Deshone Kizer Leads Notre Dame to Heroic Victory
By Dave McKee
Sep 12, 2015; Charlottesville, VA, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish offense lines up against the Virginia Cavaliers defense in the second quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
DeShone Kizer replaced Zaire, the Irish defense looked rattled following the Quarterback’s injury, but somehow, Kizer remained calm.
Enter DeShone Kizer… again. This time it’s not for special teams chicanery, but to lead the #9 fighting Irish. The responsibility fell to the shoulders of a sophomore quarterback. Kizer’s first play in, he hands off to running back C.J. Prosise, who scampered 25-yards to the end zone. The Irish extended their lead to 26-14. Prosise had an excellent night surpassing the century mark. It was a great play, but Social Media lit up with concerns over Notre Dame’s future. The biggest question in their minds, is their season over if Zaire is done?
Despite extending the lead to 12, it looked as if all the wind was let out of Notre Dame’s sails when Zaire went down. The defense looked distraught and unfocused throughout the remainder of the game. Perhaps they were wondering the same thing, is the season over? Maybe it was just a visceral reaction to the injury, either way the momentum was gone for the time being. Suddenly, Notre Dame was vulnerable.
More from Ink on Indy
- Still Searching for Their Groove, Pacers Take on Struggling Magic Thursday Night
- Pacers Travel to the Nation’s Capital to Begin Four Game Road Trip
- Update on Pacers’ Oladipo’s Serious Leg Injury
- Has Romeo Langford Been a Disappointment for the Hoosiers?
- The Indianapolis Colts Have a Brutal Road Schedule in 2019
Once again the pendulum swung and momentum was back in the favor of Johns and the Cavaliers. Johns led the Cavaliers on two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. With 5:40 left in the fourth quarter, Virginia had the ball and the time on the clock to drive down the field and beat Notre Dame. Johns was masterful on the drive that included a fourth-down conversion and chunk yard plays. Johns dropped back on second down and took a huge hit delivering a pass to tailback Taquan Mizzell who dropped the pass in the end zone.
Moments like those that make can make or break a quarterback with a game on the line. Johns bounced back. After an ineligible man down field penalty backed the Cavaliers up for a 3rd-and-15, Johns threw a missile inside the 5-yard line for a first down. Running back Albert Reid ran for a short-yardage touchdown to give the Cavaliers the lead, 27-26 with two minutes remaining in the game. A failed two-point conversion by Virginia left Notre Dame down by only one.+
Next: A New Hope