They say it’s better to be lucky than good. We’ll find out as the season goes on if Notre Dame is both. For now, it will be satisfied with a 41-38 overtime win on the road over Florida State.
The Irish (1-0) won the coin toss and chose to defer to the Seminoles (0-1). After handing it off to Jashaun Corbin twice, McKenzie Milton appeared to fumble the ball after losing a bunch of yardage, setting up Ryan Fitzgerald for a 50-yard field goal attempt. Just before the ball was snapped, Seminoles coach Mike Norvell challenged the previous ruling, hoping for it to be changed to an incomplete pass to get Fitzgerald closer. Though Norvell eventually got the ruling he wanted to give Fitzgerald a 37-yard attempt instead, the long wait ended up icing his own kicker, who missed the field goal wide left.
All the Irish had to do was hold onto the ball to set up Jonathan Doerer. They didn’t advance very far, forcing Doerer to kick from 41 yards. Still, it was close enough because Doerer split the upright, and the Irish escaped with a victory that nearly slipped away.