With a commanding win over slumping Florida State (1-9) on Saturday night in South Bend, No. 10 Notre Dame (8-1) continues to build its College Football Playoff resume. In winning the 12th meeting between the two programs 52-3, the Irish improved to 6-6 all-time against the Seminoles and 4-2 when playing at Notre Dame Stadium. The defeat for Florida State matched the worst regular-season loss in program history. Saturday’s matchup was the first between the two teams in which at least one of the teams was not ranked in the AP Top 25.
Despite a lofty Top 10 pre-season ranking, a talented roster, and head coach Mike Norvell—an offensive tactician—at the helm, Florida State has stumbled badly this season. ACC Champion a year ago, the Seminoles remain on track for the worst season in program history. Head coach Marcus Freeman emphasized to his squad last week not to overlook the Seminoles. Despite a few offensive sputters, Notre Dame had no issues exploiting the overmatched and undermanned Seminoles team that has been decimated by injuries.
“I’m proud of those guys and the way they prepared,” Freeman said at his post-game press conference. “When you watch the film, you know you are going against a talented (Florida State) group. But it could have been easy to overlook those guys because of their record. We have a mature group, a bunch of seniors who are leading this group in the right way.
“I truly believe in my heart that Saturday is a reflection of preparation,” Freeman added. “They are preparing the right way and have the right mentality. And they are going out and playing well. I was proud of the way they played in the second half, being up 21-3. That was a dominant half of football.”
Sack Parade For Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s defensive front dominated the trenches. The elite unit recorded a season-high eight sacks in the game. Senior defensive lineman Rylie Mills led the parade to the quarterback with a career-high three sacks. He also added two other tackles, as well as a quarterback pressure. Donovan Hinish recorded a career-best two sacks in the game. Sophomore Like Talich added another defensive highlight. He capped the scoring for the Irish with a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown in the waning minutes of the game.
Florida State enjoyed its best drive of the game during its first possession. After converting two fourth-and-short runs, the Seminoles had a first-and-goal inside the Irish five-yard line. The Notre Dame red zone defense, however, stepped up and held the Seminoles to a 23-yard field goal, their only score of the game.
All told, the Notre Dame defense held the Florida State quarterbacks—Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek to 10-of-26 for just 88 yards. The Irish sacked Glenn three times and Kromenhoek five times and picked off Glenn twice.
A Knack For the End Zone
The Irish offense was a complete team effort. Riley Leonard and company once again proved unstoppable on the ground. Like he has done all season, Leonard showed off his wheels in the red zone. A willing runner, Leonard weaved in and out of opposing defenders to score a pair of rushing touchdowns. He scored on Notre Dame’s opening drive, rambling 34 yards to put the Irish up 7-0. It marked his 12th rushing touchdown of the season. Leonard scored on the ground from the six-yard line in the third quarter, giving him 13 for the year. Leonard now ranks second on the Notre Dame regular-season list for touchdowns from quarterbacks behind Brandon Wimbush (14 in 2017).
After back-to-back three-and-out drives for the Irish early in the game, running back Jadarian Price sparked the Notre Dame offense. Price broke loose on a 64-yard touchdown run. After breaking through a gaping hole off the left side, Price streaked along the sideline, somehow staying in bounds on a hard hit that launched him into the air near the goal line. The highlight-reel run capped off a 3-play, 83-yard drive that was all Price, who opened the drive with a 17-yard carry. Price finished the contest with 94 yards rushing.
Leonard put the Irish up 21-3 late in the second quarter, connecting with tight end Mitchell Evans for a 12-yard touchdown pass. Leonard, who finished with 215 yards through the air, hit Evans on a fade route in the end zone. It was Mitchell’s first touchdown catch of the season. Jaden Greathouse led the team with a career-high five receptions for 66 yards. Speaking of a knack for the end zone, running back Jeremiyah Love scored a rushing touchdown against the Seminoles. Remarkably, Love has now scored in every game this season.
Notre Dame, Florida State Takeaways
A team with nothing to lose is almost always dangerous. A team as talented as Florida State would have liked nothing more than to play the role of spoiler to knock off Notre Dame. It wasn’t to be. Decimated by injuries, the Seminoles could not stop Leonard and the Irish playmakers. The Fighting Irish should now be firmly positioned in the playoff hunt, assuming they win out.
Since the surprising loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2, the Irish have outscored opponents by an average of 44-9 in the seven games since. Notre Dame’s winning streak has not gone unnoticed. ESPN updated its Football Power Index (FPI) on Sunday morning. The ranking moves Notre Dame into the fourth slot nationally, up one place from the previous week. The movement nudged Notre Dame past Georgia, which fell from No. 4 to No. 6 after losing to Ole Miss on Saturday.
Following their dominant victory over Florida State, Notre Dame is a serious playoff contender. The Irish offense can be explosive. The defense is stifling. If Notre Dame can work on being more consistent on offense and not waste any drives, Freeman’s squad could be a force in the postseason. The Irish now turn their attention to Virginia (5-4) at home next week. Notre Dame will look to keep their momentum rolling as they march towards a potential playoff berth.
