Notre Dame Moves To 3-2 On The Season After 28-7 Victory Over Boise State

By: Evan J. Thomas

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In what was billed as a marquee non-conference matchup, No. 21 Notre Dame leaned on a suffocating defense, opportunistic turnovers, and flashes of offensive life to take down Boise State 28–7 at Notre Dame Stadium.  It was the first ever football meeting between these programs.

From the first whistle, holy shit did the refs take over the game as it quickly turned messy. Both teams racked up flags—24 penalties collectively for a massive 224 yards.   Notre Dame’s offense had miscues in blocking and timing.  Head Coach Marcus Freeman and his staff will need to instill within his squad that this can't happen again in remaining games. 

​Now with 5 games under his belt, freshman quarterback CJ Carr is the real deal.  He did miss on a couple of long passes including a pass that was just out of the finger tips of a wide open receiver in the end zone

While the Irish offense struggled at times with execution, the ground game provided a steady platform. Jeremiah Love and Jadarian Price combined for nearly 200 rushing yards, and the threat of the run opened lanes for Carr’s two TD passes.  

The Irish defense has been much maligned under new DC Chris Ash and had some hiccups yesterday once again with the zone defense.  Notre Dame’s four interceptions (equal to its total over the first four games of the season) proved critical.  Leonard Moore snagged 2 of those INT's late in the game to stymie the Broncos threats.  Boise State’s offense gained 315 yards total but could not convert opportunities.

Notre Dame (3–2) moves forward with regained confidence, though questions linger about consistency. Their defense, which had been under pressure in earlier games, delivered mostly in this one.

Next Up is a Saturday Afternoon grudge match vs. NC State at Notre Dame Stadium.  

​Make sure you check out this week's We Are ND Nation Podcast with Evan J. Thomas & Dennis Stover