Yankee Stadium was not constructed for Saturday night time. Neither had been the Black Knights.
The Notre Dame Preventing Irish matched up greater, stronger and extra gifted at almost each place and seemed it, handing Military its first lack of the season, 49-14, and all however shutting the door on the No. 18 Black Knights’ Faculty Soccer Playoff aspirations.
With pregame and halftime performances from the Notre Dame marching band (seated on the Bleacher Creatures’ benches), a continuing stream of college promotional materials on the video board, and hundreds of followers donning the Irish inexperienced, this one felt straight out of South Bend. And for Military, by no means fairly inside attain.
The Black Knights (9-1) had discovered success all season by pounding the bottom between the hash marks, churning the clock and dictating the tempo of play.
However the Black Knights had not performed a soccer staff the caliber of the No. 6 Preventing Irish (10-1) till Saturday.
Within the twelfth iteration of their home-away-from-home “Shamrock Series,” Notre Dame’s protection was overwhelmingly bodily — stacking the field, clogging the center of the sphere and holding the nation’s most potent speeding offense to 207 yards, about two-thirds of their season common of 329.
On their first two drives of the competition, Military ran six performs — all on the bottom — and picked up a complete of 10 yards.
Every drive ended with a punt.
The primary sailed 49 yards, the second, a harbinger of the woes to return, was blocked deep in Military territory.
Head coach Marcus Freeman’s Preventing Irish, for his or her half, had no hassle transferring the ball downfield.
Notre Dame’s first drive went 68 yards on solely 5 performs and ended with a 28-yard landing cross to Jordan Faison from quarterback Riley Leonard.
Their second, arrange on Military’s 8-yard-line courtesy of Bryce Younger’s punt block — the third kick he’s stumped this season — ended with Leonard’s second passing rating of the night, this time to operating again Jeremiyah Love, placing the Preventing Irish up 14-0.
Military was lastly in a position to achieve a primary down on their third drive — a methodical and grinding 12-play endeavor, all runs, that concluded with quarterback Bryson Every day dashing into the top zone from 4 yards out.
It was a short glimmer of hope, arrange from two Irish items, together with an offsides name on a fourth-and-1.
Military’s protection allowed Notre Dame 73 yards downfield on their ensuing drive earlier than stopping the Irish on 4 consecutive tries from throughout the 5 to drive a turnover on downs.
However that might be the final high-point of the night time for head coach Jeff Monken’s protection, which got here in giving up solely 10.8 factors per sport, the second-best mark within the nation.
The Black Knights gave up two extra touchdowns within the first half and the sport was all however over by the point the groups returned to their locker rooms.
Notre Dame put up one other 21 factors within the second half, and Leonard completed the sport 10 of 13 passing for 148 yards.
Love had three touchdowns, two speeding and one receiving, with the second a mad sprint from 68 yards out.
Every day, who had bruised defenses all 12 months together with his blue-collar operating, was held to 145 yards on 38 carries and 26 yards by means of the air.
Kanye Udoh, Military’s main operating again, completed with simply 35 yards on 10 carries.
With the loss, Military falls to 8-40-4 all-time in opposition to Notre Dame, their final win coming almost seven a long time in the past.
The season is way from over for the Black Knights, who face Navy on Dec. 14 and have already secured a spot within the American Athletic Convention Championship Sport.
However a win Saturday would’ve been the crowning achievement in a historic season few may have foretold.
