Preview of Notre Dame’s opponent, the Oregon State Beavers

Preview of Notre Dame’s opponent, the Oregon State Beavers

Following the departure of former head coach Jonathan Smith to Michigan State shortly after the regular season concluded, Hynson, who was the wide receivers coach or pass game coordinator for the 2023 campaign, was named the bowl game’s acting head coach.

After stints at Yale, Western Washington, Hawaii, Norfolk State, Montana, and Oregon State, Hynson joined Oregon State in 2018.

On December 29, 2023, at 2:00 PM ET on CBS, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Oregon State Beavers for the Sun Bowl as 6-point favorites. The over/under for the match is 41.5.

The Stanford Cardinal was the opponent of the Fighting Irish in their most recent game, which they won 56-23. The Beavers’ most recent game ended in a 31-7 loss to the Oregon Ducks.

Rico Flores Jr., a rookie wide receiver, was rated as a 4-star recruit as the No. 242 player in the nation; Jaden Greathouse, a 4-star recruit, was listed as the No. 139 player overall.

Eli Raridon, a 4-star recruit who was listed as the school’s No. 173 overall player, is replacing a 4-star recruit who was the No. 288 overall player at tight end for Notre Dame.

Another notable improvement occurred at left tackle, where Charles Jagusah, a 4-star recruit who ranked as the university’s No. 400 overall player, helped Notre Dame go from a 4-star recruit to the No. 61 overall player.
Naturally, Joe Alt, who finished at number 400 overall, was a superb college athlete who was named unanimously an All-American in 2023.

When Notre Dame plays Oregon State, its base defense will only include two new starters, and in both situations, the Irish have a far better recruiting profile.

He was ranked as the No. 34 overall player and was given a 5-star recruit rating. He takes the place of Marist Liufau, a 3-star recruit & the No. 457 overall player in the country, however the positions are being switched around.

Star cornerback Cam Hart, a 3-star prospect and the No. 635 overall pick, is leaving Notre Dame. Floyd finished his college career with six receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

He will be replaced as a pair by Christian Gray and Jaden Mickey, two 4-star prospects who were ranked No. 103 and No. 217 in high school, respectively.

Obviously, recruiting rankings have little bearing on on-field performance, so the Irish defense will be under a lot of pressure to perform well in this match. In addition to a 5-star and two 3-stars, Notre Dame will feature eight 4-star recruits in the Sun Bowl.

With the replacement of two 3-star recruits with a 5-star and a 4-star tandem, Notre Dame’s defense profile seems stronger in this game.

The Fighting Irish are the favorite by less than a touchdown (-6.5), while the Beavers are the underdogs. This matchup has a 41.5 point over/under.

The Stanford Cardinals were defeated 56-23 by the Fighting Irish in their most recent match. The Oregon Ducks defeated the Beavers 31–7 in their most recent encounter. Rover will start sophomore linebacker Jaylen Sneed.

On December 29, Notre Dame will play Oregon State at the Sun Bowl in El Paso for the first time since 2010. Thanksgiving week was ruined for the No. 19 Beavers (8-4) as they concluded their regular season with a two-game losing run against top-10 opponents.

Rankings-wise, the No. 16 Irish (9-3) might not present as much of a problem. With Oregon State’s poor track record against top-25 teams, Notre Dame ought to be the favorite when kickoff occurs at 2 ET on CBS.

The Beavers’ dreams of emerging as a trendy dark horse and winning the Pac 12 were shattered by a 38-35 setback to Washington State before the end of September.

The Beavers shouldn’t anticipate many changes, even with head coach Jonathan Smith and the majority of his staff leaving for Michigan State and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei announcing his return to the transfer portal after 27 touchdowns this season.

When Notre Dame last played in the Sun Bowl, it was during Tommy Rees’s rookie year as the Irish quarterback.

The team defeated Miami 33–17 in the game, which featured snow on the field and receiver Michael Floyd as the main player in most of the highlights.