UVA Football aims for a sixth win, and bowl eligibility, as #8 Notre Dame looks to build its College Football Playoff resume.
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Details
Series: Notre Dame leads series, 4-0
Last meeting: Notre Dame, 28-3 (2021)
NBC: Dan Hicks (play-by-play), Jason Garrett (analyst), Zora Stephenson (sideline)
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 85 / SiriusXM 129 / SiriusXM 381
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 85 / SiriusXM 129 / SiriusXM 971
Line: Notre Dame -23
Over/under: 50
Projected final score: Notre Dame 37, Virginia 14
That didn’t take long
Chris Tyree fumbled the opening kickoff, setting up Notre Dame at the 25. The absolute worst way to start.
Then Kam Robinson was flagged for an obvious late hit on the QB on a third-down pass that would have forced a field goal try.
Jeremiyah Love scored on a 4-yard run to get the Irish on the board.
Everything that could go wrong, did.
It’s 7-0 Notre Dame, and we’re not two minutes in.
Like the decision
Anthony Colandrea gained 13 yards on a third-and-15 scramble to get to fourth-and-2 near midfield.
Tony Elliott left the offense on the field.
Colandrea tried to connect with Tyler Neville past the sticks, but the ball was tipped, and Neville couldn’t reel it in.
Still like the confidence that Elliott showed in his team there.
End 1: Still just 7-0 Notre Dame
Aside from the muffed opening kickoff, Virginia has done what it needed to do.
Total plays: UVA 15, Notre Dame 13.
Time of possession: UVA 7:45, Notre Dame 7:15.
Dammit
Kobe Pace fumbled while being tackled after picking up a first down inside the red zone.
That came after Notre Dame muffed a punt at the UVA 40.
Yikes.
It was going to be hard enough to win this one if you played perfect.
It’s going to be impossible to do it giving them the ball twice.
It gets harder now
Notre Dame drove 88 yards on nine plays, scoring on an 8-yard TD pass from Riley Leonard to Jayden Harrison.
The UVA offense hasn’t shown a lot of ability to do much through the air, so this one gets tougher with the Irish up two scores.
Colandrea is 6-of-13 passing, and is missing on some basic, supposed-to-be-easy throws.
It’s gotten away now
Colandrea threw late and over the middle – obviously frustrated at not having anybody to throw to – and Adon Shuler intercepted the pass and returned it 46 yards to the UVA 2.
Riley Leonard connected with Cooper Flanagan for a 2-yard TD, and it’s 21-0 Notre Dame, 2:20 to go until the half.
Four turnovers lead to four ND TDs
Total offense: Notre Dame 187, UVA 136
Score: Notre Dame 28, UVA 0
That’s what four turnovers will do.
I’d be all for starting Tony Muskett in the second half.
There needs to be repercussions for the awful decisions on the three INTs.
Worst of all possible scenarios here
James Jackson hobbled into the locker room, Corey Thomas was hurt. Jonas Sanker is limping off the field.
Colandrea regressed to where he was in his first three-game stretch as a starter last year.
Oof.
Time for the running clock
Jeremiyah Love went 76 yards through the line, basically untouched, for the TD.
It’s 35-0.
Muskett did start the second half, after an INT by Trey McDonalf set up the offense at midfield. Xavier Brown was the third-down back, and didn’t block the edge rusher coming from the left, and forced a quick throw that went incomplete.
Muskett scores: We have ourselves a legit issue here
Tony Muskett scored on an 18-yard run on fourth-and-short.
Drive: 75 yards on five plays.
This isn’t garbage time.
The other scoring drive was garbage time
Muskett scored on a 2-yard run with 18 ticks left to make it 35-14.
The drive was 80 yards on 16 plays.
It was backups vs. backups.
Final stats for TM: 9-of-14, 103 yards, two rushing TDs.
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Chris Graham
