Notre Dame vs. Oregon State score, takeaways: Fighting Irish throttle shorthanded Beavers in Sun Bowl

No. 16 Notre Dame capped its 2023 season with a dominant 40-8 win against No. 19 Oregon State in the 90th annual Sun Bowl. Friday’s result was rarely in question. The Fighting Irish took a 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game and went to the locker room at the half up 14-0. Oregon State, meanwhile, didn’t score until the final six minutes of the fourth quarter. 

By then, Notre Dame had increased its point total to 33. The Irish defense put on a masterclass against a severely shorthanded Beavers squad, holding Oregon State to just 197 total yards, including just 3 yards rushing on 14 attempts. 

Oregon State had just one play in Notre Dame territory in the first half: A Hail Mary attempt that was intercepted by Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison as time expired. It took the Beavers four drives and more than 20 minutes to cross midfield again. 

Irish quarterback Steve Angeli got the first start of his career following Sam Hartman’s decision to opt out and made the most of his opportunity. The coaching staff didn’t put too much on Angeli’s shoulders, but he completed 14 of his 18 pass attempts for 212 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 27 yards. 

CBS Sports was with you for the entire 2023 Sun Bowl. Read on below for takeaways from the game.