WATCH: Michael Mayer sets Notre Dame program record with touchdown reception vs Clemson
Michael Mayer is officially in a class of his own at Notre Dame. The star tight end set a program record with his latest touchdown reception against Clemson in the fourth quarter.
Mayer caught his 16th career touchdown Saturday, giving him the most touchdowns by a tight end in program history. The previous record was held by Ken MacAfee, who played at Notre Dame from 1974-77 before the San Francisco 49ers drafted him No. 7 overall in the 1978 NFL Draft.
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Mayer continues to emerge as a key playmaker on offense for the Fighting Irish and entered Saturday’s game leading the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. He’s also popping up in NFL Draft circles, coming in at No. 8 on ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest Big Board.
This isn’t the first program record Michael Mayer has set this season
Mayer also had a record-breaking day in the Fighting Irish’s victory over BYU Oct. 8, hauling in 11 receptions — the most by a tight end in Notre Dame history. After the game, though, he remained humble and wanted to focus on the victory.
“Tonight’s not about me,” he said in his postgame interview. “Today’s about the team getting a big win. Kind of feels like we’re getting back on track now after a little shaky start to the season. The offense played great. The defense played great. I’m proud of this team. We did what we had to do. We came to Vegas and got a W. That’s all that mattered.”
As Mayer said after the game, he couldn’t have broken the record without his quarterback, Drew Pyne.
“Three weeks ago, half the country didn’t believe in him,” Mayer said. “Everybody’s saying everything on Twitter, social media and all that stuff. All that kid does it battle, fight and come to work every day. Me and him are doing extra routes after practice for 30 minutes trying to get that connection going. I’m proud of that guy. I really am. He’s worked his tail off since Day 1 and he deserves this win more than anybody. Drew Pyne deserves this win.
“…(The record) feels good. It really does. But then again, I can’t do that without Drew Pyne throwing me the ball, without the O-line blocking for Drew, without the other receivers knowing what routes they’re running. It’s a big time team effort and it’s gonna be the rest of the season. That’s how it always is here at Notre Dame.”
On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.