Notre Dame stuck to a familiar script by turning a comfortable 16-3 halftime advantage into a narrow 22-17 victory that came down to the final minute of play. Vanderbilt scratched back from a 22-10 deficit in the fourth quarter to pull within five points, and had a chance to win at the end when Kalija Lipscomb could not come down with a fourth down pass deep in Irish territory. The Commodores were aided in their comeback by a sputtering Notre Dame offense and a pair of fortuitous pass interference calls on fourth down plays. Even more frustrating was the absolute refusal of the referees to notice even one of several blatant holds by Vandy offensive linemen against the Irish pass rushers, but apparently that was a bridge too far for this ACC crew. Notre Dame ascends to 3-0 on the season, although improvement along several fronts will be necessary if the Irish expect to keep it going.

The pattern for the Irish offense developed early in the contest as an impressive opening drive stalled in the red zone. Justin Yoon came on to kick his first of three field goals for a 3-0 lead just four minutes into the action. Notre Dame’s defensive line dominated play throughout the first half and the Commodores punted on their first four possessions. The Irish added a touchdown at the end of the first quarter when Brandon Wimbush scrambled home from 12 yards out on a broken play.

Kyle Shurmur finally got his offense moving late in the second period with a 75-yard drive, but Notre Dame was able to keep them from scoring. A Shurmur pass to Donaven Tennyson at the one yard line became a turnover when Irish safety Alohi Gilman stripped the ball and Julian Love fell on it in the end zone for a touchback.

The Irish offense had chances to build an insurmountable lead in the second quarter, but two promising drives fizzled in scoring territory. Yoon made field goals of 33 and 46 yards during this stretch and Notre Dame led by 16-0 with 1:15 remaining in the half. Shurmur hit a few quick passes and brought the Commodores to the Irish three yard line with eight seconds remaining. His next attempt was dropped, however, and Coach Derek Mason elected to kick a field goal as the half ended.

Vanderbilt started to have more offensive success in the third quarter, but they continued to commit miscues to keep them from scoring. A missed field goal ended their first drive and an interception by Troy Pride stopped the next one. A 20-yard punt return set up another Commodore possession in Irish territory, and this time Ke’Shawn Vaughn capped a 47-yard scoring march with a two-yard touchdown as the period drew to a close.

Leading by only 16-10, Notre Dame opened the fourth stanza with its best drive of the day. Reserves Ian Book and Nick Weishar teamed up for a short touchdown pass at the 11:04 mark, and the Irish stretched their lead to 22-10. A subsequent two-point conversion pass was unsuccessful.

Shurmur responded by moving his team across midfield, where the drive appeared to stall. The Commodores were bailed out of a fourth down incompletion by a pass interference call, and Shurmur took advantage moments later when he hit tight end Jared Pinkney with a scoring strike with over seven minutes remaining.

The Irish special teams came through on the subsequent kickoff as freshman Michael Young ran one back to the Notre Dame 49. The offense ran the ball into the red zone, but had to settle for another Yoon field goal that would afford them the relative safety of an eight point lead. The timing of the snap and hold was a bit off, however, and Yoon missed from 32 yards.

Vanderbilt therefore had one more shot to win with 3:39 to go and behind by only 22-17. Two quick plays advanced them to midfield, but the effort seemed to fail as another fourth down pass fell incomplete. Once again, a flag was thrown and the Irish were penalized for interference. The next series finally went Notre Dame’s way. Pride broke up a third down slant pass, and Pinkney could not come down with a leaping catch on fourth down as the ball rolled harmlessly away when his body hit the ground.

With 1:07 left, Notre Dame ran the clock down to twelve seconds before Tyler Newsome blasted a 63-yard punt to effectively crush Vanderbilt’s hopes for a final Hail Mary pass. Once again, the post game emotions were more a matter of relief rather than exultation, but the Irish avoided the upset and live to fight another day.

Let’s review the pregame questions for addition insight.

Will the Notre Dame defensive front knock Shurmur out of his rhythm? They did a great job in the first half before the heat of the day caused some fatigue later on. As I mentioned, the pressure would have been more effective if Vandy’s linemen didn’t repeatedly get away with holding them all afternoon.

Can either team establish a respectable running game? Notre Dame outgained the Commodores on the ground by 245-94, and this factor more than anything was the difference in the outcome.

Will Wimbush avoid drive-killing sacks and interceptions? Wimbush was 13 for 23 and 122 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. The red zone failures were more the result of poor play selection, and he did bail out his coach with one heroic touchdown scramble in the first half.

Can Mason push the right buttons to keep his defense from getting steamrolled? Mason kept his team in the game and gave them a chance to win at the end, but the close score is arguably more a result of Irish offensive stumbles as opposed to great defensive acumen by Vanderbilt.

Will the Irish demonstrate increased intensity after last week’s uninspired effort? Kelly gave fiery, TV-friendly speeches during pregame and at halftime, but his charges remain inconsistent. The first two drives and the opening drive of the final period were the best of the day, so there were positives. The defense remains the strength of the team and will have to hold up every week if Notre Dame is going to keep winning.

Can the Notre Dame special teams have a positive impact on the outcome? Yes!! Young’s long kickoff return was a welcome event. Newsome finally punted the ball like we knew he could, and Jonathan Doerer’s kickoffs sailed into the end zone. Yoon was probably not at fault for his one miss, and his contributions were a vital part of the outcome.

Will the Irish be able to avoid another costly injury? A few players were dinged up during the afternoon and went to the sidelines, but all returned to action later.

Next up is the first road trip of the season to Wake Forest, and Hurricane Florence should be long gone by then. The people in that region have a lot more important things to worry about this week, and we wish them well.