Game Recap: Notre Dame Outflanks Army In The Bronx 49-14
Source: Dustin Satloff / Getty
NEW YORK CITY — Saturday marked somewhat of a flexion point of the season for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as they renewed their rivalry with one of their oldest adversaries in their history.
Notre Dame and Army have an incredibly long past. Without question, it is highlighted by those who wax poetic about the Four Horsemen and their triumph over West Point in 1924.
Precisely 100 years later, the stories, the nostalgia, the history, all had to be put to the side Saturday evening at Yankee Stadium as the Irish and the undefeated Golden Knights not only battled for supremacy over the other but for their cases for a meaningful post-season.
It would be the 6th-ranked Irishmen who not only all but solidified a spot in the College Football Playoff, but silenced many detractors as they pummeled a 19th-ranked Army 49-14.
“Really proud of the performance,” said head coach Marcus Freeman. “You never know how this game is going to go. We knew we were preparing for a really good opponent. the preparation this week was really good.”
The Irish scored twice in the 1st quarter. The first on a methodical 5-play, 68-yard drive capped off by a 28-yard touchdown pass from Riley Leonard to Jordan Faison. This came after the Irish defense forced a punt from Army on their opening drive.
The defense followed up in like manner. This time Bryce Young came barreling in to block the Army punt and set up the Irish on the Golden Knights’ 2-yard line. Running back Jeremiyah Love was obliged to take advantage of the short field and punched it into the endzone three plays later off a short pass from Leonard.
Still, Army would not keel over quite so easily. They engineered a textbook triple-option drive to follow going 12-plays and 75 yards to the endzone off the running ability of quarterback Bryson Daily. Notre Dame’s offense subsequently turned the ball over on downs.
Forcing a punt and an eventual fumble late in the half, the Irish defense came up big when the offense appeared to be shaky. The renewed confidence from the defense gave Riley Leonard and company the boost they needed. Notre Dame scored twice more: another by Love and the latter a 2-yard run by Jadarian Price.
28-7 Irish at halftime.
The second half started with another bang from the Irish as Jeremyiah Love secured his hat trick. He took the first play from scrimmage 68 yards on the ground to the house, further demoralizing the West Point defense.
Leonard would tag out of the game late in the 3rd quarter for Steve Angelli, as the Irish would score twice more putting the game on ice, despite Army getting in the endzone once more in the final minutes of the game.
It was a topsy-turvy day in the realm of college football. Four teams within the top fifteen of the College Football Playoff rankings lost. This ripple effect, along with Notre Dame’s dominating victory, may have paid big dividends for the Irish in their hope of making the playoff.
“That’s for (the media and fans) to interpret,” Freeman said. “There is one goal on Saturdays and that is to achieve team glory. The way you prepare gives you the best opportunity to do that.”
Riley Leonard finished the evening with his most efficient game of the season throwing just 13 passes, but completing ten of them for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Between Love, Leonard, Price, and Aneyas Williams, the Irish ran the ball for 275 yards and five touchdowns.
“There is a lot of confidence in our offense,” Freeman added. “They are playing with that confidence too.”
Even with the fortune of other teams faltering around them in the playoff race, at 10-1 and having won nine straight games, the Irish can ill-afford another loss. They head west to face another old rival in Southern California in Los Angeles next week. Despite their 6-5 record, they have won three of their last four games. It will be Notre Dame’s first true road game since their crushing win over Purdue back in mid-September.
