Six Notre Dame players to know ahead of Gator Bowl
South Carolina knows its bowl matchup and will have a chance at a win over a blue-blood program in Notre Dame.
The Gamecocks will play Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl, a storied program in its first year under Marcus Freeman. The Irish started sluggishly this season but have finished strong, sitting just behind South Carolina in the CFP rankings.
There’s still a long way to go before the bowl, but here are a few Irish players to know early in the process.
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Michael Mayer, TE
He’s one of the big pieces of this Irish team that make things click. Mayer has been great all year, despite some offensive struggles for Notre Dame. He’s the team leader by a mile in both receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Mayer’s caught 67 balls for 809 yards and nine scores with the next highest person Lorenzo Styles Jr. at 30 catches and 340 yards. No other player has more than three receiving touchdowns.
He mostly lines up as an in-line tight end but Notre Dame has moved him around some out wide. He has 325 yards after the catch with an average depth of target of 8.1 yards. He’s forced 12 missed tackles this year.
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Mayer is a projected high draft pick, which puts his participation in the bowl game a big question mark. If he does play, it’ll be a massive challenge for South Carolina’s linebackers and secondary.
Joe Alt, OT
The former freshman All-American has turned into one of the best left tackles in football, sporting a 91.7 overall Pro Football Focus grade. In 805 snaps this season–370 pass block–he’s allowed just five pressures and three quarterback hurries.
He’ll be expected to anchor the Irish’s offensive line and will be an issue to game plan around for the Gamecocks’ edge players like Gilber Edmond and Jordan Burch.
Audric Estime, RB
He’s the best back on the team, the statistically better of Notre Dame’s two-headed rushing attack. Estime leads the team in rushing yards (825), yards per carry (min. 5 attempts) at 5.8 and has a team-best 12 total touchdowns.
The Irish are a primarily gap-scheme run team but do mix in some zone elements as well. Estime averages 3.6 yards after contact per carry and has forced a team-best 31 missed tackles. He has 26 rushes for at least 10 yards.
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South Carolina’s defense has struggled to stop the run at times this year and will have its hands full again against Notre Dame.
JD Bertrand, LB
He’s a do-it-all linebacker for the Irish, leading the team in total tackles (74). But he’s also good in other aspects with eight tackles for loss, two sacks and three passes defended.
Bertrand had a team-best 31 stops in the run game and has generated 14 pressures this season. He’s given up a few plays in the pass game, but he’s a disruptive force that can cause problems for South Carolina’s offensive line.
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Jack Kiser, LB
Kiser is another talented linebacker and great when the Irish use him in the pass rush game. He’s second on the team in total tackles but has 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks with a forced fumble.
He’s better in the pass rush and run-stopping game than in coverage. He has 23 stops in the run game and three sacks and three quarterback hits in 28 pass rush snaps.
In coverage, he’s allowed 14 receptions on 16 targets for 142 yards.
Isaiah Foskey, EDGE
Foskey is a dominant edge presence, leading the team with a whopping 13.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. The school’s all-time leader in sacks, Foskey is by far the best in terms of generating pressures with a team-best 33 with 18 hurries and three quarterback hits.
He’s only missed one tackle in 563 snaps this season. Like Mayer, though, he’s considered a potential first-round pick and could opt to skip the bowl game. If he doesn’t, South Carolina’s tackles are going to be tested.
