Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 9, 2017 29 mage, senior tight end Ryan Smith ran a seam route that went for 22 yards. Miami (Ohio) went back to the seam route two plays later, but Martini was ready for it, picking off the pass and running it back 42 yards to set up the second score of the game for the Irish. "During the week we knew they liked the switch route combination with [the No. 2 receiver] going out and [the outside receiver or No. 1] running a dig," Martini said. "We knew that. I read it from the line of scrimmage and just dropped back to [cover] under number one. The ball was just there, and I made the play." Notre Dame's second forced turn- over was a result of junior nose tackle Jerry Tillery knocking the ball out of the hands of Miami (Ohio) quarter- back Gus Ragland. Tillery was out- standing a week prior in Notre Dame's 38-18 road victory over Michigan State, and he continued that strong play against Miami, setting a career- high with 1.5 sacks in the game. Tillery has been a far more disrup- tive player this season. He leads a de- fensive line that has 7.5 sacks through five games, already surpassing the three sacks the front four accumu- lated through 12 games a season ago. "I'm just out here trying to make plays for my team," said Tillery, who was awarded the game ball by Kelly. "That's always been my goal, and I think I'm able to do that this year much more consistently." Tillery now has 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks on the season. He had five tackles for loss and one sack during his first two seasons at Notre Dame … combined. Defensive end Khalid Kareem was another disruptive force for the Irish front. The sophomore recorded his first career sack in the victory, and added one pass broken up and a quarterback hurry to his final tally. "Khalid is really emerging in so many ways," head coach Brian Kelly said of the Detroit native. "Physically in the weight room, the numbers are off the charts in terms of what he's been doing. "He's just physically coming into his own … He's earned his playing time." INJURY UPDATES Junior running back Josh Adams tweaked his ankle on his final carry, which came late in the first quarter. He did not play another down, and junior running back Dexter Williams also missed the game. Sophomore Tony Jones Jr. left the contest following a hit to the helmet in the second quarter. With the top three backs out and freshman C.J. Holmes planning to red- shirt, sophomore Deon McIntosh be- came the bell cow the final three quar- ters, registering 47 yards on 12 carries. According to head coach Brian Kelly, all three backs could have played in a more competitive game and should be healthy when Notre Dame travels to North Carolina Oct. 7. "We just felt like we would run Deon and just be safe," Kelly explained. "We expect each back next week. Josh should be full-go, and Tony gets this week to really get back to 100 percent. We feel good going into next week." Sophomore safety Devin Studstill did not play in the game, and Kelly noted after the contest that Studstill was at about 80 percent. The expecta- tion, though, is that Studstill will be back to full strength versus the Tar Heels. NOTRE DAME VS. MIAMI (OHIO) QUARTER-BY-QUARTER COMPARISON Notre Dame 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Total Time of Possession 6:36 7:02 3:34 7:15 13:38 10:49 24:27 Third-Down Conversions 2-4 1-3 0-2 2-4 3-7 2-6 5-13 Fourth-Down Conversions 1-1 1-1 0-0 0-0 2-2 0-0 2-2 Average Field Position ND-42 ND-30 ND-32 ND-17 ND-38 ND-23 ND-32 Miami (Ohio) 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Final Time of Possession 8:24 7:58 11:26 7:45 16:22 19:11 35:33 Third-Down Conversions 2-3 0-2 3-6 1-4 2-5 4-10 6-15 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 0-2 0-0 0-0 0-2 0-2 Average Field Position MIAMI-28 MIAMI-25 MIAMI-30 MIAMI-39 MIAMI-27 MIAMI-34 MIAMI-30 PLAY CHART (NO. OF PLAYS) Yards ND MIAMI (-) 7 4 0-5 31 42 6-9 12 10 10-19 3 7 20-29 3 4 30-39 2 3 40-49 1 0 50 or more 3 0 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY (INSIDE 20-YARD LINE) No Poss. TD FG Score Notre Dame 3 3 0 0 Miami (Ohio) 2 1 1 0 The Irish forced two more turnovers versus Miami (Ohio) — including senior defensive end Jay Hayes' fumble recovery — and now have 11 through five games. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA BIG PLAYS (25 YARDS OR MORE) Notre Dame • 2-10 ND27 Adams rush for 73 yards and a touchdown • 1-10 ND41 Adams rush for 59 yards and a touchdown • 4-3 ND37 Jones rush for 32 yards to the MIAMI31 • 1-10 ND46 Wimbush pass complete to Boykin for 54 yards and a touchdown • 2-4 ND41 Wimbush rush for 19 yards to the MIAMI40, PENALTY MIAMI tripping (Earnest) 15 yards to the MIAMI25 • 3-11 ND12 Book pass complete to Finke for 48 yards to the MIAMI40 • 2-22 ND48 Book rush for 26 yards to the MIAMI26 • 2-10 MIAMI26 McIntosh rush for 26 yards and a touchdown Miami (Ohio) • 1-10 MIAMI25 Ragland pass complete to Smith for 22 yards to the MIAMI47, PENALTY ND RO (Tillery) 16 yards to the ND37 • 3-10 ND34 Ragland pass complete to Gardner for 34 yards and a touchdown • 3-9 MIAMI33 Ragland pass complete to Gardner for 33 yards to the ND34 • 3-1 MIAMI36 Smith rush for 27 yards to the ND37