Sports

On the Ground: My Jacksonville Gator Bowl experience, brought to you by Southwest Airlines

Editor’s note: All four Observer staff members on this trip were 21.

Thomas: Five potential 2023 stars emerge from Gator Bowl performance

The 2022 season is in the books for Notre Dame, punctuated by their wild 45-38 win over South Carolina in the Gator Bowl. The Irish will replace four offensive starters (five if you count the quarterback) and up to five defensive starters, depending on a few pending decisions. In particular, the defensive line loses All-American Isaiah Foskey along with the highly productive Jayson Ademilola. In the secondary, cornerback TaRiq Bracy and safety Houston Griffith are out of eligibility. Senior safety Brandon Joseph is headed to the NFL Draft and another senior safety DJ Brown may depart as well.

Gator Bowl grades: Buchner delivers rollercoaster effort amidst transfer rumors

Tyler Buchner entered the 2022 season with a lot of hype. With the offensive line and run game struggling, Buchner’s inexperience as a passer shone through in a rough, 0-2 start to the season. In the second loss, Buchner suffered an injury that sidelined him until Friday’s bowl game.

Gator bowl grades: Irish defensive line flashes sneak peak of 2023

While on the offensive side of the ball, Notre Dame looked to replace All-American junior Michael Mayer at tight end, they had a couple of major holes on the defensive side as well. The Irish were missing four defensive starters during Friday’s Gator Bowl, including two on the defensive line.

‘Meant for Mitch’: With Mayer out, Evans steps up in tight end role

On Friday afternoon, the Notre Dame football tight end room was tasked with filling an All-American-sized hole that Michael Mayer left in the Irish offense. Mayer declared for the 2023 NFL Draft after serving as the offensive crutch for the Irish throughout the 2022 season. 

Gameday Gallery: Notre Dame vs. South Carolina in the Gator Bowl

‘The third and fourth quarters are our quarters’: Irish run game executes monster second half to beat South Carolina

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In Notre Dame’s 45-38 Gator Bowl win over South Carolina, the Irish run game paved the way to victory with 264 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. 

‘What a great feeling’: Irish take home first bowl win of the Freeman era, 45-38

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Last year, the Irish came out of the gate with a 21-point lead in the Fiesta Bowl but lost in the second half to Oklahoma State, 37-35. After making it back to a bowl game this year, the Irish were behind South Carolina at the half, 24-17, but turned the game around to win 45-38. This matchup became the highest-scoring game in Gator Bowl history.

How it happened: Five key moments of Notre Dame’s 45-38 Gator Bowl victory

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Notre Dame battled South Carolina in a back-and-forth Gator Bowl that saw the Irish erase an early 14-point deficit to secure a victory and finish the season 9-4. Here are the five key moments from the Irish’s Gator Bowl win.

Irish Insider: Notre Dame v. South Carolina in Gator Bowl

Freeman, Irish captains discuss leadership, team culture ahead of Gator Bowl

Freeman, Irish captains discuss leadership, team culture ahead of Gator Bowl

With Isaiah Foskey and Michael Mayer moving onto the NFL, the Irish locker room is left with four official captains. Graduate student offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson leads the offense with wide receiver Avery Davis, while senior linebackers JD Bertrand and Bo Bauer represent the defense.

Gator Bowl: Everything Freeman said as Irish seek win to end season

With the Irish set to face the South Carolina Gamecocks tomorrow afternoon in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, head coach Marcus Freeman discussed his team’s experience so far in Jacksonville

‘You want to take every opportunity you can’: Buchner prepares to start in Gator Bowl

Arguably the biggest question mark in determining Friday’s bowl game outcome, sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner will take the field as the starter for the first time since his injury against Marshall. With the transfer of former starting quarterback Drew Pyne and the accelerated healing of Buchner’s shoulder, head coach Marcus Freeman chose Buchner to take the field on Friday. However, Buchner has not played since the Irish loss to Marshall. On top of that, he has only started two games in his entire career.

Next man up: Mitchell Evans steps into larger role after Mayer’s departure

With projected first-round NFL Draft pick Michael Mayer officially out of the Irish tight end room, the remaining members of this position group have big shoes to fill in this 6-foot-5 offensive hole. One player shouldering that responsibility is Mitchell Evans, who notched a touchdown for Notre Dame against UNLV earlier this season. The sophomore has emerged as a valuable member of the developing offensive makeup and already has the next-man-up mentality intact. This mindset will come in handy with the recent changeover in the Irish’s roster.

Observer Sports Staff predicts the Gator Bowl: Notre Dame v. South Carolina

Bowl games are a bit of a battle of attrition with all the opt-outs, and Notre Dame loses two All-Americans for this battle with South Carolina. However, the Gamecocks will be down about half-a-dozen starters, so it feels like, while lacking their star power, Notre Dame might have an edge in player availability. Quarterback is obviously the big question mark, and we’ll see if Tyler Buchner made much progress since completing 56% of his passes for no scores, two interceptions and a 54.0 quarterback rating in seven quarters earlier this season. He’ll have his opportunities against a Gamecocks’ defense that has struggled in all phases of the game of the year.

Keys to Victory: Notre Dame vs. South Carolina

The Irish are set to take on the Gamecocks in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl just before 2022 ends. These are the things Notre Dame will need to accomplish to end their 2022 campaign on a high note. A win Friday earns head coach Marcus Freeman his first bowl game win. 

Thomas: Gator Bowl, recruiting drama puts spotlight on Irish safeties

Safety has long been a position of strength for Notre Dame football. Six former Irish safeties currently populate NFL rosters, three as starters. For the three seasons prior to 2022, Notre Dame enjoyed the services of Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton racked up eight career interceptions in two-and-a-half seasons (missing the last half of 2021 due to injury). The Baltimore Ravens drafted Hamilton 14th overall.

Irish role players have big opportunity in Gator Bowl after opt-outs, transfers

As Notre Dame prepares for the Gator Bowl against South Carolina Friday afternoon in Jacksonville, they will be without several key players. 

Moller: Freeman can use Gator Bowl to gain momentum into next season

As more and more college players decide to sit out bowl games to prepare for the NFL draft or enter the transfer portal, bowl games have lost their significance to an extent. In Friday’s Gator Bowl between the Irish and the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Irish will be without junior tight end Michael Mayer and senior defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey. Both All-Americans opted out to pursue the NFL draft. The Irish will also be without junior quarterback Drew Pyne. Pyne started the last ten games for the Irish but decided to transfer to Arizona State. On the flip side, the Gamecocks will likely be without some important wide receivers and tight ends and pieces in the secondary. 

Irish drop third straight, fall to 0-2 in ACC play

Notre Dame dropped their third consecutive game and fell to 0-2 in ACC play Wednesday night in Tallahassee. Florida State played much better than their 3-10 record coming into the contest would indicate, but Notre Dame squandered numerous chances throughout the game as the Seminoles survived with a 73-72 victory.