Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507821
28 SEPT. 23, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Dame,'" Freeman said. "Don't beat Notre Dame and we're going to be just fine. And, for the most part, that's what we did." Graduate student safety Thomas Harper drilled Central Michigan quar- terback Jase Bauer on a blindside sack that forced a fumble and resulted in a loss of 10 yards. Graduate student line- backer Jack Kiser stepped up in Ber- trand's place and led Notre Dame with 10 total tackles, twice as many as any- one else on the Irish defense. Notre Dame ultimately finished the game the same way it started it, times three; the Chippewas' final trio of pos- sessions were all three-and-outs. Graduate student defensive end Ja- vontae Jean-Baptiste recorded a quar- terback hurry on third down that led to an incomplete pass. Senior cornerback Clarence Lewis broke up a pass on an- other third down. Kiser was Johnny on the spot on a quarterback keeper for no gain on third-and-3, CMU's final of- fensive play of the afternoon. The three scoring drives of 50-plus yards, one of them consuming 12 plays and another going for 83 yards and a touchdown? Those weren't representa- tive of how good defensive coordinator Al Golden's group has been through four games in 2023. Kiser and his teammates made sure they'd go into Ohio State week on a high note. "We were able to put our feet in the ground and play Notre Dame ball and play within the system and scheme," Kiser said. "Credit to the guys up front. NOTRE DAME VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN QUARTER-BY-QUARTER COMPARISON Notre Dame 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Total Time of Possession 7:47 6:15 6:24 10:07 14:02 16:31 30:33 Third-Down Conversions 1-2 0-2 1-3 3-5 1-4 4-8 5-12 Fourth-Down Conversions 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-1 1-1 2-2 Average Field Position ND-16 ND-27 ND-24 ND-26 ND-21 ND-25 ND-23 Central Michigan 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Final Time of Possession 7:13 8:45 8:36 4:53 15:58 13:29 29:22 Third-Down Conversions 0-2 2-4 1-5 0-2 2-6 1-7 3-13 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-1 Average Field Position CMU-27 CMU-28 CMU-32 CMU-28 CMU-27 CMU-30 CMU-29 PLAY CHART (NO. OF PLAYS) Yards ND CMU Nega ve 3 3 0-5 34 33 6-9 7 9 10-19 13 4 20-29 2 2 30-39 1 2 40-49 2 0 50 or more 2 0 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY (INSIDE 20-YARD LINE) No Poss. TD FG Score Notre Dame 4 3 1 0 C. Michigan 4 2 1 1 BIG PLAYS (25 YARDS OR MORE) Notre Dame • 2-5 ND25 Hartman pass to Merriweather for 75 yards and a touchdown • 2-9 ND24 Hartman pass to Tyree for 76 yards and a touchdown • 1-10 CMU42 Hartman pass to Thomas for 39 yards to CMU3 • 1-10 ND25 Hartman pass to Flores for 42 yards to CMU33 • 1-10 CMU47 Estimé run for 41 yards to CMU6 Central Michigan • 1-10 CMU17 Lukes run for 25 yards to CMU42 • 2-6 ND42 Bauer pass to Davis for 31 yards to ND11 • 1-20 CMU46 Bauer pass to Prewitt for 37 yards to ND17 After a slow start, the Fighting Irish defense responded with a strong second half during which they limited the Chippewas to three points and 88 total yards. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Notre Dame recorded its second consecu- tive sellout with an attendance of 77,622. • The Fighting Irish's 41-17 victory over Cen- tral Michigan improved their record against teams making their Notre Dame Stadium de- buts to 22-7 since 1990. • Sophomore wideout Tobias Merriweath- er's 75-yard touchdown reception to start the game's scoring is the longest reception of his career. It also was the longest scoring toss for Sam Hartman since an 80-yard touchdown pass against Syracuse on Oct. 31, 2020 until … Chris Tyree's 76-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. It is also the longest reception of Tyree's career, besting his 65-yard non-scoring effort just last weekend at North Carolina State. • Freshman wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. made his first career start for the Irish and set new personal bests for receptions (3), yards receiving (60) and longest reception (42).