Notre Dame Scores Late to Beat Duke
№11 Notre Dame defeated №17 Duke on Saturday night 21–14. Strong defense and late-game heroics from Sam Hartman helped the Fighting Irish get their fifth win of the season.
Battle-tested
For the second week in a row, Notre Dame faced some troubles on the offensive side of the ball. This time, they were able to overcome this issue and win the game.
The Irish controlled the first half, going into the break with a 10–0 lead. The second half was a different story as Duke started gaining some momentum on offense.
After picking up a field goal early in the third quarter, Notre Dame was up 13–0.
The Blue Devils then began getting great production from the running game, mainly from Riley Leonard, Jaquez Moore, and Jordan Waters.
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Their rushing attack helped them get 14 points, while their defense held strong, holding the Irish scoreless until the final minute of the game.
On their final drive, down 14–13, Hartman and his offense put together a great drive to help set them up to win the game. Hartman’s veteran leadership shined as he made clutch passes and gutsy runs to help extend the drive.
The drive was capped off by a 30-yard touchdown run from Audric Estime, giving him his second of the day and giving Notre Dame the lead.
From there, the Blue Devils had one last chance to score with 30 seconds left and three timeouts. Unfortunately for Duke, Leonard fumbled the ball and injured his ankle, giving Notre Dame the ball back and the win.
Next Up
Notre Dame will travel to Louisville to take on the 5–0 cardinals.
Duke will have a bye week and will then be at home to take on NC State. Hopefully Leonard’s injury is not too severe and he will be healthy enough to play in that game.
By Jake Klinger
