Notre Dame Combating Irish defensive lineman Jayson Ademilola (57) stops Brigham Younger Cougars operating again Lopini Katoa (4) on a failed fourth-and-1 try, successfully ending the Cougars’ makes an attempt at a comeback within the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. Spenser Heaps, Deseret Information
Notre Dame owned two large numbers within the Shamrock Collection 28-20 win over BYU, and each had been exacerbated by a gradual begin for the Cougars for the fourth time in a row this season.
Sluggish begin?
This time, BYU’s offense was virtually invisible the primary half, swarmed over by Notre Dame’s protection after which drowned in their very own puddle of jitters.
The large numbers?
Third down conversions and complete variety of performs run from the road of scrimmage.
Notre Dame transformed 11 of 16 third downs and stored BYU’s offense on the sidelines, a recipe in all of BYU’s losses the previous two seasons.
BYU transformed simply 3 of 9 third downs.
Notre Dame ran 73 performs to BYU’s 46.
“That isn’t going to get it executed,” mentioned BYU head coach Kalani Sitake.
Notre Dame hogged the ball for 41 minutes whereas BYU had the ball for simply 19.
“We couldn’t get sufficient momentum to get ultimately zone,” Sitake mentioned. “Credit score Notre Dame as a result of they did. We didn’t play constant soccer, and that's my duty to repair it.”
Over its final two video games, BYU has averaged solely 20 offensive performs in every 1st half (19 v, USU; 21 v. ND).
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) October 9, 2022
In my estimation earlier than kickoff, BYU had an enormous benefit in quarterback Jaren Corridor. His accuracy, calm, poise, chemistry together with his receivers and talent to learn defenses ought to have been the catalyst to ignite BYU to factors and make Notre Dame chase the Cougar factors.
That by no means took off. Corridor handed the ball simply 17 occasions and accomplished simply 9 of them. To lose to Notre Dame by simply eight factors with Corridor finishing simply 9 balls?
Notre Dame got here in ninety fifth in go effectivity protection, but confronted simply 17 BYU passes to defend. Give it some thought.
Oh, BYU did gallantly make it a sport, racing again from a 25-6 deficit to come back inside hanging distance for a win late, but it surely was an excessive amount of to do too late.
That died twice. The primary on a dropped sideline go midway by way of the fourth quarter with the Cougars driving desperately to sneak again and take the lead, trailing 25-20.
Puka Nacua had it in his fingers to increase the late drive, and with BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick screaming at officers on the sideline for a holding name when Nacua broke again for the ball, the pigskin squirted out of each his arms and fingers to the bottom.
BYU’s comeback died proper there.
The second time got here with sufficient minutes within the sport to attain and tie it up with a 2-point conversion. Going through a fourth and 1 to maintain that drive alive, Notre Dame stuffed an inside run play by Lopini Katoa.
Sport over.
“This was a sport that we regarded ahead to all week,” mentioned Corridor. “It was one different alternative to battle again from final week and after we didn’t have our greatest exhibiting so you already know, the chance was there for us. We simply let it slip by way of our fingers and simply didn’t make sufficient performs. So it’s very irritating.
“It breaks your coronary heart. We like to win. That’s why I play this sport, however generally in shedding you come up brief, so we received to battle again and it’ll be a testomony of what we’re product of as a group.”
Kody Epps caught 4 of Corridor’s 9 completions for 100 yards and two touchdowns. No different BYU receiver had a couple of catch.
ALL. THE. WAY. @EppsKody 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/4uronJNgh1
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 9, 2022
Notre Dame tight finish Michael Mayer, the best participant to ever play that place in storied South Bend, caught 11 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns to steer the Combating Irish.
He made sophomore QB Drew Pyne’s work simple — him and a three-heading operating again assault that wore down BYU’s protection.
“Their tight finish is a good participant,” mentioned Sitake. “They did some issues defensively in opposition to our offense that labored of their favor. Scoring 20 isn't going to do it for us, so we’ve received to repair it, get higher (and) have a fantastic angle about it.”
Corridor’s first throw on the primary play of the sport was intercepted by Notre Dame. That set the tone of the sport and primarily rattled the normally unflappable Corridor. He actually by no means recovered till the second half.
Corridor tried simply 4 go performs till a futile fury to finish the primary half, then he solely had seven tries as BYU managed simply 21 complete performs.
It was the same begin to the sport witnessed in opposition to Oregon, Wyoming and Utah State. Due to the distinction in performs and third downs, Notre Dame merely wore down BYU’s protection and waited out BYU’s offense.
“These silly errors, particularly with personnel, can’t occur,” mentioned Sitake of getting caught with not having sufficient gamers on the sector and never having the suitable gamers on the sector at occasions.
It pressured him to take some timeouts.
“That’s teaching,” he mentioned. “That's on our teaching employees to repair. That is Sport 6 and that shouldn’t occur and we have to repair it.”
Sitake mentioned if his group had extra constant play in all three phases, it will have had a greater likelihood to win on Saturday.
“It's my job to get us prepared,” he mentioned.
Up subsequent for 4-2 BYU is Arkansas in Provo, recent off a loss to Mississippi State and Mike Leach.
It should take a variety of love and study come Monday to tackle that task.