Notre Dame Football: 5 players who earned game balls vs. Wake Forest
By Dana Becker
While it might not have looked good on the scoreboard, Notre Dame football came away with a 48-37 victory this past Saturday over Wake Forest.
The Fighting Irish were coming off a victory over NC State the week before and had to make sure to not look ahead to this Saturday’s showdown with Miami.
They did that, posting almost 50 points despite losing quarterback Brandon Wimbush for a period of time and seeing star running back Josh Adams depart the contest early.
Several players picked up the slack, including Wimbush, who racked up almost 400 yards of total offense and accounted for three touchdowns.
Here are five players who earned game balls for the Irish in their win over Wake Forest:
The junior from New Jersey continues to prove Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly right, as he had one of his more productive games despite suffering an injury.
Wimbush completed 15-of-30 for 280 yards with a touchdown, adding 110 yards rushing on 12 carries and two scores. It marked his highest total for passing yards this season and his fourth 100-yard rushing performance for the Irish.
Wimbush might not look as flashy as Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett or Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, but he continues to work within the offense that Kelly has designed around him.
Remember back when Kelly was at Cincinnati and the kind of production he got out of Tony Pike, Zach Collaros and Chazz Anderson? Wimbush fits the mold perfectly, as he doesn’t make mistakes – just two interceptions – and avoids losing yards – no games with negative rushing totals this year.