Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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gains, but the plays Fuller did not make proved costly. Fuller had a chance to break the game open when he beat a BC de- fensive back on a slant-and-go in the fourth quarter, but instead of going in for his 13th touchdown of the sea- son, Fuller dropped the ball. On the previous possession, Fuller let a third- and-11 pass bounce off his chest on a throw that would have resulted in a first down. By failing to score against the Ea- gles, Fuller has now gone two games without a touchdown for the first time since his freshman season. With Fuller having an off night, Notre Dame needed other players to compensate for it, and a pair of seniors did just that. Senior wideout Chris Brown and fifth-year senior slot receiver Amir Car- lisle both set career highs in receiving yards, combining for 13 receptions, 201 receiving yards and a pair of scores. "I thought they both played very well. They were singled out in my locker room postgame talk about the team," head coach Brian Kelly said of the duo. "I thought our two seniors really stepped up big for us. … They played double zone outside on Will. It frees up your inside players. Then Chris got a couple one-on-one oppor- tunities on the outside, and DeShone [Kizer] was able to find him." Carlisle hauled in four passes for 52 yards in the first quarter alone. His 10- yard score in the opening quarter put the Irish up 10-0. With standout junior wideout Will Fuller struggling, fifth-year senior slot receiver Amir Carlisle hauled in seven passes for a career-best 97 yards and a touchdown. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA