It was a whirlwind in Charlottesville.
Late in the third quarter of No. 11 Notre Dame’s first road trip of the season to Virginia, Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire, who is largely responsible for his team’s early success and positive outlook, fractured his right ankle and per coach Brian Kelly, will be out the rest of the season. He was running on first down when his ankle got stuck under a defender and bent awkwardly. He was immediately taken to the locker room.
Things seemed bleak for the Irish in the aftermath. Later, up a narrow 26-21 with about two minutes to play, Virginia took the lead on a Matt Johns 34-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Santoro.