The storybook script writers would have had McKenzie Milton raised on the shoulders of his Florida State teammates with the late, great Bobby Bowden smiling down on them.
But Sunday at Doak Campbell Stadium wasn't a storybook kind of night for the home team. It was a Notre Dame business trip that started on the arm of its own graduate transfer quarterback's arm and ended on the foot of a senior who started a comeback tour of a senior season in fine form.
No. 9 Notre Dame hung on to beat Florida State 41-38 on Jonathan Doerer's 41-yard field goal in overtime.
Milton, Florida State's graduate transfer quarterback from UCF, didn't enter Sunday night's game against No. 9 Notre Dame until just nine minutes remained, but that wasn't too late. He orchestrated two scoring drives to tie the game at 38 and send it to overtime.
Notre Dame scored in five plays on its first drive of the game. None of them were runs. Notre Dame graduate transfer quarterback from Wisconsin Jack Coan went 4-of-4 for 72 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 41-yard toss to sophomore tight end Michael Mayer on fourth and short.
The Notre Dame defense forced two three-and-outs on Florida State's first two series, but the Irish offense lost its form thereafter. Notre Dame only logged 50 yards on its next four drives.
The Irish tried to establish the run, but the Florida State defense didn't allow it to happen. Notre Dame finished the game with 35 carries for 65 yards as a team.
Coan carried the weight for the Notre Dame offense, meanwhile. He finished 26-of-35 for 366 yards and four touchdowns and one interception — a hail-Mary heave as time expired with the game still tied at 38.
It seemed as if the game would never get to that point. Notre Dame, despite its struggles running the ball and stopping the run itself, held a 38-20 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Irish outscored Florida State 21-6 in the third quarter. Preseason All-American Kyle Hamilton's second interception of the game certainly helped.
Notre Dame couldn't stop the run in the fourth quarter, though. The Seminoles rushed for 81 of their 264 rushing yards in the fourth quarter. They got the ball first in overtime and couldn't pick up a first down, however. FSU couldn't connect on its field goal attempt either, setting the stage for Doerer to lead Notre Dame to a nail-biting victory.
Doerer struggled down the stretch of last season. He missed at least one field goal in each of the last six games of the season. He didn't miss either of his two attempts Sunday.
Five years ago, Notre Dame walked off the field on the Sunday night of Labor Day weekend after an overtime loss to Texas. History didn't repeat itself half a decade later. This wasn't a storybook kind of night for the home team, after all.
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