Notre Dame’s 2019 opponents had a strong opening weekend, going 9-2 to start the season. One of those losses was due to a pair of opponents playing each other in the first week.
Below is a recap of Notre Dame’s opponents results in week one.
NEW MEXICO LOBOS (Sept. 14) – Won 39-31 against Sam Houston State
New Mexico’s season-opening victory was somewhat subdued after it was reported that head coach Bob Davie was hospitalized with a “serious medical incident.”
The Lobos racked up 485 yards of offense, including 340 through the air in new offensive coordinator Joe Dailey’s pass-oriented system. New Mexico lived off big plays, with its quarterbacks completing just 18-40 passes. Its ground game struggled, going for just 145 yards and 4.5 yards per rush. New Mexico went just 1-15 on third-down, but the defense held Sam Houston State to just 4-20 on third-down.
Sam Houston State racked up 558 yards of offense, with 443 coming through the air on 35-60 passing.
Next Game: Sept. 14 at Notre Dame
GEORGIA BULLDOGS (Sept. 21) – Won 30-6 at Vanderbilt
The final score wasn’t quite as close as the game played out, with the Bulldogs controlling the game from start to finish. Georgia dominated the statistics and the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
Georgia outgained Vanderbilt by a 479-225 margin. In fact, the Bulldogs had more rushing yards (323) than Vanderbilt had total yards. Standout junior running back D’Andre Swift racked up 147 yards while junior quarterback Jake Fromm was an efficient 15-23 for 156 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt standout back Ke’Shawn Vaughn was held to 74 yards on 15 carries and big-time tight end Jared Pinckney had just two catches for 11 yards.
The Bulldogs went just 1-7 on third-down, but the defense held Vanderbilt to just 3-14 on third-down. Both teams were penalized ten times.
Next Game: Sept. 7 vs. Murray State
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (Sept. 28) – Won 30-14 at Pittsburgh
The Cavaliers got redemption against the Panthers, who beat Virginia 23-13 last season, rushing for 254 yards in the game. In yesterday’s victory, Virginia held Pittsburgh to just 78 yards on the ground, and gave up just 263 yards of offense.
Virginia did enough on offense to get the job done, but the defense fueled this victory. The Cavaliers gained a total of 56 yards on its final two touchdown drives thanks to an interception and a turnover on downs. The Cavaliers had seven tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions and broke up five passes in the game.
Standout quarterback Bryce Perkins went 20-34 for 181 yards with two scores. He rushed for just 44 yards.
Next Game: Sept. 6 vs. Williams & Mary (Friday)
USC TROJANS (Oct. 12) – Won vs. Fresno State
USC is looking to bounce back from a disastrous 5-7 campaign in 2018, and the Trojans got off to a good start, beating Fresno State in the opener. The Bulldogs went 12-2 last season and held every opponent under 30 points, but that didn’t happen last night.
USC jumped out to a big early lead of 17-3, but Fresno kept battling. Late in the game the Trojans attempted a fourth-down conversion to put the game away, but the Bulldogs held. That allowed Fresno State to get all the way down to the USC 15-yard line with a chance to score with just under two minutes left, but Trojan safety Isaiah Pola-Mao intercepted Fresno quarterback Jorge Reyna in the end zone to seal the victory.
Trojan QB JT Daniels went 25-34 for 215 yards but was knocked out with a bad looking knee injury that resulted in him being taken to the locker room in a cart. He finished the game on the sidelines in crutches. Freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis stepped in and went 6-8 for 57 yards, but the rookie threw a late pick that allowed Fresno another chance to get back in the game. Running back Vavae Malepeai (134 yards) and wide receiver Tyler Vaughns (11 catches, 150 yards) fueled the offense.
Next Game: Sept. 7 vs. Stanford
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (Oct. 26) – Won 40-21 vs. Middle Tennessee
Michigan fell behind early, with Middle Tennessee taking its first drive down the field for a score, but the Wolverines responded and coasted to a 40-21 victory.
The Wolverines outgained Middle Tennessee by a 453-301 margin, showing good balance in the game. Michigan rushed for 233 yards and passed for another 220 yards, with three of its five touchdowns coming through the air. Quarterback Shea Patterson hit 17-29 passes for 203 yards and three scores, and freshman running back Zach Charbonnet rushed for 90 yards on just eight carries.
Middle Tennessee was held to 67 rushing yards on 28 attempts. Michigan linebacker Jordan Glasgow led the way with two sacks.
