Notre Dame (3-2) won its third straight game with a convincing 28-7 victory over the Boise State Broncos (3-2). It was sloppy at times but the Irish left no doubt, putting Boise State away in the second half to earn the three-score win. There were a number of standouts from the win, but a few players stood above the rest.
Here are the players of the game for the Irish in this victory:
OFFENSE - Jeremiyah Love - Jadarian Price, Running Backs
Love Stats: 16 carries, 103 yards, 6.4 YPC, 1 TD / 1 catch, 11 yards
Price Stats: 8 carries, 83 yards, 10.4 YPC, 1 TD
Runners Up: WR Malachi Fields, OL Anthonie Knapp, WR Jordan Faison
I really wanted to go somewhere else after picking this same duo in each of the last two games. At the end of the day, the reality is the duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price continues to perform at an elite level as a duo.
The first half was about Love, who carried the ball 13 times for 93 yards and also caught a pass for 11 yards. Love ran with authority, made defenders miss in space an also ripped off his second longest run of the season, which went for 36 yards. Love carried the ball just three times in the second half, but he ended up with over 100 yards for the second time in three games.
Price had just one carry in the first half, but when he got his opportunity in the second half he made the most of it. Price carried the ball seven times for 79 yards in the second half and finished with 83 yards. He continues to combine efficient play with explosiveness, and his 49-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put the game away. It was an incredibly impressive run that saw Price make multiple defenders miss. His only carry in the first half converted a third-down.
Wide receivers Malachi Fields and Jordan Faison continued their strong seasons. Fields was impactful in the throwing game but also was strong in the run game. He had a strong downfield block on the long Price run. Faison continued his steady play, and his third-down conversion in the third quarter was crucial with the Irish leading by just seven at the time. Left tackle Anthonie Knapp was steady in the pass game and continued his strong season-long run blocking performance.
DEFENSE - Leonard Moore, Cornerback
Moore Stats: 6 tackles, 2 INT, 1 forced fumble
Runners Up: S Tae Johnson, DT Donovan Hinish, LB Drayk Bowen, LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
Moore quickly shook off whatever rust might have been there after missing Notre Dame's two wins. He was outstanding in the win against Boise State, and it goes beyond just impressive numbers. Moore registered six tackles and had a career-high two interceptions in the victory. He made his picks on two very different types of plays. On his first interception, Moore perfectly played and over route. He stayed in good phase and undercut the route without grabbing, and then picked off the pass. On his second interception he showed impressive athleticism by staying in bounds when he caught the pass.
Moore was good in the run game as well and his overall coverage against the talented Boise State receivers was quite impressive.
Safety Tae Johnson was all over the field for the Irish and he was impactful as both a cover player and run defender. He continues to get better each week. Defensive tackle Donovan Hinish was very impactful as a pass rusher (7 hurries according to Pro Football Focus), but he was also a key figure in the Notre Dame run defense. Linebackers Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa were outstanding in the win, combining for 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a key breakup (KVA).
SPECIAL TEAMS - James Rendell, Punter
Rendell Stats: 3 punts, 44.3 YPA, 1 inside 20
Rendell hasn't seen action since the second game, but he had a solid performance in the win over Boise State. Rendell was consistent, booming kicks of 44, 45 and 44 yards. One kick landed inside the 20 and another was about an inch away from pinning Boise State inside the 1-yard line. Boise State was held to 0 punt return yards, so his net average was the same as his overall average.
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