Mitchell Evans has his first TD of the season for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
[autotag]Mitchell Evan’s[/autotag] first touchdown of the season came at a very good time for the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
It looked like the Irish might have a drive stall before halftime against the Florida State Seminoles. Notre Dame appeared ready to attempt a FG, then took a timeout and decided to go for it on fourth down. A [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] pass to [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] converted, but the Seminoles also had 12 men on the field and were penalized.
Leonard hit Evans for a 12-yard touchdown pass on the next play, ending a 12-play, 77-yard drive that took 1:31 off the clock.
Notre Dame leads the Seminoles 21-3 at the halftime break.
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 07: Mitchell Evans #88 of Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Stadium on October 07, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price side-stepped his way into the end zone.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag] used some fancy footwork to avoid being pushed out of bounds as he completed a 65-yard touchdown run against the Florida State Seminoles.
Price initially appeared to have stepped out of bounds — and the play was blown dead around the Florida State 5-yard line — but replay review showed that Price managed to keep his foot from touching the sideline. The sideline shuffle was ruled a touchdown by the officials.
No. 10 Notre Dame leads 14-3 with 14:35 remaining in the first half.
Price’s run might help a Notre Dame offense that has struggled to get both the passing and running game untracked. The opening drive was effective but Notre Dame has struggled to move the ball since then.
The touchdown capped off a 3-play, 84-yard drive that took 1:05 off the clock.
Notre Dame is hoping to put a struggling 1-8 Florida State team away early to avoid any chance of being upset at home.
Oct 12, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jadarian Price (24) carries as Stanford Cardinal linebacker Ernest Cooper (44) attempts to tackle in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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Notre Dame gets on the board to start the game thanks to a Riley Leonard leap.
No. 10 Notre Dame is hosting Florida State in South Bend tonight, and despite the Seminoles’ 1-8 start, FSU has the talent that would be needed for an upset.
Fighting Irish quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] is doing his part early to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Leonard ran the ball in from 34 yards out to cap off a 5-play, 75-yard opening drive. Leonard hurdled a defender to get into the end zone to finish the drive, which took 1:43 off the clock.
Slow starts, especially against perceived lesser opponents, have been an issue for the Irish all season, but opening this game with a touchdown goes a long way to alleviating that issue.
Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) carries the ball during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Notre Dame defensive lineman Loghan Thomas is dealing with a right hamstring injury. Here are the latest updates.
Defensive lineman [autotag]Loghan Thomas[/autotag] is out for the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish tonight against the Florida State Seminoles.
The freshman is sidelined with a right hamstring injury.
Notre Dame has listed all other student-athletes on the two-deep roster as available. That makes us wonder if kicker [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] is finally ready to play as he deals with a hip injury.
The Fighting Irish also return freshman cornerback Tae Johnson as the backup to [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag]. [autotag]Karon Hobbs[/autotag], who was in that spot last week, is now the backup nickel corner to [autotag]Jordan Clark[/autotag].
Otherwise, the Irish are getting healthier, though key players such as [autotag]Jordan Botelho[/autotag] are out for the season.
Notre Dame injury update
Notre Dame will be without Loghan Thomas this week, and [autotag]Jason Onye[/autotag] remains out for personal reasons.
How long will Loghan Thomas be out?
It is unclear how long Thomas will be out beyond this week.
Notre Dame defensive lineman depth chart
Thomas’ loss will be felt, but the Irish still have a deep defensive line. Thomas was already listed at third on the depth chart for the Vyper pass-rushing position behind [autotag]Joshua Burnham[/autotag] and [autotag]Junior Tuihalamaka[/autotag].
Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) is hit as he throws by Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Loghan Thomas (10) in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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The experts expect Notre Dame to cruise against Florida State.
No. 10 Notre Dame hosts Florida State in a game that was circled on many calendars before the season began.
Now, however, the Seminoles are struggling at 1-8 and the Fighting Irish are playing good football but also in a position that likely requires them to win out to make the 12-team College Football Playoff.
So, with that in mind, let’s see what the experts think about who will win.
Let’s start with The Athletic. Pete Sampson is feeling pretty good about an Irish win and has them rolling 42-7, especially given quarterback [autotag] Riley Leonard’s[/autotag] improvement.
He writes, in part: “When Leonard plays well as a dual threat quarterback and not just a runner, Notre Dame becomes a problem for even locked-in teams. And Florida State won’t be locked in on Saturday night, as its season lurches toward its forgettable conclusion.”
Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) fights off would-be tackler Navy Midshipmen cornerback Andrew Duhart (13) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Notre Dame landed 10th in the latest College Football Rankings. Here’s a playoff picture for the Fighting Irish.
