Oregon State, Notre Dame players to watch in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl

Published

12 months ago

December 26, 2023

Press Room

Oregon State and Notre Dame meet on Friday in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in front of a nationally-televised audience on noon.

The game will be aired on CBS. Oregon State will be the visiting team and Notre Dame will be the home team.

Here is a look at some players to watch on both teams that could have a major impact.

Notre Dame

Linebacker JD Bertrand had a team-high 75 tackles, 2.5 sacks and four pass breakups and his presence will be key in limiting big plays by Oregon State.
Defensive end Javontatae Jean-Baptist had 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He will be someone Oregon State hopes can be slowed down in the pass rush.
Safety Xavier Watts had seven interceptions during the season and was named and American Football Coaches Association All-American. He’ll be one of the top players to watch in this game.
Quarterback Steve Angeli will make his first start for the team in place of Sam Hartman, who opted out of the Sun Bowl. Angeli completed 19 of 25 passes and threw four touchdowns in limited action this season. How he handles the pressure of his first start will be key to team’s success.
Jayden Thomas will be key at wide receiver and will be one of the key players Angeli will look to as a receiver.

Third string quarterback Ben Gulbranson will get the start vs. Notre Dame after backup Aidan Chiles announced he is entering the transfer portal. The team’s starter this seasson, DJ Uiagalelei, is also transferring. Gulbranson started nine games last season, including a 30-3 victory over Florida in the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl. Gulbranson threw for 165 yards and had two total touchdowns in the victory.
Wide receiver Silas Bolden will be key for the Beavers. He had 718 receiving yards in the regular season. He will be one of Gulbranson’s top targets.
Linebacker John McCartan will be key to the team’s success in trying to slow down the Notre Dame offense. He had 4.5 sacks and 44 tackles.
Defensive back Kitan Oladapo and his 63 tackles will be key in trying to slow down a very good Notre Dame offense.
Running back Deshaun Fenwick and his 500 yards rushing will be key for the Beavers. He had five TDs rushing.

More: Sun Bowl history Notre Dame, Oregon State part of Sun Bowl’s fascinating gridiron history

Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X (Formerly Twitter)