Join the forum discussion on this postNotre Dame running plays average 4.0 yards per carry. The Irish complete 31 out of 49 passes for 391 yards. The team gains 502 yards total for the game. Cierre Wood rushes for 104 yards. Michael Floyd catches 12 passes for 154 yards and two TD’s. Victory, right ? As Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend.”
In a scene all too familiar with Fighting Irish fans, mistakes, miscues, lack of execution, you name it, it happens. This nightmare has been occurring now for over 18 years. Ever since Boston College’s David Gordon kicked the field goal that booted the Irish right out of the opportunity to play for the National Championship during the 1993 season, it has been more of the same.
In a game where Notre Dame Stadium was evacuated due to weather for the first time ever, not once, but twice, the Fighting Irish miscues cost them a game that they should have won. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. South Florida beat the Irish 23-20. The boos began before halftime. They were well deserved too. In the first half alone, Notre Dame committed 5 penalties and had 3 turnovers. As usual, all seemed to come at critical times.
The game started off with beautiful sunshiny weather. Albeit, pretty damn humid conditions though with a 93 degree temperature. The Bulls kicked off to Notre Dame to start the game with a touchback. Dayne Crist and the Irish starting at their own 20 yard line, took the ball and drove down the field like this was going to be their day, their game. Coming out of the shotgun, a short pass to Cierre Wood and he takes it for a 32 yard gain. Two plays later, Michael Floyd takes a pass and goes 26 yards down to the Bulls 22 yard line. Upon driving to the one yard line and facing third and goal to go, Jonas Gray came in and attempted to take the ball off tackle to the left, he was stripped of the ball and Kayvon Webster took the fumble recovery and went 96 yards stunning the Irish and the crowd in the stands.
From there on, it only got worse. On the next possession, the Irish were forced to punt and Ben Turk’s punt went for a grand total of 23 yards.. The Bulls started a short drive at their own 27 yard line. The drive stalled and Maikon Bonani nailed a 49 yard FG try. Just like that it was 10-0 USF.
Theo Riddick returned the kickoff to the Irish 33 yard line. The drive stalled in part because of a delay of game penalty on third down and a yard to go. The third and 6 play was a pass to a wide open Michael Floyd. It was thrown badly and sailed over Floyd’s outstretched hands. Turk’s punt sailed 37 yards only to be returned 34 yards to the Irish 40 line. There were missed tackles on the return. Back to back personal foul face mask penalties on safety Harrison Smith set up the Bulls with a first and goal at the Notre Dame five yard line. The drive stalled at the one and Bonani kicked a 17 yard field goal, 13-0 for the Bulls.
The Irish then began a drive at their own 32 yard line after the kick return. They marched all the way down field. An apparent 14 yard scamper, for a TD, on a run to the right by Cierre Wood. But hold on, Michael Floyd was caught holding on the play. Later on second and goal, TJ Jones dropped a pass in the end zone. On third and goal, Crist threw a terrible pass to a receiver that was covered, the ball sailed right into the defenders arms for a pick.
The rest of the first half seemed to be more of the same for the Irish with dropped passes, bad punts, poor execution, and key penalties. Theo Riddick muffed a punt return and USF recovered at the ND 20 yard line. That led to a 19 yard Bonani FG. By now, bad weather and boos were cascading down. The first half for the Irish saw 5 penalties and 3 very key turnovers. Mental mistakes aplenty.
At halftime the stadium was evacuated due to bad storms that included heavy winds and dangerous, brilliant lightning flashes. After a 2 hour and 10 minute delay due to the inclement weather, the second half started with the Irish kicking to the Bulls. That drive stalled, and a bad punt set Notre Dame up at the USF 49 yard line. Tommy Rees was now in at quarterback for Notre Dame for the second half. The Irish were aided on their drive when a USF player jumped off sides on a fourth and one. Disaster struck again on a first and goal at the USF 5 yard line when Rees, finding no one else open, threw a pass to TJ Jones coming across field from left to right. Jones must have been thinking about the hot date he would be taking to the victory celebration, because he sure wasn’t expecting the toss to be coming his way, The pass bounced off his shoulder and was picked off.
Once again the Irish held the Bulls back and received a punt. Notre Dame started this drive at their thirty-three yard line. Rees finally got the Irish ignited. Rees hit Tyler Eifert with a 38 yard completion over the middle. Eifert made a great run after catching the pass. Then, Rees found Michael Floyd open and racing down the right side into the end zone for a 35 yard TD. The Irish were finally on the board at 16-7.
Notre Dame held the Bulls once again and got the ball back. Rees looked sharp on a pass over the middle to Theo Riddick. The ball went from the Irish 33 yard line, to the Bulls 40 yard line, for a 27 yard gain. Tommy Rees then found Michael Floyd on the left side. Floyd broke a tackle and went 14 yards down to the USF 19 yard line. The drive stalled at the 13. David Ruffer who was sensational as the record setting Irish FG kicker a year ago, came in to attempt a 20 yard FG. The kick sailed wide left as once again the luck of the Irish went south.
USF then drove 80 yards to score a TD on a 2 yard pass from Daniels to Landi. The drive was aided by 2 key penalties on Gary Gray. The first, a personal foul on a late hit out of bound and the second, a pass interference in the end zone on third and goal.
The score was now USF 23 and Notre Dame 7.
The Irish started the next drive at their own 20 yard line after an Austin Collinsworth kick return from one yard deep in the end zone to that spot. Then it was the Tommy Rees show. Big completions to Eifert , Riddick, and two others to Michael Floyd set up a rushing TD by Cierre Wood from the one yard line. A failed two point conversion left the score at 23-13 with 7 minutes and 35 seconds left in the game.
The Bulls then went on a short drive that was aided by a late hit penalty on Ethan Johnson (another key miscue by an upperclassman player). The Bulls ran off three minutes of clock before punting the ball to the Irish 9 yard line.
Notre Dame ran one play before the game was once again suspended at the 4:21 mark due to bad weather. NBC showed how important this game was to their prime time line-up by shifting the telecast to the VERSUS network. After a delay of 30 minutes the game resumed. However, for the Irish faithful, it was more of the same dismal showing as had been seen for most of the afternoon. On the first play back, Tommy Rees tried to force a pass to a well covered Michael Floyd over the middle. It was promptly picked off. All the while Tyler Eifert was open on the right hand side.
The Bulls started at the Notre Dame 30 yard line with just over 4 minutes left in the game. Notre Dame held and USF punted to the Irish one yard line with 2:20 remaining in the game. Rees led the Irish downfield 99 yards on 10 plays. After a personal foul penalty on a roughing the passer call, the Irish had a first and goal at the 8 yard line. Rees found Floyd open on the right side of the end zone for the TD. The extra point cut the score to 23-20. However, there were but 21 seconds left in the game and the Irish were out of timeouts.
The ensuing onside kick by Notre Dame bounced off the shoulder pad of a Bulls player, but was still recovered by USF. Michael Floyd appeared to maybe have a shot at the recovery, but a Bulls player out-hustled him to the ball and made the recovery. The final score was 23-20, in favor of the University of South Florida Bulls.
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