SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 14: Bo Bauer #52 and teammates of the of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish enter the stadium prior the game against the New Mexico Lobos at Notre Dame Stadium on September 14, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Despite the blowout loss on Saturday, one player appeared to give his all for Notre Dame.

There weren’t many positives from Saturday nights meltdown, losing 45-14 on a wet night in the Big House. The team as a whole was a no show in a huge rivalry game which absolutely makes zero sense. They got dominated physically, emotionally, and mentally, and it wasn’t even close. This isn’t a fun week for Notre Dame fans and I guarantee it’s worse for the coaches and players — which I don’t think a lot of people realize or are taking into account. It will most certainly be the toughest week of the year.

As for the game, there was one player that really showed some pride, physicality, and some heart for all four quarters, and that’s the reason he’s the unsung hero from Saturday night.

Linebacker and special teams star Bo Bauer is the unsung hero.

Bauer would have had the play of the game with an early punt block, which could have been a major momentum swing. Instead, it ended up back in Michigan’s hands after a brain freeze from Jonathan Jones, who tried to grab and scoop the blocked punt.

Bo ended up getting some playing time at linebacker as well and tallied three tackles — two were solo tackles and the blocked punt.

Bauer’s name is being made on special teams, where he could easily be one of the best special team players in recent memory and a huge asset for that group. He goes unnoticed most of the time, but really brings the juice each and every week. He made his presence known, not just on the block, but the entire night on special teams.

Bauer was one of a handful players that seemed to stay the course, play to their standard, and just play physical.

I don’t know how the rest of the season will unfold to be quite honest. Will the team fold and completely throw in the towel? Will they man up and realize it’s more than just this season they’re playing for and that they still have an opportunity to flip the script a little and win double digit games?

Who really knows.

But I do know that a healthy Bo Bauer will not disappoint and his enthusiasm and physicality will be on display each and every time he steps on the field. That’s what we all should want to see from him and from the team as a whole moving forward. Bo Bauer earned and deserved the unsung hero award this week, and definitely is someone that needs more recognition moving forward.