Live game, score updates: Notre Dame football hosts Marshall

Marcus Freeman‘s first home game as the Notre Dame head coach is here. His Fighting Irish take on the Marshall Thundering Herd at 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC).

Keep it here for live updates throughout the game.

Related: Notre Dame pregame observations

• Live pregame observations, updates: Notre Dame vs. Marshall

FIRST QUARTER: Marshall wins toss, defers to second half

It’s Sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner and the Notre Dame offense up first.

Buchner hit sophomore wide receiver Lorenzo Styles for two first-down throws, including a 16-yard catch and run. Styles only had one catch against Ohio State in the season opener. The drive stalled near midfield, though, and the Irish had to punt it away. The Irish ran the ball three times for four yards.

Marshall started its first drive at its own 10-yard line with 11:33 left in the first quarter.

Notre Dame forces three and out

Marshall gained six yards on the ground to start, but the Irish forced two straight incomplete passes to get the ball back at their own 41 with 10:49 left in the first quarter.

Another Irish drive stalls

The Irish worked the ball down into Marshall territory with a healthy dose of sophomore running back Audric Estime, but Buchner overthrew fifth-year senior wide receiver Braden Lenzy on a fourth-and-four deep shot from the Thundering Herd 32-yard line.

Buchner started the game 4-of-8 for 34 yards on the Irish’s first two drives, both of which did not result in points.

Notre Dame makes stop on fourth and short

Marshall ran for positive yardage on five straight plays to begin its second drive of the game. The sixth carry of the drive came on fourth and short from the 50, and it went nowhere. Safety Brandon Joseph was in on the tackle that gave the ball back to Notre Dame at midfield.

Notre Dame went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, though. Buchner was sacked for a big loss on third down. The Irish punted to the Marshall 21 with 3:14 left in the first quarter.

End of the first: Marshall threatening to score

The Thundering Herd have the ball at the Notre Dame four-yard line to begin the second quarter. Marshall showed great run/pass balance to work its way into an in-goal situation.

SECOND QUARTER: Marshall strikes first

The Herd take a 6-0 lead on the second play of the quarter. Khalan Laborn scored on a four-yard rush. The Irish defensive line lost the battle in the trenches throughout the scoring drive.

Buchner intercepted

The Irish’s first drive of the second quarter started with a 22-yard end-around to Styles. Then Buchner hit junior tight end Michael Mayer for the first time. Buchner looked for Lenzy along the far sideline from the far hash, and a Marshall corner read him like a book. He intercepted the pass to give the herd in the ball in plus territory with 12:48 left in the second quarter.

Both offenses sputtering

After the Buchner interception, Marshall went three-and-out. Notre Dame couldn’t get anything going on its next drive, and likewise for Marshall. It remained a 6-0 game with 5:03 left in the first half.

TOUCHDOWN: Buchner scores for Notre Dame

Notre Dame went 56 yards in five plays. Buchner capped the 2:03 drive with a one-yard keeper. He had 21 rushing yards on the drive. Mayer had two catches for 30 yards.

Score: Notre Dame 7, Marshall 6 with 3:00 left in the first half.

FIELD GOAL: Marshall retakes lead

The Herd went on a methodical 12-play, 74-yard drive in 2:40 to take a 9-7 lead with 15 seconds left in the first half. The Notre Dame defensive stiffened on third and goal from the four to force the field goal.

Score: Marshall 9, Notre Dame 7

THIRD QUARTER: Notre Dame defense forces punt

Marshall opened the second half with a couple of fourth downs, but the Irish stood tall and forced a punt near midfield.

Irish fail on fourth down conversion attempt

Notre Dame forced third and two near midfield. Estime ran the same inside run twice in a row. He did not get the two yards needed on two plays to move the chains. Marshall took over on downs.

TOUCHDOWN: Marshall extends lead

Marshall took the gift from the Notre Dame turnover and turned it into three points. The Herd went 46 yards in nine plays to put three more points on the board with a 20-yard field goal.

Score: Marshall 12, Notre Dame 7 with 3:54 left in the third quarter.

TOUCHDOWN/FOURTH QUARTER: Notre Dame takes lead

Back and forth.

Buchner found Mayer for a gain of 30 and junior tight end Kevin Bauman for a gain of 18 to get the Irish deep into Marshall territory. He finished off the touchdown drive with his second rushing score of the day, and he added a two-point conversion on the ground for good measure.

Score: Irish 15, Marshall 12 with 14:57 left in the fourth quarter.

TOUCHDOWN: Marshall takes late lead

The Thundering Herd did it again.

The pesky underdog would not go away all day, and they proved that late with a 11-play, 94-yard drive to take a 19-15 lead with 5:16 remaining. Laborn sparked the score with a 42-yard run to get Marshall to the Notre Dame six-yard line.

The Irish defense held up to force field goals on two earlier Marshall possessions. The unit could not get to Marshall quarterback Henry Colombi on third and goal, though, and the veteran passer found a man wide-open late on the play.

TOUCHDOWN: Marshall strikes on pick six

Buchner had a chance to be a hero. Instead, he threw a third-down pick six that might have just sealed an Irish loss in their home opener. He was looking for sophomore Jayden Thomas along the left sideline. The Thundering Herd defensive back jumped the pass and raced into the end zone untouched.

Score: Marshall 26, Notre Dame 15

INTERCEPTION: Thundering Herd pick off Drew Pyne

Buchner left the game after a hit with the Irish deep in Marshall territory. Junior backup Drew Pyne entered and promptly threw an interception to give the Herd the ball with three minutes left.

TOUCHDOWN: Drew Pyne to Michael Mayer

Pyne tossed a touchdown to Mayer to give Notre Dame some hope with 14 seconds left.

Marshall recovered the ensuing onside kick, though, to secure an upset over the Irish.

FINAL: Marshall 26, No. 8 Notre Dame 21