Players Of The Game From The Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game

Notre Dame held its 92nd annual Blue-Gold Game yesterday and the Gold Team earned a convincing 24-0 victory. There were plenty of standouts on both squads, but four players stood above the rest.

Our player's of the game for the Blue Team and Gold Team from the game.

GOLD TEAM - OFFENSE

Sam Hartman, Quarterback

Stats: 13-16, 179 yards, 2 TD - 1 rushing TD
Runners Up: WR Jaden Greathouse, WR Jayden Thomas, RB Gi'Bran Payne, OL Rocco Spindler

Hartman was outstanding for the Irish, and it started immediately. He completed his first five passes for 81 yards while leading the Gold offense to touchdown drives on each of its first two possessions. Hartman came to Notre Dame with a reputation as a strong deep ball thrower, and he showed that on series two when he hit Jayden Thomas for a 46-yard gain on a post throw.

What I was impressed by wasn't his downfield throwing, it was the poise he showed and the command of the offense that he displayed. Hartman got the ball out quickly when he needed to and worked through his progressions to get to his second and third reads when the initial read wasn't there. His ball placement on the short and intermediate throws allowed his receivers to make a lot of grabs.

Hartman's ability to pick the Blue defense apart on all three levels allowed the Gold team to jump out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.

GOLD TEAM - DEFENSE

Jaden Mickey, Cornerback

Stats: 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss
Runners Up: DE Jordan Botelho, DT Howard Cross III, LB Jaiden Ausberry

There were several defenders that deserve this award, which shouldn't be a surprise when you consider the Gold team pitched a shutout. I'm going with Mickey for a number of reasons. Mickey had a big turnover in the game, eliminating one of the few good drives the Blue offense had in the game. The Gold team was up 14-0 and the Blue offense was putting a quality drive together before Mickey jumped underneath a sideline deep shot and came away with the ball.

Beyond that interception I thought Mickey was strong in coverage all game long, and both he and Chance Tucker combined to keep the Blue team outside receivers in check.

Vyper Jordan Botelho had a strong game, as did veteran defensive tackle Howard Cross III. Freshman linebacker Jaiden Ausberry also had a strong performance for the Gold defense.

BLUE TEAM - OFFENSE

Holden Staes, Tight End

Stats: 2 catches, 17 yards
Runners Up: OL Blake Fisher, RB Chris Tyree

The Blue offense had just four first downs and only 56 yards of offense, which was brutally bad. Finding a player of the game when your offense is that bad can be a challenge, but I am going with Staes. He caught two passes for 17 yards, but he ran good routes and blocked well in the game. I liked what I saw from Staes for an offense that otherwise was just not good in this game.

BLUE TEAM - DEFENSE

Nolan Ziegler, Linebacker

Stats: 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack
Runners Up: LB Preston Zinter, CB Benjamin Morrison, DT Jason Onye

The Blue team got off to a rough start but they settled in and played well the rest of the way. That is also what I saw from Ziegler, who missed a tackle on the second play from scrimmage, but he settled in and played good football the rest of the way. Ziegler led both defense with 10 total tackles, which included 9 solo stops. Ziegler was active and aggressive, helping to throttle most of the inside runs in the game.

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2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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