Game balls to Mills, Greathouse as Notre Dame demolishes FSU 52-3

On By Littum

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The notion that the 62-year-old rocker and Notre Dame football superfan for most of the evening Jon Bon Jovi raised the tension beyond the golf clap most fervently and consistently Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium was quite a statement.

Considering he was a spectator and not a participant.

In the end, it was the Irish defense that spoke loudest and had the final say in the 12th all-time football meeting between ND and Florida State and perhaps the one with the least pregame buzz.

Tenth-ranked Notre Dame eventually took care of business, relentlessly, winning its seventh straight since the Sept. 7 nightmare against Northern Illinois, 52-3 over an FSU team caught in a perennial nightmare (1-9).

The Irish offense was sufficiently complementary and intermittently impressive as Notre Dame rolls into its home finale against Virginia next week with an 8-1 record and a clear path to the 12-team College Football Playoff — or at least one it controls .

However, the mandate must be an incremental improvement if the Irish want to stick around beyond the opening round.

In the meantime, some post-bye-week kudos. Inside ND Sports gives out two game balls each week. Here’s who ended up with them:

Defense: Rylie Mills, defensive tackle

With nose guard Howard Cross III With an early departure with an apparent ankle injury, Cross’ inside linemate, Mills, brought enough toughness to both of them—and then some. Mills had three of Notre Dame’s eight sacks on the night and five total tackles to set the tone for the Irish defense to take over the game.

FSU’s paltry 88 passing yards and 38 completion percentage were at least partially affected by the constant pressure the Seminoles QBs received from Mills and company.

Offense: Jaden Greathouse, wide receiver

On a night when the Notre Dame passing game felt like it was treading water when it came to making big-picture strides, the sophomore slot receiver showed up in big moments, racking up a high five catch for 66 yards.

Quarterback Riley Leonard ended up throwing for 215 yards and a TD and backup Steve Angeli threw for another 37 and a TD.