Blue and Gold Illustrated

SPECIAL TEAMS Freshman CJ Sanders fair caught a punt at his 5-yard line in the first quarter, although a 95-yard touchdown drive bailed him out. Sophomore Tyler Newsome's 52-yard punt to the UMass 1-yard line with 4:24 left in the second quarter and the Irish leading 21-20 flipped the field and set up Sanders' 50-yard punt return for a touchdown with 3:21 left until halftime. In the third quarter, UMass punter Logan Laurent took off on a fourth-and-eight fake punt, but gained only three yards before getting stopped at his 30 by linebackers Jarrett Grace and Greer Martini. Two plays later, Notre Dame scored to up its lead to 48-20. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS For the second straight week, the Irish defense excelled here, limiting UMass to 5 of 16 (31.3 per- cent). The Minutemen were 2 of 8 in the first half and 3 of 8 in the second. The Irish were 8 of 13 (61.5 percent). A 27-yard completion to Brown on third-and-three set up the TD right before halftime. On the opening drive of the second half, which also resulted in a TD, Kizer com- pleted an eight-yard pass to sophomore tight end Nic Weishar on third-and-six, and then a 37-yarder to Jones on third-and-two. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame TURNOVERS The game's first turnover, a UMass interception after a pass bounced off Fuller, resulted in a 50-yard touchdown drive to cut Notre Dame's lead to 14-13. The Irish intercepted their first pass of the year in the closing seconds of the third quarter when a tipped ball by fifth-year senior safety Matthias Farley caromed to junior corner Cole Luke. No score resulted from Notre Dame's lone turnover. ADVANTAGE: Even ANALYSIS Not much mystery here. The talent disparity was vast, which is why UMass was a four-touchdown underdog. To the Minutemen's credit, they were ultra-cre- ative and had Notre Dame squirming with only a 21- 20 lead with four minutes left in the first half, but the Irish talent and depth asserted control thereafter. It was an ideal game for the younger players to make a mark, and they did. ✦ ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI Linebackers Greer Martini (left) and Jarrett Grace (center) helped stop a UMass fake punt play, part of a strong Irish specials team performance. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA

• Cover