What they’re saying about Notre Dame’s 40-8 Sun Bowl win vs. Oregon State
Notre Dame got to double digit victories by thumping Oregon State 40-8 on Friday afternoon in El, Paso Texas. Steve Angeli got his first start for the Irish and tossed 3 touchdowns on 15 of 19 passing for 232 yards in the Sun Bowl win.
In this article, we’ll take a look around at what the media is saying about Notre Dame’s triumph against the Beavers, including Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer and Tim Hyde giving their instant reaction to the game in a YouTube live show. You can watch the replay of the show in the video player above.
And now for what they’re saying….
Tyler Horka, Blue & Gold: How Steve Angeli, Jordan Faison ignited Notre Dame Sun Bowl win
EL PASO, Texas — Notre Dame had a good problem to contend with when coaches and players jumped up onto the stage for the postgame festivities at the Sun Bowl on Friday.
Who the heck should win Most Valuable Player award?
On one side, you had sophomore Steve Angeli making his first career start. He finished 15-of-19 for 232 yards with 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. On the other, there was freshman wide receiver Jordan Faison who was responsible for a sizable segment of those statistics; 5 catches, 115 yards, 1 touchdown.
There wasn’t a wrong answer. Faison ultimately hoisted the hardware, and Angeli probably agreed with the media’s selection. He downplayed his own performance and hyped up the efforts of his teammates in meeting with reporters.
Everybody in Blue & Gold, Angeli most definitely included, got to hold an even bigger trophy with the sun setting in El Paso — the one awarded to the winner of the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl. And there is no doubt about this, either; the Irish would have had a much tougher time getting to that point of celebration and jubilation without Angeli and Faison.
The two heroes for Notre Dame in a bowl game victory, one that got the program to 10 wins, was a former walk-on who was originally on scholarship as a lacrosse player and a quarterback who has sat and waited for his turn for two full seasons.
Jack Soble, Blue & Gold: Notre Dame defense caps dominant year with signature game
You can’t help but feel bad for Oregon State quarterback Ben Gulbranson, who didn’t stand much of a chance against Notre Dame on Friday in El Paso, Texas.
From the first time he dropped back to pass, Gulbranson was under constant duress. When he threw, his receivers were rarely open. The Beavers couldn’t get any run game going whatsoever — totaling 1.4 yards per carry on first down and 1.9 sack-adjusted yards per carry throughout the game — so he constantly had to deal with second and third-and-long situations.
Throughout the season, Notre Dame’s defense smelled blood in the water on passing downs. The Sun Bowl was no different. Defensive coordinator Al Golden constantly sent linebackers and defensive backs at Gulbranson, and the Beavers couldn’t block the defensive linemen, either.
The result: Oregon State went 1-for-9 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth. Golden has said that one of very few numbers he cares about (it’s basically that, points and takeaways) is getting off the field on third down, and that’s evident in the way his defense plays.
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It was truly a masterclass that showcased everything the Irish defense did well all year, and the first-team group pitched a shutout when it was on the field. We at Blue & Gold have said it over and over and over again, but it speaks to how well these veterans played this season and the job Golden has done in South Bend.
Douglas Farmer, NBC Sports: Steve Angeli’s efficient Sun Bowl may emphasize an unexpected 2024 Notre Dame strength
Make no mistake, no matter how well sophomore quarterback Steve Angeli played in Notre Dame’s emphatic 40-8 win against No. 19 Oregon State in the Sun Bowl on Friday, and he did play remarkably well, Duke transfer Riley Leonard will be the Irish starter in 2024.
Angeli played well enough it was a bit of a surprise he was not named the Sun Bowl MVP, and not just because the CBS broadcast mistakenly suggested he would in the closing minutes of the game. Completing 15-of-19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns cannot be diminished in any way, not to mention adding 47 rushing yards on six carries (sacks adjusted).
Angeli did more than fill in for Sam Hartman — with the latter watching from the sideline and somewhat acknowledging during an on-air broadcast the primary reason he opted out of the bowl game may have been to give Angeli a moment to shine. Angeli got the No. 16 Irish (10-3) an early lead and then, after a few stumbling drives, played mistake-free football aside from one sack that a more experienced quarterback likely would have evaded.
“He’s resilient,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “He’s prepared. He’s ready for his opportunity and went out and showed that he can be the starting quarterback at Notre Dame”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman
On Notre Dame winning 10 games this season…
“10 looks better than nine, but every opportunity you have to play, you want to win. To me, it’s a reflection of the direction of this program. Nine wins last year, 10 wins this year. We just want to continue to improve. And we gotta find a way, as you look back at the season, to win those close games that we didn’t end up winning?
“That’s the challenge of college football, is how do you progress? How do you continue to take this group of football players and coaches and get us to a place where we can win those close wins and win the ones we’re supposed to. I’m extremely pleased with our program, where we’re at now and the direction of us in the future.”
