Notre Dame Football: Chris Finke was Offensive Player of the Game vs. USC

Notre Dame football got a huge performance from Chris Finke on Saturday.

This game always seems to add stress to Notre Dame football fans, whether it’s a mid-season matchup or the regular season finale. But this year had a little bit more importance with the Irish aiming for an undefeated regular season. The Irish were able to accomplish that, but it wasn’t an easy task — especially since a lot of people were expecting this to be easier than in years past.

I will lump it all together and say that the first half of the game offensively and defensively is not what anyone expected from the Irish. They just didn’t seem up for the game, which is crazy with what was a stake.

The one guy who really kept the Irish in the game for the first half — until the Irish woke up coming out from halftime — was wide receiver Chris Finke. The slot receiver showed up big for the offense.

As a result, Saturday night’s Slap the Sign player of the game was the slippery fox himself, Chris Finke.

Finke had seven catches for 86 yards and a huge touchdown before heading into the half, which was a beautiful 24-yard over-the-shoulder catch with a toe tap at the goal line to get in the end-zone. You also can’t forget how solid Finke has been on punt returns all season, and he made all the right decisions on special teams Saturday night.

Now that the Irish have accomplished their regular-season goal of finishing undefeated, the staff and players should turn the page quickly, with what looks like Clemson, Alabama and possibly even Georgia waiting in the College Football Playoff. It looks like Clemson is a safe bet to play the Irish in the semifinal, but chaos isn’t out of the question with the conference championships coming up.

The Irish need to heal up and get mentally prepared. It’ll be a massive test for Notre Dame football — particularly the offense.