ORLANDO – The Camping World Bowl was essentially decided by two huge plays in Notre Dame’s 33-9 blowout win over Iowa State on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 28).
A potentially close game between the Fighting Irish and the Iowa State Cyclones broke open when senior quarterback Ian Book found senior wide receiver Chase Claypool on a corner route for a 24-yard score.
With an extra point by kicker Jonathan Doerer, Notre Dame took a 10-0 lead with 3:20 left in the first quarter and never looked back.
And just when it seemed as if Iowa State would have a chance to come back from a 20-6 halftime deficit, an early third-quarter play effectively extinguished its hopes of that second-half spark.
At the 13:14 mark of the third quarter, Notre Dame junior Tony Jones Jr. (11 carries, 135 yards, TD) gashed the Iowa State defense and zoomed past the opposition 84 yards for a score. Doerer’s extra point extended the Fighting Irish lead to 27-6.
Notre Dame’s defense only allowed three field goals in the game to Iowa State junior kicker Connor Assalley, one of which came in the second half.
It was a truly balanced effort from the Fighting Irish, who were superb overall on offense, defense, and special teams. And it was obvious that the team core’s years of experience together would be the difference in this one, as evidenced by the players’ high level of synergy and trust for one another on the field.
“I’m just so proud of our football team,” said Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, who led his 15th-ranked team to a 11-2 final record. “2019 will be one that I’ll always remember, for a group of guys that just loved to play the game. They had such a strong brotherhood.”
Kelly had more to say about his team’s winning effort.
“They did not listen to what the naysayers had to say about them,” Kelly said. “The negative tone, the negative people out there. All they cared about was playing the game. It was clean. It was about competing. Always looking to better themselves.”
Book was 20-for-28 with 247 yards, one touchdown pass, and no turnovers. Meanwhile, Claypool was named the Camping World Bowl MVP, as he registered seven catches for a game-high 146 yards and the 24-yard touchdown catch.
“It’s just so satisfying that this group has been rewarded with 11 wins,” Kelly said. “They overcame adversity, lived the life lessons of it. They’re not perfect. They never pretended to be perfect and never wanted to be, but always strived for excellence.”
The game’s other score came off a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Jafar Armstrong with 2:25 left in the second quarter. With Doerer’s extra point, Notre Dame had a 20-6 lead that stood going into halftime.
Doerer finished the game with three extra points and four field goals made. He connected on all four of his attempts, including a long of 51 yards with 7:23 left in the second quarter to give Notre Dane a 13-3 lead.
Iowa State head coach Dan Campbell spoke with media members after the conclusion of yesterday’s Camping World Bowl.
“You know, when we got here, there wasn’t even a thought that we could compete with teams like this,” Campbell said of Notre Dame. “There was no thought that we could compete with the best teams in our conference. And, you know, to be quite honest with you, I don’t know if there was a lot of people that thought we could compete with our rival in our own state.”
Iowa State played at least five ranked teams this season, including Iowa, Oklahoma, Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Notre Dame. With the exception of this game, the other ones were relatively close losses, as the Cyclones lost to four ranked Big 12 teams by a combined 21 points.
Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdue was 17-of-30 passing for 222 yards and no interceptions. Meanwhile, sophomore linebacker Mike Rose led all Cyclone defenders with eight tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, and a quarterback hurry.
Iowa State finished the season with a 7-6 record.
“I think why you’re so disappointed is because you feel how close you really are to where you want to be,” Campbell said. “Getting over that hump, taking that next step, that’s a great challenge. It’s a great challenge for Iowa State football, but no greater challenge, to be honest with you, that I’d rather tackle than that.”
LOCAL STANDOUTS IN CAMPING WORLD BOWL
Notre Dame: Junior linebacker Drew White (St. Thomas Aquinas alum; Boca Raton native) had five tackles. He finished the season with 50 tackles and two sacks in 13 games played for the Fighting Irish.
Iowa State: Redshirt sophomore cornerback Datrone Young (Atlantic alum/Delray Beach native) had two tackles. He ended the season with 13 tackles and a pass breakup in 10 games played for the Cyclones.
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