Next Game: Sept. 7 vs. Army
VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (Nov. 2) – Lost 35-28 at Boston College
Virginia Tech started the 2019 season with a road conference game, and despite jumping to an early 14-7 lead, the Hokies could not earn the win.
The Hokies out-gained Boston College by a 442-432 margin, thanks mostly to 344 passing yards, but Virginia Tech turned the ball over five times. Quarterback Ryan Willis passed for 344 yards and four touchdowns, but his three interceptions and lost fumble proved incredibly costly. Virginia Tech rushed for just 98 yards in the game, and giving up eight tackles for loss was a big reason.
Linebacker Rayshard Ashby led the Hokie defense with 13 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and he recorded the team’s only sack in the game.
Next Game: Sept. 7 vs. Old Dominion
DUKE BLUE DEVILS (Nov. 9) – Lost 42-3 vs. Alabama (Atlanta, Ga.)
Duke battled Alabama early, trailing just 14-3 at the half, but in the end the Crimson Tide were able to take control in the victory.
The Blue Devils managed just 204 yards of offense and 3.8 yards per play. Duke rushed for just 107 yards and had just 97 yards through the air on 12-22 passing. Duke turned the ball over three times, with two interceptions and a lost fumble while going just 3-12 on third-down and 0-2 on fourth-down. Duke’s top backs – Deon Jackson and Brittain Brown – combined for 71 rushing yards and averaged 5.1 yards per rush, but quarterback Quentin Harris had just 13 yards on 10 carries.
Alabama rushed for just 145 yards and averaged only 3.5 yards per rush, but the Blue Devils could not contain the Crimson Tide pass attack. Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed 26-31 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns. Star wideout Jerry Jeudy hauled in 10 passes for 137 yards.
Next Game: Sept. 7 vs. North Carolina A&T
NAVY MIDSHIPMEN (Nov. 16) – Won 45-7 vs. Holy Cross
Navy is looking to bounce back from a 3-10 campaign in 2018, and it got off to a good start, beating FCS opponent Holy Cross by a convincing 45-7 score.
The Midshipmen outgained Holy Cross by a 531-231 margin thanks to a ground game that racked up 428 yards while averaging 6.4 yards per play. Navy accounted for six rushing touchdowns, but quarterback Malcolm Perry passing for 103 yards while completing 6-9 attempts was a great sign for the Midshipmen. Fullback Nelson Smith led the ground attack with 96 yards and three touchdowns on 15 attempts.
Navy held the Holy Cross offense to just 64 yards and 2.4 yards per attempt on the ground. Navy registered seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
Next Game: Sept. 14 vs. East Carolina
BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES (Nov. 23) – Won 35-28 vs. Virginia Tech
The Eagles used a big second quarter to pull off a conference home win over the Hokies. Boston College turned a 7-7 game after one quarter to 28-14 at the half thanks to a 21-point second quarter.
Quarterback Anthony Brown shined in the victory, completing 15-26 passes for 275 yards and a pair of scores. Brown added another touchdown on the ground against a pesky Hokie ground attack that held Boston College to just 3.3 yards per rush. Standout running back AJ Dillon finished with 81 yards and a score, but averaged just 3.5 yards per rush. Boston College used the big play in the pass game, with freshman Zay Flowers and junior Kobay White both hauling in 56-yard receptions in the win.
Boston College registered eight tackles for loss and a pair of sacks in the game to go with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Next Game: Sept. 7 vs. Richmond
STANFORD CARDINAL (Nov. 30) – Won 17-7 at Northwestern
Stanford earned a hard fought and quality victory in the opener, winning at home against 2018 Big Ten West champ Northwestern. It was a costly win, with quarterback KJ Costello getting knocked out by a scary blow to the head.
It was a defensive battle, but the Cardinal got the best of the Wildcats in every way. Stanford outgained Northwestern by a 365-210 margin, holding Northwestern to just 93 rushing yards while forcing four turnovers. Stanford held the Northwestern pass attack to 117 yards on 12-27 passing. Linebacker Casey Toohill paced the Cardinal defense, leading the team with six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
Running back Cameron Scarlett rushed for 97 yards on 22 attempts, and junior wideout Connor Wedington led the offense with seven receptions for 69 yards. Costello was 16-20 for 152 yards and a touchdown before getting knocked out. His replacement – junior Davis Mills – went just 7-14 for 81 yards.
Next Game: Sept. 7 at USC
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