SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Vanderbilt’s latest shot against a top-10 team came down to the wire. Unfortunately, No. 8 Notre Dame did just enough to hold on in front of a home crowd.
The Commodores rallied back from a 16-point deficit to cut the Irish lead to five in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Kyle Shurmur’s fourth-down pass to Kalija Lipscomb on Vandy’s go-ahead drive fell short with under two minutes to play. Thus, the Fighting Irish hung on for a 22-17 win in South Bend.
Here’s how it went down.
WHAT HAPPENED: Vanderbilt’s first half was defined by missed opportunities, as the Dores turned a pair of red-zone chances into just three points. Donaven Tennyson coughed up a fumble that bounced into the end zone and was recovered by Notre Dame for a touchback, then Vanderbilt surged downfield only to be stopped inside the 20 and forced to settle for a Ryley Guay field goal. Thus, Vanderbilt trailed 16-3 at half. But when the Dores rallied back in the second half to within five, they turned the ball over on downs at the end of a potential game-winning drive.
TURNING POINT: Notre Dame kicker Justin Yoon missed a 32-yard field goal with 3:39 to play that would have pushed the Irish ahead by eight points. Instead, Vanderbilt took over for a go-ahead drive trailing 22-17. The Dores moved into Fighting Irish territory before facing a do-or-die fourth down near the 50-yard line. Shurmur threw a deep ball to Lipscomb at the 10-yard line, but the junior’s collision with a Notre Dame defender popped the ball out of his hands, turning the ball over on downs to the Irish.
HELMET STICKERS
TE Jared Pinkney
One week after hauling in 98 yards through the air vs. Nevada, Pinkney was a huge target for the Commodores against Notre Dame. Pinkney caught give passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
QB Kyle Shurmur
The senior completed 26-of-43 passes for a season-high 326 yards for one touchdown and an interception. Shurmur was instrumental in leading Vanderbilt’s potential go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
S LaDarius Wiley
Wiley led Vanderbilt’s defense with 10 total tackles, including five solo, but an array of missed tackles by Commodore defenders made a difference in the first half as Notre Dame build a 16-point lead.
GIVE ME THE NUMBERS
245
Notre Dame’s rushing yardage. The Fighting Irish found a way to move the ball on the ground against the Commodores, piling up 245 rushing yards on 48 carries for 5.1 yards per carry.
2
Vanderbilt turnovers inside the 5-yard line. Tennyson’s fumble on a catch at the 1-yard line in the first half turned into a touchback for Notre Dame and a change of possession. In the third quarter, Shurmur lobbed a deep ball into the end zone that was picked off by Notre Dame’s Troy Pride Jr.
133
Notre Dame’s yards of offense after halftime. Vanderbilt’s defense turned on its aggression in the second half, limiting the Irish to 133 yards after they had compiled 247 in the first two quarters. Notre Dame only managed six points after intermission, as well.
WORTH NOTING: Shurmur moved into sole possession of third place in Vanderbilt career passing as the senior surpassed Kurt Page (6,233 yards) and Whit Taylor (6,307) yards.
WHAT’S NEXT: Vanderbilt returns home for its SEC opener against South Carolina. The Commodores and Gamecocks kick off next Saturday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.
