20 SEPT. 18, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED
BY TYLER HORKA
N
o. 8 Notre Dame didn't need a
miracle. It just needed a Mayer.
With the Fighting Irish down
five points to underdog Toledo
with less than two minutes remaining,
graduate student quarterback Jack Coan
had to put the ball in the hands of the
team's best playmakers. And that's ex-
actly what he did.
Coan found senior wide receiver Kevin
Austin Jr. for a gain of 34 yards on the first
play of the two-minute drill. Then he hit
sophomore tight end Michael Mayer for
six more. Two penalties pushed the ball
to the Toledo 18-yard line.
Coan hit Mayer for the game-win-
ning touchdown from there. After a de-
fensive stand that ended with a forced
fumble and recovery, the ball was back
in Coan's hands for a kneel down.
No miracle necessary. Just a Mayer.
Notre Dame turned the ball over three
times. Toledo (1-1) scored 17 points off
those giveaways. In many ways, Notre
Dame was fortunate to escape with a
32-29 victory and push its record to 2-0
to start the 2021 season.
"You don't usually survive those
games and win when you do that, that's
number one," Notre Dame head coach
Brian Kelly said. "And number two, we
gave up big plays on defense."
Toledo recorded plays of 66 and 67
yards. Kelly said the Notre Dame de-
UPSET
AVERTED
Notre Dame rallies
late for 32-29 victory
versus Toledo
