DURHAM – Audric Estime ran for a 30-yard touchdown with 31 seconds left as No. 11 Notre Dame drove 95 yards to pull out a 21-14 victory against No. 17 Duke on Saturday night.
With the Fighting Irish trailing by one, quarterback Sam Hartman’s 17-yard scramble on fourth-and-16 set up the winning points.
Estime rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Hartman, who hit Rico Flores Jr. for the two-point conversion for the game’s last points, finished 15-for-30 for 222 yards.
Riley Leonard threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Moore with 9:17 remaining for Duke’s first lead of the game after the extra-point kick. The Blue Devils (4-1) were seconds away from a second September stunner against a traditional power after opening the season by conquering Clemson.
Notre Dame (5-1), which led 13-0 deep in the third quarter, was in danger of losing for the second week in a row. The Irish failed to keep visiting Ohio State out of the end zone in the waning seconds.
With 2:35 remaining Saturday, the Irish started their final possession at their own 5-yard line and then were pushed back because of a false-start penalty. They reached the Duke 41 and appeared to be derailed after offensive pass interference, but Hartman’s fourth-down run bailed them out.
Leonard rushed for 88 yards on 18 carries and threw for 134 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Duke’s first lead of the game came after an 80-yard drive in eight plays. Leonard had a 33-yard run for the biggest chunk of yardage on the march.
Hartman, who lost in last year’s regular-season finale in Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium when he was at Wake Forest, got a form of redemption.
Notre Dame’s Spencer Shrader had field goals of 35 and 45 yards, but he also missed from 37 yards away in the second quarter.
The Irish seemed to be in full control, but led only 13-0 before the Blue Devils converted.
Duke went 75 yards in 11 plays for Jordan Waters’ 1-yard touchdown run with 3:36 to play in the third quarter.
Following the Blue Devils’ first touchdown, Notre Dame punted on its next three possessions — twice on three-and-outs.
Duke didn’t score in the first half, but the Blue Devils had chances. Todd Pelino missed field goals of 38 and 25 yards out — the latter on the final play of the first half after Duke moved 63 yards in 11 plays.
–Field Level Media
NOTE: Duke quarterback Riley Leonard appeared to suffer a serious injury on the Devils’ final offensive play. Riley’s status going forward is unknown at this point.
