Golden Tate grabs a reception this drive. Woo!
1. 1st and 10 at ND 20 Armando Allen Jr rush for 2 yards to the NDame 22.
Tate is alone on the left. Jovani Chapel is tight, preparing to press. Tate shades and blocks, but the run is slow and horizontal. Tate never loses Chapel, but he does disengage and attempt to block linebacker Max Gruber. It's a miscalculation. Chapel tackles Allen after two.
2. 2nd and 8 at ND 22 Armando Allen Jr rush for 9 yards to the NDame 31 for a 1ST down.
Safety blitz. Tate looks slow off the line, but it's more like he's just not involved. He's not. Allen slices right and away from Tate. Tate runs a quick-curl of no impact.
3. 1st and 10 at ND 31 Jimmy Clausen pass incomplete.
Aaron Berry drops into off cover. Tate runs a speed out into the left flat. Nice looking route: Quick off the snap, suddenness into and out of his cut, head around, looking for the pass. Clausen passes right and the pass is tipped incomplete.
4. 2nd and 10 at ND 31 Armando Allen Jr rush for 11 yards to the NDame 42 for a 1ST down.
Allen stars left and cuts right for a nice gain. Tate starts on the left, runs about ten yards and shadows Berry keeping him out of the play.
5. 1st and 10 at ND 42 Jimmy Clausen pass complete to Golden Tate for 22 yards to the Pitt 36 for a 1ST down.
Nice little payoff on the previous well-run route. Tate is alone on the right. He motions in before the snap. Snap. He sprints into his route and runs another nice-looking out, this time a ten-yarder. Same explosiveness into and out of his cut, same awareness to whip the head around and look for the ball, but this time he's targeted. Tate's cut sends Chapel tumbling towards the right sideline. Tate receives, carefully plants his foot an inch in bounds and redirects up field. He's forced out after 22.
6. 1st and 10 at PITT 36 Jimmy Clausen pass complete to Michael Floyd for a loss of 1 yard to the Pitt 37.
Illegal shift, declined. Tate attempts a cut block but misses. Floyd is smoked for a loss of one.
(Timeout Notre Dame)
7. 2nd and 11 at PITT 37 Jimmy Clausen pass incomplete.
Tate doesn't factor into this. He struggles to overcome a press off the line and isn't seen again. Clausen locks onto Floyd. Floyd has single cover on the left. He runs a go towards the end zone. Floyd has a noticeable size and height advantage. It's a dream matchup. Berry bullies Floyd, assumes lead position, plays the ball and nearly intercepts the pass. So much for that.
8. 3rd and 11 at PITT 37 Jimmy Clausen pass incomplete to Michael Floyd.
This time, Tate shakes the jam with ease. He comes free on a square in just short of the first. Floyd flashes free on a curl route. Clausen hits him with a perfectly placed pass. Drop.