Top Players Against Florida State
Which Notre Dame players performed the best in the 42-26 win over Florida State on offense, defense and special teams?
Offense: Offensive Line
On the ground, Notre Dame was dominant all evening against FSU, as the offensive line opened up canyon-sized holes for the running backs and quarterback Ian Book. This enabled the Fighting Irish offense to run for 353 yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries (8.4 yards per attempt).
Against a talented FSU defensive line, the Notre Dame offensive line also didn’t allow a single sack and gave up just three quarterback hits.
Defense: DB Shaun Crawford
Shaun Crawford’s biggest play of the game came early in the fourth quarter as Florida State was driving to make it a one-possession game. On third and goal from the five-yard line, Seminole quarterback Jordan Travis targeted 6-4 wide receiver Tamorrion Terry, but the 5-9 Crawford slipped in front of the pass, picked it off and ran for 23 yards.
This is made even more impressive by the fact that until this week, all of Crawford’s reps during the season had come at safety but he started the game and played cornerback because other players had played much due to COVID-19 protocols.
He finished the game with three tackles, one interception and two pass breakups.
Special Teams: LB J.D. Bertrand
The sophomore linebacker flashed often on special teams against FSU and was frequently the first man down the field when it came to kickoffs and punts. This resulted in J.D. Bertrand having three special teams tackles against the Seminoles, which ties him for sixth among Fighting Irish players in terms of total tackles in the game.
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