On Senior Day in South Bend, Notre Dame seniors led the way for the Fighting Irish in a romping 35-14 victory over Virginia (5-5). In Saturday’s regular-season home finale, No. 8 Notre Dame (9-1) capitalized on five Virginia turnovers. With the win, Notre Dame is now 5-0 all-time against Virginia and 2-0 at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish improved to 103-25-5 all-time on Senior Day (3-0 under head coach Marcus Freeman) and they have won the last eight final homes of the season.
“It was a great win, a great team victory,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said to open his post-game press conference. “It is what we aspired to do all week for our seniors on Senior Night. This was the night that we said was Senior Night, the last guaranteed opportunity for our seniors to play at this stadium. It was important that we achieved team glory. I told them in the locker room, ‘Well fix the film. There are always plays to fix. We’ll evaluate it and figure out the whys, but enjoy this victory and heal up.’
“We have to continue to improve as we go through the season,” Freeman continued. “That’s the ultimate challenge. We can’t look at outcomes. We have to evaluate everything and continue to find ways to improve and get ready for our next opponent.”
Notre Dame’s Dominating Defense Leads The Way
The Irish started fast for a change courtesy of its special teams unit and former Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Tyree, who transferred to Virginia. Tyree muffed the opening kickoff, which was recovered by the Irish at the 25-yard line. The turnover led to a Jeremiyah Love touchdown five plays later.
The Notre Dame defense forced five turnovers that led to four touchdowns. Among the highlights, Xavier Watts intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble, while Adon Shuler and Leonard Moore also snagged interceptions for the Irish. It was the third interception of the year for Shuler and second for Moore.
Al Golden’s defense held Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea to just 8-of-21 passing for 69 yards. The Irish defense intercepted Colandrea a total of three times. Tony Muskett started the second half at quarterback for the Cavaliers. Muskett completed 9-of-14 throws for 103 yards and was sacked twice. Malachi Fields was the leading receiver for Virginia. He caught four passes for 81 yards.
“When your defense is playing as well as we’re playing, it allows you to still be in the game and be in a position to win, maybe when you weren’t having the success you want offensively to start the game,” Freeman said. “And, so, the defense is doing a heck of a job, and the offense is doing a good job, man,”
Irish Offense Clicking Except For The Lapses
Despite sluggishness, too many three-and-out drives (four straight in the first half), and dropped balls downfield, the Irish offense raced to a 35-0 lead. Senior quarterback Riley Leonard was efficient through the air, completing 22-of-33 for 214 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw one interception. With the game never in question, Notre Dame utilized a balanced attack to defeat Virginia. Leonard’s three touchdown passes came in the first half. He hit Jayden Harrison with an 8-yard strike. He found Cooper Flanagan with a 2-yard toss into the end zone. And he connected with Mitchell Evans on a 16-yard scoring pass.
All told the Irish offense amassed 448 yards of total offense to 300 total yards for Virginia. Notre Dame racked up 21 first downs to Virginia’s 15.
Jack Kiser Makes History
Senior linebacker Jack Kiser cemented his name in the Notre Dame record books on Saturday. Suiting up for his 63rd appearance in a Notre Dame uniform, Kiser passed Houston Griffith (62, 2018-22) for the Notre Dame record of career games played.
“It’s not easy,” Kiser said of the record at his post-game press conference. “There are a lot of people that go into me stepping on the field 63 times. The trainers, family, teammates, strength coaches, other coaches, there’s a lot of people that play into that.
“Bring able to suit up and play with your brothers, that’s important,” Kiser added. “To do it that many times is an extreme honor. That’s the best thing about the record. It’s not a me thing, it’s a we thing.”
As for the performance of the defense against Virginia, Kiser said, “Guys were flying around, guys were seeing their keys and making plays. It makes playing ball fun and it makes you hungry to get back out there. When those short series happen, you want to get right back out there. We were flying around and having a lot of fun out there tonight.”
Love Leaves Cavaliers In The Dust
Love posted his third 100-yard rushing game of the season and of his collegiate career. He finished with a career-best 135 yards on 16 carries. Love scored two touchdowns, punctuated by a highlight-reel 76-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The dynamic runner has now scored in every game (10) this season. Love’s streak matches Autry Denson’s run of 10 straight games with a rushing touchdown in 1998. The Notre Dame record is 11 by Wayne Bullock from 1973-74.
“I just trusted my O-line,” said Love of his electrifying 76-yard scoring run at his post-game press conference. “I trusted they would get the job done. Once I saw the hole, I hit it. I have breakaway speed, (so) it was a track meet after that.”
In commenting on the offense’s early struggles after scoring on the first drive, Love said, “We stay patient. We take it one play at a time. If a play doesn’t work out well and we don’t execute, It’s on to the next play. We do that whether it’s a good play or a bad play. It’s in the past. Every series, that’s how we go forward.”
With Work to Do, Notre Dame Eyes Undefeated Army
Having comfortably secured their eighth straight win, the Irish will spend the next week preparing to face undefeated No. 16 Army (9-0) in New York. Against Virginia, the Irish defense once again proved to be a formidable force. They stifled Virginia and forced turnovers. The offense, led by a balanced attack, controlled the trenches and efficiently moved the ball down the field. As Notre Dame turns its attention to the Black Knights, a tough, disciplined team, the Irish will need to bring their A-game to Yankee Stadium in yet another must-win game.
Notre Dame’s dominating victory over Virginia sent the team’s senior class out on a high note. The win showcased the explosive potential that has defined Notre Dame’s season. However, as the Irish look ahead, it’s clear that consistency remains a challenge. To secure a coveted home playoff game and ultimately an opportunity to pursue a national championship, the Irish must harness their offensive firepower to deliver peak performances against Army and USC to close out the season.
“Let’s go to work,” Freeman said at his press conference. “Let’s give this program a chance to play in this stadium one more time.”
