Advertisement
football Edit

Game Balls: Five Notre Dame football players who led Irish to win over Navy

Notre Dame beat Navy for the 10th time in 12 tries under head coach Brian Kelly. The defense dominated, and the offense got going enough to pull away late.

These five players helped the No. 10 Fighting Irish (8-1) take care of the Midshipmen (2-7) at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Sign up for Blue & Gold’s FREE alerts and newsletter

Advertisement

DL Kurt Hinish

The graduate student went into the game with a career-high of five tackles. He left it by doubling that total in a 10-tackle effort against the Midshipmen. He had a sack and two tackles for loss too. Navy tried to run right at the Notre Dame defense, and Hinish was there time and time again to stop ball carriers not too far from the line of scrimmage.

WR Kevin Austin Jr.

It took nine games, but the senior wide receiver finally went over 100 yards in a game. Austin Jr. caught six of seven targets for 139 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 70-yard sprint down the left sideline. His best catch of the day was an over-the-shoulder snag for a gain of 38 yards down the same sideline. He looked like a true No. 1 wide receiver.

LB JD Bertrand

If anything did get by Hinish, Bertrand was usually there to back him up. Bertrand finished with nine tackles. Nobody else on the Notre Dame roster had more than four. Bertrand brought his team-leading tackle count to 80. Graduate senior linebacker Drew White played with an injured knee, so it was crucial for Bertrand to keep playing well for the linebacker corps. He did.

QB Jack Coan

The graduate senior had another efficient game in completing 23 of 29 pass attempts for 269 yards and a touchdown. Coan has not thrown an interception since he was benched in the loss to Cincinnati on Oct. 2. He’s taking care of the football and giving Notre Dame chances to win. That’s why head coach Brian Kelly and the Irish brought him in, and he has really settled into his role in the second half of the season.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football junior running back Kyren Williams
Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams went over 100 yards from scrimmage for the fourth game in a row. (Chad Weaver/BGI)

RB Kyren Williams

As well as Coan has performed of late, it’s clear who the Notre Dame offense leans on the most — Williams. He had 17 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team in receptions for the second time in three weeks. He caught seven passes for 36 yards. His 20-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was another highlight reel worth saving.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE DISCUSSION ON THE LOU SOMOGYI BOARD

----

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter.

Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts.

• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @MikeTSinger, @PatrickEngel_, @tbhorka, @GregLadky, and @ToddBurlage.

• Like us on Facebook.

Advertisement