Watch: ND quarterback gets finger popped into place, throws game-winning TD
Notre Dame nearly saw its 24-game home winning streak come to a halt and in the process, the Fighting Irish's hopes of a third trip in four seasons to the College Football Playoff would have suffered a devastating if not lethal blow.
Jack Coan had a different thought in mind. Even as he trotted to the sideline inside the final 90 seconds and asked Notre Dame athletic trainer Mike Bean to torque his dislocated finger, on his throwing hand, no less, back into alignment.
Bean delivered.
Coan delivered on the very next play. Relocated finger and all, the Wisconsin-graduate-turned-Notre-Dame-starting-quarterback rifled a perfect pass in the seam to sophomore sensation Michael Mayer, and just like that – along with one more defensive stop from Marcus Freeman's unit – the Irish prevailed, 32-29.
Coan's story is a phenomenal one; his father recently shared a letter in which Coan wrote as a 10-year-old how his perfect Christmas gift would be a trip to a Notre Dame football game.
Now 12 years later, Coan is writing his name into the Irish's history books.
