We were waiting for someone to take control of this game, and it finally has happened. Unfortunately, it’s not Notre Dame. Continued self-inflicted mistakes have cost the Irish, and they find themselves down to Cincinnati, 17-0, at halftime.
On the Irish’s first drive of the second quarter, Tyler Buchner became the second quarterback wearing gold and blue in as many quarters to throw an interception as he was being blitzed. This time, Deshawn Pace made the grab and returned it to the Irish’s 8-yard line. Three plays later, Desmond Ridder hit Leonard Taylor for a 1-yard touchdown pass.
Things got worse when Chris Tyree muffed the ensuing kickoff and Wilson Huber recoverd the ball, setting the Bearcats up inside the Irish’s red zone for the second time in as many drives. They nearly scored another touchdown even quicker than they just had, but an ineligible receiver downfield wiped that out. The special teams turnover still proved costly as Cole Smith eventually drilled a 23-yard field goal.
The quarter reached a standstill for a time with Jack Coan being reinserted as quarterback the only notable event. As something of an improvement over an earlier decision that snuffed out the Irish’s best drive to this point, Coan held onto the ball as he took a third-down sack from Darrian Beavers and Curtis Brooks.
The Bearcats had one last opportunity to open things up before the break and did just that. In a drive that spanned 80 yards and only 68 seconds, Ridder completed three passes of at least 20 yards, culminating in a 27-yard touchdown reception by Tre Tucker. From there, the Bearcats faithful took over Notre Dame Stadium, making their chants heard. They might have a lot more to cheer about really soon.
