DE RJ Oben Shines in Notre Dame Sugar Bowl Victory
There have been flashes from RJ Oben this year, but they have been few and far between.
The 6-foot-3, 262-pounder might have saved his best ball for the final run as Oben shined in Notre Dame’s 23-10 upset of Georgia in the 2025 Allstate Sugar Bowl on Thursday night.
Oben, who recorded a PFF grade of 92.7, turned the tide for the Irish late in the second quarter. Mitch Jeter had just made an impressive 48-yard field goal to give the Irish an important 6-3 lead with 39 seconds left in the half.
On Georgia’s first play of its next drive, Oben easily took the edge on left tackle Monroe Freeling to strip quarterback Gunner Stockton and Irish defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka recovered at the Bulldogs 13.
One play later, Riley Leonard hit Beaux Collins to put the Irish up 13-3.
“It was a great play,” Oben stated. “We’ve been preparing all week watching the tackles and seeing their sets and how they attack those defensive linemen, especially in the SEC. A lot of guys have had success. We saw their weak points and saw how we could take advantage of them. The opportunity presented itself.”
Oben also wasn’t surprised to see Tuihalamaka fall on the ball.
“That was amazing,” said Oben. “Junior is always around the ball. It was relentless effort and pursuit that ultimately finished that play.”
The 2024 season has been a year of learning. Oben, who grad transferred from Duke, had to learn a new defense, teammates and culture. He’s never batted an eye and embraced it all.
“I came here for an opportunity to play in big games like this,” Oben explained. “I was happy I capitalized on my opportunities. I thank God for being here and being here with this team.”
Oben’s opportunities have also been all over the place this season. The New Jersey native has played 30 or more snaps four times while also playing less than 20 snaps five times this season.
Many players would have complained or sulked, but not Oben. He embraced the culture at his new program and went to work.
“Coach Washington always tells me, regardless of the situation, to try to elevate every day and put in the work every day to better myself,” stated Oben. “Regardless of how big or small the opportunity is, I know if I put in the work, I can take advantage of it. I’m happy I was able to do it.”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman also noticed Oben’s maturity when life wasn’t always going his way on the field.
“RJ is a guy who no matter what the role is that's determined for him, he puts everything into it and when you have that mindset and you have that work ethic, good things like what happened today happen to you,” explained Freeman. “If you're sitting here and complaining about why you're not playing more than the next guy, then you know what? You're not putting everything into making the most out of your opportunity. RJ Oben is a guy that makes the most out of every opportunity he gets.”
Oben wasn’t the only transfer to make a play in New Orleans. Jayden Harrison and Beaux Collins scored touchdowns, Riley Leonard made clutch plays, Rod Heard II made a key fourth down stop and Mitch Jeter hit all three of his field goals.
“I was great, man,” said Oben. “It was hard first coming in and not knowing how you’d fit into the team. We all came together and contributed to this team. This is the reason we all came here. We’re happy we were able to do well in this game.
“We were all on that first visit together back in December of last year. We talked about coming in and being able to play in games like this. I’m just happy we were able to do that today.”
Want the latest scoop on the Fighting Irish? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD
Under Armour Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2024 Shamrock Series Rival Fleece Hoodie
