Defense holds ground
The defense gave up some yardage but they key number is that they held Notre Dame's vaunted offense to just 20 points, their lowest scoring output of the season. Although they were unable to force any turnovers they kept Notre Dame from executing any deep passes and put the Eagles in a great position to win the game which is all you can ask from them.
Rich Gunnell
The senior captain had been quiet for the last few weeks but he broke out in a big way Saturday. Gunnell led the way with 10 catches for a career high 179 yards and a touchdown. He consistently found the soft spots in Notre Dame's secondary and had some crucial grabs throughout the game.
Mike Morrissey
The former walk-on got the start and played well on a big stage. He was very active all game recording eight tackles. He also excelled in pass coverage with a pass breakup and limited tight end Kyle Rudolph to just one catch. Morrissey has developed into a consistent performer and has the quickness and agility to cover the more athletic tight ends.
Harris held in check
Montel gained just 28 yards on 22 carries (1.1 average) on Saturday. He has averaged just 2.1 yards per rush in three road games this season compared to 6.2 yards per carry at home this year. Without looking to much into this discrepancy I would chalk up his lack of success to simply heavy game planning and preparation by ND. Harris was coming off a monster performance and the Irish did not want to let him run wild again. Harris did find the end zone once but was quiet for most of the day and his longest rush was only 14 yards.
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