On a day when the latest College Football Playoff projected bracket got several jolts of scoreboard shock along with some additional near misses, and chants of “Fire Kelly” rang out from the home LSU crowd in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday was oddly normal at Yankee Stadium for No. 6 Notre Dame.
Make that the new normal?
In any event, the Irish handled one of college football’s biggest schematic curveballs with relentless mastery Saturday night in the 12th-ever Shamrock Series and overwhelmed No. 19 and previously unbeaten Army, 49-14, in The Bronx. In the process they truncated the nation’s longest active win streak in 13 games in thunderous fashion.
And came up with way more statistical heroes than game balls Inside ND Sports traditionally hands out, which is two … and sometimes we cheat and give three.
Other than the field goal operation, seemingly everyone had a case. We’ll stick to two and hand them out unconventionally.
OFFENSE: Notre Dame’s offensive line
Five days after being named a Joe Moore Award semifinalist as one of the top 10 offensive lines in the nation, the Irish O-Line had an uneven performance in last Saturday’s 35-14 dismissal of Virginia.
But from their first possession Saturday, Notre Dame’s starting O-line and its backups set the tone — for QB Riley Leonard’s best-ever pass-efficiency mark of his career (223.3), for Jeremiyah Love’s 130 yards and two rushing TDs and a third on a pass reception, for Jadarian Price’s two scores, for back QB Steve Angeli’s impressive relief appearance.
DEFENSE: Notre Dame’s defensive line
With All-America nose guard Howard Cross III sideline with an ankle injury for the second straight game, elevated starter Donovan Hinish and company provided the defensive spark that pervaded the nation’s No. 6 defense against the nation’s No. 1 rushing offense and No. 1 team in passing efficiency coming in.
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