Notre Dame woke up in the second quarter to score 21 points and turned a tight game into a rout as they coasted past Virginia by 35-14. The contest had settled into a punt-filled snoozer before three Irish interceptions stunned the visitors. Al Golden’s defense chased Cavalier quarterback Anthony Colandrea from the game while Jeremiah Love led the attack with two touchdown runs. Unfortunately, nine penalties for 89 total yards put Notre Dame’s offense in a hole on seemingly every possession.

The afternoon began ominously for Virginia. Chris Tyree fumbled the opening kickoff into the hands of Max Hurleman at the Cav 25. Love scored moments later from four yards out and the hosts grabbed a quick 7-0 lead. While the Irish defense proceeded to shut down Colandrea, Notre Dame’s offense was busy shooting itself in the foot with holding penalties.

An exchange of fumbles marred the start of the second period. Hurleman muffed a punt to return Tyree’s favor, but the Cavaliers fumbled it right back. Riley Leonard finally engineered a drive with passes to Jaden Greathouse and Jayden Harrison. The Irish hit paydirt as Leonard found Harrison over the middle for eight yards and a 14-0 advantage.

Then things got weird. Virginia punted following a three and out series. Leonard responded by firing a scoring strike to Harrison that covered 78-yards. It was his best pass of the season, except that it didn’t count. Center Pat Coogan was flagged for a personal foul on the play.

Notre Dame was subsequently forced to punt, or at least it appeared that way. Instead, the Irish ran a beautifully executed fake that Jordan Faison took 73 yards for another score. This one did not count, either. The ever-vigilant ACC referees waited until Faison crossed the goal line before flagging Notre Dame for an illegal formation. Coach Marcus Freeman predictably and justifiably went ballistic.

These developments ignited outrage among the Irish faithful and mayhem by the defense. Three straight series by the Cavaliers ended in interceptions by Adon Shuler, Leonard Moore and Xavier Watts. Notre Dame converted the first two into touchdown receptions by Cooper Flanagan and Mitchell Evans. Watts’ pick came with seconds left in the half and a subsequent field goal attempt was unsuccessful.

Now leading by 28-0, the Irish received the second half kickoff. Leonard promptly threw an interception but Virginia could not capitalize. Notre Dame got the ball back and elected to stick with the running game. This strategy paid off as Love burst through the line and sped past the Cavs for a 76-yard score. The Irish now led by 35-0 and fans were clamoring for another 50-point showing.

Coach Tony Elliott switched quarterbacks as Tony Muskett entered the game. His first pass was a 38-yarder to Malachi Fields, although the refs chose not to notice that Fields had dropped the ball. Muskett then ran it in from 18 yards to put the Cavaliers on the scoreboard.

Notre Dame squandered chances to add to its point total. Leonard misfired on multiple passes in scoring territory, including a short toss in the end zone to a wide open Evans. Zac Yoakam also missed a chip shot field goal attempt as Mitch Jeter remains limited to extra point tries. As the final seconds ticked away, Elliott used his timeouts to enable another inconsequential touchdown run by Muskett. This accounted for the final 35-14 margin.

While the Irish defense dominated on the way to a 35-0 lead, the offense was underwhelming. The team converted just one of 12 times on third down. Many of those missed opportunites were from long yardage due to prior penalties. Others were simply ugly football plays. Leonard was only partly responsible for these failures. His receivers dropped passes and a certain member of the offensive line had a particularly awful game.

The kicking game has now emerged as a concern. Jeter’s replacements have proven to be incapable of making a field goal. His injury has limited him for a month and has not appreciably improved. If Notre Dame needs a three-pointer in a close game anytime soon, it is not clear who can make it.

Let’s look at the answers to our pregame questions:

• Will the Irish cornerbacks be able to neutralize Fields? The secondary held Fields to four receptions, three of which were legitimate. That was the only one that led to a score.
• Which team’s running game will provide production and balance to its attack? Notre Dame rushed for 236 yards, which was more than half its total offense. Virginia managed 128 rush yards but many of those occurred after the Irish built their 35-point lead.
• Can the Irish pass rush create havoc for Colandrea? My great question of the week. The poor kid was shellshocked and will probably need therapy.
• Will Notre Dame’s offense avoid multiple three and out series? No, they were wildly inconsistent. When this offense is bad, it can be brutal to watch.
• Which special teams will contribute impact plays? Tyree’s gift was a good start but the Zebras took away Faison’s gem that would have been the highlight of the year.
• Will DT Donovan Hinish hold up inside while filling in for the injured Cross? A mixed bag. Hinish made a few excellent plays and was rolled on some others. He competed hard though and the defense was fine with him in the lineup.
• Which team will win the turnover battle? Notre Dame forced five turnovers and gave the ball away twice.
• Can Tyree break loose for big plays against his old teammates? One reception for three yards is not what Chris had in mind. The fumbled opening kickoff was something he would certainly like to forget.

This battle yielded another comfortable victory against an overmatched team. Notre Dame’s performance failed to answer lingering questions regarding the offense, which is often difficult to watch. Granted, the stat sheet looks fine from a 10,000 foot level. The number of penalties and unproductive plays is not acceptable for a team with playoff aspirations. Sooner or later, Mike Denbrock’s unit will be put to the test against a Top Ten opponent. Right now, I have my doubts as to whether they have it in them.