Notre Dame runs away from Nevada in home opener

SOUTH BEND – Good … but not quite totally convincing.

After last week’s loss to Texas, the Notre Dame football team was desperate for a step in the right direction.

Saturday’s lopsided 39-10 Irish (1-1) win over talent-starved Nevada (1-1) Saturday was an opportunity to shake off a little frustration and get ready for Michigan State next week.

The Irish, who appeared to rectify a few of their defensive shortcomings from a week ago, will likely have to go into the rest of their season without Shaun Crawford, one of the two dependable cornerbacks on the roster.

Earlier in the game, he was lost with what was reported on the NBC broadcast as a torn Achilles tendon. Nick Coleman, who took a beating against the Longhorns before being replaced, was inserted with no obvious damage until the third quarter when Wyatt Demps caught a 44-yard pass over him.

That’s not to say the Spartans won’t take note.

Once the Notre Dame quarterback situation was solved earlier in the week, derby winner DeShone Kizer built on the success he had in the opener.  He completed 15 of 18 passes for 156 yards in a little over two quarters.

He threw for two second-quarter touchdowns while the Irish put 25 points on the board. Kizer ran for a score from two yards in the third quarter.

Malik Zaire finished the final quarter and a half.