Sports
The Notre Dame football transfer portal's acquisitions shine in Sugar Bowl
NEW ORLEANS On a sweltering Thursday night, in a venue that has seen more than its fair share of electric performances, Jayden Harrison delivered perhaps the most symbolic shot of adrenaline for surging Notre Dame football.
His 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half took 15 seconds from start to finish. Of course, Harrison can cover that distance much faster if he takes the highway, but why not enjoy the journey and take in some scenery along the way?
The seventh-seeded Irish (13-1), who was headed to the College Football Playoff semifinals next week after this 23-10 dismantling of a proud mini-dynasty in Georgia, certainly made some twists and turns in the early stages of this match and this season.
That's why they're holding on to the pain of the Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois, as coach Marcus Freeman's mantra goes.
Harrison also had to make a few pit stops during his college football career before arriving at Thursday's bittersweet cotillion. He spent a year in the SEC at Vanderbilt, close to his home in Antioch, Tennessee, before transferring to Marshall for the next three seasons.
That included the epic upset at Notre Dame Stadium in the 2022 home opener, a game that took Freeman to 0-3 in his head coaching career.
On Thursday, after weaving through a phalanx of future NFL draftees, Harrison was asked why he had so much faith in the Irish to select them as his third college stop last winter.
It felt good, Harrison said. I made my visit (to Notre Dame) when I was in the transfer portal. I got chills when I entered the stadium, the same chills I got when I first came (with Marshall). It was the right place at the right time.
And what did the chills Harrison felt feel like in this Sugar Bowl?
Crazy, he said. I still got goosebumps on my arms.
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'When we needed it most'
Jeremiyah Love, who was held to just 21 yards on seven touches, missed the final 18 minutes with an apparent re-injury to his right knee. But that didn't stop the Notre Dames star from beaming afterwards when asked about Harrison's highly anticipated score.
Me and J2 have been talking about taking one home pretty much every week, Love said. I told him that his time will come: it will open, one of those will return. It just so happened that this game was when we needed it most.
Kicker Mitch Jeter, the graduate transfer from South Carolina who is now 5-for-6 on field goal attempts in the postseason, smiled at the mention of Harrison's heroics.
That guy works so hard, Jeter said. He's such a ball player. I'm really excited that he gets the chance to make that play. I think he had a few last year when he was at Marshall.
Jeter was able to do that too, just as he connected from 44, 48 and 47 yards against the Bulldogs. The second of those, which came late in the first half, started a dizzying run of 17 points in 54 seconds of the game clock for the Irish.
Harrison's touchdown capped the cap, and three more transfers in between did their part to break it open.
Defensive end RJ Oben, the Duke graduate transfer who has been quiet most of this season, tomahawked Georgia fill-in quarterback Gunner Stockton for a strip sack 33 seconds before the break.
That was Oben's first sack all year and just his seventh quarterback pressure.
I came here for an opportunity and to play on big stages like this, Oben said, and I'm glad I was able to capitalize on my chances. I'm just grateful to be here and to be here with this team.
Third-year Vyper Junior Tuihalamaka (not a transfer) recovered on the Georgia 13, and six seconds later quarterback Riley Leonard Duke transferred; You may have heard that he found receiver Beaux Collins (Clemson transfer) for a 13-yard touchdown.
That gave Collins a chance to execute his end zone shuffle for the first time since Oct. 26 at the Meadowlands against Navy.
Returns on transfer investments are rising for Notre Dame football
More transfers would play a role in the rest of the route.
Ex-Arizona State Nickelback Jordan Clark (44 defensive snaps) broke up a third-and-3 route near midfield midway through the second quarter.
Later it would be Northwestern transfer safety Rod Heard II's turn.
When Georgia reached the Irish 11 with about 10 minutes left and the issue was still in doubt, Heard corralled Stockton on a third-down scramble and covered Lawson Luckie on a fourth-down throw that sailed past the end zone .
And we didn't even get to kick returner/special teams threat Max Hurleman, formerly of Colgate.
Freeman is keen to say his program will play only a minor role in the transfer portal, preferring the cost-benefit analysis of the research and development approach. But when transfer after transfer paved the way to South Florida and a date with Penn State in the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl, it suddenly seemed like Notre Dame's ROTI (return on transfer investment) skyrocketed.
When you first come in, you don't know how well you will fit in with the team or whether you will be accepted by the guys, Oben said. But to know that we could all come together and contribute to this team on such a big stage is why we all came here.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
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