Another NJ QB is shocking the football world

And the streak continues for New Jersey's quarterbacks — whose names end in a vowel.

former Bergen Catholic quarterback Steve Angeli Passed for 232 yards and three touchdowns, directing No. 15 Notre Dame to Win 40-8 Above No. 21 Oregon In the Sun Bowl on Friday.

Angeli — a sophomore who made his first start for the Irish in place of Sam Hartman, who opted out of the game — was 15 for 19 and threw TD passes of 8 yards to Jayden Thomas, 13 yards to Jordan Faison and 13 yards to Jeremiah Love. .

First, Giants third baseman Tommy DeVito took the NFL by storm, then Joe Flacco got out of his chair to lead the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs, and now Angeli — another talented Garden State quarterback who escaped from Rutgers — has fans excited for next season. When Hartman is in the NFL.

“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 those guys around me. All those guys that were in that room that took care of me, especially Sam Hartman. He did a great job of teaching me the ways and letting me come in.” To come here and get this opportunity.

Angeli's previous start came when he led Bergen Catholic over Don Bosco Prep – DeVito's alma mater – to the 2021 New Jersey state championship and a perfect season.

Some New Jersey football trivia:

Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt and Angeli, a Westfield native, were the first quarterbacks in the 2022 class to receive offers from Notre Dame. Brian Kelly, who hired Angeli, is now LSU's head coach, but that never mattered: Angeli has historic ties to the school. His great-uncle, Pete Berezny, won a national title with Notre Dame while playing for Frank Leahy in the 1940s.

Stanford, Arizona, Iowa and Syracuse offered Angeli after his junior season, but it seemed like he was always headed to Notre Dame. His college teammates said they have full confidence in the former four-star recruit after watching him in action for two seasons.

“We knew he was coming,” receiver Jordan Faison said of Angeli. “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 TD.

Notre Dame's young players did the heavy lifting because the team had seven players — all freshmen — who opted out of the game. This included Hartman and standout running back Audric Estime.

“We have this thing called a bumpy road. And that bumpy road ended really well,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “And I'm proud of these guys.” It is a pleasure to coach them.”

Oregon State (8-5), which ended the season with a three-game losing streak, had three starters opt out and four others enter the transfer portal — including quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and backup Aidan Chiles.

That left the Beavers in a tough spot against a senior-laden Irish defense that ranked eighth in the country and limited Oregon State to 197 total yards and just two yards rushing.

The game turned forever late in the second quarter when Oregon State, trailing 7-0, attempted a fake penalty from midfield that was stuffed for loss. Notre Dame then drove seven plays and pushed the lead to 14-0 with just 27 seconds left in the first half on a one-yard run by Price.

Jimmy Valsen III had Oregon State's only score, catching a 33-yard pass from Ben Gulbranson. Offensive lineman Tyler Foltin ran in the two-point conversion from the Wildcat formation.

That score at 6:02 of the fourth quarter cut Notre Dame's lead to 33-8 before the Irish capped the final TD on a 6-yard run by Chase Ketterer with 2:45 to play.

Gulbranson was 16 for 27 for 180 yards and an interception.

“Obviously, this is not the result we wanted,” Oregon State interim head coach Kevin Hinson said. “Hats off to Notre Dame. I mean this is a really good football team. They're everything we saw on tape.

Ready meals

Oregon State: The biggest question facing the Beavers is the uncertain future of their conference. Oregon State and Washington State are the remaining members of the Pac-12, and the Beavers have just six games on their schedule for 2024. Wherever they end up, new coach Trent Bray will have eight returning players on offense and five on defense from Friday's game.

Notre Dame: The Irish have had a 10-win season to gain momentum heading into next season, the first with the expanded playoffs — which they are expected to be a factor in. Based on the depth chart from Friday, the Irish could return all 11 starters on offense, but only four on defense. Many of those spots will be open to competition, especially at quarterback, where Riley Leonard, who transferred to Duke, will be in the mix.

honors and awards

The Irish swept the game awards. Faison was named Most Valuable Player, defensive end Jordan Botelho was Most Valuable Player, and kicker Spencer Shrader was Special Teams Most Valuable Player. Botello had five tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Schrader kicked a 44-yard field goal and five extra points.

Facts and figures

Notre Dame was 8 of 14 on third downs, while Oregon State was 1 for 9. The Irish had 24 first downs to the Beavers' 10. The only turnover of the game was an interception by Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison. This was the third time the teams played, and all three were in bowl games, with the Beavers winning the first two games. Oregon State is 2-1 all-time in the Sun Bowl, while Notre Dame is 2-0 in El Paso.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Thank you for relying on us to deliver journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.