Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/234294
TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME OFFENSE: ZACK MARTIN The fifth-year senior left tackle, who made his 52nd consecutive start to cap his illustrious Notre Dame career, was awarded the Pinstripe Bowl MVP trophy. As a second-year captain and anchor on the Irish offensive line, Martin held together a unit depleted by injuries to three starters. Despite the setbacks, the Irish gained 494 yards of offense and put together seven scoring drives. Notre Dame totaled 175 yards on the ground against the nation's fourth- BY ANDREW OWENS ranked rush defense and did not allow a sack on 47 pass attempts. In a career marked by consistency and toughness, Martin finished in fitting fashion in the Pinstripe Bowl. DEFENSE: KEIVARAE RUSSELL The sophomore cornerback recorded an interception — the Irish picked off Rutgers four times to avoid their lowest season turnover total since World War II — and deflected a pair of passes in the end zone to deny a go-ahead touchdown. He also made a TD-saving tackle on a kickoff return. Rutgers finished with 156 passing yards, 65 of which came on two plays during the Scarlet Knights' lone touchdown drive. Both completions came against senior Bennett Jackson in coverage, with Russell successfully locking down his side of the field most of the game. SPECIAL TEAMS: KYLE BRINDZA In the final game of his Notre Dame career, left tackle Zack Martin led a revamped offensive line to 494 total yards versus the Scarlet Knights. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA The junior kicker easily earned this distinction with another solid performance in the kicking and punting departments. Five of his six field goal attempts sailed through the uprights, including a 49-yarder that gave the Irish a 13-point lead. On a rough playing surface that caused issues for a number of players on both teams, Brindza overcame the conditions and provided 17 points (15 on field goals and two on extra points) for Notre Dame on a day when its offense recorded nearly 500 yards of offense but stalled near the end zone.