Notre Dame’s defense drew rave reviews for stifling one of the nation’s premier rushing attacks Saturday.

Georgia Tech’s vaunted option machine met its match in South Bend. The Fighting Irish bottled the Rambling Wreck up until the waning moments en route to a 30-22 triumph.

Notre Dame must now prepare for an a aerial assault. It comes in the form of UMass quarterback Blake Frohnapfel. The 6 ft. 6 senior is one of the nation’s most prolific passers and one who boasts Ohio Valley roots.

Moreover, Frohnapfel is backed up by former Weirton Madonna star Ross Comis.

The Minutemen, members of the Mid-American Conference, are 0-2, coming off a heartbreaking 25-23 loss to Temple, an undefeated team that soundly defeated Penn State earlier this season. UMass lost to Colorado in week 1.

Despite the two reversals, Frohnapfel – a first-team all-MAC honoree a year ago – has put up huge numbers this September. He has completed 49-of-89 passes for 618 yards and four TDs.

Frohnapfel originally signed at Marshall along with his twin brother, Eric, who enjoyed a stellar career as a Thundering Herd tight end. He matriculated to UMass with two years of eligibility remaining after earning his undergraduate degree from Marshall in May of 2014.

The Frohnapfel twins are the sons of Steve Frohnapfel, a Colerain native. Steve earned all-Ohio honors as a tight end for St. John Central in 1978. He helped the Fighting Irish of Coach Ty Fleming post a 7-3 record.

That season marked the final time St. John’s would ever beat Guernsey Street rival Bellaire in football. The losses came at the hands of 9-1 Bridgeport, coached by Dave Bruney; Cadiz, which featured legendary Jay Peterson; and a two-point setback at Martins Ferry, a setback which kept the Irish out of the state playoffs.

The elder Frohnapfel was also a stellar hoopster, also coached by Fleming.

Blake, who packs 238 pounds on his elongated frame, posted huge passing numbers for the Minutemen a year ago. He completed 241-of-437 tosses for 3,345 yards and 23 TDs, while only being picked 10 times.

Frohnapfel led the MAC in passing yards per game, total offense and completions per game. He surpassed the 300-yard passing mark on five occasions.

Despite his passing prowess, UMass ended with a 3-9 record and a 3-5 MAC ledger.

Frohnapfel’s banner year in 2014 earned him much pre-season recognition. He was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Watch List (an award that goes to the nation’s top QB) as well as the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List (an award which honors the combination of community service, athletic success and academic achievement.)

Not that any added incentive is needed when playing Notre Dame, the talented signal-caller does take on a little extra meaning, courtesy of his father.

“It definitely will be a great experience. My dad was a big Notre Dame fan, so I was too by default,” Frohnapfel said during the MAC Media Day. “It’s a historic university and historic stadium to play in. Our guys will be ready.”

Frohnapfel is not only a star on the gridiron. He is a standout in the academic realm. He was named All-MAC Academic Team and Distinguished MAC Scholar-Athlete.

The talented QB is on track to earn his master of business administration and sports management degrees while owning a 3.8 GPA. He is held in such high regard that he was named to a committee to help selected the new UMass athletic director.

Before accepting his scholarship to Marshall, Frohnapfel had offers from WVU, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.

Comis, meanwhile, is a redshirt freshman. He saw time against Colorado, competing 4-of-8 passes for 25 yards. He ran once for 9 yards.

As a senior at Madonna, Comis led the Blue Dons to a 14-0 state championship campaign. As a prepster, he accounted for 9,255 total yards and 121 total touchdowns.

Comis was a two-time first-team all-state gridder and was a finalist for the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year award. He also helped Madonna win a state baseball crown.

Kapral may be reached at bkpral@timesleaderonline.com