Players Of The Game From The Notre Dame Loss To Marshall

Notre Dame fell to 0-2 and lost its third straight game, dropping a 26-21 contest to Marshall. It was a crushing loss for Notre Dame, but there were some standouts for the Irish, even in defeat.

OFFENSE - MICHAEL MAYER, TIGHT END

Stats: 8 catches, 103 yards, 12.9 YPC, 1 TD
Runner Up: WR Lorenzo Styles

There wasn't much good in the offensive performance, but the play of Mayer was one of the very few bright spots. Mayer made a number of impactful plays in the loss, including back-to-back catches for 18 and 12 yards to set up Notre Dame's first score of the game.

Mayer's 30-yard gain on a wheel route late in the third quarter set up Notre Dame's second touchdown. Mayer also drew a key third-down pass interference to move the chains, which set up his big catch. Mayer went for 23 yards in the fourth quarter to get the Irish into Marshall territory, and he got into the end zone late in the fourth quarter.

On top of the stats, Mayer was one of the few Irish offensive players that battled and competed for four quarters.

DEFENSE - TARIQ BRACY, CORNERBACK

Stats: 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Runners Up: DT Howard Cross III, S DJ Brown

Bracy earned this honor for a second straight game. The fifth-year senior was again the best cover player for the Irish, and his biggest play was locking down a third-down fade route in the end zone that forced Marshall into a field goal.

Bracy was a bit inconsistent on the perimeter against the run and quick throws, but even there he had plenty of good moments. Bracy also had a stop behind the line for a second straight game.

SPECIAL TEAMS - JON SOT, PUNTER

Stats: 4 punts, 42.2 average, 3 inside the 20
Runner Up: Bo Bauer

I had a hard time going against Bo Bauer, who blocked a punt and was his typical strong self in kick coverage, but I'm going with Sot for a second straight game. Although the Irish defense couldn't always take advantage, Sot certainly did his part to help the Irish win the field position battle. Three of his four punts pinned Marshall inside the 20 yard line, including the Herd starting at their own 12-yard line, 10-yard line and 6-yard line.

Sot's only "failure" to pin Marshall inside the 20-yard line resulted in Marshall starting at their own 21-yard line. The only Sot punt that Marshall was able to return went for minus-three yards.

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Follow me on Gettr: @IrishBreakdown
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter