Notre Dame Players of the Game From The Win Over NC State

Notre Dame improved to 3-0 on the season with a convincing 45-24 victory over NC State. It was a battle for awhile, but Notre Dame poured it on late and pulled away with a big win.

There were standouts in all phases of the game, but there were four players that stood out above the rest.

OFFENSE - HOLDEN STAES (TE), AUDRIC ESTIME (RB)

Staes Stats: 4 catches, 115 yards, 28.8 YPC, 2 TD
Estime Stats: 14 carries, 134 yards, 9.6 YPC, 2 TD / 2 catches, 22 yards

It is impossible to choose between Staes or Estime, who were the two standouts for the offense. Staes had a career performance, hauling in 4 catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Estime had a second straight 100-yard performance, rushing for 134 yards on 14 carries, and he to scored a pair of touchdowns.

Beyond just the big time numbers, Estime and Staes also made money plays in the win.

Estime's 80-yard touchdown run out of the weather delay helped spark the Irish offense. Staes made two big pass plays to spark a scoring drive he capped off a with a 40-yard touchdown. That drive turned a 17-10 game into a 24-10 game and gave the Irish much-needed momentum.

DEFENSE - MARIST LIUFAU, LB

Stats: 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hurry
Runners Up: NT Howard Cross III, S Xavier Watts

Liufau had arguably the best game of his career, and it was a key part of the win. His overall numbers won't blow you away, but they aren't even close to indicative of how impactful he was in this game.

The fifth-year senior was all over the field, making plays in all phases of the game. He was strong against the run, dominated the screen game, was effective rushing the passer and he thrived in coverage. Liufau made a number of highlight reel plays in the game.

On top of making impact plays, Liufau played disciplined football. On three occasions NC State tried to trick him and force a mistake with a running back wheel route, and every time Liufau sniffed it out and was all over the running backs.

SPECIAL TEAMS - BRYCE McFERSON, P

Stats: 6 punts, 50.7 average, 4 of 50+

Notre Dame's offense got off to a very slow start, and McFerson was often forced to punt from deep into his own territory. The good news for the Fighting Irish is that the sophomore punter thrived in this adversity. McFerson boomed four punts over 50 yards, and he averaged 50.7 on his six punts. That helped Notre Dame limit the field position damage the offense otherwise would have put the team in.

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2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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