EL PASO, Texas — Some of the biggest stars who might have played in the Sun Bowl didn’t suit up Friday.
It was a chance to shine that Steve Angeli didn’t waste.
Angeli passed for 232 yards and three touchdowns, guiding No. 15 Notre Dame to a 40-8 victory over No. 21 Oregon State in one of the oldest bowls still on the college football calendar.
Angeli completed 15 for 19 passes, including touchdowns of 8 yards to Jayden Thomas, 13 yards to Jordan Faison and 13 yards to Jeremiyah Love. The sophomore was making his first start for the Fighting Irish (10-3) in place of Sam Hartman, who opted out of the game.
“This is a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Angeli said, “but it’s really not about me. It’s about these guys around me. All those guys that have been in that room that have nurtured me, especially Sam Hartman. He’s done a great job of teaching me the ways and allowing me to come out here and have this opportunity.”
Angeli’s teammates had full confidence in the former four-star recruit.
“We knew it was coming,” receiver Jordan Faison said. “We’re not surprised.”
Faison, the game’s MVP, had five catches for 115 yards and a score for the Irish. Running back Jadarian Price added 106 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown.
Notre Dame’s young players did the heavy lifting because the team had seven players — all starters — opt out. That included Hartman and standout running back Audric Estime.
“We’ve got this thing called a bumpy road. This bumpy road ended really well,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “And I’m proud of these guys. It’s a pleasure to coach them.”
Oregon State (8-5), which finished the season on a three-game losing streak, had three starters opt out and four others enter the transfer portal, including starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and backup Aidan Chiles.
That left the Beavers in a tough spot against a senior-laden defense that ranked eighth in the nation, and the Irish limited Oregon State to 197 total yards, including just 2 on the ground.
The game turned for good late in the second quarter when Oregon State, trailing 7-0, tried a fake punt from midfield that was stuffed for a loss. Notre Dame then drove seven plays and pushed the lead to 14-0 with just 27 seconds left in the half on Price’s 1-yard run.
Jimmy Valsin III had the lone score for Oregon State, catching a 33-yard pass from Ben Gulbranson. Offensive lineman Tyler Voltin ran in the 2-point conversion from the wildcat formation.
That score at the 6:02 mark of the fourth quarter cut Notre Dame’s lead to 33-8 before the Irish tacked on a final touchdown with a 6-yard run by Chase Ketterer at 2:45 to go.
Gulbranson was 16-for-27 for 180 yards with an interception.
“Obviously it’s not the result we wanted,” Oregon State interim coach Kefense Hynson said. “Hats off to Notre Dame. I mean, that’s a really, really good football team. They are all we saw on tape.”
The biggest question facing the Beavers is their uncertain conference future. Oregon State and Washington State will be the remaining members of the Pac-12 once this academic year is over, and the Beavers have just six games on their 2024 schedule as of now. Wherever they end up, new head coach Trent Bray will have eight returning starters on offense and five on defense from Friday’s game.
Based on the depth chart from Friday, the Irish could return all 11 starters on offense but just four on defense. Many of those spots will be open to competition, especially at quarterback, where Duke transfer Riley Leonard will be in the mix.