Instant Reaction | Notre Dame 42 FSU 13
Tonight was a throwback game in more ways than one. It wasn’t just the first time Florida State came to Notre Dame since 1993, but the game played out how many games played out for the Irish last year. (Edit: I blocked 2003 out of my mind. Probably because I try to never think of anything to do with the Tyrone years after Julius Jones and the 2002 team)
There was a dominant run game and a roller coaster experience from the the quarterback position that could have fooled everyone into thinking it was 2017 all over again.
Notre Dame had to go back to winning that way in this 10th game of 2018. And, what do you know, it worked!
It was a pretty great Senior Day for the Irish as several players stepped up. They needed to for this game to end up like it did and it’s the latest example that this Irish squad is different than other recent Notre Dame teams that were contenders.
- Brandon Wimbush is not Ian Book and they didn’t need him to be that. They needed Wimbush to be the 2017 Wimbush to win this game and he was.
He moved the sticks with his legs. He gave his receivers a chance in the red zone. He was the same guy who led the Irish to a 8-1 start last fall. That also meant he was the guy who stared down his receivers and forced his receivers to make some great catches. But that’s who he is. There is good and there is bad.
The good was good enough, which is exactly what Notre Dame needed. Just be good enough. He was and I’m really happy he had some nice moments on Senior Day.
- The real difference on the day was the running game. Hands up if you were expecting the Irish to have a breakthrough running the ball tonight?
(No hands go up)
That’s what I thought.
They ran for 365 yards (7.3 yards per carry). Syracuse ran for 222 against Florida State, but that was averaging 3.89 YPC. Not one team had run for 4.0 or better against FSU all season. The Irish obliterated their run defense, which came into the game giving up only 2.84 YPC.
Those numbers wouldn’t have looked nearly as good without the threat of Wimbush or without Dexter Williams having a phenomenal game. He balled out.
The way he accelerated through the hole and finished runs made the difference from this being a good game running the ball for Notre Dame to a great one.
It was an inspired performance from the offensive line as well. I don’t know if it was the weather, the early turnovers, or the entire season that had them beat down, but the Irish ran it down Florida State’s throat in the second half. FSU had zero tackles for loss.
- I really liked Chip Long being aggressive early calling those deep balls from Wimbush even if he wasn’t hitting them. I wasn’t the biggest fan of him coming out throwing the football in the 3rd quarter after Wimbush threw that first pick.
It didn’t ultimately matter in the end, but the Irish were running the ball pretty well at that time. It was rectified on the next drive where they drove 97 yards gaining it all on the ground. It just would have been nice if it didn’t take that second pick to start doing that.
- Those touchdown catches by Alize Mack is what everyone has been waiting for his entire career at Notre Dame. That’s the kind of ability he has and he has shown flashes here and there in games, but nothing like that. It was nice to see him make the most out of his Senior Day.
- It was great for Nick Coleman to have a moment with his first career interception as well. That didn’t magically solve everything at nickel when it happened, but for someone who has had ups and downs during his time at ND, it seemed right that the ball bounced his way.
- I'm really glad the people reviewing that Jalen Elliott hit did the right thing and took that targeting call back. They did a great job on the telecast explaining why it wasn't targeting too.
- The Irish played most of the game to take away the deep ball from FSU and it was a smart decision to make. They threw for over 400 last week and many of those yards came from Tamorrion Terry. The ND corners held him in check and they often had help over the top.
It forced Deondre Francois to throw underneath often or settle for singles rather than hitting homeruns.
- Terry didn’t really help Francois out with a couple of drops. Their receivers as a whole dropped too many balls. Then again, they made some impressive catches as well. It’s pretty much been the story of their season.
Francois made some “wow” throws. He also made some puzzling ones and should have been sacked much more than once. He threw the ball away a ton. In the end he threw it 47 times, but averaged only 4.6 yards per attempt.
- I think we saw the talent that Cam Akers and Jacques Patrick have if they have some space to work with. They could be great if they were running behind a better line.
FSU had most of their success running the ball when they spread things out with super wide alignment with their receivers and Notre Dame has playing only five in the box. The Seminoles ran it when they saw that and hit for a couple of nice runs because of it.
- Although Notre Dame did generate some pressure with four in the first half, they weren’t hitting Francois enough on those 3rd downs. I don’t want to say he felt comfortable in the pocket, but he wasn’t pulling back like he was in the second half where he was often letting the ball go off his back foot.
Lea blitzed more in this game than he probably has all season. It led to that Drue Tranquill sack and definitely made Francois uneasy.
- It was a good win and a good reminder of how great Book has been. It’s also the type of game that should make everyone think about the possibilities of running the ball closer to how they did tonight combined with how Book can win from the pocket.
If the Irish were to put that together, that changes things in terms of competing against Playoff caliber defenses. Maybe it was just one great night against a beaten down team. Or maybe it was a glimmer of what’s to come.