On a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon, 45,308 fans piled into Notre Dame Stadium for the first time since Nov. 22 for the 95th edition of the Blue-Gold Game — witnessing a 41-40 win for team blue, the offense.
The highly anticipated second year of defensive coordinator Chris Ash and sophomore quarterback CJ Carr drew the second-largest crowd in the history of Notre Dame’s intra-squad game, the record remaining 51,852 back in 2007. In a back-and-forth intrasquad effort, the Irish displayed immense depth and talent across the entire team, including the new-look running back room. Unlike last season’s uneventful affair, this year’s matchup featured a significant amount of action prior to the season opener, kicking off in just over four months time.
Cam Williams deep ball sets up opening score
On the game’s second series, the offense needed just four plays to reach the end zone. After freshman running back Jonaz Walton opened the drive with a four-yard rush, freshman quarterback Blake Hebert found sophomore wideout Cam Williams on a 53-yard bomb to set up the game’s opening score. Walton needed two tries, but his second attempt from the four-yard line found the end zone for the first traditional score of the afternoon.
Aneyas Williams dominates fifth series
The second period contained arguably the most eventful four series of the game, and the fifth got the ball rolling. Junior running back Aneyas Williams was a one-man show, save for two plays. He gained 21 all-purpose yards on the drive’s first five plays before Carr found junior Jordan Faison for a short fourth down conversion. Williams would then rattle off three consecutive positive rushes for another first down.
From there, Carr connected with sophomore Ohio State transfer receiver Mylan Graham on a 20-yard connection across the middle to the three-yard line. Williams capped off the dominant drive with his lone touchdown on the day.
Burress caps off Hebert’s commanding second drive
In his second drive calling the shots of the afternoon, Hebert was as consistent as could be expected of a freshman quarterback. The lone non-positive play of the drive came on first down, where a reverse flea flicker saw Hebert fail to complete his pass to freshman running back Nolan James. From there, the offense marched. Eight positive plays later, Hebert threaded the needle to connect with freshman wideout Elijah Burress across the middle for a toe-tapping touchdown to cap off his best drive of the day.
Defense dominates in four-play whirlwind
The seventh series of the game was brutal for the offense but saw the game’s first turnover. It began with back-to-back 10-yard losses for the offense to force second-and-30. The first play, a holding penalty, was followed by a sack from junior defensive lineman Loghan Thomas. Carr found Graham for an 11-yard gain, but things quickly took a turn for the worse for the blue team. Senior tight end Ty Washington dropped a pass across the middle, which then bounced out of the hands of freshman safety Ethan Long before it was intercepted by senior linebacker Jaylen Sneed.
Grubbs-Fitzgerald connection shines
On the eighth overall and final series of the second period, two freshmen showed potential for a potentially dangerous future connection. A third would start things off, as running back Kurtis Smith opened the drive with his first carry for six yards. From there, quarterback Noah Grubbs and wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald connected on back-to-back plays. The first saw Fitzgerald run after a short catch for 11 yards. That set up a 28-yard go ball where Fitzgerald beat two defenders for his first touchdown in an Irish uniform.
Long establishes presence with interception
After letting his potential first interception of the day get away from him, Long knew that he had to capitalize if he got a second chance. Fortunately, he would on the 11th series. Grubbs began the series with an 11-yard completion to Kurtis Smith before attempting to continue his connection with Devin Fitzgerald. However, as the young wideout streaked across the middle of the field, Long timed the jump perfectly, earning his first Irish interception and returning it another 20 yards to set up a dramatic finale.
Porath shines and clinches the offense’s win
Last season, kicking woes were an unfortunate hallmark of Notre Dame’s special teams. Head coach Marcus Freeman and special teams coordinator Marty Biagi fixed that by grabbing junior kicker Spencer Porath out of the transfer portal from in-state rival Purdue. Needless to say, the decision has already shown signs that it could pay dividends later this season.
Following some score tallying after Long’s interception, the two sides were tied entering the game’s final series. The defense stuffed the offense, giving them a two-point advantage. However, Freeman decided he needed some extra drama to end the afternoon. With his new kicker already three-for-three on PATs that day, Freeman set up a 43-yard field goal for Porath to win it for the offense. Despite being mobbed and heckled by his teammates from all angles, the junior nailed the kick to seal a second-consecutive offensive win.
