miami took over at their own 46-yard line after the punt.
A short run by Dallas got the Hurricanes over midfield and then broke free for a 25-yard gain to move the Hurricanes even further down the field. The quarter ended with the Hurricanes threatening to score again. A another QB sneak by Rosier got the Hurricanes into the red zone. The Irish defense came up with a big stop for the first time in the game, forcing the Hurricanes into a field goal. The kick extended the lead to 17-0 with 13:27 left in the first half.
The Irish began their next drive at their own 25-yard line. After a few short runs by Adams, Wimbush came up just a yard short of the first down on third down. The Irish chose to go for it, already down by 17 points. Adams was able to pick it up as they drive was kept alive. Tony Jones Jr. came into the game and had some solid yardage as the Irish started to get into a rhythm. Unfortunately a false start backed the Irish up and they were forced to punt yet again.
The Hurricanes took over at their own 36-yard line after the punt with 11:33 remaining in the half. After a dropped pass on third down, the Irish forced a Miami punt and took over at their own seven-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Wimbush overthrew his receiver and was picked off by Malek Young, giving the Hurricanes the ball inside the red zone.
Luckily, the Irish defense came up with another stop and the Hurricanes settled for another field goal by Badgley to give them a 20-0 lead with 5:56 to play in the first half. The Irish began the next drive at their own 25-yard line as Book came out onto the field for a struggling Wimbush. The Hurricanes forced the Irish into another three and out with outstanding pressure. The Hurricanes took over at their own 33-yard line after the punt.
A nice play action pass got the Hurricanes up to midfield as Rosier continued his strong first half. The first down reception was all the Hurricanes got as they were forced to punt the ball back to the Irish. The ensuing Notre Dame drive started at their own eight-yard line. After a few runs by Adams, Book completed a big throw to Chase Claypool on third down to keep the drive alive and then on the next play found St. Brown down the sideline to get the Irish up to midfield.
A scramble by Book picked up another first down as the Irish offense got into a bit of a rhythm. However on third down, Book was intercepted by Trajan Bandy who took it 65 yards the other way to put the Hurricanes up big, 27-0 with just 22 seconds left in the first half.
Wimbush finished the first half just two of ten for 30 yards and two interceptions and Book was three for six for 33 yards and an interception. Adams finished the half with just 45 yards on 15 carries and St. Brown was the leading receiver with 2 catches for 32 yards.
Meanwhile, Rosier was 11 of 19 for 111 yards and a touchdown through the air. He was also the leading rusher for the Hurricanes with six carries for 36 yards and a touchdown. Herndon was the leading receiver with four receptions for 30 yards.
The Hurricanes began the second half with the ball, starting the drive at their own nine-yard line. A first down run by Homer got the Hurricanes out past their own 20-yard line, giving them some breathing room. A huge burst on the next play by Homer that gained 40 yards, got the Hurricanes into Irish territory. A nice play by Daelin Hayes forced the Hurricanes into a fourth down play but they went for it and a spectacular catch by Lawrence Cager got them into the red zone again.
Dallas punched it in from four yards out on a electrifying run for his first touchdown of his career to up the Hurricane lead to 34-0 with 10:30 to play in the third quarter. Wimbush came out for the next Irish drive as they tried desperately to battle back from the huge deficit. Unfortunately, the Irish went three and out again and the Hurricanes got the ball back still heavily in command.
Already up big midway through the third, the Hurricanes began a drive midway through the third, but The Irish defense had a good defensive drive, not allowing the Hurricanes to get to midfield. The Irish took over at their own 20-yard line after the punt with 4:59 to go in the third.
A Wimbush completion to St. Brown got the Irish to midfield in just two plays. After a sack, Wimbush bounced back and completed a nice throw to Durham Smythe for a first down as the Irish kept the chains moving. A pass to Kevin Stepherson on third down got the Irish into the red zone for the first time in the game. Two plays later, Wimbush found Alize Mack in the end zone to cut the Hurricane lead to 34-8 after a two point conversion with just 12 seconds to go in the quarter.
A huge run by Homer on the first play of the next Miami drive punctuated the quarter, getting the Hurricanes all the way into Irish territory. The Hurricanes continued to march down the field, including picking up a first down on fourth down. The Hurricanes were unable to score on the drive as Michael Badgley missed a 42-yard field goal. The Irish took over at their own 25-yard line with 10:05 remaining in the game.
Dexter Williams was featured on the next drive for the first time in the game and was pretty successful. A few plays after a Williams first down run, Wimbush was sacked and lost the ball and the Hurricanes recovered at the Irish 35-yard line. A quick burst by Homer put the Hurricanes into the red zone once again, looking for the knockout blow. Deejay Dallas delivered that knockout blow with a short touchdown run on fourth down to put the Hurricanes up 41-8 with just four minutes remaining.
The Irish were held to just 109 yards rushing, compared to 237 for the Hurricanes.The Irish committed four turnovers in the game, which was ultimately the biggest factor in the game.
Player of the Game: Rosier. He may not have a had a particularly strong game but he took care of the ball and made the right decisions, leading the Hurricanes to victory.
Unsung Hero(es): The Hurricane defense as a whole was truly the story of the game with four turnovers and a defensive touchdown. The Irish were unable to get anything going all night and as a result were blown away.
Up Next: The Irish wrap up their home slate next Saturday against the Navy Midshipmen at 3:30 P.M.