The Irish led for the majority of the night on Thursday, but when they had chances to make big plays and put points on the board in the early going, they couldn't execute, and eventually that came back to bite them. Florida State scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to pull within 14-9 (they failed a two-point conversion) and Notre Dame gave the ball right back with an interception on its ensuing drive.
It took two plays for FSU to claim a 15-14 lead along with another failed two-point conversion. But that was all the scoring they'd need. A Dustin Hopkins field goal later extended the lead to 18-14, and the Notre Dame offense squandered one more great opportunity to seal the team's fate.
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