Last-Second FG Gives Notre Dame Win Over LSU In Music City Bowl
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Notre Dame and senior kicker Kyle Brindza finished the season off with some much-needed redemption.
Brindza made a 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Notre Dame upset No. 22 LSU, 31-28, in a Music City Bowl shootout Tuesday.
The Tigers were unsuccessful on a fake field goal at the end of the first half, a call that stood on review even though replays appeared to show the ball crossing the goal line. The Fighting Irish (8-5) also blocked a 40-yard field goal attempt by Trent Domingue early in the fourth quarter.
Notre Dame got the ball with 5:41 left and never gave it back, driving 71 yards in 14 plays before Brindza finished off the win.
Coach Brian Kelly gave sophomore Malik Zaire his first career start, but he also played senior Everett Golson, using both quarterbacks on the winning drive.
Notre Dame held the ball for 37 minutes but finished with a 449-436 edge in total offense thanks only to that final drive. Golson was 4 of 5 for 50 yards passing on it, including a 12-yard completion to Ben Koyack on third-and-10. Zaire finished off the drive with a couple of rushes to set up Brindza.
Brindza had missed 6 of 9 field goals in the last five games of the regular season, including a 32-yarder late in a loss to Louisville.
The Fighting Irish were ranked as high as fifth before dropping four straight and five of their final six.
Zaire rushed 22 times for 96 yards and was 12 of 15 for 96 yards passing. He threw for a TD and ran for another. Golson was 6 of 11 for 90 yards passing.
LSU (8-5) lost for the first time this season to a team not from the Southeastern Conference's Western Division. Leonard Fournette ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns, and the freshman also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score.
The Tigers' final three touchdowns took all of 38 seconds. Fournette had his kick return, and his 89-yard TD run later gave the Tigers their first lead of the game at 28-21 with 6:14 left in the third quarter. In between, Anthony Jennings connected with John Diarse on a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
But LSU didn't score again after Fournette's TD run, the longest play from scrimmage in this bowl's history. Isaac Rochell blocked Domingue's field goal attempt with 11:56 left.
Trailing 21-14, the Tigers had first-and-goal at the Irish 5 with 30 seconds left in the first half. Notre Dame stopped LSU at the 1 on a third-down pass, so the Tigers lined up for a field goal attempt. But holder Brad Kragthorpe took off on a fake, running into teammate Terrence McGee on his way to the end zone. Officials ruled Kragthorpe short, and the call wasn't reversed.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
