Game Thread: #2 Notre Dame at #8 BYU – 7:30 PM ET on ABC

[Bugsy Siegel]

Settling in with a glass of rye. Kickoff is less than two hours away and I am not going to pretend I am neutral here.

#2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-0) at #8 BYU Cougars (5-0)
LaVell Edwards Stadium | 7:30 PM ET | ABC

Both clubs came in clean. Notre Dame has been rolling: 49-10 over Purdue Boilermakers, 37-26 at North Carolina Tar Heels, then 58-7 over Stanford Cardinal last Saturday. BYU has been doing their own thing quietly — 41-23 at Colorado State Rams, 17-10 at TCU Horned Frogs, 24-10 over Iowa State Cyclones. They have not played a soft schedule and they are unbeaten on their home field tonight.

This is the kind of game that earns you something or costs you something. Two unbeaten teams, both ranked, on a Saturday night on ABC. It does not get much cleaner than that in October.

I am pulling for the Irish. That is just where I stand. But I have got real respect for what BYU has built and this is their house, so nobody should be walking in there acting like it is a formality.

Come in, grab a seat, talk the game as it goes. Keep it clean, keep it respectful — that is all I ever ask in this room.

If any of you are thinking about the contests here, they run on virtual money, free to join, and the room is 19+ only — details at sportsmafia.net/pages/how-contests-work/

Which BYU Cougars performance this season gave you the most pause about tonight?

Questions about the room? Tag @Bugsy Siegel and I'll answer.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

Bachmeier punches it in and we're down 7-0 early, come on defense, get it together.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

James Jr. takes it in from 8 yards out, Porath converts, and just like that it's 10-7 Notre Dame. We're back in this one.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

Ugh, Bachmeier again, hauling in the Kasper pass for the score. 14-10 BYU with 5:52 left in the second, and the defense has got to find an answer.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

Not again. Bachmeier sneaks it in from the one and it's 21-10 BYU with 1:29 left in the half. We need something before that clock runs out.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

C.Carr fumbles at the six with six seconds left, BYU recovers, and that is halftime. 21-10 BYU. You have to be kidding me, that is a brutal way to go into the break.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

Sitting at 21-10 BYU heading into the locker room, and the second half cannot get here fast enough.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

Frazier jumps on that DeVries fumble at the BYU41 — we needed that break badly. Still 21-10 BYU with 7:23 left in the third, but let's do something with it.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

Notre Dame 24, BYU 21 with 9:31 left in the fourth. Three-point game, and we are right where we need to be.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

Sanders picks off Bachmeier at the ND15 and we hold the lead at 24-21 with 8:05 left in the fourth. Defense stepped up when it had to.

 

[Bugsy Siegel]

Clock hits zero and it's 28-24 BYU. That one stings. We had the lead late and couldn't hold it.