Notre Dame ran and passed at will against a porous Maryland defense and the Irish cruised to a 45-21 victory on Saturday at FedEx Field. Tommy Rees passed for nearly 300 yards in a 30 for 38 performance while the rushing tandem of Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood racked up 235 yards on the ground. Reserve cornerback Lo Wood chipped in with a 57-yard interception return in the third quarter as Notre Dame built an insurmountable 38-7 lead.

Rees spread the ball around to Michael Floyd, Tyler Eifert and Robby Toma, who combined for 24 receptions. Meanwhile, the Irish defense dominated the Terps by shutting off the running game and taking away the big play in the passing game. Two fourth quarter touchdowns by Maryland made the score appear somewhat respectable, but the issue had long since been decided.

Notre Dame sealed the win when Gray scored with 29 seconds remaining before intermission to make it 24-7, and Cierre Wood’s three yard run capped an 84-yard drive to open the second half. Danny O’Brien’s errant pass to the flat only 90 seconds later sailed right to Lo Wood, and the sophomore had clear sailing to the end zone.

The absence of turnovers was also a bright spot for Notre Dame. Rees threw only one or two questionable passes, although he was sacked three times. Maryland had its hands full with Gray, who repeatedly churned for extra yards and key first downs when it mattered. The senior finished with 136 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

Let’s review the answers to the pregame questions:

Will Brown create successful plays against Notre Dame’s conservative defensive alignment? The backup quarterback came in for the injured O’Brien to lead a pair of late scores, one of which was a 24-yard keeper. Unfortunately for the Terps, it was much too little and far too late.

Can the Irish rush for Maryland’s average yield of 233 yards? Gray and Wood topped that number by themselves, but the sacks suffered by Rees reduced Notre Dame’s net rushing yards to 214.

Will a receiver other than Floyd or Eifert have success in the Irish passing game? Toma was outstanding with seven receptions and valuable yards after catch.

Can Golic and the interior of Notre Dame’s offensive line handle Vellone and Hampton? Vellone was a force inside whose number was frequently called, but the overall edge went to the Irish front wall.

Which team will be able to pressure the quarterback? Maryland did record the only sacks of the game, but I lost count of the times that the referees pretended not to notice that Lynch was being held.

How long will it take the Irish to shut down Meggett and the Maryland ground game? Meggett managed only 37 yards and the Terps never generated much of a running threat. Brown and backup tailback D.J. Adams padded their stats in garbage time.

Will Notre Dame take advantage of the Terps’ beleaguered special teams? Actually, the Irish return teams were even more impotent than Maryland. David Ruffer provided a special teams highlight by curving a 52-yard field goal through the uprights. I only wish I could draw the ball like that with my nine iron. Ben Turk also punted magnificently in his three attempts.

The 7-3 Irish return home for Senior Day next week against Boston College before closing the regular season at Stanford. The team appeared to emerge from the contest with no additional injuries, and had strong performances from backups Toma and Mike Golic, Jr. Defensively, Ethan Johnson returned to the lineup for limited action and Lynch played very well despite a gimpy ankle. 

In truth, the viewers of this game endured the most pain throughout the evening. The garish uniforms and hideous headgear worn by each side were more befitting a NASCAR event than a football game, and I’m sure that many of those watching suffered a range of maladies from bloodshot eyes to temporary blindness. I have to wonder if the players ever got their free postgame bowl of soup.