No. 17 Notre Dame shakes off sluggish start with win over Miami (Ohio)

Riley Leonard accounted for 297 yards total offense and three touchdowns as No. 17 Notre Dame shook off a sluggish offensive start to beat Miami (Ohio) 28-3 on Saturday.

Leonard capped the Fighting Irish (3-1) scoring when he raced 50 yards up the middle for a score with 5:39 left in the game. He finished his day with 143 yards rushing on 12 carries and scored two touchdowns. Leonard connected on 12 of 25 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown.

Haunted by off-target passes and penalties, Notre Dame found itself trailing 3-0 early in the second quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Miami’s Dom Dzioban.

The Fighting Irish, who lost 16-14 to Northern Illinois in their previous home game, were booed by the crowd a couple of times during the first three drives as they twice went three-and-out and turned it over on downs.

But the Irish woke up offensively late in the half. Leonard marched the offense 87 yards in 10 plays and took the ball to the end zone on a zig-zagging eight-yard run with 3:33 left in the second quarter.

After a Miami punt, Notre Dame only needed 56 seconds to add to the lead. Leonard launched a perfect strike to Beaux Collins, who made an over-the-shoulder 38-yard touchdown catch with 1:05 left in the second quarter to give the Irish a 14-3 halftime lead.

Notre Dame fumbled and punted on its first two second-half possessions before a leaping interception by Christian Gray put the ball back in the hands of the Irish offense at their own 40. That set up a Jeremiyah Love’s 15-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 21-3.

Notre Dame’s defense made sure the RedHawks (0-3) weren’t able to gain any separation after their early lead.

Junior Tuihalamaka picked off a Miami pass broken up by Gray to end a RedHawk threat that reached the Notre Dame 5 in the first quarter. Notre Dame also forced a turnover on downs at its 36 in the first.

In his first career start, defensive lineman Boubacar Traore had two sacks, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry — all in the first half.

The Takeaway

One week after piling up 42 points in the first half in a 66-7 victory at Purdue, Notre Dame managed only 40 yards combined on its first three drives against Miami (Ohio). Notre Dame has work to do on establishing continuity on offense in order to push its way back into the College Football Playoff conversation.

Poll Implications

Notre Dame will likely stay in the Top 20, but don’t expect a major jump after early struggles against a Miami team still in search of its first victory.

Up Next

Notre Dame: Hosts No. 19 Louisville on Saturday, Sept. 28

Miami (Ohio): Hosts UMass on Saturday, Sept. 28