Notre Dame’s Jack Coan throws game-winning TD after dislocating finger

No. 8 Notre Dame was trailing Toledo by five points with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter Saturday, but a win seemed very possible. The Irish were deep in Rockets territory.

Well, that was until Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan suffered a dislocated finger on his throwing hand. Throwing the ball for the victory, at least, seemed out of reach at that point.

But the senior wasn’t giving up. Coan ran to the sideline, where a trainer popped the finger back into place in a matter of seconds. Coan looked slightly bothered, but he immediately started running back to the huddle as soon as the finger was back in place.

While Coan was surely in pain, he didn’t show it. On the next play, he threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Michael Mayer, giving the Irish the lead. A two-point conversion gave them their final margin of victory in a 32-29 win.

So, to review: Coan there the game-winning touchdown pass one play after a dislocated finger on his throwing hand was popped back into place.

Coan finished the game 21 for 33 for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

Support for Coan flooded Twitter after the injury. Fans applauded him for fighting through the pain for his team.

There doesn’t seem to be an immediate concern about the finger. It’s quite possible that getting it popped back into place on the field is all the recovery time Coan will need. All 30 seconds of it.

The Irish will take on Purdue at home next Saturday. They’ll try to avoid having to fight for a comeback win for a third week in a row. Notre Dame also rallied to beat Florida State in overtime in Week 1.