The No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been clinging to playoff hopes ever since losing to Northern Illinois in their second game of the season. So far they’ve won every other game and worked themselves back into the College Football Playoff conversation.
Improved play from quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] and a stout rushing attack from [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] and [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag], plus continued high-level play from a dominant defense, have kept the Irish in the playoff race. Now we know where they stand as the first official bracket has come out.
College Football Playoff bracket: Who’s in, who’s out
Notre Dame is, as of the first projected College Football Playoff bracket, forecast to be number 10 in the bracket.
Key teams that are currently out include SMU, Texas A&M, and LSU.
Notre Dame is projected to play on the road, visiting the Penn State Nittany Lions.
How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?
For the first time, there will be 12 teams participating in the College Football Playoffs. There are five automatic bids for each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining seven slots are given to the seven at-large teams.
When next College Football Playoff rankings come out
Tuesday, Nov. 12: 8:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Nov. 19: 7 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Nov. 26: 8 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Dec. 3: 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, Dec. 8: Noon ET
Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Leonard Moore (15) intercepts a pass intended for Navy Midshipmen running back Eli Heidenreich (22) in front of linebacker Jack Kiser (24) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Notre Dame may have slipped a little in the AP Top 25 poll, but [autotag]Danny Kanell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joel Klatt[/autotag] have the Fighting Irish back on their radar.
Kanell has the Irish back in his top 10 while Klatt has them getting an “almost” vote.
Kanell actually lists his top 12 teams and the Fighting Irish are number 10. His top five is Oregon, Miami (Florida), Indiana, BYU and Ohio State. Following are Georgia, SMU, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Boise State.
Klatt has his top 10 as Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Miami (Florida), Indiana, Tennessee, Penn State, Alabama and BYU. Notre Dame and Boise State get “almost” votes.
So while it might be frustrating for Irish fans to see Notre Dame slip two spots in the AP poll without playing, it appears there’s a consensus among the experts that the Fighting Irish are, at present, right around number 10 in the rankings.
Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Rod Heard II (2) celebrates after recovering a fumble during the second half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Notre Dame remains in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 Poll despite bye-week slide.
Usually, you have to lose to fall in the AP Top 25. But sometimes you can slide while you’re on a bye, as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish experienced this week.
The good news is that slide is only two spots, from No. 8 to No. 10. And yes, this is how it works sometimes — a team can benefit or suffer from the results of other games, including upsets, while on a week off.
It still must be a bit frustrating for an Irish squad that has playoff aspirations, but sometimes you get caught as collateral damage in the fallout from upsets.
Pittsburgh falling to SMU has really shaken up the poll as the Mustangs jumped seven spots to No. 13 and Pitt fell five spots to No. 23. Other big movers included Iowa State falling six spots to No. 17 after losing to Texas Tech and Texas A&M falling five spots to No. 15 after a bad second half against South Carolina.
Kansas State slid five spots to No. 22 after losing to Houston and Clemson’s loss to Louisville at home caused the Tigers to drop eight spots to No. 19.
Oregon retains the top spot, and the rest of the top five is Georgia, Ohio State, Miami (Florida) and Texas. Those first two teams didn’t move from last week, while the other three are all up one.
Penn State is now No. 6, with Tennessee, Indiana, BYU and Notre Dame rounding out the top 10.
Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Rod Heard II (2) celebrates after recovering a fumble during the second half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Is Notre Dame playing today? Here’s a look at the schedule and the games to come.
Will the Notre Dame Fighting Irish be on the field today in Week 10 of the college football schedule?
Following a dominating 51-14 win over Navy, Notre Dame is on a bye week and will return to the field on Nov. 9, 2024.
Next up for No. 8 Notre Dame is a primetime matchup at home in South Bend against Florida State. The Seminoles were once expected to contend for the College Football Playoff but instead have contended with a disastrous season that has left them searching for answers. Still, the Irish need to be careful to avoid overlooking the Seminoles, since a loss could end Notre Dame’s own playoff bid.
Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) rushes for a touchdown during the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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ESPN projections show that Notre Dame will make the college football playoff.
ESPN writers Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura have updated their projections on whether Notre Dame will make the College Football Playoff — and who the Fighting Irish will play.
Bonagura has the Irish at No. 9 playing at No. 8 Texas while Schlabach has them at No. 11, also on the road at No. 6 Ohio State.
Both have the Fighting Irish losing in the first round.
This is a far cry from a few weeks ago when Notre Dame was considered to be out of the CFP thanks to the brutal, shocking loss to Northern Illinois. But the Irish have played well since then and a dismantling of a ranked Navy team cannot hurt.
Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish players huddle during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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