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Notre Dame football improved to 4-0 on the 2023 season, defeating Central Michigan in South Bend by a score of 41-17.
The Irish once again put up a ton of points, while allowing much less and cruising to a victory. It wasn’t just a bunch of touchdowns and turnovers that helped Notre Dame get the win, there were some smaller plays that made a big different in the long run.
Let’s take a look at some of those plays, five of them, that in my eyes made the difference, even though they will not show up on highlight shows when we look back at this contest.
First quarter, 7:22 left on the clock
What happenedThe Irish and Chippewas exchanged scores to get the game even at 7 about midway through the first quarter. Notre Dame got the ball back and were facing a third-and-9, Sam Hartman dropped back, couldn’t find anyone down the field and checked down to Chris Tyree who gained 12-yards and the first down. The drive that stayed alive would eventually end up with points as the Irish got back ahead, 14-7.
First quarter, 2:08 left on the clock
Javonte Jean-Baptiste is playing a great football game.
— Greg Flammang (@greg2126) September 16, 2023
What happened
Ohio State transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste was an absolute terror on this drive. On second down, he was in the backfield making a tackle-for-loss. Then on third-and-7, JBB got around the CMU offensive tackle, stuck his arm out and hit Jase Bauer’s arm as he was trying to pass, causing an incompletion. Just 3 plays later, the Irish would score another touchdown, extending their lead to 21-7.
Third quarter, 14:55 left on the clock
What happened
This was a collection of three plays, all by running back Audric Estime. The Irish slept-walked thought the first half and needed to wake up. The back ran the ball three consecutive times for a total of 32 yards. It set up a deep pass to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/hidden-plays-helped-notre-dame-221318336.html?src=rss
Author : Fighting Irish Wire
Publish date : 2023-09-16 22:13:18
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