The home opener went according to plan over the weekend with a big win for Notre Dame.
The Irish opened as 35-point favorites but won by 52 points over a completely over matched New Mexico team, 66-14.
Admittedly, the first five minutes looked underwhelming as the opening drive came down to a fourth down conversion attempt, which received a favorable spot and still ended without any points.
As the game progressed, head coach Brian Kelly opened up the playbook and erupted for 591 total yards of offense.
Spreading The Wealth
From there, Notre Dame blew the game wide-open getting contributions from jack-of-all-trades Avery Davis and senior wide receiver Javon McKinley taking control of the New Mexico Lobos with a 31 point second quarter.
After the half, it was more of the same. Quarterback Ian Book finished the game with a career high five touchdown passes and added a rushing touchdown as well. The passing attack was on display all game and Book really shared the rock completing passes to ten different players.
Kyle Hamilton
The Fighting Irish defense came up huge on the heels of standout freshmen safety Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton jumped a whip/out route – defensive end Daelin Hayes
got one of his big hands on the pass and Hamilton was in the right place at the right time taking it to the house for his first career interception at Notre Dame. Considering it is only his second game, this kid has our attention.
.@NDFootball strikes first with a PICK 6!
📺: NBC
💻: https://t.co/siPlQHOX1m pic.twitter.com/9FtXynwzlC— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) September 14, 2019
On To The Next One
Notre Dame will travel to Athens, GA to face off in one of the biggest match ups of the year. As of this morning, the lowest priced single ticket on Vivid Seats was $411.20 after fees/taxes.
Georgia also added an additional 500 seats by way of temporary bleachers to Sanford Stadium. The move was strictly to adhere to an agreement made in 2017 that Notre Dame would receive 8,000 tickets.
Georgia is 3-0 on the year and has held steady as the third ranked team in the nation. The Bulldogs, however, have not played a team with as much talent as Notre Dame. The teams they have beaten are really New Mexico caliber at best.
Under The Lights Again
While Notre Dame is no stranger to prime time, this game will make or break the 2019 season. A win propels Notre Dame back into the playoff conversation, while a loss here could very well derail the idea of a championship post-season run.
Will Notre Dame emerge victorious? For an answer to that, you will have to tune in on Saturday to CBS at 8:00 PM EST to witness the biggest game of the year so far in all of college football.
