Similar to how Notre Dame football started its 2023 season in Dublin, Ireland, the Irish earned their second win on a neutral field Friday in the Sun Bowl, their first appearance in the bowl game since 2010.
Without several starters — including three team captains (Sam Hartman, Joe Alt and Cam Hart) — the Irish seemingly didn't miss a beat under head coach Marcus Freeman and defeated Oregon State 40-8 in El Paso, Texas.
The No. 16-ranked Irish (10-3) relied on regular starters like linebacker JD Bertrand and cornerback Benjamin Morrison as well as first-time starters, including quarterback Steve Angeli and running back Jeremiyah Love.
Inside ND Sports gives out two game balls — one on offense and one on defense — following Notre Dame's 10th win.
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Notre Dame wide receiver Jordan Faison
Freeman tabbed quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator for this matchup, and Faison was a focal point alongside fellow wide receiver Jayden Thomas.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Faison routinely got open for Angeli and finished with five receptions for 115 yards, both career highs. Minutes after dropping a potential touchdown, Faison caught a 13-yard pass from Angeli to extend Notre Dame's lead to 24-0 in the third quarter.
Faison was also responsible for Notre Dame's longest gain of the day with a 55-yard catch down the sideline on ND's first offensive possession of the contest.
The Irish wide receiver room will look different next year with two incoming transfers, Kris Mitchell and Beaux Collins, along with three incoming true freshmen. That group includes Rivals250 signee Cam Williams.
Faison, who originally joined Notre Dame as a preferred football walk-on/lacrosse recruit, put his best foot forward in his first game under wide receivers coach Mike Brown and made his case as a serious receiving threat heading into the offseason.
Notre Dame vyper end Jordan Botelho
After coming close to pitching its first shutout of the season, Notre Dame's defense gave up a fourth-quarter touchdown to prevent defensive coordinator Al Golden's unit from earning the achievement.
Botelho only played three quarters before Notre Dame substituted in its second-unit, but he helped the Irish limit Oregon State (8-5) to 2 rushing yards through three quarters. He was credited with five tackles including 1.5 for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry. After notching four tackles in three separate games this season, five total tackles mark Botelho's career-best in a single game.
The former four-star recruit out of Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis signed with the Irish in the 2020 recruiting class. He has one year of eligibility remaining and could elect to return in 2024, giving defensive line coach Al Washington a third returning starter with defensive tackles Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills.
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