Grading the Irish: How did Notre Dame fare in businesslike win over Florida State?
SOUTH BEND — Over the past 50 seasons, Florida State was a bigger underdog just twice than it was in Saturday night’s 52-3 loss at 10th-ranked Notre Dame football.
Favored by 26 points, the Irish (8-1) extended their winning streak to seven games and dropped the woeful Seminoles to 1-9. Here is how the Irish graded in this one.
Offense: B
Riley Leonard was 11-of-23 passing for 172 yards and a touchdown through three quarters, including a pair of drops. He rambled 34 yards for the game’s opening score and scored from 6 yards out in the third. That tied him with career active QB leader Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) with 32 rushing scores.
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Defense: A-minus
The Seminoles marched 75 yards in 16 plays on their first series but were held to 25 total yards the rest of the half. Sixth-year nose tackle Howard Cross III left early in the second quarter with a sprained ankle, but fellow tackles Rylie Mills and Donovan Hinish combined for five sacks in his honor.
Special teams: B
Mitch Jeter, back after a month-long injury absence, missed badly on a 42-yard field goal attempt but came back with a 28-yard chip shot. Adon Shuler got a piece of one punt and just missed another. Eric Goins, the 30-year-old former Army officer, made an emphatic tackle on his own kickoff.
Coaching: A-minus
An FSU timeout with 21 seconds left in the first half gave Notre Dame a chance to reconsider a 52-yard field goal attempt. Two plays later, the Irish were in the end zone after converting a fourth-and-10. Earlier, the Irish punted on fourth-and-3 from the plus 47.
Overall: B-plus
On a day when No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Miami lost on the road, Notre Dame held serve at home against the flailing Seminoles. It wasn’t the crispest performance, but it got the job done.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Grading the Irish after one-sided win over Florida State