Game balls to Schrauth, Sneed and Leonard in Notre Dame's rout of Navy

It’s not just the technical expertise or the brute force with which Billy Schrauth plays the game of football. It’s a relentless toughness that seems to pervade the entire Notre Dame offense when he’s in the game.

And Saturday, for the first time since Sept. 14, Schrauth saw game action for the 12th-ranked Irish.

And the 6-foot-5, 310-pound junior helped set the tone for a 51-14 rout of 24th-ranked Navy at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in the 97th meeting between the two longtime rivals. He also gave life to the notion of a higher ceiling for an ND O-line collectively whose progress had flattened out in October.

And because of that Inside ND Sports is expanding its typical two game balls awarded to three, with Schrauth getting the bonus game ball.

He also started at a new position, left guard, with his replacement — senior Rocco Spindler — staying intact at right guard. Schrauth bumped scuffling sophomore Sam Pendleton from the lineup. Pendleton came into the game leading all Irish players in total snaps with 428.

Pendleton did see some action when the second-team O-line rotated in early in the fourth quarter to finish the game.

Notre Dame (7-1), with the first six-game win streak of the coach Marcus Freeman Era, heads into a bye week before hosting underachieving Florida State on Nov. 9.

In the meantime, here are the other two game ball recipients:

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DEFENSE: Jaylen Sneed, linebacker

Lots of candidates here on a defense that coaxed four turnovers (plus two more on special teams) from a team that had lost two all season. But perhaps Sneed’s career-high nine tackles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown might jump-start him after hitting a midseason lull.

OFFENSE: Riley Leonard, quarterback

Leonard edges running back Jeremiyah Love and his 102 yards and two TDs. But Leonard showed the poise and production that not only helped the Irish take the suspense out of this game early, but portends well for Notre Dame’s stretch run.

Leonard ran the ball 10 times for 83 yards and his 11th rushing TD this season. He also threw for 178 yards before giving way to backup Steve Angeli early in the fourth quarter. The Duke transfer was 13-of-21 with two TDs and no interceptions for a 164.5 pass-efficiency rating.