Players Of The Game From The Notre Dame Win Over Louisville
It wasn’t always pretty, but Notre Dame remained undefeated after beating Louisville by a 12-7 score. There is plenty to improve upon, but also plenty to build on from the win.
There were a number of impressive performances, but four stood above the rest.
OFFENSE - RB Kyren Williams
Stats: 25 carries, 127 yards, 5.1 YPC
Williams gets yet another player of the game honor after racking up his third 100-yard game of the season. The only time Williams didn’t get over 100 yards was in the win against South Florida, when he carried the ball just 10 times.
The Irish offense had to earn its yards on the ground against Louisville. A struggling pass game and a number of overloaded boxes meant the room wasn’t always there for Williams, but he still thrived. The line did a great job getting a push and getting bodies on defenders, and Williams maximized the opportunities.
Williams combined patience with decisiveness, and the leg drive he’s shown all season was also on full display against the Cardinals. His ability to grind out yards and pound the defense allowed the Irish to ice the game on the ground in the fourth quarter.
Runner Up: Offensive Line
DEFENSE - S Shaun Crawford, LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Crawford Stats: 6 tackles, 1 break up
Owusu-Koramoah State: 5 tackles, 3 tackles for loss
There was no way I could pick just one defensive player from this win.
I’ve been quite critical of Crawford’s play at safety this season, but he finally looked comfortable at the position, and the result was an excellent performance that was crucial to the win. Whether it was helping deep in coverage or coming downhill against the run game, Crawford was all over the field making plays. His early read of a reverse, and then flying downhill to make the stop, was one of several big-time plays he made in the win.
Crawford also played with much better angles when coming downhill against the run, which resulted in him playing a very clean game.
Owusu-Koramoah continued his playmaking ways in the game. The talented senior rover was a force against the perimeter run game, whether it was making a read and flying to the ball, or blowing up a perimeter blocker and forcing the ball back inside. Owusu-Koramoah was also active and effective playing the perimeter screens.
Runner Up: DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji, defensive tackles … all of them
SPECIAL TEAMS - LB Jack Lamb
Stats: 2 tackles
Lamb played on every special teams unit, and he had a strong performance in the game. He had two tackles in coverage, including a kick coverage stop in which he brought down the Louisville return man at the 17-yard line.
Runner Up: PK Jonathan Doerer
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