Game balls: Notre Dame football standouts vs. Stanford
A short list to choose from, here are the Irish players who played well Saturday in a 16-14 upset loss to Stanford.
Tight end Michael Mayer
Coming off of his 11-catch game against BYU — a single-game record for a Notre Dame tight end — Mayer was blanketed well by Stanford. Yet, the Irish All-American still led the Irish with 10 targets and 5 catches for 60 yards.
Wide receiver Tobias Merriweather
Following months of hype and hope, the Irish freshman made his first career catch Saturday on a 41-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. The TD grab tossed from junior Irish quarterback Drew Pyne gave Notre Dame a brief 14-13 lead. It ended up Merriweather’s only catch of the game on two targets.
Linebacker JD Bertrand
After missing parts of the previous two games because of targeting penalty suspensions, the Irish senior returned to full-time action against Stanford and led Notre Dame with 13 tackles, including the half-a sack he shared with graduate lineman Justin Ademilola.
Safety Xavier Watts
With injuries building on the Irish defense, the junior safety played well and recorded 7 tackles, 3 solo, on an Irish defense that is being thinned out weekly. A converted wide receiver, expect Watts’ contributions to become increasingly important moving forward.
Defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio
Like Watts, the Irish sophomore tackle was thrust into extensive action because of multiple injuries and he responded with a career-high 7.0 tackles, with 0.5 for loss. As the Irish defensive line options continue to thin, expect Rubio to become a common name on this list.
Running back Audric Estime
Headlining an Irish rushing game that took a big step back from its outings in consecutive wins over North Carolina and BYU, the sophomore running back still makes the list with 57 rushing yards on a surprisingly low 8 carries, with 1 touchdown and a 7.1 per-carry average.
