Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2022 27 2 True freshmen — tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher — started on the of- fensive line in the same game for Notre Dame, the first time that has happened since freshman eligibility was restored in 1972, per Notre Dame. 3 Fighting Irish pass catchers eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark in a single game for the first time in program history — freshman wide receiver Lo- renzo Styles (136), sophomore running back Chris Tyree (115) and senior wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. (105). 3-1 Record for Notre Dame in one-score games this season, while Okla- homa State improved to 6-2 in such contests. The Irish had defeated Florida State (41-38), Toledo (32-29) and Virginia Tech (32-29), before falling to the Cowboys (37-35). 5 Losses in six Fiesta Bowl appearances for Notre Dame, the most defeats by any school in the Arizona-based bowl game. The Irish entered the game tied with Ohio State (5-4), Nebraska (2-4) and Miami (0-4) for the most losses. Oklahoma State (3-0) is now tied with Boise State (3-0) for the second-most wins without a loss in the Fiesta Bowl, behind Penn State (7-0). 6 Forced fumbles this season for Isaiah Foskey, which was tied for the most in the nation. The junior defensive end notched one against Oklahoma State that was recovered by graduate student linebacker Drew White to stop an OSU scoring drive in the fourth quarter. 21 -Point lead (28-7) marked the largest ever for Notre Dame in a BCS/New Year's Six game, per ESPN. The Irish wound up taking a 28-14 lead into the locker room at halftime, which ESPN Stats & Info reported was the first time they had a lead at the half of a BCS/New Year's Six game dating back to 1998. They had trailed by at least a touchdown at half in all seven previous appear- ances, including by 14-plus in each of the last four. 29 -Yard scoring grab for freshman wide receiver Lorenzo Styles in the first quarter versus the Cowboys. It was his first career receiving touchdown and made him just the second true freshman in the last 30 years to score a receiving touchdown in a bowl game for Notre Dame. He is also the first true freshman to eclipse the 100-yard receiving mark since Michael Floyd in 2008. Styles set career highs in both receptions (eight) and receiving yards (136), after totaling just 18 catches for 203 yards and no scores in the first 12 games of the season. 30 Unanswered points were scored by Oklahoma State after Notre Dame took a 28-7 lead. 115 Receiving yards on six receptions for Tyree, both of which set new career highs. He contributed a 53-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter en route to setting the Notre Dame bowl record for receiving yards by a running back. Tyree's performance marked the 15th time in the NCAA this season that a running back eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark. 496 Yards of total offense — 371 passing and a career-high 125 rushing — for Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders. In the pro- cess, he became just the second player in FBS history with 350 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and four passing touchdowns in a bowl game (Clemson's Tahj Boyd also did it in the 2014 Orange Bowl against Ohio State). 509 Passing yards for graduate student quarterback Jack Coan, a new program record for passing yards in a bowl game (eclipsing Jimmy Clausen, 401 yards, 2008 Hawai'i Bowl). He is just the second player in program history to have a 500-yard passing game (Joe Theismann, 526 vs. USC, 1970). Coan also set Notre Dame single-game and bowl records in completions (38) and pass attempts (68), and tied for the second-most touchdown passes (five). 605 Yards of total offense for Oklahoma State, which was just shy of the opponent bowl record of 617 set by Ohio State against the Irish in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. BY THE NUMBERS BY STEVE DOWNEY 7 Receiving touchdowns for sophomore MICHAEL MAYER this season after notching two scoring grabs against Oklahoma State. That sets a new standard for Fighting Irish tight ends, breaking the previous mark of six set by Cole Kmet in 2019. Mayer, who notched seven receptions for 72 yards in the game, also now owns the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a season with 840. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER