Notre Dame's defense prevents any chance of an upset against Miami (Ohio)

The slipper didn't fit in Miami, Ohio.

Although Daniel Hicks And Jason Garrett in the NBC booth couldn't help but repeatedly try to draw parallels between Saturday's game at Notre Dame Stadium and the game two weeks ago that ended in Notre Dame's 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois. Miami didn't fit the script.

The RedHawks held on and were able to make up the deficit in a 28-3 loss to No. 17 Notre Dame, but it was not enough for them to pull off a surprise victory over the Irish (3-1).

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Miami (0-3) didn't have enough explosive plays. The RedHawks had only one play of more than 20 yards. Northern Illinois had three.

Miami didn't play cleanly enough. The RedHawks received ten 100-yard penalties and lost the ball twice. Northern Illinois only committed three penalties.

Miami's offense didn't stay on the field long enough. Despite only having a 12-second lead, Miami lost the time-of-possession battle, converting only two of its 13 third- and fourth-down attempts. Northern Illinois won the period of possession with more than nine minutes left, converting six third- and one fourth-down attempts.

Miami had enough to make Notre Dame fans boo their home team and coax an uneven performance from the Irish offense for much of the first half, but the RedHawks lacked the consistency needed to finish the job. And Miami wasn't in a good position to build momentum, either.

Unlike the time when Notre Dame's defense allowed Northern Illinois to score 13 points on its first three possessions, the Irish defense set the tone. Although Notre Dame's defense had to go back on the field after forcing Miami to punt on its opening drive on a Jordan Faison fumble, the Irish held firm and forced a turnover of their own.

Cornerback Christian Gray jumped a slant route on first-and-goal at the five-yard line, forcing Miami’s quarterback Brett Gabbert into an interception. Gray failed to catch the ball himself, but the ball was redirected into the air and Vyper End Junior Tuihalamaka managed to get under it.

“When I missed the punt, I just thought, OK, that's football,” Gray said. “That happens sometimes. We're masters of the situation. I went back out there and just managed to get a stop.”

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After Notre Dame's offense whimpered with a three-and-out, the defense responded by forcing a turnover on downs after eight plays. Tuihalamaka attacked running back Kevin Davis for a loss of four yards on third and two, then safety Adon Shuler intercepted a pass intended for Davis on fourth down.

Miami's offense was at its best all game on its fourth possession. Miami picked up yards on a 14-yard run by Gabbert, a 20-yard run by Davis, an 11-yard run by running back Keyon Mozee and a 13-yard pass to the wide receiver Kam Perry to get the ball to Notre Dame's seven-yard line. But then Miami provided more examples of why it would not win on Saturday. A false start on the second and final attempt brought the ball back to the 12-yard line. On the third and final attempt, Gabbert tried to challenge cornerback Benjamin Morrison in the end zone. After that seemingly inevitable incomplete pass, Dom Dzioban gave Miami a 3-0 lead with a 26-yard field goal less than three minutes into the second quarter. Miami never scored again after that.

Notre Dame's defense tightened its grip, not allowing Miami to gain more than six plays or 26 yards on its next six drives. The Irish offense, meanwhile, found its stride, scoring two touchdowns in the final four minutes before halftime — an 8-yard run by quarterback Riley Leonard and a 38-yard pass from Leonard to wide receiver Beaux Collins — and one each in the third and fourth quarters — a 15-yard run by running back Jeremiyah Love and a 50-yard run by Leonard.

Notre Dame played so well defensively that the Irish were able to withstand their own mistakes in other areas. After the botched punt, ND’s special teams failed again with a poor snap/hold exchange between long snapper Andrew Kros and Chris Salerno on what should have been a 45-yard field goal attempt, but was instead an incomplete pass from Mitch Jeter.

Even Leonard's lost fumble at the end of a 43-yard run was no cause for great concern. Miami immediately went on to win three games.

“The way the defense plays,” Leonard said, “obviously takes a lot of pressure off us on offense. We can go out there and maybe take risks and play freely, knowing we have such a good defense.”

Sophomore Boubacar Traore got his first career start as a replacement for injured vyper Jordan Botelho and made the most of it. Traore was his team's top player with 5 tackles, recorded two sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry. Tuihalamaka, who hadn't played a single defensive snap this season before Botelho's injury last week against Purdue, had another tackle in addition to his interception and tackle for loss.

“Junior had a great defense at the goal line,” said the Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman“I know he made another good move. I can't remember exactly what it was – a big tackle with a loss of space. Boubacar is playing at a high level. He played at a high level in the first three games and continues to make progress. And that's why we need them both. And we are proud of their performance today.”

Linebacker Drayk Bowen and nose tackle Howard Cross III accounted for the other half of the four sacks Gabbert suffered. Although Miami rushed for 110 yards after totaling 64 in the first two games, the offense was on Gabbert's arm. He couldn't generate enough momentum, completing 14 of his 35 attempts (40%) for 119 yards with two interceptions.

Notre Dame's defenders, especially in the secondary, challenged Miami's receivers at the catch point, combining for eight pass breakups. Safeties Xavier Watts and Shuler each had two. Morrison had one. Gray had one in addition to an interception in the third quarter.

“We were confident that our DBs could execute the defense we asked for, and they did a good job,” Freeman said.

Gray expected to have a tough time playing on the other side of Morrison, and he said he could only thank God after recording his first interception of the season.

“I basically know that the ball is coming at me every time and I'm just going to catch it,” Gray said. “That's the real thought in my head every time.”

Notre Dame's defense should only gain confidence after allowing a combined 10 points in its last two games. Even on a day when Notre Dame was at its best just once, the Irish defense played well enough to prevent any deserved panic.

“Our defense did really well,” Freeman said. “We had some drives where they had some yards, but they sunk their cleats into the ground and didn't let them into the end zone, which is a big credit to the coach. [Al] Golden and our defense and the players.”