Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
The pluck of the Irish
Angeli throws for 3 TDs to lead ND to Sun Bowl win
Steve Angeli passed for 232 yards and three touchdowns, guiding Notre Dame to a 40-8 victory over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl on Friday.
Angeli went 15 for 19 and tossed TD passes of 8 yards to Jayden Thomas, 13 yards to Jordan Faison and 13 yards to Jeremiyah Love. The sophomore was making his first start for the Irish (10-3), who are ranked No. 16 in the College Football Playoff ranking, in place of Sam Hartman, one of many players who opted out of the game.
“This is a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Angeli said, “but it’s really not about me. It’s about these guys around me. All those guys that have been in that room that have nurtured me, especially Sam Hartman. He’s done a great job of teaching me the ways and allowing me to come out here and have this opportunity.”
Angeli’s teammates had full confidence in the former four-star recruit.
“We knew it was coming,” receiver Jordan Faison said of Angeli. “We’re not surprised.”
Faison, the game’s MVP, had five catches for 115 yards and a score for the Irish. Running back Jadarian Price added 106 yards on 13 carries with a TD.
Notre Dame’s young players did the heavy lifting because the team had seven players — all starters — opt out of the game. That included Hartman and standout running back Audric Estime.
“We’ve got this thing called a bumpy road. This bumpy road ended really well,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “And I’m proud of these guys. It’s a pleasure to coach them.”
No. 19 Oregon State (8-5), which finished the season on a three-game losing streak, had three starters opt out and four others enter the transfer portal — including starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and backup Aidan Chiles.
That left the Beavers in a tough spot against a senior-laden Irish defense that ranked eighth in the nation and limited Oregon State to 197 total yards and just two yards rushing.
The game turned for good late in the second quarter when Oregon State, trailing 7-0, tried a fake punt from midfield that was stuffed for a loss. Notre Dame then drove seven plays and pushed the lead to 14-0 with just 27 seconds left in the half on Price’s 1-yard run.
Gator Bowl: Clemson finished the Gator Bowl on Friday just like it did the season: with a flourish.
Phil Mafah ran for four touchdowns, including a 3-yarder with 17 seconds to play, and the No. 22 Tigers rallied to beat Kentucky 38-35 in one of the wildest Gator Bowls to date and ended the year with a five-game winning streak.
Mafah scored three times in a backand-forth final quarter that included five turnovers, four touchdowns and five lead changes. Clemson (9-4) outscored Kentucky 28-14 over the last 15 minutes.
“You saw who we are tonight,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Those guys, they finished.”
Liberty Bowl: Seth Henigan threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns and the Memphis defense shut down Iowa State’s rushing game on the way to a 36-26 victory in the Liberty Bowl on Friday night.
Blake Watson rushed for 107 yards as Memphis (10-3) of the American Athletic Conference amassed 530 yards of total offense and finished with at least 10 wins for the fifth time in program history.
TODAY’S BOWL GAMES
PEACH BOWL No. 11 Mississippi (10-2, SEC) vs. No. 10 Penn State (10-2, Big Ten) TV: Noon EST, ESPN LOCATION: Atlanta. NOTABLE: The Rebels rank 15th in the nation offensively with their average of 455.4 yards per game. Penn State leads the nation in total defense, allowing only 223.2 yards per game.
MUSIC CITY BOWL Auburn(6-6, SEC) vs. Maryland (7-5, Big Ten) TV: 2 p.m., ABC
LOCATION: Nashville, Tennessee. NOTABLE: Maryland is seeking three bowl wins in three years for first time in program history and facing its first SEC bowl opponent since 2002. Auburn has lost three straight bowl games.
ORANGE BOWL No. 5 Florida State (13-0, ACC) vs. No. 6 Georgia (12-1, SEC) TV: 4 p.m., ESPN
LOCATION: Miami Gardens, Florida. NOTABLE: Georgia’s 29-game winning streak was snapped in the SEC title game, a three-point loss to Alabama that sent a program that had won the last two national titles plummeting five spots in the CFP rankings. FSU is playing for the third perfect season in school history. Florida State went 14-0 in 2013 and 12-0 in 1999, both of those seasons ending with national titles.
ARIZONA BOWL Wyoming(8-4, Mountain West) vs. Toledo (11-2, Mid-American) LIVESTREAM: 4:30 p.m., Barstool.TV
LOCATION: Tucson, Arizona. NOTABLE: Final game as head coach at Wyoming for the retiring Craig Bohl, who helped launch North Dakota State’s FCS dynasty before spending 10 years with the Cowboys. Toledo won 11 consecutive games after losing opener.