Instant Reaction | Notre Dame 33 Iowa State 9

Notre Dame had one last ride with this 2019 team and they made the most of it with a sixth straight wins. It turns out that the team with more talent was the right pick. When it came down to it, it was talent that overwhelmed Iowa State.

Chase Claypool was better than anyone ISU could put out there to cover him. Khalid Kareem was better than anyone ISU had to block him. Notre Dame had better players and the staff coached a good game. Maybe that sounds too simple, but if you had to describe how the Irish won in one sentence, that would be it.

I think they proved today that they deserved to play in a better bowl than they one they ended up in. They sure made the most of this one, though, and gave Notre Dame fans one last performance to get excited about heading into the off-season.

- When Matt Freeman told me that ISU left tackle Julian Good-Jones was out today, I knew that was going to be a problem for Matt Campbell’s team. They don’t have the depth to withstand losing a really good player like him.

Sure enough, Notre Dame’s defensive line dominated their matchup with ISU’s O-line. They produced pretty consistent pressure with mostly four rushers and Kareem was the big difference maker. His stats don’t accurately reflect his impact on the game.

The line as a whole was fantastic. They are the biggest reason for only 71 yards (minus lost sack yardage). They affected quarterback Brock Purdy on enough plays to disrupt him.

Iowa State gave up only 14 sacks on the season. Notre Dame sacked Purdy four times today.

- Forced fumbles were again a huge story for the Irish defense. It ignited the team with Alohi Gilman’s great strip and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s big strip on one of Purdy’s pump fakes. The Irish finished 20 forced fumbles in 13 games.

That’s great players making plays combined with a great coaching to emphasize it.

- Iowa State has been a second half team all year. They averaged 2.5 yards per play against Clark Lea’s defense after halftime.

- It’s hard not to single out several players on defense, but how can you not mention JOK with his four tackles for loss or Drew White consistently scraping off to stop running back Breece Hall?

Hall is a stud. He broke off a 23-yard run to start the game. His next 16 carries went for 33 yards.

- If there was one player on defense that the Notre Dame needed to play well in this game and for next season it was TaRiq Bracy. He delivered by breaking up a touchdown in the end zone with a great finish after being initially beat and covering as well as he had all season.

- If this was Gilman’s last game for the Irish, he went out with a splash. His play on special teams, even outside of that first strip, was outstanding.

- I thought the decision to play heavy so often in the run game was the right one. It paid off.

For his first game as a play-caller, Tom Rees did a nice job with the game plan and his overall feel of the game. There might have been some calls he could have changed in hindsight, but I liked what I saw running the ball and think the Irish could have had a much bigger day if they could have broken more tackles at the second level.

This was a tough defense to prepare for. They don’t allow offenses to take a lot of shots down the field because of coverages. Notre Dame took their shots when there were opportunities and took advantage of them. This game certainly didn’t hurt Rees’ chances of becoming the offensive coordinator next season.

- I didn’t think Tony Jones had an 84-yard run in him, but when it’s blocked up that well and he finishes with a stiff-arm like that, it’s earned. There was never a doubt that he was Notre Dame’s best back all season.

- Chase Claypool is a monster and he is going to be missed greatly. Five of his seven catches went for 1st downs. Four of them were for 20 yards or more. After the catch. Along the sideline. Contested catch situations. He checked every box.

- It would be tough to write a better script to finish off a season when you consider where things were after the Michigan game. These players and coaches deserve so much credit for how they handled things.

It could have spiraled into something terrible. It didn’t and they’ll likely finish in the top-10 with plenty of talent coming back next season. I know plenty of fans were ready to pounce if they laid an egg today, but things are looking up for the Irish.