N. Dame beats Army at Yankee Stadium
Associated Press
NEW YORK
Notre Dame returned to the Bronx for the first time 41 years and sent the subway alumni home happy.
Tyler Eifert caught a touchdown pass a few steps away from the home dugout, Darrin Walls returned an interception 42 yards for a score and Notre Dame beat Army 27-3 Saturday night in the first football game at the new Yankee Stadium.
Freshman Tommy Rees, who tweeted on Friday he got to use Derek Jeter’s locker, threw for 214 yards in his second career start and the Fighting Irish (6-5), dressed in kelly green jerseys, became bowl eligible with a second consecutive strong defensive performance.
Combined with last week’s 28-3 victory against Utah, it’s the first time the Irish have held two straight opponents without a touchdown since their 1988 national championship season.
The triple-option befuddled the Irish when they lost to Navy last month, but Army’s version managed one long drive that produced a field goal on its opening possession and not much after that. The Black Knights ran for 135 yards.
The 50th meeting between Army and Notre Dame dripped with nostalgia.
The Irish and Black Knights played 22 games in the original Yankee Stadium, the last in 1969, and Notre Dame built up a huge following in the Big Apple. Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne’s “Win One for the Gipper” speech was delivered at halftime of the 1928 game in the Bronx and in 1946 No. 1 Army and No. 2 Notre Dame played the Game of the Century at Yankee Stadium, a game that featured four Heisman Trophy winners and ended in a 0-0 tie.
One of those Heisman winners, former Notre Dame quarterback Johnny Lujack, was the honorary captain for the Irish on Saturday night.
With some extra bleachers in left and right fields, the sellout attendance of 54,251 set a record for the largest crowd for a sporting event at the two-year-old ballpark.
Army had five first downs on its first drive and didn’t have another until the last play of the first half.
It was no Game of the Century, but coach Brian Kelly’s crew knows its season won’t end with the finale at USC.