Duke Blue Devils vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Match Player Stats On Sep 12, 2020

Running back Kyren Williams ran for two touchdowns as No. 10 Notre Dame marked a historic occasion by defeating visiting Duke 27-13 on Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

It was Notre Dame's first football game as a conference member, with the Irish agreeing this summer to shed its independent status in order to play a 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference schedule. The change -- for now a one-year arrangement -- was made when the coronavirus pandemic created havoc with scheduling at a time when the status of the season was uncertain.

Williams, a sophomore, gained 112 yards on the ground on 19 carries. He also had two catches for 93 yards.

Quarterback Ian Book threw a touchdown and an interception for Notre Dame. He was 19-for-31 for 263 yards in the air.

Duke quarterback Chase Brice, a graduate transfer from Clemson, made his first collegiate start and completed 20 of 37 passes for 259 yards.

Williams helped Notre Dame stretch its lead to 17-6 in the third quarter with a 26-yard TD run on fourth-and-1.

Brice ran 2 yards on a keeper for Duke's first touchdown of the season, closing the gap to 17-13 with 2:19 left in the third quarter.

Notre Dame responded early in the fourth quarter with Book's 17-yard touchdown pass to Avery Davis on third-and-10, capping a 15-play, 83-yard drive. Jonathan Doerer's 34-yard field goal padded the lead.

Duke's second possession resulted in a 79-yard drive, with Charlie Ham's 29-yard field goal providing the game's first points. It was Ham's first collegiate kick.

Notre Dame didn't gain a first down until its fourth possession. That appeared to stall shortly after, but a pickup on a fake punt -- with punter Jay Bramblett scrambling 14 yards from deep inside Irish territory at their own 21 -- seemed to spark what became a 96-yard drive. Williams scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.

Ham was good from 30 yards in the second quarter to cut Notre Dame's lead to 7-6.

Notre Dame's next possession was thwarted when Lummie Young IV intercepted Book in the end zone. The Irish stretched their lead to 10-6 on Doerer's 48-yard field goal on the last play of the first half.

The game was played with an estimated 16,000 spectators, with coronavirus-related restrictions in place.

--Field Level Media