Offense: QB Ian Book
In his last game at Notre Dame Stadium, the fifth-year senior signal-caller shined and provided a spark to an offense that was stagnant for much of the first half.
He completed 24 of 37 passes for 285 yards with three touchdowns, but also threw his second interception of the season. Still, his performance earned him a 150.9 quarterback rating.
Fans have also grown accustomed to Book making plays with his legs, and once again he did not disappoint. On eight carries, he ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
Defense: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
The senior rover hindered the Syracuse offense in a multitude of ways.
On one play, he lined up over the slot and broke up a pass thrown to a speedy receiver. Next, Owusu-Koramoah knifed into the backfield and disrupted Orange quarterback Rex Culpepper as he dropped back to pass. Later, he forced a Syracuse fumble by delivering a bone-crushing hit.
Owusu-Koramoah finished the contest with five tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, two passes defended and a forced fumble.
Special Teams: RB Chris Tyree
The ultra-fast freshman running back continues to be a weapon for the Fighting Irish and stood out on special teams when no one else on the roster did against Syracuse
In the game, he returned three kickoffs for 73 yards (an average of 24.3). His longest return of the afternoon was for 33 yards. He also carried the ball six times on offense for 109 yards and a touchdown and snagged one reception for six yards.
Combined, this gave Tyree 188 all-purpose yards.
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