On a night that was supposed to belong to No. 21 Temple, in what was the biggest game in program history, No. 9 Notre Dame stole the show in a 24-20 win. And although that might seem unfair to the underdog Owls, who went toe-to-toe until the end with the bigger program, maybe it's time we started taking the Irish seriously as College Football Playoff contenders.
Notre Dame beating Temple ruined one great story, but the Irish are making their own
Because for as often as Notre Dame is usually the story, it hasn’t been this year, ever since losing so many key players and losing on the road to Clemson.
Heading into the year, the Irish looked like Playoff contenders with an outstanding offensive line and an incredible offensive trio of quarterback Malik Zaire, running back Tarean Folston and wide receiver Will Fuller. Folson was lost for the season in the first game, and Zaire in the second, and with injuries all over, Notre Dame was forgotten about.
But even with a loss and backups galore, this team looks legit. It nearly beat Clemson in Death Valley and beat USC and Temple in back-to-back weeks. This isn't a team just getting by with a backup quarterback. DeShone Kizer has progressed all season, and that showed against a Temple defense that ranked sixth nationally in S&P+.
Notre Dame dominated this game more than the scoreboard indicates, and the Irish played the Owls far better than anyone else has.
| Temple opponent | Yards per play | Passing yards per attempt | Rushing yards per attempt | Sacks per game |
| Previous opponents | 4.38 | 5.5 | 4.98 | 3.29 |
| Notre Dame | 6.97 | 8.3 | 5.4 | 0 |
Despite two interceptions in the red zone, Kizer threw for 299 yards, including a beautiful, go-ahead touchdown pass with less than two minutes left.
On top of that, he rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns, the most rushing yards for a Notre Dame quarterback since 1969. Even in a game when impressive backup running back C.J. Prosise couldn't get going, Kizer put the team on his back. At one point, the 6'4, 230-pound quarterback outran the whole dang Temple defense for a 79-yard touchdown.
Now, with Pitt, Wake Forest and Boston College on deck, Notre Dame should reach 10-1 heading into a giant season-ending game against Stanford.
In a way, this is not unlike the Ohio State situation last year. The Buckeyes were dead in the water after an early-season loss, and many people wondered whether they could contend when their No. 2 quarterback went down at the end of the season. Then third-stringer Cardale Jones came in and silenced the doubters. That's what Kizer is doing now, and he's doing it better with each game. And remember that Kizer was expected to be Notre Dame's third-stringer this season, too.
Had Temple won, the story would be that it’s time to really consider the Owls as title contenders. That would be fair, but it’s fair to say Notre Dame deserves that treatment, too, for what it has done, and for how much further it can improve with a month left.
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