No. 9 Notre Dame escapes in OT against Fla. State
Notre Dame survived Florida State backup quarterback Mckenzie Milton’s unlikely comeback on an emotional night when the host Seminoles honored Bobby Bowden.
Jonathan Doerer made a 41-yard field goal in overtime and No. 9 Notre Dame escaped with a 41-38 victory after Florida State overcame an 18-point deficit Sunday.
Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald’s 37-yard attempt sailed wide left on the first overtime possession, allowing Notre Dame to run a few plays and set up Doerer’s kick.
“What’s most important is going on the road, winning the opener against a team that presented a lot of challenges,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “We know we got work to do, but I like this team. We’ll get better and we’ll make a lot of improvement in week 2.”
Bowden, the coaching great who won two national titles with the Seminoles, died at 91 of pancreatic cancer Aug. 8.
A logo of Bowden’s trademark hat and the script “Bobby” was on the 25-yard line, and Florida State coaches also wore logos on their polo shirts. Florida State’s Marching Chiefs spelled out “Bobby” on the field at halftime and played “Amazing Grace.”
Milton, the UCF grad transfer quarterback who hadn’t played in a game since suffering a gruesome leg injury in November 2018, fired a 22-yard strike to Ja’khi Douglas on his first pass.
Treshaun Ward completed that drive by scoring on a 2-yard run, and Fitzgerald tied it with a 43-yard field goal with 40 seconds left. Milton was 5 of 7 for 48 yards with three rushes for 6 yards.
Florida State started the comeback with Jordan Travis connecting with Andrew Parchment on an 8-yard touchdown strike. Milton entered the game when Travis’ helmet popped off, and he then found Douglas to keep things going.
Jack Coan completed 26 of 35 passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns in his Notre Dame debut.
Minnesota loses star RB Ibrahim
Minnesota running back Mo Ibrahim will miss the rest of the season because of a lower left leg injury, coach P.J. Fleck announced Monday.
Ibrahim will have surgery today and need four to six months to recover, Fleck said. The fifth-year player was a second-team preseason Associated Press All-america selection.
Fleck declined to specify the injury, but he said Ibrahim sustained a tear. The severity suggested an Achilles tendon. Ibrahim was hurt on the second-to-last play of the third quarter Thursday against Ohio State, when he ran to the right side for 1 yard and tried to escape a tackle by safety Ronnie Hickman. After Ibrahim planted his left foot, slow-motion replays on the Fox broadcast showed his leg react as if something had popped inside.
Ibrahim rushed 30 times for 163 yards before the injury, moving into eighth place on the program’s career rushing yards.
Michigan WR Bell out for season
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh says senior receiver Ronnie Bell is out for the year with a knee injury.
Harbaugh gave the update Monday, two days after Bell was injured in a 47-14 win over Western Michigan. Bell had a 76-yard touchdown reception and returned a punt 31 yards before injuring his right knee in the opener.
He was the team’s leading receiver last season and was an All-big Ten honorable mention selection in 2019. Bell, who started 17 of 33 games, has 83 career receptions for 1,380 yards and five touchdowns.
The Wolverines (1-0) host No. 20 Washington (0-1) on Saturday night.
The Huskies likely will fall out of The Associated Press college football poll today after becoming the first ranked FBS team in five years to lose to a FCS team. They fell to Montana, 13-7.