Game Balls: Two players keep Notre Dame in the game
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — There were not many positives for Notre Dame.
In the first-ever matchup between the Irish and Marshall, the Thundering Herd took down No. 8 Notre Dame 26-21. One Marshall player stood out above the rest on Saturday. Two Notre Dame players gave commendable performances in a losing effort.
Here are this week’s game balls.
Marshall game ball: Khalan Laborn
In replacing standout running back Rasheen Ali, Laborn left Notre Dame with way more questions than answers.
The sixth-year senior running back who started his career at Florida State finished the game with 163 yards on 31 carries (5.3 yards per carry). His longest run of the afternoon was a 42-yard rush that put Marshall on the Notre Dame six-yard line. Three plays later, the Herd scored the go-ahead touchdown that ultimately led to the win.
Laborn's 4-yard rushing touchdown gave the Herd the initial 6-0 lead. His yardage accounted for nearly half of the Marshall offense.
Notre Dame offensive game ball: TE Michael Mayer
Notre Dame's junior tight end was pivotal in the team's first two scoring drives.
On Notre Dame's first touchdown drive, Mayer caught consecutive passes of 18 and 12 yards. His first catch on the series put the Irish in the red zone for the first time of the day, while his second set Tyler Buchner up on the one-yard line for his first rushing touchdown of the season.
The 6-foot-4.5, 265-pound tight end drew a pass interference penalty on third-and-eight late in the third quarter. That call turned what would've been a three-and-out into a scoring drive. Mayer's 30-yard catch on the next play put the Irish in Marshall territory.
Mayer finished the game with eight catches for 103 yards (12.9 yards per catch). During the game, Mayer caught his 120th career pass, becoming the 11th Irish player to do so since 2000. His touchdown came with 14 seconds remaining in the game.
Defense: S DJ Brown
The graduate senior safety from Annapolis, Md., hit a new career high with nine tackles, including a team-best five solo.
Brown already matched his career best of seven tackles in the first half. One of those was a solo tackle on first and goal from the four-yard line 30 seconds before the break. That stop was key in limiting Marshall to a field goal on its final drive of the half.
In the second half, Brown only had two tackles, but his role was key through the first 30 minutes.
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