Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2024 23 1 Play run by Oregon State in Notre Dame terri- tory during the first 52 minutes of the game. That play came at the Irish 48-yard line and re- sulted in an interception by sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison on a Hail Mary that concluded the first half. The Beavers finished the game with only 5 plays in Irish territory, with the other 4 coming during their lone scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Or- egon State never ran a play in Notre Dame's red zone, with its deepest penetration being the Irish 33-yard line prior to its touchdown. 2 Schools with multiple meetings versus Notre Dame boast an undefeated record against the Fighting Irish — the University of Chicago (4-0 with its last win coming in 1899) and Georgia (3-0 with its last win in 2019). Oregon State was part of that exclusive club with wins again the Irish in their first two meetings (the 2001 Fiesta Bowl and the 2004 Insight Bowl), before falling 40-8 in the 2023 Sun Bowl. 4 Catches for 59 yards for junior wide receiver Jayden Thomas against Oregon State — all in the first half — after notching 5 receptions in the past six games during which he was slowed by a hamstring injury. He also caught his first touch- down pass since the season opener against Navy Aug. 26. 7 Victories over teams ranked in the Associ- ated Press poll at the time of the game for head coach Marcus Freeman, with his team's 40-8 triumph over No. 21 Oregon State (the Beavers were No. 16 in the final College Football Playoff rankings). That is the most ever for a Notre Dame head coach in his first two seasons. The previous best was 6 by Terry Brennan in 1954 and 1955. The AP poll began in 1936. 10 Wins or more for Notre Dame in six of the last seven seasons, following its 40-8 victory over Oregon State. The Fighting Irish now boast 23 seasons with double-digit victories. 32 Points (40-8) marks the largest margin of victory for Notre Dame in a bowl game in school history. The previous best was 28 in 1978 Cotton Bowl (Notre Dame 38, Texas 10) and the 2008 Hawai'i Bowl (Notre Dame 49, Hawai'i 21). 43-17 Record (.717 winning percentage) for Notre Dame quarterbacks in their first career starts since Paul Hornung started his first game against SMU in the 1955 season opener. Sophomore Steve Angeli became only the sec- ond Notre Dame quarterback to make his first career start in a bowl game. Malik Zaire made his first start in the 2014 Music City Bowl and led the Irish to a 31-28 win over LSU. 106 Yards rushing for sophomore running back Jadarian Price — his first career 100-yard game. Price set career highs for both yards and rushing attempts (13). 236-2 Advantage in rushing yards for Notre Dame against Oregon State. The 2 rushing yards were the fewest given up by the Irish since 2005, when they held Stanford to minus-11 yards. The most recent defensive per- formance of 5 rushing yards or less by Notre Dame was a 4-yard effort by Virginia in 2019. BY THE NUMBERS BY STEVE DOWNEY 9 Interceptions for sophomore cornerback BENJAMIN MORRISON through his first two seasons. That is the second most for an Irish defender since 1996, tying Benny Guilbeaux (1996-98). Shane Walton has the most with 11 from 1999-2002. Morrison's interception was the 16th of the season for Notre Dame, which is the most since the 2014 squad also picked off 16 passes. It also matched the 2014 team as the third most since 1996. PHOTO BY MARCELL GORDON