RAPID REVIEW: Notre Dame 42, Florida State 26

BOX SCORE

Other than a couple of first-quarter turnovers and some defensive lapses/missed tackles , No. 5-ranked Notre Dame (3-0) showed relatively few ill effects of rust during a 42-26 victory versus Florida State (1-3) on Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium.

The Fighting Irish ground attack established control from the outset, finishing with 240 yards on 20 carries (12.0 yards per carry) in the first half alone while building a 35-20 halftime lead. They ended the contest with 353 yards rushing and 8.4 yards per attempt.

Sophomore running back Kyren Williams romped for 185 yards on 19 carries and scored twice, once from 46 yards in the first quarter, while freshman Chris Tyree added 103 yards on 11 carries and tallied on a 45-yard scamper in the second quarter.

For good measure, fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book added 58 more yards on the ground with nine carries and a third-quarter four-yard score. Book also was an efficient 16 of 25 passing for 201 yards and short touchdown tosses to freshman tight end Michael Mayer and junior wideout Braden Lenzy.

The ground attack thrived despite playing a good portion of the first half without fifth-year senior left tackle Liam Eichenberg, who returned to action in the second half after an eye injury required much ice.

• Williams lost a fumble on the second play of the game that set up a Florida State field goal, but it appeared the rout would be on that first quarter when the Irish quickly scored on 75- and 74-yard marches to make it 14-3. Williams' next carry after his fumble was a 65-yard run into the red zone.

The wild first quarter then took another turn when junior Lawrence Keys III fumbled a punt that led to a Seminoles touchdown, followed by a 48-yard scoring pass from quarterback Jordan Travis to Tammorion Terry off a double move put FSU up 17-14 with 38 seconds left in the initial quarter.

• Making his first career start, Travis accounted for 300 yards total offense, 204 passing on 13 of 24 through the air and 96 yards rushing on 19 carries to keep the Seminoles in striking distance most of the game.

• After FSU went ahead 17-14, Notre Dame responded with touchdown drives on four of its next five drives. A particularly crucial one came right before halftime (see Turning Point) to make it 35-20, and then another on its first series of the second half after Florida State cut the deficit to 35-26, with Book doing the honors on a four-yard run.

The Seminoles had a chance to make it a one-possession game when they had third-and-goal at Notre Dame's four-yard line and the score 42-26, but sixth-year senior Shaun Crawford, who started this game at corner instead of safety, intercepted an out pass near the pylon and returned it 23 yards with 8:21 left in the contest.

After Florida State pulled within 28-20 with 1:17 left in the first half, Notre Dame answered with a kickoff return to the Irish 43-yard line by senior running back Jafar Armstrong. Aided by a costly Florida State 15-yard personal foul penalty on linebacker Jaleel McRae and the running of Book, Notre Dame extended the lead to 35-20 with 11 seconds remaining with a six-yard score to junior receiver Braden Lenzy on a crossing route.

That two-score advantage was vital because Florida State fielded the second-half kickoff and promptly drove for a touchdown. Notre Dame answered right back with a tally to keep the advantage at two scores (42-26).

The rushing yards total stands out, but most came in the first half. Defensively, the Irish came into the game No. 2 in the country in third-down defense with a .200 percentage (6 of 30). They improved on that by limiting Florida State to 2 of 14 on third down.

The Seminoles did convert all three of their fourth-down attempts, but that came later when the game had been pretty much decided.

The offensive line, with or without Eichenberg, repeatedly opened huge gaps against the oft-blitzing Florida State defense to the tune of 353 rushing yards. It controlled the line of scrimmage against a unit that feature several future NFL prospects, led by tackle Marvin Wilson, and also provided strong pass protection. FSU had only one tackle for lost yardage, compared to Notre Dame's nine.

An honorable mention to fifth-year senior receiver Javon McKinley, whose blocking remained a factor in the ground attack, but this time he also caught several crucial passes on scoring drives and finished with five grabs for 107 yards.

Although Crawford was beat on the touchdown by Terry, his start at cornerback aided the overall defense, and his late interception near the goal line deflated FSU's final hopes.

This victory came exactly 39 years to the day the two teams met for the first time, a 19-13 victory by FSU at Notre Dame in 1981.

Notre Dame’s 21-game winning streak at home now is the second longest in the nation, behind only Clemson (25).

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