Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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OFFENSE: TAREAN FOLSTON It's tough to overlook sophomore wide receiver Will Fuller's career-high 133 receiving yards on seven catches, two of them 13- and 35-yard touch- downs. Fuller also drew three pass interference calls in the fourth quarter. However, his classmate and room- mate Folston had by far the best game this season by an Irish back, consis- tently running through tackles on his 18 carries for 98 yards and two scores. He also was a safety valve in the pass- ing game with five catches (mostly middle screens) for 71 yards, high- lighted by the go-ahead TD on third down in which he juked a defender when it appeared he wouldn't reach the goal line. DEFENSE: ISAAC ROCHELL Picking a top player on defense after yielding 43 points and 510 yards to- tal offense is a difficult endeavor. The sophomore end gets the nod mainly because of a stout body of work, and he did pace the team in both tackles for loss (two) and quarterback hurries (two). Rochell was involved in a lot of looping and stunting, and helped hold top UNC running back Elijah Hood to 27 yards on 17 carries. SPECIAL TEAMS: JARRON JONES The junior nose guard was given serious consideration for the defensive award after he compiled five tackles and tied Rochell and Sheldon Day in QB hurries with two. However, he merits notice on special teams because of blocking North Carolina's point after attempt that kept Notre Dame ahead 21-20. It was the fourth time in his career Jones has blocked a kick. Furthermore, the block forced the Tar Heels to start "chasing points." A missed North Carolina two-point conversion on its next TD then helped give the Irish a two-score 35-26 cushion instead of the normal one-score 35-28 count. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY TOM LOY Sophomore defensive end Isaac Rochell (right) and the Irish had trouble containing UNC quarterback Marquise Williams, but Rochell led the team with two tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with a pair of QB hurries. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA