Notre Dame 28-3 Miami (OH) (September 21, 2024) Match Report

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Riley Leonard accounted for 297 total yards of offense and three touchdowns as No. 17 Notre Dame shook off a sluggish start on offense to beat Miami (Ohio) 28-3 on Saturday.

Leonard capped the scoring for the Fighting Irish (3-1) when he ran 50 yards up the middle for a touchdown with 5:39 left in the game. He finished the day with 143 yards rushing on 12 carries and two touchdowns. Leonard completed 12 of 25 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown.

Due to missed passes and penalties, Notre Dame fell behind 3-0 early in the second quarter with a 26-yard field goal by Miami's Dom Dzioban.

The Fighting Irish, who lost their last home game 14-16 to Northern Illinois, were booed several times by the crowd during their first three drives when they had two three-and-outs and lost the game on one down.

“That's part of the game, right? If you don't do your job, people are going to boo you,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “But if you let that affect the way you execute the next play, then you're not the right person for the job or to be our quarterback at Notre Dame. So I hope (Leonard) handled it exactly the way I would have expected him to. What do you need to do to refocus, execute the next play and do your job?”

The Irish woke up on offense late in the half. Leonard, tuning out the noise, marched the offense 87 yards in 10 plays and zigzagged the ball into the end zone for eight yards with 3:33 left in the second quarter.

After a Miami punt, Notre Dame needed just 56 seconds to extend the lead. Leonard threw a perfect pass to Beaux Collins, who made a 38-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown catch with 1:05 left in the second quarter, giving the Irish a 14-3 halftime lead.

Notre Dame finished the game with 270 rushing yards and 158 passing yards. Leonard credited the defense for keeping the game so close at the start.

“I think the way the defense plays obviously takes a lot of pressure off us as an offense,” Leonard said. “We would go out there and maybe take risks and play freely, knowing that we have such a great defense that will complement our game if we make a mistake. And then up front with the offensive line. I thought they did an excellent job.”

Notre Dame dropped the ball and punted on its first two possessions of the second half before Christian Gray made a diving interception that put the ball back in the hands of the Irish offense at their own 40-yard line, setting up Jeremiyah Love's 15-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 21-3.

Notre Dame's defense prevented the RedHawks (0-3) from gaining any ground after their early lead.

Junior Tuihalamaka intercepted a Miami pass intercepted by Gray, ending a RedHawks threat that had reached the Notre Dame 5 in the first quarter. Notre Dame also forced a turnover at the 36 in the first quarter.

In his first career start, defensive lineman Boubacar Traore recorded two sacks, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry – all in the first half.

Miami coach Chuck Martin was disappointed that his team wasted early opportunities, especially the interception in the red zone.

“I'm really excited about our performance,” said Martin. “We had a chance. When you play games like this, you have to take advantage of it and make the most of your chances.”

“We should be two points ahead. They (Notre Dame) are sleepwalking a little bit. It's tough when you're at Notre Dame and you're playing against Miami of Ohio. These guys weren't recruited by Miami of Ohio.”

The conclusion A week after scoring 42 first-half points in a 66-7 win at Purdue, Notre Dame managed just 40 total yards on its first three drives against Miami, Ohio. Notre Dame must work on continuity on offense to force its way back into the College Football Playoffs.

Impact of the survey Notre Dame will likely remain in the top 20, but don't expect a big jump forward after early struggles against a Miami team still looking for its first win.

Next Notre Dame: Hosts No. 19 Louisville on Saturday, September 28

Miami (Ohio): Hosts UMass on Saturday, September 28

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