The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have jumped out to a 13-3 halftime lead over the Miami Hurricanes, thanks to a combination of solid defense, Miami miscues and Everett Golson precision.
Golson, who was benched to start the game in favor of Tommy Rees due to violating team rules, accounted for 204 of Notre Dame's 263 total yards of offense. Golson was 15-of-20 passing for 153 yards and chipped in 51 yards on the ground.
Notre Dame held the ball for a majority of the first half, racking up nearly 19 minutes in time of possession. The Fighting Irish had two drives over six minutes that ultimately ended up in two field goals. Another long drive late in the first half resulted in a missed goal with time expiring.
Not getting more out of those long drives may come back to haunt Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish will have nothing to worry about if their defense continues its solid play and Miami keeps shooting itself in the foot. Notre Dame's vaunted defense has played fairly well, but key mistakes by Miami has contributed to the score thus far.