Players Of The Game From The Notre Dame Victory Over California

Notre Dame had a number of standouts from its 24-17 victory over California

Notre Dame (1-2) picked up its first win of the 2022 season by defeating California (2-1) by a 24-17 score. It wasn't always pretty, but Notre Dame controlled the second half in all three phases of the game and came away with the victory.

With the Irish win now in the books it's time to hand out game balls.

OFFENSE - RB Chris Tyree, Audric Estime

Stats: Tyree - 64 rush yards, 44 receiving yards, 1 TD / Estime - 76 rush yards, 43 receiving yards
Runner Up: OT Joe Alt

Junior running back Chris Tyree was the star of the first half and sophomore Audric Estime was the standout of the second half. The duo combined for 140 rushing yards on 35 carries, and they chipped in with eight catches for 87 yards. They were the number one and two rushers, and the number one and two pass catchers.

Notre Dame's staff finally made Tyree a focal point of the offense, and he responded with a very strong first half. Tyree rushed for 33 yards and hauled in 35 yards through the air in the first half, and his 21-yard touchdown reception finally got the Irish on the board. The staff used Tyree in the second half as well, but he was used as a decoy to manipulate the Cal defense on one of the biggest plays of the second half.

Of course, that big play was the 36-yard catch and run to Estime, whose 36-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter set up the game-winning touchdown pass to Michael Mayer. Estime was also the focal point of the run game in the second half, and the result was him finishing with career highs in carries and yards.

DEFENSE - DT Jacob Lacey

Stats: 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks
Runners Up: DT Jayson Ademilola, DE Isaiah Foskey

Notre Dame's defensive line was quite good yesterday, the interior of the defensive line was brilliant, and senior Jacob Lacey was without question the best of the bunch. In fact, I'd argue Lacey had the biggest game of his career against the Bears, and not just from a statistical standpoint.

Lacey finished with five tackles and career highs with two tackles for loss and two sacks. On top of the stops behind the line, he had two more stops at the line of scrimmage. Both of his sacks were incredibly important. His first sack put Cal into a 3rd-and-24 situation that killed a drive. 

His second was on the play right after Notre Dame had tied the game 17-17. Lacey's sack, which went for minus-8 yards, put Cal behind the sticks and they couldn't recover, forcing them to punt from their own 21-yard line. Notre Dame turned that good field position into the game winning touchdown drive, which shows how important that stop from the defense, which was fueled by Lacey, was in the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS - P Jon Sot

Stats: 7 punts, 45.6 average, 3 inside the 20
Runners Up: Houston Griffith

At some point I'm getting a bit annoyed at myself for constantly naming punter Jon Sot as the top special teams player, but he continues to thrive in this role. Part of the reason he keeps getting the nod is usage, as Sot continues to punt a lot. He boomed balls on Saturday and played a great role in helping Notre Dame get in good field position, or keep Cal out of it.

I considered Blake Grupe due to his 47-yard kick, but he did miss one, even if it was negated. I also considered Houston Griffith, who had two good tackles in coverage, but Sot was the again the standout.

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