Sunday, November 12, 2006

Notre Dame 39, Air Force 17

If you'll excuse me for mailing another one in...

Quarterback: Brady Quinn completed 74% of his passes and had 4 TDs against 0 interceptions. Not a bad day at the office.

Running Back: If it's possible to have a quiet 153 yard rushing day, Darius Walker had one - on only 15 carries. James Aldridge added 27 yards on 5 carries.

Receiver: Jeff Samardzija's back. Samardzija had 6 catches for 106 yards and a TD. Rhema McKnight added 3 for 53 and a score, and David Grimes had 2 for 16.

Tight End: The good news is that Marcus Freeman recorded his first career touchdown. The bad news is that John Carlson is out for the next 2-4 weeks with a knee injury.

O-Line: As a team, the Irish averaged 6.5 yards per rush.

D-Line: Derek Landri had 11 tackles, a new career high. Trevor Laws added 8 tackles and blocked a field goal. Pat Kuntz and Justin Brown combined for a sack.

Linebacker: Joe Brockington had a career high in tackles as well; Brockington finished with 16.

Safety: On a day when Tom Zbikowski only had 2 tackles, Chinedum Ndukwe picked up the slack by recording 22.

Cornerback: Mike Richardson had 8 tackles, including 1 for a loss. Terrail Lambert ran Trevor Laws' blocked field goal 76 yards for a touchdown.

Kicker: It was a tough day for Carl Gioia, as he had 2 PATs blocked and missed a third.

Punter: Geoff Price had two punts - one for 48 yards, and 1 for 46.

Kick Returner: Nick Possley got his name in the stat sheet by falling on an onside kick in the fourth quarter.

Special Teams: In the long run, the block returned for a touchdown made up for the two blocked PATs. Not counting Possley's onside kick recovery, Air Force held the Irish to zero returns on 5 chances (three kicks, 2 punts, plus the onsides).