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This figured to be a mettle-testing, gut-churning, knee-quaker of an appearance.

Nevertheless, a scant three weeks after leaving his teens, DaVaris Daniels stepped onto the field at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

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Sitting in the stands, 80,120 fans.

Watching on ESPN, 26.4 million more.

At stake, only the 2013 national college championship.

That’ll rattle a kid, right?

“I don’t really get nervous too much,” says Daniels, smiling. “I’ve been playing this game since I was nine. And before that I was watching my dad” – Phillip, a 15-year defensive lineman in the NFL – “so I’ve been around it a long time. So I don’t really get too nervous. I just try to lock in on what I can do for my team.”

That day, Daniels, a sophomore, doesn’t even start for Notre Dame.

But by the buzzer – capping a 42-14 loss to Alabama – No. 10 has been responsible for 115 of the Fighting Irish’s 270 yards through the air.

“My best game of the year,” says Daniels, who pulled down six passes. “The main key? Just do what you’ve been doing and not try to do too much. Just stay locked in on the details of your game and not try to go outside your box. That’s what it comes down to – people doing their job and not letting the game get the best of them, the atmosphere and all that.