Notre Dame stumbled through the first twenty minutes of the game but ultimately took control and ground out a 28-3 victory over Miami of Ohio. Riley Leonard ran for 143 yards and two scores while completing his first touchdown pass of the season. His 38-yard strike to Beaux Collins before halftime was the team’s best pass play of the season. Once again, the Fighting Irish defense shut down the opposition. They allowed only 229 total yards, forced two turnovers, and recorded four sacks. The win moves Notre Dame to 3-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference.

The began in ominous fashion for the hosts. After stopping the opening Redhawk drive, the Irish gave the ball right back when Jordan Faison failed to catch Alec Bevelhimer’s punt. Miami moved quickly into scoring territory before cornerback Christian Gray knocked away a slant pass near the goal line. End Junior Tuihalamaka grabbed the ball before it hit the ground for the interception. Gray continues to show excellent instincts for the ball and does not hesitate to make a play on it.

Notre Dame’s offense failed to capitalize. Penalties, errant passes, missed blocks, and a special teams snafu plagued the Irish attack during their first three possessions. Meanwhile, the Redhawks were able to get on the scoreboard with a short field goal after a productive drive stalled in the red zone.

Leonard began to establish a rhythm on his short passes midway through the second period. A pair of 15-yard penalties helped sustain a long drive that Leonard closed with an eight yard scoring run. Notre Dame finally had its first lead (7-3) with just 3:33 remaining in the half.

This touchdown seemed to wake up the hosts. The defense quickly got the ball back and the Irish faithful awaited the upcoming two minute drill with an equal measure of excitement and trepidation. Leonard responded with a 21-yard run, a 14-yard pass to Kris Mitchell, and a beautiful 38-yard bomb to Collins for a 14-3 advantage. Collins had beaten his defender by two steps down the right sideline as the ball hit him in stride.

Notre Dame took the second half kickoff and began to march. Leonard broke off a long run into Redhawk territory before being stripped of the ball. Miami recovered after the ensuing scramble after two Irish players somehow managed to let the pigskin slip away.

After a subsequent exchange of punts, Gray delivered a big play for the Irish defense. He made a leaping interception on a deep sideline throw by Brett Gabbert to put Notre Dame back on the attack. Leonard threw another accurate bomb to Mitchell, who drew a pass interference penalty on what would have been a touchdown.

The Irish kept plugging away through the air before Jeremiah Love took an inside handoff from 15 yards out and scored to make it 21-3 late in the third quarter. Replay apparently missed that a Miami defender dislodged the ball from Love before he crossed the goal line. Tackle Aamil Wagner fell on the ball in the end zone and should have been credited with his first career touchdown.

Notre Dame blocked a Redhawk field goal attempt in the final stanza before embarking on its final scoring march. Leonard broke through the line on a fourth down plunge and did not stop until he reached the end zone. Coach Marcus Freeman cleared his bench in the final minutes as the 28-3 margin held firm.

After four weeks of play, the inconsistency of Notre Dame’s offense remains a concern. Leonard’s 16 of 25 passing effort contained the highlight play to Collins but was offset by a number of late and off-target short range throws. He stepped up in the pocket more frequently and found open receivers but misfired more often than not. Defensively, the Irish front seven often surrenders chunks of yardage on the ground but usually manages to tighten up when it matters most. The secondary remains solid.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Will Notre Dame suffer another emotional letdown after a lopsided win? Once again, the Irish started poorly. It is difficult to tell if they were lethargic today or this team is simply not as good as we expected them to be. I lean toward the latter.
• Can the Irish stuff Miami’s running game and make them one-dimensional? As has been the usual pattern, Notre Dame gave up a few productive runs early but settled in to shut down the visitors.
• Which team will have the fewest penalties and turnovers? Both teams were sloppy. Each had two turnovers. Miami had ten penalties to eight for Notre Dame.
• Will the Irish special teams win the battle of field position? Punter James Rendell had a good game at the right time. He punted the Irish out of deep holes in the first half and allowed the coverage to limit any significant returns. A botched snap on a Mitch Jeter field goal attempt and the fumbled punt were unacceptable lowlights.
• Can Notre Dame’s secondary limit yards after catch by the Redhawk receivers? Cade McDonald had a couple of healthy catch and run receptions but there were no game breaking plays by the Redhawks.
• Will Love and Price continue to break off big chunk runs? No. Miami employed a proven defensive strategy against the Irish. They stacked the box and dared Leonard to beat them with the pass. The Irish took some advantage of this with a couple of successful throws but would have scored at least 42 points with a more polished aerial attack. Ultimately, Leonard ended up beating the Redhawks with his legs.
• Can Notre Dame pressure Gabbert into a subpar performance? Yes, Gabbert was 14 for 35 and was under pressure on almost every throw.
• Will Leonard get the Irish passing game off the ground? Yes, although they are going to need much more of this next week and beyond to make opponents respect this part of their attack.

A home engagement ndefeated Louisville is the next opportunity for Notre Dame. Anyone who believes last seaon’s spanking was a fluke had better think again. The Irish need to be better next week than they were today if they expect to win.