Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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22 FEBRUARY 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT In a Gator Bowl game that featured four ties — including three in the second half — and that Notre Dame twice trailed by 14 points, pick‑ ing one true turning point in the Fighting Irish's 45‑38 win over South Carolina isn't easy. But the clutch game‑winning drive that sophomore Irish quarterback Tyler Buchner led late in the fourth quarter needs to be recognized here. With Notre Dame leading 38‑31 and on the verge of a two‑touchdown lead with a first‑and‑goal at the South Carolina 7‑yard line with just less than eight minutes remaining, Buchner threw a pick‑six that Gamecocks cornerback O'Donnell Fortune returned a Gator Bowl‑record 100 yards for the tying score. However, Buchner responded by directing a 12‑play, 80‑yard drive over 6:01 that he capped with a game‑winning 16‑yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Mitchell Evans with only 1:38 left on the clock. Buchner was 3‑of‑3 passing for 30 yards on the drive. He also added a 4‑yard rush for a first down and converted all three of his third‑down attempts. STATS OF THE GAME In a game that Notre Dame dominated much more than the final score indicates, the Irish outgained South Carolina 558 to 352 in total yards. The Irish won the time of possession battle by more than 13 minutes. They more then tripled the Gamecocks' rushing output (264‑75), and they held a decisive advantage on third downs. Notre Dame converted 11 of 19 (57.9 percent) third‑down tries, while it held South Carolina to only 5 of 15 (33.3 percent) on its attempts. Offensively, the Gamecocks scored three times with 17 points on their first four possessions of the game. From there, they scored only 7 points on their final nine offensive possessions. Notre Dame also averaged 7.0 yards on its 80 offensive snaps against the Gamecocks, both the second‑best marks of the season. The Irish offense recorded a season‑high 7.8‑yard per‑play average in a 38‑27 loss at Southern Cal, and it ran 81 plays against North Carolina in a 45‑32 road win. RUNNING THE ROCK It was widely reported in the days leading up the Gator Bowl that if Notre Dame was going to beat South Carolina, the primary category to watch would be the Irish rushing offense. The Gamecocks entered the game allowing 192.4 rushing yards per game, which ranked second to last in the SEC and 112th nationally, while Notre Dame entered the game ranked No. 41 nationally in rushing with a 182.8‑yard average. And while the final rushing numbers for Notre Dame ended up quite impressive — 46 carries for 264 yards and a 5.7‑yard average — the solid Irish performance came with a sluggish start. Notre Dame managed only 54 rushing yards on 17 car‑ ries in the first half (3.2 yards per carry), and then erupted for 210 rushing yards on 29 carries (7.2 yards per carry) in the second half. The 264 rushing yards were the third most in a game for Notre Dame (287 versus North Carolina and 281 against Boston College) this season. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TODD D. BURLAGE QUARTERBACK TYLER BUCHNER In what ended up as a mixed‑bag performance, the sophomore took a beating physically but held up well and finished 18‑of‑33 passing for 274 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, two of which were returned for scores. He also added 61 rushing yards with 2 touchdowns. Most notably, he rebounded from the second of his two pick‑six miscues with a 12‑play, 80‑yard, 6‑minute game‑winning touchdown drive, capped by a scoring toss with 1:38 left in the game. RUNNING BACK LOGAN DIGGS Showing off his versatility, the sophomore finished with 89 yards on 13 rushing attempts (6.8 yards per carry), including a 39‑yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that gave Notre Dame its first lead at 38‑31. He added a 75‑yard catch‑and‑run touchdown grab in the second quarter that pulled Notre Dame to within 24‑17. TIGHT END MITCHELL EVANS Taking full advantage of his 2023 audition to "replace" NFL‑bound All‑American Michael Mayer, the sophomore recorded his first two receptions of the season and only the third and fourth of his career. More importantly, he scored the game‑winning touchdown on a 16‑ yard catch from Buchner with only 1:38 left in the game for his first career TD catch. SAFETY RAMON HENDERSON The junior enjoyed one of his best games this season with 6 tackles and an important fumble recovery in the first quarter to set up a Notre Dame touchdown drive that tied the game at 7‑7. He was also consistently around the ball and played well in ways that don't always show up on a stat sheet. WIDE RECEIVER BRADEN LENZY The graduate student wideout played the best game of his year with a season‑high 89 yards on 4 receptions. Among his important grabs was a 44‑yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter — his third of the season — that tied the game at 31 and a 20‑yard gain on a fake punt that led to the Irish's first go‑ahead TD of the fourth quarter. GAME BALLS BY TODD D. BURLAGE Graduate student wide receiver Braden Lenzy hauled in 4 receptions for 89 yards, with his 44-yard touchdown and a 20-yard gain on a fake punt looming large in Notre Dame's comeback victory. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER