Notre Dame secures 45-38 comeback Gator Bowl win over South Carolina
In a game that featured four ties — and two lead changes in the second half — unlikely Notre Dame hero Mitchell Evans scored on a 16-yard game-winning touchdown catch with 1:38 remaining in the game to secure the Irish a 45-38 victory over South Carolina Friday in the Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
South Carolina moved the ball to the Notre Dame 34-yard line on its ensuing possession, but the drive fizzled out when good work from the Irish defense protected the win.
This was an entertaining game that ended up the highest scoring in the 77-year history of the Gator Bowl.
Notre Dame trailed through the entire first half, but went on a 28-7 scoring run from late in the second through early in the fourth quarter to grab its first lead at 38-31.
Driving to pad the seven-point lead and likely clinch the win, Irish sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner gave up a 100-yard pick-six to South Carolina redshirt freshman defensive back O’Donnell Fortune that unexpectedly tied the game 38-38 … and well, seemed to change fortunes.
Leaning on a dominating running game in the second half, Buchner calmly answered his miscue and led a 12-play, 80-yard game-winning touchdown drive that Evans capped with only his second catch this season and the first touchdown of his career.
For Buchner, after about three months without any live action, he held up well physically and finished 18-of-33 passing for 3 touchdowns, but also with 3 interceptions.
Buchner also added 61 rushing yards with 2 touchdowns.
The bad news is that two of Buchner’s interceptions were returned for touchdowns.
Even through the ups and downs, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman was pleased with what he got from Buchner on his return from injury.
Top 10
- 1
Agiye Hall commits
Former 5-star surprise commitment
- 2Trending
Urban Meyer
Declaring SEC dominance over
- 3Hot
AP Poll projection
Judgement Saturday brings change
- 4
Squirrel White
Former Vols WR ACC bound
- 5
Zachariah, Zion Branch
USC playmakers SEC bound
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“You can’t control some of things that happen to you,” Freeman said, “But he was resilient and in reality, I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Offensively, Notre Dame recorded 558 yards of total offense — which ESPN reported as the most in its bowl history — with 294 through the air and 264 on the ground.
After rushing for only 55 yards in the first half, the Irish rushed for 209 in the second.
Sophomore Audric Estime paced Notre Dame with 95 rushing yards while sophomore Logan Diggs added 89 yards with a touchdown,
Diggs also caught a 75-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter that pulled Notre Dame within 24-17.
Defensively, Notre Dame allowed three scoring drives on South Carolina’s first four possessions, but only one on the Gamecocks’ final six possessions.
The combination of balanced offense and clutch defense — No. 19 South Carolina (8-5) went only 5-of-15 on third downs — lifted the No. 21 Irish (9-4) to their ninth win in their final 11 games and fourth this season over a ranked opponent.
