Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1479280
24 SEPT. 24, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT With the game tied 17-17, Irish junior quarter- back Drew Pyne connected with sophomore run- ning back Audric Estime on a pass in the middle of the field that surprised the Cal defense and went for 36 yards down to the Bears 6-yard line. On the following play, Pyne hit junior tight end Michael Mayer with a 6-yard touchdown pass that gave Notre Dame a 24-17 lead that held up in the end. Estime's catch wasn't the biggest play of the game, but it was certainly the one that flipped fortunes after the Irish at one point trailed 17-14 in the fourth quarter. Estime was targeted 3 times in the game, and caught all 3 for 43 yards, with none bigger than this 36-yard grab. In what might become a sign of things to come, Estime and junior tailback Chris Tyree combined for 35 carries and 140 yards rushing and 8 catches for 87 yards receiving. STATS OF THE GAME There are plenty to choose from but let's start with the work of the Irish defensive line. Led by senior linemen Jacob Lacey (2) and Isaiah Foskey (1.5), the Irish had six players tally at least half a sack en route to 6 as a team. In all, Notre Dame recorded 8 tackles for loss that netted 53 yards of negative offense for the Bears. Seven different Irish recorded at least 0.5 tackles for loss. The Notre Dame defensive front also tallied 5 quarterback hurries. Both the sacks and the hurries totals were eas- ily season highs in what was a mundane start in these two areas for this unit through two games. And after struggling defensively to get off the field on third down this season — mainly because of poor line play — the Irish held Cal to just 4 of 15 (26.7 percent) on third-down conversions. Notre Dame had allowed its opponents to con- vert 42.3 percent (110th nationally) of their third downs during its 0-2 start. FINALLY FINISHING Fourth-quarter defensive struggles squashed any chance for Notre Dame to beat Ohio State or Marshall in its first two games. Trailing the Buckeyes only 14-10 in the fourth quarter, the Irish offense did nothing and its de- fense allowed a 14-play, 95-yard touchdown drive that sealed a 21-10 loss in Columbus. A week later against Marshall, Notre Dame led 15-12 in the fourth quarter before the Thundering Herd rallied with an 11-play, 94-yard touchdown drive that gave it a 19-15 lead, which was never relinquished. Against Cal, the script flipped in the fourth quar- ter. The Irish offense outscored the Bears' 10-0. The Irish defense held Cal quarterback Jack Plum- mer to only 4-of-14 passing in the quarter and the Bears were 0 of 5 on third downs — based in large part from Notre Dame recording 4 of its 6 sacks in the final stanza. Notre Dame averaged 5.4 yards per play in the fourth quarter compared to only 2.4 yards for the Bears. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TODD D. BURLAGE TAILBACK AUDRIC ESTIME Finally making good on the thunder-and-lightning tailback combo with junior Chris Tyree that was promised in the preseason, the beefy 227-pound sophomore led the Irish with 18 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. Estime also notched 3 receptions for 43 yards, including a 36- yard catch in the fourth quarter that set up what proved to be the game-winning score. DEFENSIVE TACKLE JACOB LACEY The senior enjoyed the best game of his career with 5 tackles and 2 sacks. He entered the game with just 0.5 sacks over his first three seasons at Notre Dame. Lacey spent much of the game in the Bears' backfield, disrupting their offense, and he also added a goal-line stop on a Cal running play in the third quarter. QUARTERBACK DREW PYNE The junior overcame a shaky beginning to his first career start to lead the Irish to victory. He started just 4-of-9 passing for 27 and lost a fumbled snap that set up Cal's first touchdown. However, Pyne rebounded to complete 13 of his last 14 passes for 123 yards with a pair of touchdowns, including the game- winner to junior tight end Michael Mayer in the fourth quarter. TAILBACK CHRIS TYREE Notre Dame may have finally found some promise in its running game after the junior had the best game of his season. He finished with 17 carries for 64 yards, and added 5 receptions for 44 yards with a touchdown catch. Tyree's touchdown came in the second quarter on a 21-yard pass from junior quarterback Drew Pyne that tied the game 7-7. PUNTER JON SOT During a game where neither offense could effectively move the ball in the first half, the graduate student punter was called on early and often and responded with 7 punts that averaged 45.6 yards and included three kicks downed inside the 20-yard line and two boots of more than 50 yards, with a long of 57. GAME BALLS BY TODD D. BURLAGE Junior defensive tackle Jacob Lacey set new career highs for tackles (5) and sacks (2) in the victory over the Golden Bears. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER