Tag: One Foot Down

Social media reacts to Riley Leonard scoring game-tying touchdown

Great score.

After giving up a touchdown to Georgia Tech to end the first quarter, Notre Dame got the ball to begin the second. It had the ball for exactly eight minutes, more than half the frame. Fortunately, it ended optimally.

Undoubtedly still frustrated by throwing the interception that ultimately led to the Yellow Jackets’ first touchdown, [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] dictated an Irish offense that ran a decent mixture of running and passing plays until it reached the goal line. It took a couple of attempts, but Leonard took the ball into the end zone himself to tie the game at 7. It was his team-leading ninth touchdown of the season:

https://twitter.com/NDFootball/status/1847736723108761772

Leonard has a long way to go to prove his doubters wrong, but it’s getting late to do so as this game marks the start of the second half of this year’s schedule for the Irish. The stats back up the Irish’s faith in him though, and it’s a reminder that one doesn’t always need what’s perceived as the correct style to be a college quarterback.

Here are some of the reactions we found on social media about this touchdown:

Social media reacts to two more third-quarter Notre Dame touchdown

Another big third-quarter score on the ground.

Notre Dame has been the home to some decent running backs in recent years. The big duo for the program at the moment consists of [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag]. Price already had a third-quarter touchdown against Stanford, so Love decided he wanted in on the action.

After the Irish’s defense stopped the Cardinal’s offense yet again, it was time for possession to change hands. Love had been held scoreless in the game up to this point and decided to attack after the Cardinal were called for roughing the passer. That attack came in the form of a 39-yard touchdown run to extend the Irish’s lead to 35-7:

One possession later, [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] hit [autotag]Eli Raridon[/autotag] for a 5-yard touchdown, and the rout was on at Notre Dame Stadium to the tune of a 42-7 score.

At this point, it’s only a matter of time before the Irish bask in their victory. That’s not presumptuous but what must be accepted as reality. If you don’t believe that, read some of the below reactions we found on social media regarding these two scores:

Social media reacts to Jadarian Price’s touchdown before halftime

That’s how you extend a lead.

After Notre Dame’s first touchdown, the offense hit a bit of a snag. It seemed like 7-0 would stay the score at halftime of the Sun Bowl. But never say never because things have a way of working out.

Oregon State tried a fake punt on fourth down near midfield late in the second quarter, but the Irish’s defense quickly snuffed that out:

Irish fans eagerly awaited to see what their team would do starting at the Beavers’ 44-yard line. The answer was a few plays with solid gains and [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag] ultimately scoring a 1-yard touchdown to extend the Irish’s lead to 14-0:

Say what you will about the Irish not having every key 2023 player available, but [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag] and the rest of the offense have held their own so far. While it wasn’t a perfect first-half performance, it was good enough, and that was all they could ask for.

Here’s how social media reacted to Price’s score:

Social media reacts to Audric Estime’s third touchdown for Notre Dame

What a player.

Notre Dame has made its offensive strategy against Stanford clear, and it involves feeding [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] over and over. Against better programs, having such a predictable plan might flop spectacularly. But Stanford is not a better program, and that’s becoming more clear as this game continues. In fact, Estime scored his third touchdown of the game on the first possession of the second half on a 5-yard run:

The Irish have been fortunate to have a running back like Estime in their arsenal. Sometimes, you just need someone to do what they do best in order to win. The Irish have recognized that this is one of those games in which Estime can do that, so there’s no need to change anything up as long as what they’re doing is working.

Social media has taken notice of Estime’s big evening and taken to social media to express thoughts about him such as these?

Social media reacts to Gi’Bran Payne fumble-turned-touchdown

Yes, this was a score.

Notre Dame needed to show before halftime that it had no intention of letting Stanford do whatever it wanted. It looked for a moment that the Irish would fall short in that mission as [autotag]Gi’Bran Payne[/autotag] appeared to lose a fumble at the goal line after a 3-yard run.

