Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/195693
top players of the game Offense: Troy Niklas The Trojans struggled covering the 6-6½, 270-pound junior tight end during the first half. He caught four passes for 58 yards, including a sevenyard scoring grab that got the Irish on the scoreboard for the first time at the By tom loy end of the first quarter. Niklas' five scores on the season tie Tyler Eifert (2011) and Ken MacAfee (1975) for second on the school's single-season touchdown list for tight ends. MacAfee broke his own record in 1977 when he snared six passes in the end zone and won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Defense: Stephon Tuitt The week began with the junior defensive end prematurely proclaiming his intention to return to Notre Dame in 2014 and ended with him dominating on the field. He earned a coveted game ball with his two-sack, two-hurry performance to climb into a sixth-place tie on the school's all-time sacks list with 19. Tuitt tied a career high with seven tackles and was constantly in the Trojans backfield. On a pair of occasions, an official penalized USC for holding Tuitt as a last resort for keeping him away from redshirt sophomore quarterback Cody Kessler. He even recorded the fourth pass broken up of his career (2013 Michigan, 2012 Miami and 2011 Air Force). Special Teams: TJ Jones Junior tight end Troy Niklas finished the game with four catches for 58 yards (14.5 yards per reception) and caught his fifth touchdown pass of the season against USC. photo by Bill Panzica Senior wide receiver TJ Jones' fiveyard punt return midway through the third quarter was the lone positive on an otherwise forgettable evening on special teams for the Irish. It might not sound like much, but he made a difficult running catch on a short punt and nearly sprung the play for a major return.