Notre Dame vs Texas recap: 3 things we learned

The Texas Longhorns pulled off an epic upset with a 50-47 victory in double overtime over the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

It was a wild finish in Texas Stadium as the Texas Longhorns pulled off the upset against 10th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, coming away with the 50-47 victory. The Texas Longhorns look ready to make some noise in 2016 under Charlie Strong in just his third season as head coach. It was a back and forth game, so let’s take a look at some big takeaways from the game.

Recap & Highlights

It was a wild game at Texas Stadium between the Longhorns and the Fighting Irish. Both teams entered the 2016 season with two quarterback rotations.

The Longhorns started true freshman Shane Buechele at quarterback. Buechele looked good on his first drive. There was a fourth down conversion, which if you ask me, shows the confidence Charlie Strong has in Buechele. And then there was Buechele’s first career touchdown as a collegiate quarterback.

Buechele made a hell of a throw and receiver Armanti Foreman made an even crazier catch. Foreman’s concentration to drag that back foot was spectacular.

The Longhorns defense kept pace with the offense after giving up a touchdown on the first drive. Malik Jefferson led the way for the Longhorns with a big sack.

The Fighting Irish played both quarterbacks in DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire. Kizer started the game and scored on the game’s opening drive, connecting with Equanimeous St. Brown in the back of the endzone with for a 13-yard touchdown.

The Longhorns put quarterback Tyrone Swoopes in the second quarter to give the Texas offense a bit of momentum. The move proved useful as the Longhorns drove down the field to take the lead 14-7 in the second quarter.

Buechele hurried up to the line and snuck it in for the Longhorns for his first rushing touchdown as a collegiate quarterback. The 16-play drive capped off the longest scoring drive for a touchdown since 2013.

The Fighting Irish answered right back with a scoring drive of their own to tie the game. Kizer connected with receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on a 30-yd catch and score, with a nice somersault at the end. It was Brown’s second touchdown of the game.

But the Longhorns and Buechele answered right back with this long 68-yard bomb to Jerrod Heard.

The Longhorns would go on to score and take a 21-14 lead into halftime.

The Longhorns came out in the second half firing. Shane Buechele connected on a 72-yard strike in stride to John Burt on the second play of the second half.

Notre Dame wouldn’t go away quietly, however. The Fighting Irish would come storming back, scoring 21 straight points in the second half to take the lead over the Longhorns 35-31.

DeShone Kizer was stellar, connecting with running back Josh Adams on a 17-yard strike on a crucial 3rd and 8.

The Longhorns then proceeded to drive eight plays down the field for 68 yards in 1:54 to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Then, in a shocking turn of events, instead of the Longhorns going up three points, the Fighting Irish blocked the extra PAT and returned it to tie the game at 37.

That tie at the end of regulation led to an intense overtime battle. Both teams scored quickly and the game went to double overtime at 44-44. The Fighting Irish were stopped in the second overtime and forced to kick a field goal. With the score at 47-44, the Longhorns got the ball and marched it down the field to win and upset the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 50-47.

Tyrone Swoopes was a hero for the Longhorns in key moments, rushing for three touchdowns on 53 yards rushing. The game was intense in so many ways, but there were a few things that stood out during the battle.

Shane Buechele is Good

The 6-foot-1, 191 pound Shane Buechele is scary good and only a true freshman. Buechele looked good in his debut at quarterback displaying a cannon for an arm.

He was an accurate 16-26 for 280 passing yards and two touchdowns. His two touchdowns of 19 yards and 72 yards were beautifully thrown passes and showcased the freshman quarterback’s throwing ability for seasons to come.

…But DeShone Kizer is Better.

Despite splitting time with quarterback Malik Zaire all game, DeShone Kizer still managed to rule the day on offense for the Fighting Irish.

Kizer was 15-of-24 with 215 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, adding 72 yards on the ground on 12 carries.

By the time the game was over, DeShone Kizer was hard to keep off the field. He led the Irish three straight times down the field for touchdowns to take the lead, 35-31 late in the fourth quarter.

The Notre Dame Secondary is in Trouble

The Notre Dame secondary certainly missed the services of safety Max Redfield and cornerbacks Devin Butler and Ashton White in this game. Redfield was dismissed from the team but Butler and White have been suspended indefinitely.

The Longhorns passing offense certainly exposed some holes in the secondary of the Fighting Irish. As the season progresses, Kelly will need to adjust or the Irish could see a lot of games where their pass rush is too exhausted to bring down the quarterback and long passes given up as a result.

The Irish allowed 260 passing yards including a touchdown pass of 72 yards on a Shane Buechele bomb to John Burt. It was not a good day for the defense, as they allowed 50 points and 26 first downs.