It’s becoming a tradition for Notre Dame to win on Senior Day. The Irish haven’t lost on Senior Day since 2016, when they gave up 13 unanswered points in the fourth to fall to Virginia Tech 34-31. Since that heartbreak, Notre Dame is 6-0 in senior days and has been dominant. This trend continued on Saturday when they blew out Virginia 35-14.
Notre Dame’s dominance started from the jump. When former Irish receiver Chris Tyree, botched the opening kickoff, putting the Irish deep in Virginia territory to start the game. That set the tone for what the Irish were going to do throughout the rest of the game. In fact, they probably should’ve won by more, but had two touchdowns called back due to questionable penalties from the ACC officiating crew.
This win increases the winning streak to eight games, which is exactly what this team needed to due after losing to NIU in week two. Many thought the only way people and more importantly the playoff committee, will forget about that loss would be to win out. Not just that, but win convincingly. Which is exactly what the Irish have done. With how dominant Notre Dame has been, this team is seemingly a lock to make the 12-team playoff. And if they continue to play at this level, this team is very capable of making a deep run. Here are the other major takeaways from the win against Virginia.
Al Golden is the Best Defensive Cordinator in the Country
If there is one takeaway anyone can see is the defense is what’s carrying this team. Although the Irish offense has gotten better every week, without the play of the defense, this is a fringe playoff team at best. Every week we’re highlighting a different defensive player or unit that stepped up that week. However, although the players deserve their shine, a lot of the credit should go to defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Week in and week out, Golden has come up with a game plan that has shut down the opponents offense. In fact, only once this season has a team scored more than 17 points against Notre Dame’s defense. An it hasn’t been with the same group. Golden has lost several key contributors, most notably Howard Cross III and Benjamin Morrison. However, these losses have been barely noticeable as the players Golden has put in to replace them have excelled.
For what he has done, Golden has cemented himself as the best defensive coordinator in the country. Very few people could hold nine power four teams to under 17 points in a game. However, to do it without having some of his best players shows how impressive his defensive scheme is. With this in mind, Notre Dame has to do everything to keep Golden on the Irish sideline. His scheme has turned the Irish defense into the best in the country, and in order to keep this play up, Golden has to be at the helm.
Jayden Harrison: Notre Dame’s New Favorite Offensive Weapon
Lots have been made about Notre Dame’s passing game this season. It’s the one area this team is lacking in. It’s the one thing many have pointed to as what could prevent the Irish from making a run. Lots of the blame for the passing game shortcomings has fallen on the shoulders of Riley Leonard. However, it’s unfair to place all the blame on the quarterback. This offense is also lacking a legit wide receiver one. Every week it seems like a new receiver is getting a bulk of the target.
However, over the past two weeks, a wide receiver number one might be emerging. Jayden Harrison has been one of the leading receivers for Notre Dame for the past two weeks. Against Florida State last week he had two receptions for 47 yards. He backed that performance up with three receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown. It’s clear that Leonard and Harrison are developing chemistry and this could help the passing game become less of a weak point.
At the very least, Harrison could become the deep threat this Irish team needs. Against Florida State, Harrison had an average yard per reception of 23.5. Then against Virginia, it was 13.7 yards. This means that when Notre Dame is looking to go deep, the first receiver they look to is Harrison. A deep threat like this can turn the game on its head. If the Irish are down they can draw up a deep route and have confidence Harrison can make the play.
Brian Germinaro is a sportswriter for Belly Up Sports. Follow him on Twitter/X for more sports coverage and Belly Up Sports for even more college football content. Feature image credit: Icon Sportswire.
