Notre Dame vs. LSU: Score and Twitter Reaction for 2014 Music City Bowl

The difference between LSU and Notre Dame was three field-goal attempts. 

LSU was stopped short at the goal line after attempting a fake field goal at the end of the first half and had a field goal blocked in the fourth quarter. Later, Notre Dame's Kyle Brindza kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired to give the Fighting Irish a thrilling 31-28 victory over the Tigers at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee.      

Malik Zaire was brilliant in his first career start, finishing 12-of-15 with 96 passing yards and a touchdown and also rushing for 96 yards and a score. He shared time at quarterback with Everett Golson, who finished with 90 passing yards and six on the ground.

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That spoiled a brilliant performance from LSU running back Leonard Fournette, who rushed 11 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns and also added a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. If you were looking for an early favorite to win next year's Heisman Trophy, the freshman certainly put his name on that list.

Notre Dame was methodical and efficient in the first half, holding the ball for 19 minutes and 38 seconds while churning out 258 yards and 21 total points. Zaire had a strong first half, opening the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown pass to William Fuller before rushing for a seven-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. 

Perhaps more importantly, he didn't turn the ball over. And he certainly outplayed Golson, as Notre Dame utilized both quarterbacks in the first half.

LSU seemed to always have an answer, however. More accurately, Fournette always seemed to have an answer. His eight-yard run at the end of the first quarter leveled the score at seven apiece, and his 100-yard kickoff return immediately after Zaire gave Notre Dame a 14-7 lead again evened the score in dramatic fashion with 10:52 to play in the second. 

Here's his explosive return, via SportsCenter on Twitter:

Special teams provided a major theme in the first half. After Tarean Folston gave the Fighting Irish a 21-14 lead with a six-yard touchdown run at the 6:12 mark in the second quarter, LSU took over and marched 74 yards in 15 plays but faced a 4th-and-goal at the Notre Dame 2-yard line with less than 15 seconds on the clock.

LSU lined up for a field goal but faked it, and the call on the field was that Brad Kragthorpe failed to break the plane and the conversion failed. Replays appeared to show Kragthorpe breaking the plane with the ball before his knee ever touched the ground, but the referees upheld the call and LSU turned it over on downs.

SportsCenter on Twitter provided the replay:

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk didn't agree with the call:

Neither did Matthew Hasselbeck of the Indianapolis Colts:

And of course, LSU head coach Les Miles was not a fan of the ref's decision. Teresa Walker of The Associated Press sympathized:

It took LSU just two plays to even the score at the start of the second half, however. On the Tigers' first play from scrimmage after the kickoff, Anthony Jennings faked a quarterback keeper, and Notre Dame's secondary bit. Jennings found John Diarse wide open in the middle of the field, and he raced all the way to the end zone for a 75-yard score.

The big plays kept coming for the Tigers. Two drives later, the explosive Fournette took a handoff 89 yards for a score on the first play:

As Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press tweeted, big things are on the horizon for the star running back:

But one good turn deserved another, and Notre Dame had a big play up its sleeve as well. C.J. Prosise rushed 50 yards for a touchdown on the Fighting Irish's next drive, as you can see via ESPN College Football on Twitter:

LSU looked poised to take the lead early in the fourth quarter, but Trent Domingue had his 40-yard field-goal attempt blocked. The teams then traded possessions before Notre Dame got the ball on its own 15 with 5:41 remaining. Fourteen plays and 71 yards later, Brindza kicked the game-winning field goal as the clock ticked to zero.

Notre Dame now heads into an interesting offseason. Head coach Brian Kelly will likely field several calls from interested NFL teams, as he's flirted with departing Notre Dame to coach at the next level in the past. But the Fighting Irish will also have a decision to make at quarterback, as Zaire and Golson are going to battle it out for the starting gig.

Based on his performance on Tuesday evening, Zaire should be the favorite. 

As for LSU, the Tigers will look to recover from a disappointing 8-5 finish and return to the top of the SEC West. The Tigers have now failed to win their division in three straight seasons, a mark the LSU faithful can't be pleased with. Miles and Co. have some work to do to get this program back at the top of the SEC.