A walk-on kicker for the 21-point underdog split the uprights — and many hearts — at a suddenly sullen Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday.
The Irish were upset 38-35. Duke was happy about upsetting Notre Dame.
No, AJ Reed’s first career field goal wasn’t overly dramatic with 1 minute, 24 seconds left from 19 yards out.
But it spelled game over for Notre Dame, making it the biggest upset defeat, point spread-wise for the Irish, in 20 years according to ESPN Stats.
And it came against a team that had scored 27 points combined in losses the previous two weeks to Northwestern and Wake Forest.
Afterward, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly warned of possible personnel changes at every position. But he defended defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder — again — saying the unit that allowed 498 total yards was “the least of my concerns after today.”
Not to mention it was the Irish’s fifth consecutive failure against a Power 5 team, and fifth loss in its last six games overall.
Duke’s Daniel Jones, leader of what was the nation’s 58th-ranked offense coming in, became the third first-year starting quarterback to beat Notre Dame’s 100th-ranked defense this year, and the second freshman. He was 24-for-32 for 290 yards and three touchdowns, including a 64-yarder to Anthony Nash that began as a screen but turned into the tying score with 6:47 left after Notre Dame missed tackle after tackle.
“There is no position that is untouchable on this team,” said Kelly, adding that running back Dexter Williams was the only player who had “emotion and fire.”
“If you want to play for me moving forward, you better … have some damn fire and energy in you. We lack it. Severely.”
Kelly then called out his own quarterback, saying DeShone Kizer’s play was “below standard” and “not acceptable” after Kizer threw for a career-high 381 yards and two scores and led the team with 74 yards rushing and one more.
Kizer’s lone interception, to Deondre Singleton at Notre Dame’s 45 with 5:11 left, morphed into Duke’s 10-play, 44-yard drive that ended with Reed’s field goal. He also lost a fumble that led to a Duke touchdown — and a 21-14 lead — on the next play when Jones connected with Nash from 25 yards.
Kelly even threatened to plug in third-string quarterback Brandon Wimbush, a redshirt sophomore, in the future.
“He has given me the keys,” Kizer said. “To go 1-3 and not come up on some big drives at the end of games, that all falls on me as the commander of this offense. … I haven’t done that well lately.”
Kizer came up big in the beginning, though.
One play after receiver Torii Hunter Jr. left a drum set in shambles while trying to catch a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone, Kizer completed the drive with an 8-yard run good for a 7-0 lead.
The Irish looked like they were turning the game into a glorified practice on their next drive, which Kizer punctuated with a perfectly placed pass to Kevin Stepherson as his legs found the end zone for a 14-0 lead.
But then Shaun Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards as the Blue Devils cut their deficit by half.
Notre Dame players didn’t even touch Jela Duncan on his 18-yard scoring scoot on Duke’s next possession. Suddenly, the scoreboard read 14-14 and the stadium fell quiet.
Jones completed six straight passes to set up the scoring run.
Kelly said his team lacked passion. When asked why, he pointed to himself.
“I must be doing a poor job,” he said.
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Irish 2-minute drill
Turning point: Deondre Singleton intercepted DeShone Kizer at Notre Dame’s 45-yard line with 5:11 left in the game. Ten plays later, AJ Reed kicked his 19-yard game-winning field goal.
Play of the game: Reed’s first career field goal with 1:24 left proved to be the winning points as Notre Dame failed to score on its final drive. “I’m really happy, and I can’t thank the guys around me enough,” Reed said.
Telling stat: Notre Dame had just 153 rushing yards against Duke after running for just 57 against Michigan State last weekend in a 36-28 loss. Kizer tied with Josh Adams to lead the Irish with 60 yards. Jela Duncan led the Blue Devils with 121 and a touchdown on 21 carries.
Breakout star: Notre Dame linebacker Nyles Morgan recorded a sack, Notre Dame’s first this season. The Irish became the last of the 128 FBS teams to record one.
Looking ahead: Notre Dame will try to rebound Saturday when it faces Syracuse at MetLife Stadium.
