'Catch' keeps Brigham Young close with Notre Dame

Per the NCAA rule book, a "catch" is defined as follows:

"A player 'gains possession' when he secures the ball firmly by holding or controlling it while contacting the ground inbounds. The ball is then in player possession."

The NCAA then goes to provide a bit more clarity. A catch can be defined by one of the following:

A player "gains possession (Rule 2-4-1) of a live ball in flight." Or a player "leaves his feet and firmly grasps a live ball in flight, the ball first touching the ground inbounds while still in his firm grasp." Or, finally, a player "leaves his feet, firmly grasps a live ball in flight and either first returns to the ground inbounds with any part of his body or is so held that the dead-ball provisions of Rule 4-1-3-p apply (A.R. 2-4-3-I-IV and A.R. 7-3-6-III)."

Got it? Now look at a picture, via Bleacher Report, of Kaneakua Friel's 2-yard touchdown grab for Brigham Young. I use the term "grab" very loosely.

The touchdown pass, from Riley Nelson to Friel, gave BYU a 14-7 lead against Notre Dame. The Irish, who are without Everett Golson, started Tommy Rees at quarterback.

Notre Dame reclaimed the lead in the second half. Down by a touchdown at the start of the third quarter, the Irish drew within 14-10 after a 28-yard field goal by Kyle Brindza.

With 13:39 left in the fourth quarter, a 2-yard touchdown run by George Atkinson III gave the Irish a 17-14 lead, which ended up being the final score.

Rees struggled in his starting role after excelling as a late-game replacement during Notre Dame's undefeated start. Rees finished 7-for-16 for 117 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

As has been the case all season, the Irish (7-0) won with defense, not offense. Notre Dame's front seven came to play again, limiting BYU to 243 yards.