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Red-zone failures cost No. 2 Notre Dame against No. 8 BYU

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Cite

Coon, J. (2026, October 18). Red-zone failures cost No. 2 Notre Dame against No. 8 BYU. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/red-zone-failures-cost-no-2-notre-dame-against-no-8-byu/article_be1c4ab1-211c-57d7-86bc-25d60b3fe0f5.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-18 · by John Coon

Quick Summary

In a close game at Provo, Utah, Notre Dame's inability to score in the red zone led to their 28-24 loss against BYU on Saturday night. Key turnovers by Notre Dame, including a fumble that cost them crucial points before halftime, contributed significantly to their defeat despite capitalizing on BYU’s special teams errors later in the game. Coach Marcus Freeman emphasized the critical nature of these mistakes, highlighting how they ultimately decided the outcome of the match.
Written by AI on 2026-10-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Based on the articles provided, here is a summary of key events and rankings related to BYU:

The articles highlight how BYU's recent performance has been marked by significant ups and downs, with a dramatic win over Notre Dame followed immediately by a controversial loss to an unranked team. This swing in fortunes has led to a substantial drop in their national ranking.

Written for “BYU Upset Notre Dame” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 14 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 BYU Upset Notre Dame
Sports · 15 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 42 claims Outlet record 64/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 23 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
Fox News
Hedges 3 of 22 claims Outlet record 69/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 43 claims Outlet record 64/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 12 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 47 claims Outlet record 64/100
Fox News
Hedges 9 of 38 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A describes Notre Dame's loss against BYU with a focus on red-zone failures, while Article B mentions BYU's win over Notre Dame as part of a broader context of surprising college football results and controversial issues.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
29
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
2 of 29 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
15
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 10694 article(s) · 27 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 27 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

John Coon
12 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 It’s a big deal,’” Houston coach Willie Fritz said.
🔮 “We had them on the ropes, and we couldn’t find a way to finish,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said.
🔮 Obviously, maybe it just happened at other places but we can’t allow that to happen.
🔮 This is the first time in series history where both teams are ranked and it will be the first top-10 matchup ever played at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
🔮 “I think if she had stepped on the gas a little earlier, it would have been a completely different fight,” UFC President Dana White said.
🔮 There’s also a question if the defense will take a step back under first-year coordinator Kelly Poppinga after Jay Hill left for Michigan.
🔮 Their playmaking abilities will be tested while operating behind an untested offensive line that lost two starters to the NFL.
Also by John Coon
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 12 articles by John Coon →

Topics

BYU Cougars Irish Notre Dame PROVO

Subjects

Notre Dame ORG · 8× BYU ORG · 7× Irish NORP · 6× Carr PERSON · 4× Cougars ORG · 4× CJ Carr PERSON · 1× Isaiah Glasker PERSON · 1× Notre Dame’s ORG · 1× PROVO GPE · 1× Utah GPE · 1×

Narrative

The Irish did not fully capitalize, settling for back-to-back field goals from Spencer Porath from 31 yards and 39 yards to cut into a 21-10 halftime deficit.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-18
🔮 Obviously, maybe it just happened at other places but we can’t allow that to happen.
2026-10-18 · Toronto Star
Red-zone failures cost No. 2 Notre Dame against No. 8 BYU · assertive framing

Claims (29 extracted, 2 hedged)

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Missed chances in the red zone doomed Notre Dame against BYU. asserted
chances → miss → BYU
The No. 2 Irish failed to reach the end zone on both their game-ending drive and final first-half drive. asserted
Irish → fail → drive
It proved to be the difference in a 28-24 loss to the No. 8 Cougars on Saturday night. asserted
It → prove → night
Notre Dame’s final drive before halftime unraveled in a frustrating and unusual fashion. asserted
drive → unravel → fashion
CJ Carr drove the Irish down to the BYU 5 and went to spike the ball in the final seconds to preserve time for a final play. asserted
Carr → drive → play
Carr mishandled the ball on the spike and it slipped out of his hand. asserted
it → mishandle → hand
Isaiah Glasker immediately pounced on the ball seconds later. asserted
Glasker → pounce → ball
After a review, officials ruled Carr had fumbled the ball – leaving Notre Dame empty handed on a critical drive. asserted
Carr → rule → drive
It was just the second turnover the Irish had committed this season. asserted
Irish → commit → ?
“It’s a crucial crucial play,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. asserted
Freeman → ’ → ?
“That again, I’ve never seen it happen with us. asserted
it → see → us
Obviously, maybe it just happened at other places but we can’t allow that to happen. asserted
that → happen → places
Notre Dame initially overcame the gaffe by capitalizing on a pair of special teams mistakes by the Cougars in the third quarter. asserted
Dame → overcome → quarter
Cannon DeViries muffed a punt at the BYU 41. asserted
DeViries → muff → 41
Then, one drive later, Fuller Shurtz ran on a fake punt and got tackled for a 4-yard loss at the BYU 24. asserted
Shurtz → run → 24
“That’s on me,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said concerning Shurtz’s fake punt. asserted
Sitake → ’ → punt
“I thought we had a good call in there. asserted
we → think → call
Notre Dame had a better one.” asserted
Dame → have → one
The Irish did not fully capitalize, settling for back-to-back field goals from Spencer Porath from 31 yards and 39 yards to cut into a 21-10 halftime deficit. asserted
Irish → capitalize → deficit
Notre Dame seemed to have momentum squarely on its side after Jayden Sanders picked off a pass from Bear Bachmeier at the Irish 15 with 8:05 remaining. asserted
Sanders → seem → 8:05
But the Irish went three-and-out after the takeaway. asserted
Irish → go → takeaway
Bachmeier quickly moved the Cougars down the field again and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 6-yard pass to Walker Lyons with 1:47 left. asserted
Bachmeier → move → 1:47
Notre Dame had a final chance after reaching the BYU 8. asserted
Dame → have → 8
But Carr could not connect with Greathouse in the end zone on the final play. uncertain
Carr → connect → play
“I probably could’ve given him a better one,” Carr said. uncertain
Carr → give → one
The Cougars allowed Notre Dame to go 4 of 4 on fourth down, including a dramatic 6-yard catch by Marcus Gilbert on the penultimate play of the final drive. asserted
Dame → allow → drive
But they got enough stops at just the right moments for their first victory over a Top 10 foe since 2018. asserted
they → get → 2018
“We thrive for those moments,” BYU linebacker Cade Uluave said. asserted
Uluave → thrive → moments
“We want those moments. asserted
We → want → moments
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