Top Notre Dame Players Against South Florida
A breakdown of Notre Dame's top players against South Florida on offense, defense and special teams.
Offense: TE Tommy Tremble
Several Notre Dame running backs were certainly deserving of being named the offensive player of the game but, throughout a majority of the contest, junior tight end Tommy Tremble led the way for them as a ferocious run blocker.
On a few occasions, he engaged in a block and moved his man 20 or more yards across the field, to the point they were no longer inbounds.
At times, the 6-3, 250-pound tight end even lined up as a full back and, on a third-down play, received the ball on a handoff, running four yards for the first down.
In the passing game, he also led all receivers with three receptions for 60 yards, including a 27-yard catch.
Defense: LB Jack Kiser
With linebackers Marist Liufau and Shayne Simon out for undisclosed reasons, sophomore Jack Kiser earned the starting job against USF after he was on the scout team on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yet he was able to make an impact all over the field.
He led the team in tackles with eight (seven solo) and also had two TFL and a quarterback hit.
After the game, head coach Brian Kelly gave him the game ball.
Another defensive player of note is freshman cornerback Clarence Lewis, who got the start for junior TaRiq Bracy while also playing his first career defensive snap.
He finished the game with five tackles, one TFL and three pass breakups.
Special Teams: DE Jordan Botelho
Freshman defensive end Jordan Botelho played on the punt return team and made a noticeable impact on two separate occasions.
In the second quarter, a bad USF snap had the ball rolling to the back corner of the end zone. Bulls punter Trent Schneider recovered it on his feet and was able to get the punt away but, as he did, Botelho hit him causing the ball to travel about 30 yards. This resulted in Notre Dame starting their next offensive drive at the USF 25-yard line.
Later in the game, after sophomore linebacker Osita Ekwonu blocked a punt, Botelho recovered the ball and found his way into the end zone for the first touchdown of his young career.
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