URBANA, Ohio – Run the ball, stop the run was quite literally the theme on Saturday as Notre Dame College defeated Urbana University, 40-20. The Falcons ran for 263 yards on a defense that was averaging just 32.7 yards allowed per game and the NDC defense held the top running offense in the MEC to 103 yards in the game and 26 in the second half.

Urbana got the scoring started, as an NDC opponent scored on their first drive for the fourth time in four games. The Blue Knights' drive was just over four minutes, using five run plays and five passing plays, which included a TD pass from Eddie Stockett to Rafael Floyd.

Notre Dame wasted very little time quieting the crowd, using three run plays and five pass plays on their drive. That resulted in a TD pass from Chris Brimm to Zaire Mitchell for an 18-yard touchdown. Notre Dame was also helped by a false start penalty on third down, giving them an easy first down. The drive took just over three minutes, nearly mirroring what the Blue Knights did.

Brimm would connect with Mitchell one more time late in the fourth quarter for both of his touchdowns. The sophomore QB threw for 180 yards, a season-high.

"I thought Chris Brimm had by far his best day. Chris was 14-for-21, much more efficient than he's been and did a really nice job with the football," said head coach Mike Jacobs. "When you're running the ball well and you're able to distribute things, it's always good. I'm happy for Chris, we knew what he was capable of and we've been on him about reading things a little bit better and he came out and really played well today."

The momentum quickly swung in favor of the Falcons after an Urbana punt went 10 yards on their next possession. NDC then took the lead on a 20-yard field goal, with just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter. They would lead at the end of the first, which has been a very good omen, as the program is now 19-0 under head coach Mike Jacobs when leading after the first 15 minutes.

Another major turning point happened on the very next Urbana drive. On the second play, W.R. Sanders looked to be flying high after he hurdled over a diving defender. However, as Sanders was trying to find his footing, Nathan Moore hit him and forced a fumble, which was recovered Guam Lee.

That resulted in a nine play, 70-yard drive, that ended when Jaleel McLaughlin ran into the endzone from two yards out. The drive was highlighted by an 18-yard pass completion to Marvelle Ross, a 12-yard catch by Andrew Turski and another big penalty by UU, this time a pass interference on third down.

As all facets of the game are important to Notre Dame, special teams made their presence known in the second quarter. Urbana was punting the ball from their own 43-yard line. The punter, Anthony Padovano grabbed the snap but the ball was blocked almost immediately after he got a foot on it, and he was driven to the ground. The block came from Nik Cotton and Bryce Sheppert picked the ball up and ran 16-yards to pay dirt. NDC has now had a punt block that result in a touchdown in back-to-back games. NDC led 23-7 with 9:51 remaining in the half.

"We practiced this all week. It was part of the plan and we executed," Cotton said. "The coaches put the plan together and all I did was what I was supposed to… When I got back there and saw the ball in his hands, he wasn't in his steps to make the punt, so I boosted my energy and trusted myself and got a block."

"I just really like to be aggressive and get after the other team," said Tony Baldesare, the Falcons' special team's coordinator. "It creates opportunities for us, not only in the return game, but also puts pressure on the other team's punter. Our guys have really responded. They're enthusiastic and they want to do it. They've been stepping up and rising to the challenge every week. We try to pin point some of the weaknesses in the other team's protection and we've been very fortunate by going after them aggressively the last few weeks."

Before the end of the half, Urbana scored one more touchdown. It looked like NDC had a 53-yard score on the legs of Jaleel McLaughlin, but a holding penalty brought the whole thing back. McLaughlin had just 44 yards at halftime. Notre Dame took a 23-14 advantage going into the locker room.

After the first 30 minutes, the defenses were stopping what both teams do best. NDC had just 53 rush yards while Urbana had 77. Interestingly, the teams combined for 237 passing yards.

Four long drives chewed up most of the third quarter clock with the only scoring coming off the foot of Tanner Harding, who went two-for-two in field goals today, by hitting a 30-yarder. On the other side, Urbana's Erik Ware missed a 30-yard attempt, which was just his third attempt of the season.

To start the fourth quarter, on the second play of the drive, McLaughlin took a hand off and broke to the outside running around defenders and using blockers against the sideline to score a 73-yard touchdown, with 14:45 to go in the game. NDC led 33-14. For the third game in a row, the sophomore running back ran for over 200 yards and multiple touchdowns.

The rest of the way, the two teams traded one more touchdown, and Notre Dame was able to literally run out the clock, keeping the ball in their running backs' hands. After the McLaughlin run at the beginning of the quarter, Notre Dame passed the ball just two times the rest of the way. In fact, NDC ran the ball 29 times in the second half, for 210 yards. Urbana had allowed 98 rush yards all season, coming into the game.

On the other side, Urbana went away from what they do well. The team who came into the game first in the Mountain East Conference in rushing yards, ran the ball ten times for 26 yards in the second half. UU finished with 103 rush yards after coming into the game averaging 285.3 rush yards per game, which was fifth best in the nation.

"I think it [the lack of Urbana rush attempts] was as much about the score and where the game was at, at that point," said Jacobs. "They're like us, they run the football to set everything up. I'm shocked that they did that, but we did a good job controlling the clock.

"I can't say enough about how proud I am, how hard they work. I thought we earned this win in our preparation this week in practice. We'll come right back at it tomorrow and get ready for West Virginia Wesleyan."

McLaughlin finished with 223 yards on the ground and two TD's, Jalen Boyd ran for a season-high 44 yards. Zaire Mitchell caught five passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns, while Marvelle Ross, Andrew Turski and Tay Johnson caught three passes, each. The Falcons' offense went 5-for-5 on red zone chances against Urbana and has now scored on 17 of 19 red zone attempts, this season.

Tre'von Slater recorded 11 tackles, a tackle for loss and two pass breakups. Sha'haun Williams had five tackles, including a sack and a tackle for a loss. He is now just one tackle for a loss behind Claudy Mathieu for the top spot in program history.

Dominic Buttazzoni pinned Urbana inside their 20 yard line on one of his punts again today, marking his sixth of the season, which is second-best in the MEC.

"That was a big time win for our guys. I'm really proud of the way our kids played and the way they handled themselves. That's two really tough opponents in back-to-back weeks. Give a lot of credit to Tyler Haines and his staff for what they're doing here at Urbana," Jacobs mentioned.

Notre Dame will celebrate Homecoming next Saturday, October 5, as they play West Virginia Wesleyan College. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.