Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/87622
TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME OFFENSE: Tommy Rees has de- veloped the nickname "The Closer" after being called upon for the third time this season to lead the Irish to a victory. His entry into the con- test against the Cardinal was injury driven after starting sophomore Ev- erett Golson was rattled on a helmet-to-helmet tackle, and Rees entered the game cold in a high- pressure situation. He connected on all Junior quarterback TOMMY REES four of his throws for 43 yards, three of which were consecutive com- pletions in overtime capped off by a seven- yard touchdown pass to junior wideout TJ Jones. backer Manti Te'o had another outstanding performance, posting a team-high 11 tackles against Stanford, but a number of Irish defend- ers played well. In ad- dition to the continued better than expected performance of the in- experienced secondary, DEFENSE: LOUIS NIX III AND STEPHON TUITT Senior inside line- BY LOU SOMOGYI Sophomore kicker Kyle Brindza converted both of his field goal attempts, including a 22-yarder that tied the game with 20 seconds remaining, and notched touchbacks on all four kickoffs. two players that stood out throughout the con- test were defensive line- men Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt. Nix III, a junior, main- PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA two quarterback hurries and blocked field goal outshined that moment. tained the line of scrim- mage, was strong at the point of attack, notched four tackles and applied pressure on the quarter- back. Super sophomore Tuitt may have been flagged on a question- able roughing the passer call, but his seven tack- les, one half of a sack, displayed his compo- sure by connecting on much-needed 29- and 22-yard field goals, the second a game-tying boot in the rain with 20 seconds remaining. The sophomore also put all four of his kickoffs deep into the end zone for touchbacks. Kicker Kyle Brindza SPECIAL TEAMS: YLE BRINDZA