Tag: PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

Five keys for Notre Dame to defeat South Carolina

What the Irish need to do to get a Gator Bowl win

The wait between the regular season finale and bowl games is always difficult, but for [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag], game week is finally here. Their opponent, [autotag]South Carolina[/autotag] makes it two USC’s in-a-row and there are certainly similarities between them.

[autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] will coach his second bowl game and will look to find a way into the win column after last year’s difficult loss to [autotag]Oklahoma State[/autotag] in the [autotag]PlayStation Fiesta Bowl[/autotag].

This venue is different, the [autotag]TaxSlayer Gator Bowl[/autotag] but the objective is the same, get a bowl win and momentum going into the 2023 season. For the Irish to do that, there are keys to their success and here are five of them.

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Notre Dame hosting Virginia Tech wide receiver transfer this weekend

He would be a great addition!

The Irish have a few needs that they are going to try and fill via the transfer portal. One of the biggest is quarterback, but there has not been much news from any of the multiple targets Notre Dame is going after. They have already found a kicker, [autotag]Spencer Shrader[/autotag], and are hosting former [autotag]Virginia Tech[/autotag] wide receiver [autotag]Kaleb Smith[/autotag] this weekend.

Smith, a grad transfer, played his best football during his final year for the Hokies, catching 37 passes for 674 yards and three touchdowns. All of those numbers were career highs for the six-foot-two-inch and 222-pound receiver. By getting Smith to South Bend, it’s a big first step in gaining a commitment from the transfer.

The wide receiver unit struggled mightily this fall and with tight end [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] leaving, the need to add more talent really is paramount. [autotag]Lorenzo Styles Jr.[/autotag] suffered through a sophomore slump after it looked like he was primed for a breakout after a huge [autotag]PlayStation Fiesta Bowl[/autotag] last year.

[autotag]Jayden Thomas[/autotag] showed flashed, but wasn’t consistent. Same goes for [autotag]Deion Colzie[/autotag] and [autotag]Tobias Merriweather[/autotag]. If the Irish are able to get a commitment from Smith, it would be a very big transfer portal recruiting win.

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What to expect from Notre Dame WR Styles Jr. in year two

This hype video is a sign of things to come

It was a smashing success during year one in the Blue and Gold for freshman wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. Coming in as a two-way player, I though he would make his mark first on the defensive side and that was way wrong.

Although Styles Jr. had the typical up-and-down first year, Notre Dame fans should be extremely excited about his future. He caught just 24 balls, but amassed 344-yards, good for a 14.3 yards-per-reception, and found the end zone once.

That one time was during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, where Styles Jr. went off, recording season highs in receptions, eight, yards, 136, and his lone score. It was a tease of what is to come, giving us an idea of his massive potential.

At minimum, Styles Jr. should double his yardage from his freshman year, and his trips to the end zone should increase exponentially. Expect around 6 scores for the rising sophomore and that might be selling him short. This is obviously just a guess, but 60 receptions for 800-yards and 6 touchdowns would be a great line for the Ohio native.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

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The five plays that loomed large in Notre Dame’s loss over OSU

These plays made the difference

The Marcus Freeman era started off with a bang. The Irish came out of the gates strong and just kept the pressure on Oklahoma State and did everything they needed to win the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. It was fun to see and as always there were plays that weren’t scoring play that changed the game, here are those five plays.

Five Stars: The best and worst of Notre Dame’s loss to Oklahoma State

Not the way to start the Freeman era

This game was a true tale of two halves, with the Irish taking the first but unfortunately that’s not where the game ended. The Oklahoma State Cowboy’s took the second half and the game in Marcus Freeman’s head coaching debut. There was some good in this game, along with some bad. Take a look at the best, 5-stars, and worst, 1-star of Notre Dame’s season ending loss to OSU.

Watch: Coan finds Austin to give Notre Dame life in PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

The Irish are still alive!

It looked like the game was over, after the Irish went for it on 4th down deep in Oklahoma State’s territory and came up short. The defense held, allowing just a field goal, which kept Notre Dame still somewhat in the game.

The offense needed to come up big and they did. A very quick 8-play drive that went 76-yards in just over a minute was exactly what the Irish needed. Quarterback Jack Coan found wide receiver Kevin Austin for a 25-yard scoring strike which brought the Irish within 2-points of the Cowboy’s and a little life still left for Notre Dame.

Watch: Isaiah Foskey forces huge fumble for Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State

Foskey to the rescue

The Irish looked like they were in for a huge hole to dig out of. After quarterback Jack Coan was intercepted the Oklahoma State offense started to move the ball down the field. In a one score game with just a few minutes left, allowing another score would have most likely been a nail in the coffin.

Notre Dame’s best defensive player, Isaiah Foskey then made a play that put the Irish right back into this game. Foskey caused OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders to fumble the ball and linebacker Drew White jumped on the loose ball. It was first ruled that Sanders was down, but after a review, this play stood. Now the Irish need yet another comeback to win this game.

Watch: Notre Dame defense forces fumble in end zone vs Oklahoma State

Big time play from the Irish defense

The Irish just had made the first big mistake of the game, when running back Logan Diggs was held up and the Oklahoma State defense was able to rip the ball away. The first turnover of the game was huge and immediately the OSU offense started to move the ball down the field.

On a first-and-goal from the five-yard line Brenna Presley took a jet sweep that looked like he was going to find the end zone, then linebacker Drew White made a massive play. He forced a fumble which defensive back Ramon Henderson fell on in the end zone to keep the Cowboy lead at just 3-points. A massive play to keep the Irish within just one score of the Cowboy’s at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.

Watch: Coan find Mayer again as Notre Dame’s lead grows over OSU

Coan to Mayer part 2

The Irish offense had been rolling in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, or should I say the passing offense has been. Quarterback Jack Coan already had thrown for three scores in the first half but wanted more.

Over the course of 11-plays that covered 84-yards, the Irish offense once again showed they were going to be hard to stop for the Oklahoma State defense. The passing of Coan, finding two of his targets, receiver Kevin Austin and tight end Michael Mayer, multiple times set up a second and goal from the seven yard line. Coan would once again find one of his two targets on the drive, Mayer for a score, his second of game, to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 28-7 late in the second quarter.

Watch: Coan finds Mayer as Notre Dame’s lead goes back to 14 vs OSU

Coan to Mayer to gets the lead back to two scores

The Irish needed an answer and they did exactly that after Oklahoma State had cut the lead to 14-7. It wasn’t the immediate possession after the game was one score. Both teams went three-and-out after the Cowboy’s scored their first touchdown of the game.

The Irish would then get the ball and march down the field in 10-plays, spanning 78-yards to find the endzone once again. The third passing score for Jack Coan went to yet another teammate, tight end Michael Mayer. It was the first target for the rising star and it was a huge target as the Irish pushed their lead to two touchdowns in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.