The 2019 edition of the Camping World Bowl saw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2) take on the Iowa State Cyclones (7-5) at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Led by senior QB Ian Book, the Fighting Irish showed Orlando why they’re a perennial powerhouse, topping the Cyclones 33-9. Notre Dame surrendered no touchdowns in the win.
The star of the Notre Dame receiving core was Abbotsford, BC native Chase Claypool, who finished with 146 yards, one receiving TD and one fumble recovery, his second of the season. The MVP performance put Claypool past the 1000 yard mark on the season as his tenure at Notre Dame comes to a close. Claypool now aims to take his place among the limited number of Canadians in the NFL.
Fighting Irish QB Ian Book threw an impressive 247 yards, going 20 for 28, with one throwing touchdown. Notre Dame’s offensive line held their own, yielding only one sack. Iowa State QB Brock Purdy threw for 222 yards, going 17 for 30, but couldn’t get the offence moving, scoring zero touchdowns for the game, with all nine points coming courtesy of kicker Connor Assalley.
On the defensive side, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah lead the game with three sacks and eight tackles. Iowa State’s leading defender was Ohio native Mike Rose, with 6.5 tackles, one of which was a sack.
In a postgame interview, Chase Claypool, the lone Canadian to take the field, told SHIFTER how proud he was to be from Canada. The Citrus Bowl, set for New Years Day between Michigan and Alabama, will also have its share of Canadian content in Luiji Vilain of Ottawa, Mahdi Hazime of Toronto, and John Metchie III of Brampton.
Photos and game recap by Reuben Polansky
