Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 FEBRUARY 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT After graduate student quarterback Jack Coan capped an 11-play, 84-yard drive with a seven- yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Michael Mayer, Notre Dame held a 28-7 lead with just 1:16 remaining in the first half. Oklahoma State had gained only 58 yards on 14 plays during the second quarter up to that point, but quickly responded with a four-play, 75-yard drive in just 39 seconds to cut the deficit to a more manageable 14 points. The Cowboys advanced the ball to the red zone in the blink of an eye with 5-8, 175-pound wide receiver Brennan Presley hauling in passes of 13 and 41 yards, the latter coming on a play when junior rover Jack Kiser was trying to cover him. After a 12-yard run by redshirt junior quar- terback Spencer Sanders, he found senior wide receiver Tay Martin for the first of his three scor- ing receptions. The Pokes maintained that momentum by tak- ing the second-half kickoff and driving 87 yards in 12 plays, capped by a five-yard touchdown grab by Martin to make the score 28-21 with 10:52 remaining in the third quarter. At that point, it was game on. STATS OF THE GAME There was no shortage of interesting numbers to choose from, but this one stands out. Since 2004, the Fighting Irish were 79-0 in games in which they led by 21 or more points. With its rally from 21 points down, Oklahoma State overcame the largest deficit in program history. Its previous record was 20 at Colorado on Nov. 10, 1979. From the time Notre Dame took its 21-point lead until its last-ditch final touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys racked up 450 total yards on 62 plays compared to 127 yards on 35 plays for the Irish. During that stretch OSU doubled up Notre Dame in yards per play, averag- ing 7.3 to the Irish's 3.6. Another stat that stood out and was a driving force behind the Cowboys' comeback was their 234-42 advantage in rushing yards. The Irish es- pecially had difficulty containing redshirt junior quarterback Spencer Sanders, who compiled a career-high 125 yards on 17 carries with a mix of designed runs and scrambles. Without the services of 1,000-yard rusher Kyren Williams, Notre Dame managed just 2.0 yards per carry. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES Credit to the Cowboys for their resolve to fight back, but the Fighting Irish are no doubt won- dering what could have been if not for several squandered opportunities: • Graduate student kicker Jonathan Doerer missed his only field goal attempt from 41 yards in the second quarter, failing to build on the Irish's first-half lead. • Notre Dame committed both of its turnovers in the fourth quarter and did so in Oklahoma State territory. The first was a fumble by freshman run- ning back Logan Diggs at the OSU 41-yard line with the Irish down 31-28. The second came when graduate student quarterback Jack Coan was inter- cepted at the OSU 18-yard line while trailing 34-28. • The Irish also failed to capitalize on the two turnovers their defense forced in the fourth quar- ter that prevented the Cowboys from taking a two-score advantage. One was a lost fumble at the Irish 1-yard line, and the other was a lost fumble at the Notre Dame 12-yard line. The OSU defense responded by holding the Fighting Irish without a first down on the ensuing possession both times, limiting them to eight yards on seven plays. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY STEVE DOWNEY QB JACK COAN There have been some stout performances in the Fiesta Bowl over the years, but nobody has accounted for more yards in any game in the 51-year history of the event than Coan. He completed 38 of 68 pass attempts for 509 yards with five touchdowns, which also tied a Fiesta Bowl record. The 68 pass attempts were by far a career high for Coan in his final college game. DE ISAIAH FOSKEY The junior defensive end forced a crucial fumble to stop an Oklahoma State drive that briefly gave the Irish some hope and a sign of life late in the fourth quarter. He recorded his 11th sack of the season earlier on to place him third all time in Notre Dame history for sacks in a single season. He finished the game with five tackles. It could have been Foskey's final game in an Irish uniform as well. He's eligible to leave early for the 2022 NFL Draft. TE MICHAEL MAYER The sophomore tight end caught seven passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. He was every bit the red-zone threat he should be for Notre Dame in every trip down there. His first score came on a 16-yard corner route out of 13 personnel to put Notre Dame ahead 21-7. His second score came on a seven-yard out to give Notre Dame a 28-7 lead in the final two minutes of the first half. When Mayer was caught in man-to-man coverage, the Cowboys couldn't contain him. WR LORENZO STYLES The freshman wideout has officially arrived. Styles scored the game's first touchdown on a 29-yard seam route over the middle less than two minutes in. He finished with a team-high eight catches for 136 yards and a score. Six of Styles' eight catches went for a first down or touchdown. Half of his receptions came in the second half, which is impressive considering Notre Dame's overall lack of offense in the final two frames. LB DREW WHITE The graduate student linebacker also likely played the final game of his college career, and it was a stellar performance to go out on. He ranked third on the Notre Dame roster in total tackles with six. He also recorded two quarterback hurries and a recovered fumble that at the time gave the Irish the ball back only down six points with roughly three minutes remaining. GAME BALLS BY TYLER HORKA Freshman wide receiver Lorenzo Styles had a team-high eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown in Notre Dame's Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER