Notre Dame Players of the Game From The Victory Over Georgia

Notre Dame (13-1) earned its biggest win in decades when it defeated the Georgia Bulldogs (11-3) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Irish were the fourth and final team to earn a spot into the College Football Playoff semifinals. It was a hard fought win that saw all three phases of the game make huge, game changing plays that led to the Irish victory.

The list of standouts for the Irish is quite long, but there were four players that stood out above the rest, earning my game ball honors from the victory.

OFFENSE - QB Riley Leonard

Stats: 15-24, 90 yards, 1 TD / 80 rush yards
Runners Up: WR Jordan Faison

Leonard can be a very challenging quarterback to evaluate, especially in the modern era that is defined so much by passing statistics. In that regard Leonard didn't do much, passing for just 90 yards on 15 completions. He did make a clutch 13-yard touchdown throw to Beaux Collins to put the Irish up 13-3 late in the first half, but outside of that his pass game impact was minimal.

What make Leonard's so impactful is what he does with his legs and his playmaking ability. Georgia focused on shutting down the Irish running backs, which opened up opportunities for Leonard to make big plays in the run game. He cut backside on a quarterback counter run and raced to a 32-yard gain which set up the first Irish score. 

Leonard converted a pair of third downs on Notre Dame's final drive, which is why the Irish were able to chew up 7:36 on the clock and all but put the game away. 

DEFENSE - DE Junior Tuihalamaka

Stats: 4 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
Runners Up: S Adon Shuler, DE RJ Oben, LB Jack Kiser

It's almost impossible to pick just one Irish player on defense, and a strong case could be made that Adon Shuler had the best all-around game, and there's no doubt that RJ Oben's stripe sack late in the second quarter was the biggest game changing play of the game. But I'm going with Tuihalamaka, who was Notre Dame's most consistently productive and effective defensive lineman.

Tuihalamaka did a little bit of everything for the Irish. He had a sack in the first half, he was the player that fell on the fumble after Oben forced it late in the second quarter, he was solid against the run and he was very disciplined in the game. Tuihalamaka helped sniff out a crucial second half screen, he was solid on the backside and his all-around play was outstanding.

Shuler was brilliant as well, and his first quarter forced fumble was textbook defense. If you want to go with him as your top player on defense you won't get any argument from me, but I felt Tuihalamaka's all-around impact was incredibly influential in this victory.

SPECIAL TEAMS - PK Mitch Jeter, KR Jayden Harrison

Jeter Stats: 3-3 field goals (44, 47, 48), 2-2 extra points
Harrison Stats: 1 return, 98 yards, 1 TD

It's impossible to pick between Jeter or Harrison, who both played huge roles in the victory. Jeter showed he is past his regular season struggles by nailing three crucial kicks, including a 44-yarder that tied the game at 3-3 and a 48-yarder that gave Notre Dame a late second quarter it would never relinquish. Jeter helped ice the game with a 47-yard kick in the fourth quarter.

Five of Jeter's kickoffs went for touchdowns, and the only one that didn't pinned Georgia at its own 19-yard line. Strong all-around performance from the veteran kicker.

Harrison has had a frustrating season as a kick returner, due mainly to teams just not giving him opportunities. He had just 10 returns in Notre Dame's first 13 games, but Georgia gave him a chance to finally return a kick to start the second half and Harrison made them pay. He broke an early tackle and then outran the Georgia defense to the sideline en route to a 98-yard touchdown that gave the Irish a lead that would be impossible for Georgia to overcome.