If Notre Dame is going to come back against Cincinnati, time remains for it to happen. The third quarter showed a few signs that a miracle is in the cards. We might be having a big celebration 15 minutes from now. At the moment, the Irish trail, 17-7.
Right out of halftime, the Bearcats went for the kill. On the third play of the quarter’s first drive, Desmond Ridder completed a 45-yard pass to Alec Pierce to get to the Irish’s 17-yard line. The Irish’s defense held firm on the next series, not allowing another first down. Cole Smith came on to salvage the drive with a 30-yard field goal, but it sailed left, opening the door for the Irish.
Drew Pyne came on as the Irish’s third quarterback of the afternoon. Other than a Tyler Buchner run that went nowhere, Pyne was able to navigate a drive that went down to the Bearcats’ 30. The Irish got no further as Pyne threw an incomplete pass to Braden Lenzy on fourth-and-5.
The Bearcats chose to run to get into Irish territory, and Ridder’s 24-yard completion to Michael Young set them up at the 24. That’s when Isaiah Foskey sacked Ridder to force a fumble and allow Drew White to scoop it up for a 28-yard gain. Yet another opening for the Irish, and with excellent field position to boot this time.
Pyne needed only four plays and just over two minutes to get the Irish their first points. A 16-yard completion to Michael Mayer and an 11-yard of his own gave the Irish a first-and-goal. Pyne handed the ball off to Kyren Williams, who leaped into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown. Hope indeed is alive at Notre Dame Stadium.