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Notre Dame Stuns Texas 38-3 in Season Opener

By Dave McKee

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Notre Dame is a Top-10 team. Yes, their current rank is 11th. But after their dominant 38-3 win over the Longhorns? It’s simple. This was a statement game and the Fighting Irish just put the rest of the nation on notice.

Notre Dame is better than advertised, they are elite. The defense was the most hyped position group coming into their opening night game against Texas. Once the game started it was a different story. Don’t get me wrong, the Irish defense was indomitable, allowing only one chunk yard play the entire night. On the other hand, the offense stole the show.

In only his second start, junior quarterback Malik Zaire picked apart the Texas defense with surgical precision and a pocket presence that belied his experience. Zaire was relieved early in the 4th quarter ending his night by throwing as many touchdowns as he did incompletions.

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Admittedly, it doesn’t hurt to have an outstanding offensive line keeping the pocket clean all night. We knew he could run, but no one – except head coach Brian Kelly – knew he could play with such poise and prowess in the pocket. When Zaire felt the pressure he slid away from the pressure and climbed the pocket before finding an open receiver or tucking and running.

Zaire completed 86% of his passes, throwing 19-of-22 for 313-yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to wide receiver standout Will Fuller. The first of those two Zaire-to-Fuller touchdowns came on their second possession of the night.

The only real setback of the night came when starting tailback Tarean Folston injured his knee  and was later seen on the sidelines with crutches. The extent of the injury is unclear and will require an MRI on Sunday to determine a prognosis. With Folston out of commission, Coach Kelly turned to a rushing attack comprised of former wide receiver C.J. Prosise, freshmen Josh Adams and Dexter Williams. Prosise ran with authority and led the Irish with 20 carries for 98 yards. Prosise led in yardage, but it was Adams who found the endzone twice. In total, Adams had five carries tallying 49 yards his first collegiate carry resulting in his first touchdown:

Once the Irish got out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter the defense stepped up keeping the Longhorns frustrated.offensively. Notre Dame held Texas to 163 yards of offense. The two Texas quarterbacks – Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard – simply could not build any momentum combining for a disappointing 8-of-23 passing for 103 yards. There was one bright spot for Swoopes during the game when he connected with wide receiver John Burt on a 48-yard bomb that led to the Longhorns’ lone score in the third quarter.

Following the Longhorns field goal, Zaire led the Irish back down the field connecting with Fuller on a 66-yard play for their second touchdown of the night.

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Following the score which stretched the lead to 24-3, Notre Dame took their collective foot off the gas deciding instead to rely on their offensive line to plow through the Texas front seven. The result? Notre Dame scored two more times, once in the air and the other on the ground. The stat sheet was as imbalanced as the scoreboard. This was not one of those “you can’t judge a game by the score” kinds of games.

No, this was a first-class throttling. There was literally no comparison between the two squads. Notre Dame tallied 527 total yards, Texas had 163. Time of possession; Notre Dame held the ball for 39:10 minutes, Texas for 20:50. Perhaps first downs are the best indicator. Texas was held to only 8 first downs for the night. Notre Dame had 30 first downs.

In the end, with backups in, there was much to consider while the clock ran down. First and foremost, is the fact that these two schools are heading in two distinctly different directions. Coach Kelly has the most talented team he has had at his disposal since arriving in South Bend. Texas coach Charlie Strong is rebuilding an organization with a youth movement that will still take some time to gel.

Notre Dame’s next game is on Saturday, September 12th at 3:30 pm when they travel to the Virginia Cavaliers. For those of you who needed just a little more of the great content supplied by @NDFootball throughout the game, here’s a 30-second highlight reel of the best plays of the game:

Next: Notre Dame Fighting Irish: College Football Preview

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