For the first time since 2010, Notre Dame will head to the Sun Bowl in El Paso on Dec. 29, facing Oregon State. The No. 19 Beavers (8-4) finished their regular season on a two-game losing streak, falling to top-10 opponents to ruin their Thanksgiving week.
The No. 16 Irish (9-3) will not represent as distinct a challenge according to rankings, but given Oregon State went 0-3 against teams currently in the top 25, Notre Dame should be favored when kickoff comes at 2 ET on CBS.
The Beavers entered 2023 a trendy darkhorse to win the Pac 12, but those hopes were dashed by the end of September with a 38-35 loss at Washington State.
Yet, Oregon State’s 2023 warrants worry from the Irish and their fans alike. A look at its advanced stats profile makes it clear the Sun Bowl wil be a physical affair. The Beavers run the ball more than 3 percent more often than would be expected when considering game state (score, down, distance, field position, time, etc.). With Notre Dame down to only two genuinely healthy receivers, freshmen Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison, with up to four others coming off injuries, led by sixth-year former walk-on Matt Salerno and junior Jayden Thomas, offensive coordinator Gerad Parker may take a similar approach.
That does not mean it will be a boring affair. Oregon State and Notre Dame each rank in the top 10 in expected points added per rushing attempt.
That should not change despite the Beavers now being without most of their coaching staff — head coach Jonathan Smith has accepted the Michigan State job and is bringing most of his staff with him; some could theoretically remain for the bowl game, to be determined — as well as quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who has already announced his return to the transfer portal after scoring a total of 27 touchdowns this season.
Freshman Aidan Chiles will most likely start in Uiagalelei’s absence, the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the past recruiting cycle, per rivals.com. A Los Angeles product, the four-star recruit also held scholarship offers from former Pac-12 powerhouses Oregon and Washington. He appeared in nine games this season, completing 24 of 35 passes for 8.8 yards per pass attempt and four touchdowns, adding three rushing scores.
Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas gives an update. Confirms they’re waiting on ACC, which is in flux after Florida State got snubbed. Confirms Oregon State is in from Pac 12 pic.twitter.com/MqtYiURSsp
— Colin Deaver (@ColinDeaverTV) December 3, 2023
Obviously, transfer-portal absences and NFL draft opt-outs tend to define much of bowl season nowadays, the impacts already felt by both Notre Dame and Oregon State with more inevitably to come. But if the two had met on a neutral field a week ago, the Irish would have been about 4.5-point favorites.
Notre Dame last appeared in the Sun Bowl in Tommy Rees’s freshman season as the Irish quarterback, beating Miami, 33-17, with snow on the ground and receiver Michael Floyd starring in most of the afternoon’s highlights, turning six catches into 109 yards and two touchdowns in his final collegiate gane.
