Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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32 NOV. 7, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED S hortly after Notre Dame's dra- matic 30-27 win over Miami, Irish senior tight end Durham Smythe sent a tweet that summed up his performance. "DeShone Kizer for president. #He- SavedMyLife #IrishWin," Smythe wrote. He was referring to his play that nearly cost the Irish the game. With the contest tied at 27-27 and Notre Dame in prime position to take the lead, Smythe caught a short pass from the junior quarterback and sprinted toward the end zone. The ball was jarred loose by Miami line- backer Charles Perry and sent flying toward the sideline. Kizer was trailing the play, hoping to celebrate in the end zone. His path took him toward the fumbled ball, and the 6-4½, 230-pound quarterback went on the Notre Dame Stadium turf after the football. There was kicking. There was con- fusion — one Miami player sprinted off the field in celebration when he thought the Hurricanes recovered. Both sides were pointing that they had ball. There was even biting, Kizer said, on the bottom of a scrum that lasted about 30 seconds. "That's probably my favorite play of the season, going down there and doing what it takes to win for my team," Kizer said. "There are big guys down in there, but for a quar- terback to be down in there, it's awe- some to come up big." Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was asked after the game what goes on at the bottom of those piles. "We all know what's happening in there," said Kelly, drawing a laugh from the room. "I can tell you what I'm hoping happens — that we come up with the football in that situation. But we need to stay away from even getting into those kind of scrums. "We've been on the other end of those, and our guys were going to find a way to win this game, and we came up with it. But clearly, it's sur- vival of the fittest down there." Kelly commented on the fact that it was his NFL-caliber quarterback who went in and got the ball. It showed him something he needed from the Toledo, Ohio, native. "I needed some toughness from him, some mental toughness," Kelly said. "And that's an indica- tion. He was not going to be de- nied. He was going to find a way to get that football. "That grittiness is maybe what we were lacking a little bit, and he showed some of that grittiness in the way he went and fought for that football." The play defines Kizer as a com- petitor, and it's a moment that Notre Dame desperately needed. During a season in which so much has gone wrong, the Irish finally caught a po- tential season-changing break. At the bottom of the pile, Kizer lis- tened for the officials sorting out the situation. He initially heard "white ball," meaning Miami would get possession. Then another official said "blue," and once Kizer heard that, he let go of the ball and lis- tened to the crowd loudly react to the announcement. "It's all willpower and toughness to remain strong and hold on to the football," Kizer said. Sophomore wide receiver Equa- nimeous St. Brown was lined up on the opposite side of the field on the play. He saw it was Kizer and a Mi- ami defensive back battling for the ball, with Kizer clutching the ball be- tween someone's legs. "I got to the pile late. Everyone was on top," St. Brown said. "I didn't know who had it. I was just hoping and praying that we had it. "That shows his heart and his will to win." Kizer's recovery led to a go-ahead field goal by sophomore kicker Justin Yoon. Kizer embraced offensive co- ordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford on the field after the game, an outpouring of emotions during a trying season. "As much as you want to look at each game as one individually, to have the season that we've had so far, all of that builds up, whether you know it or not," Kizer said. "To go in that locker room and sing the fight song the way we do when we win, it's a great feeling. "It's the reason we come here to play, to win games and represent the university in the best way we can." ✦ ON THE IRISH BEAT MATT JONES Staff writer Matt Jones has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2016. He can be reached at mjones@blueandgold.com. DeShone Kizer's Fumble Recovery Was True Grit Kizer threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns, but his biggest play of the game was out-battling Miami defenders to recover tight end Durham Smythe's fumble inside the 5-yard line to set up Notre Dame's game-winning field goal. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA