Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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22 OCT. 29, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT It did not take long for the Fighting Irish to as- sert themselves against the Rebels. Facing a third-and-10 on the first offensive drive of the game for either team, junior quar- terback Drew Pyne connected with sophomore wide receiver Jayden Thomas on a 37-yard post route that kept the drive alive and ended one play later on a 12-yard touchdown run by sopho- more tailback Audric Estime. The 6-play 75-yard scoring drive took just 2:25 off the clock and gave the Irish a 7-0 lead, provid- ing the early momentum boost that head coach Marcus Freeman preached all of last week about wanting to gain. Notre Dame entered the game having been outscored 27-6 in the first quarter of its first six outings. It also hadn't led from start to finish in any of its previous three wins this season. Pyne's third-and-10 conversion and a dominat- ing 23-7 first quarter lead, moved Notre Dame away from the early sluggish course it took during troubling home upsets to Marshall and Stanford. STATS OF THE GAME This list fittingly begins with UNLV going 0 of 12 (0.0 percent) on third-down conversions, while Notre Dame countered with 9 of 17 (52.9 per- cent) on its third-down tries. Collectively, the Irish dominated nearly every statistical category against the overmatched and undermanned Rebels. Notre Dame held a 31-yard average in start- ing field position, beginning 7 of its 15 drives inside UNLV territory, with an average starting spot from its own 46-yard line. Meanwhile, UNLV started only one of its 15 drives outside of its own territory and faced an average starting spot at its own 27-yard line. Even in a 23-point win that was never in doubt, Notre Dame again managed only 1 takeaway and lost the turnover battle 2-1 to UNLV. Through seven games this season, the Irish have not once won the turnover battle. So far in 2022, Notre Dame is losing the take- away/giveaway battle 10 to 3, a turnover-margin ratio that ranks near the bottom of the NCAA statistical pack. SPECIAL TEAMS SHINES A pair of blocked punts, 3 made field goals, and great work on the punt return and kick coverage units helped Notre Dame keep UNLV at bay. Senior defensive end and special teams ace Isaiah Foskey blocked UNLV punts on two con- secutive possessions that set up a touchdown and a field goal on short-field drives to push the Irish lead to 20-7. In the Irish kicking game, Notre Dame graduate student kicker Blake Grupe connected on 3 of 4 field goal attempts (43, 27 and 46 yards), and all 5 of his point after tries for a season-high and game-high 14 points scored. And on punt returns, senior safety Brandon Joseph enjoyed his best game with the Irish, with 3 returns for 42 yards, including a long of 20. The Irish special teams work led to the 31-yard advantage in average starting field position. On a day when the Irish had another uneven of- fensive performance, special teams coordinator Brian Mason's unit provided the necessary spark in a relatively comfortable victory. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TODD D. BURLAGE TIGHT END MICHAEL MAYER We'll just put the junior at the top of this list every week. Demonstrating again while he'll someday leave Notre Dame as one of the best ever to play at "Tight End U," Mayer was critical in the first half against UNLV and finished the game with 6 catches for 115 yards and 1 touchdown. Mayer's 12 targets easily led all Irish pass catchers. LINEBACKER MARIST LIUFAU The senior enjoyed arguably the most menacing game of his season, tying for second on the team with 5 tackles, including 2 for loss, with 1 quarterback hurry. Liufau didn't necessarily stuff the stat sheet, but his pressures and disruptive work in the UNLV backfield, beyond his raw numbers, created myriad problems in both the Rebels' run game and their pass protection. TAILBACK LOGAN DIGGS The talented sophomore maximized his increased workload vs. UNLV with career highs in both carries (28) and rushing yards (130). Diggs highlighted the Irish running game with 17 carries for 81 yards in the third and fourth quarters. And while he never scored, his second-half worked proved him to be a valuable ball-protecting, third-down, clock- grinding option moving forward. DEFENSIVE END ISAIAH FOSKEY After taking some heat for not creating enough havoc on the Irish defensive front through his first six games, the Irish All-American played like one against UNLV. On defense, Foskey recorded 5 tackles with 3 sacks and 1 quarterback hurry. On special teams, he blocked 2 punts on consecutive UNLV pos- sessions in the first quarter that the Irish parlayed into 10 points to expand its lead to 20-7. KICKER BLAKE GRUPE The graduate student had an active and notable game against the Rebels, connecting on 3 of 4 field goal attempts (from 43, 27 and 46 yards), and all 5 of his point after tries for a season-high and game-high 14 points scored. GAME BALLS BY TODD D. BURLAGE Senior linebacker Marist Liufau was a disruptive force against the Rebels, while tying for second on the team with 5 tackles (2 for loss). PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER