Shamrock Stickers: Oklahoma ’12

manti teo oklahoma
Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te’o (5) in action against the Oklahoma Sooners at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Irish beat the Sooners 30-13. (Photo: Matthew Emmons / US PRESSWIRE)

The Irish travelled to Oklahoma double digit underdogs and returned with a signature win to remain undefeated. The Irish knocked off the Sooners 30-13 on the strength of a fourth quarter in which the outscored their hosts 20-7. The hype surrounding the Irish is now at heights not seen in over a decade and the following players were the catalysts in this week’s victory earning recognition in this week’s UHND Shamrock Stickers:

Manti Te’o: A weekly fixture in the shamrock stickers column, Manti Te’o turned in yet another brilliant performance Saturday. Te’o once again led the Irish in tackles with 11, and also recorded a sack to go along with an interception. Te’o’s interception effectively sealed the Notre Dame victory and was his fifth interception of the season, good for second most in the FBS.

KeiVarae Russell: The Irish’s freshman cornerback turned in his best performance of the season when he was needed the most. It was apparent early that the Sooners were going to attack Russell and his fellow corner Bennett Jackson, but Russell was more than up to the task. Russell tallied a career high nine tackles in the game and kept everything in front of him, thereby limiting the big play capability of the Sooners.

Bennett Jackson: Along with Russell, Bennett Jackson turned in a great game for the Irish. Jackson totalled eight tackles, and led the team in solo tackles with seven. Jackson also contained Oklahoma’s elite receiver Kenny Stiles, holding him to seven receptions for 86 yards, 36 of which coming on a meaningless reception in the final minute. Jackson and Russell’s efforts were crucial to eliminating the Sooners quick strike ability and forcing them to methodically move the ball against the Irish defense.

Everett Golson: Notre Dame’s young signal-caller turned in another quality performance on the road in primetime. Just as he did against Michigan State, Golson managed the game and didn’t make the big mistake as he did not turn the ball over or try to do too much. Golson went 13-25 passing for 177 yards and added 64 yards and a touchdown on the ground versus the Sooners. Golson made the right reads on most occasions and displayed his toughness after being laid out by Sooners safety Tony Jefferson, coming back after missing only one play to lead the Irish to victory.

You may also like

9 Comments

  1. I absolutely adore Ireland. I fell in love with the place when I did a road trip turghoh the country last year. I am so tempted to do this challenge but I had promised myself no more! …. hmmm I’ll have to seriously consider this one!

  2. I’m betting he will not honor his own words. But that’s ok because each week he makes a bigger fool of himself with his predictions about ND.

  3. Has anyone noticed that Mark May, again, literally didn’t comment on the ND-OU game? If I am wrong someone correct me. I watched College Football Final and he never said a word. When the outcome doesn’t favor his predictions, he sticks his fingers in his ears and yells “LALALALALA”. I think he is shitting bricks about having said he’d don a leprechaun suit if ND goes to a BCS bowl…

  4. First let me say i am pumped about this win to shut up all the ass hat commentators who were hating on ND all year. BUT, i was hoping Cam McDaniel, taking GA III’s place in the RB rotation, would have gotten carries/touches where GA III might have gotten them had he been playing. I liked McDaniel’s returns and was glad to see him get in there.

  5. Great analysis on Everett.

    Great coaches prepare their players then put them in the right posisition to succeed.

    While Golson’e passing numbers were modest at most, each completion was very effective, the kid spread the ball around, and didn’t commit a turnover. He also rushed 11 times(which seems to be just about the right amount) for 64 yards and added a gutsy goal line TD.
    He did Great job of managaing the game!

    I say stickers for everyone! It was a total team effort. All recievers were involved and contributed. The freshmen WC Brown had a huge catch in the second half. Our secondary turned in another fine preformance. Cam McDaniel stepped up on kick off returns in place of GA III. The second string D-Line did more than just give the starters a rest and hold their own.
    Louis Nix gave the Oklahoma center fits all day. You could see it on the snap when the OU QB wasn’t lined up earily in the game, and again late when the center snapped a grounder.

    You can talk about how many passing our defense allowed, but I kind of fancy our rushing defense. OU ran 24 times for 15 yards! That’s called total surrender!

    Even Tommy Rees, who came off the bench cold when EG got the wind knocked out of him, converted a critical 3rd down.

    Kick off and punt coverages was solid.

    And of course the O-Line took over late and helped get Riddick into the end zone.

    Haven’t witnessed a game this complete in a long, long time.

    Stickers foe Everyone!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button