Author: Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh

“Behind a dominant defense and a second-quarter offensive outburst, No. 7 Notre Dame blitzed New Mexico en route to a 66-14 home-opening victory …. The Fighting Irish had three interceptions in the first half, including Kyle Hamilton’s pick-six to open the scoring, and scored 31 points in the second quarter en route to improving to 2-0 …. Notre Dame totaled 591 yards of offense, … Ian Book finishing 15-or-24 for 360 yards and five touchdowns. Book also rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown, giving him six scores …. The Irish outgained the Lobos 591-363 while owning a 4-0 advantage in turnover margin. …”

“Three quick, explosive touchdowns in the second quarter propelled No. 7-ranked Notre Dame to a 38-7 halftime lead en route to a 66-14 blowout victory against New Mexico Saturday afternoon in Notre Dame Stadium. …”

Notre Dame vs. New Mexico stats/box score

NBC Sports talks with Steve Virgen of the the Albuquerque Journal about the Lobos …

“No. 7 Notre Dame will kick off its home schedule when it hosts New Mexico on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind. That figures to be good news for the Fighting Irish (1-0), who had last week off after a season-opening victory on the road against Louisville. Notre Dame went undefeated at home last season and has won its last 11 games on campus. …”

“A pair of season-opening wins for New Mexico and Notre Dame set up an intriguing Week 3 matchup in South Bend after both teams enjoyed a bye in Week 2. The Lobos and Irish will meet for the first time when Brian Kelly squares off with Saga Tuitele on Saturday afternoon. … following a health scare that will keep Davie sidelined indefinitely, Tuitele will take over the head coaching duties for the duration of Davie’s absence. New Mexico’s start to the season was far from remarkable as the Lobos pulled out an eight-point win against Sam Houston State of the FCS’ Southland Conference. Ahmari Davis was the focal point offensively for New Mexico, eclipsing the century mark on the ground with 107 yards on 16 carries and finishing as the Lobos’ second-leading receiver with a pair of catches for 58 yards. …”

“In some instances, it was the quarterback – pre- and post-snap. In others, it was the offensive line in accordance with the running backs failing to create the space and/or creasing that space to pick up the necessary yardage for a first down. Chase Claypool admitted Tuesday that he missed at least one “signal” during the Louisville game. …”

Irish Illustrated Staff Picks: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. New Mexico

Date Saturday, September 14, 2019
Time 2:42 p.m. ET
Site: Notre Dame Stadium
• Notre Dame, IN
• Capacity 77,622 (FieldTurf)