As the Cardinal celebrated their apparent fourth turnover of the first half, replays showed that Payne might have broken the plane before he lost the ball. The officials reviewed it, and it turned out Payne did indeed score before losing the ball:

It might not have been the cleanest touchdown of the season, but it gave the Irish a 28-16 halftime lead. That will make it more challenging for the Cardinal to pull off the upset despite them showing that they won’t go away without a fight. That’s good news for Irish fans, including those who took to social media afterwards to celebrate the final touchdown of the half:

Social media reacts to Audric Estime scoring second touchdown

He is so good.

If this is to be [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag]’s final game with Notre Dame, he’s determined to go out with a bang. For the second time in the first half against Stanford, he scored a touchdown to put the Irish in front. Yes, it’s shocking to hear that the Cardinal have led more than once, but the Irish have turned the ball over three times. Nonetheless, he ran to the end zone from 6 yards out here:

Irish fans are running out of superlatives on how to describe Estime. As long as he’s on his game, his team has a very good chance of winning. It doesn’t matter how well the opposition plans for him or how much better it is than Estime’s team. He is going to factor in the outcome, and all opponents can do at that point is watch.

Here are some of the best reactions on social media that were tweeted after Estime’s second score:

Social media reacts to Audric Estime scoring game’s first touchdown

What a season for this kid.

There’s no telling what Notre Dame running back [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] will do after the game against Stanford. Will he sit out the bowl game in preparation for the NFL draft? Is he somehow coming back for another season, thus making that question irrelevant? We’ll get the answer to that later, but for now, here he is running 39 yards for the game’s first touchdown, giving the Irish a 7-3 lead:

Appreciate Estime while you still can, Irish fans. He has had a special season and probably should be honored more than he will be. Even with a barren trophy case for this season though, he has been one heck of a bright spot for an offense that always has come out very prepared or not prepared at all.

People took to social media after the touchdown to express their thoughts about it. Here is some of the best of what was tweeted:

Social media reacts to Notre Dame’s Audric Estime’s rushing touchdown

Is this his Notre Dame Stadium swan song?

It took until the second half, but Notre Dame finally is treating Wake Forest like the inferior opponent it is. The game has been opened up, and the Irish appear they will have a successful senior day. Helping make that possible is this 2-yard touchdown run by [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag], who was set up nicely by a Deacons penalty and a couple of big completions by [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag]:

Although not a senior, Estime is eligible for the upcoming NFL draft, and it would be a shock if didn’t enter it. He’s proven beyond a doubt this season that he’s ready for the next level, although the decision about whether to jump early is up to him. If this is his final game at Notre Dame Stadium, he at least has given the venue one last thing to remember him by.

Here are some of the more notable reactions on social media to Estime’s score:

Social media reacts to Tobias Merriweather’s 35-yard touchdown catch

Nice catch.

Notre Dame is finding itself in a fight it likely didn’t anticipate having against Wake Forest. The Deacons are proving to be a formidable opponent for the Irish, and they’ll have to make sure that changes in the second half. For now though, there are some good things about the first half to talk about. Specifically, there’s this 35-yard touchdown pass from [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] to [autotag]Tobias Merriweather[/autotag] to put the Irish up, 14-7:

This is Merriweather’s second touchdown of the season and his first since scoring against Central Michigan two months ago. He has played in every game this season but has found limited success. This touchdown has to feel like a relief for the sophomore receiver, who hopefully will have more opportunities to succeed in the future.

Social media reacted to Merriweather’s touchdown and probably didn’t anticipate that he would be the one to catch a pass like that coming in:

Social media reacts to Devyn Ford scoring Notre Dame’s first touchdown

There you go, Devyn.

[autotag]Devyn Ford[/autotag] had yet to score for Notre Dame since transferring over from Penn State. Senior day was his last opportunity to get a touchdown at Notre Dame Stadium. He finally broke through on a 12-yard reception late in the first quarter to give the Irish a 7-0 lead over Wake Forest:

Entering the game against the Deacons, Ford had 36 yards from scrimmage in nine games with 22 of those yards coming on passes. So you would have to forgive any Irish fans who somehow forgot he existed. Waiting until the last home game of the season to get on the scoresheet is an easy way for you to slip through the cracks. Still, he has to be happy to have that monkey off his back at last.

Social media probably didn’t expect to tweet about Ford today, but here are some of the best tweets that were found regarding his touchdown: