SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Thirty years ago, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden got his first taste of college football coaching as a grad assistant after serving as a high school offensive coordinator the previous year.
It was at the same school — Virginia — where in 2001, Golden’s coaching star rose dramatically during a five-year run as the school’s defensive coordinator.
On Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium the 55-year-old third-year Irish defensive coordinator provided a master class against the team that gave him two big coaching breaks, even if some of the garbage-time stats diluted the numerical evidence..
Golden’s Irish defense forced four of Virginia’s five first-half turnovers — including three interceptions in the final 3 and a half minutes of the second quarter — and continually put the Irish offense in prime position in No. 8 Notre Dame’s 35-14 Senior Day conquest.
Inside ND Sports typically hands out two game balls after each Notre Dame game. We’ll bump that up to three this time to include Golden.
Here are the others:
DEFENSE: Xavier Watts, safety
The grad senior safety and converted wide receiver, in likely his last regular-season game in Notre Dame Stadium, collected an interception, a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and three tackles for the nation’s No. 2 pass efficiency defense.
OFFENSE: Jeremiyah Love, running back
It was an odd game statistically from an offensive standpoint in which Notre Dame didn’t get its first third- or fourth-down conversion until the last drive of the third quarter. And then they didn’t score on that one.
But sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love kept getting stronger as the game went on, and he finished with 137 yards and two TDs on 16 carries. It marked the 10 consecutive game in which Love found the end zone.
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