Notre Dame vs. Duke game balls

In a game that No. 11 Notre Dame was on the ropes Saturday night and trailing 14-13 late in the fourth quarter to No. 17 Duke, the Irish came back to win 21-14.

Here are the three Fighting Irish players most deserving of game balls after a memorable win at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Defensive lineman Howard Cross III

The Irish graduate was all over the field against Duke, finishing with a career-high 13 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss with 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles and 1 quarterback hurry. 

In a game that was billed as a matchup between two elite quarterbacks, this one became more of a defensive battle and Cross led the way for the Irish. 

The performance by Cross was a dominating continuation of what the first-year full-time starter has done all season. 

After his performance against Duke, Cross took over the Notre Dame team lead with 35 tackles for the season, an impressive mark for a defensive lineman. 

Tight end Mitchell Evans

One week after earning a game ball against Ohio State when he recorded career highs with both 7 receptions and 75 yards, the Irish junior pulled a fabulous encore against Duke when he outdid himself with 6 receptions for 134 yards. 

Evans — who earned more targets and attention against Duke with multiple Irish wide receivers out of the game with injuries —  did most of his work in the first half when he recorded 4 receptions for 99 yards.

Each of Evans’ 6 catches went for Irish first downs, his biggest coming on a 3rd-and-10 in the fourth quarter that went for 19 yards and kept Notre Dame’s game-winning touchdown drive alive.  

Quarterback Sam Hartman

Statistically — 15-of-30 passing, 222 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions — suggests that Notre Dame’s graduate signal caller didn’t have his best game.

But the game-winning drive Hartman put together late in the fourth quarter certainly earned him another game ball. 

On the 10-play, 95-yard drive, Hartman made the biggest play of the night when on a 4th-and-16, do-or-die play, he scrambled 17 yards for a first down to keep the drive alive. 

And two plays later, the Irish were in the end zone and left Durham with a hard-fought win that kept playoff hopes alive for Notre Dame.