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The observer | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
LAUREN WELDON and MONICA VILLAGOMEZ MENDEZ | The Observer
By ELIZABETH GREASON Sports Editor
Jay Hayes doesn’t stop smiling. But the senior defensive lineman’s, and his self-described “big personality,” road to the top wasn’t always an easy one. Hayes came to football through his best friend after the death of his father when he was 11 years old. “I ended up playing football just from my best friend,” Hayes said. “I was dealing with my father’s death and my friend just told me, ‘You want to get your mind off that? You want to join a football team with me? ’ And like, might as well do it.” Hayes’ father, Joseph Hinds, who had been in and out of Hayes’ life, died a week after being shot. Hayes also lost his grandfa ther — with whom he was ver y close — and uncle in the same year. Hayes said the experience of losing so many male role models in such a short period of time at such a young age forced him to appreciate the other men in his life. “It just grew me to be stronger and it just grew me to understand the male figures in my life,” Hayes said. “The father figures that were coming in and out of my life through church, through football, through different coaches, through school. Take certain life nuggets from everybody. Every man that I met.” Hayes, however, lights up and breaks into a smile when talking about the women in his life — his mother and grandmother, who raised him. “They’ve just been so loving and supportive and keeping me out of trouble growing up,” he said. “They gave me all the resources that I needed to get to where I am right now and I appreciate that. “ … My role model is my mom. My mom did so much for me growing up. She did the best she could and I respect that and that means so much to me. My mom is a big part of my success.” Eventually, Hayes found himself at Poly Prep, an independent prep school in the Dyker Heights region of Brooklyn. The school is
known for its academic rigor — Hayes was forced to repeat eighth grade — and he leaned on football and his teammates. “I just had my teammates there at Poly Prep just helping me and guiding me and my coach, Coach Mangiero and a lot of good people to help me with school,” he said. “And I also had [former Notre Dame cornerback] Jesse Bongiovi right by my side, helping me.” W hile in high school, Hayes worked with the Gridiron Group in BedfordStuy vesant, Brooklyn, and his local Y MCA to give back to his community and teach local kids to play football. “We just said let’s go back to the Y MCA and take kids and help out,” Hayes said. “ … It meant a lot to learn from an NFL defensive tackle and at the same time, show my face and help other kids that were in the same position as me and that went to the same Y MCA that I went to growing up.” Upon arriving at Notre Dame, Hayes was set to redshirt his freshman year — until Sheldon Day and Jarron Jones went down to injury. Hayes was forced to burn his redshirt with three games remaining in his freshman season, picking up tackles against Louisville and LSU. “It was exciting just to get out there and play,” Hayes said. “Always, to play in a game is fun. It was a real exciting moment.” Things took a turn for Hayes the next year. He saw no game action and was moved to the scout team. In fact, he was benched for Notre Dame’s 62-27 win over UMass after apparently criticizing his coaches in a tweet. “I just learned everything that you do has a consequence and you should be mindful of the things that you do, because what you do has a consequence,” Hayes said. The lows of not playing hit Hayes hard, to the point that he seriously considered transferring. “[Sophomore year] was pretty frustrating, but at the same time, I told myself if I just keep working, something good is going to happen,”
Hayes said. “ … I mean, yeah, [I thought about transferring]. I feel like a lot of people do and I was one of those people. And I spoke to a lot of people that brought me back to my senses and said it’s just too early in my career.” The decision to stick around with the Irish has paid off for the 6-foot-4-inch, 290 pound senior. Last season, he saw action in 10 games and recorded 10 tackles. However, last season’s improvement did not leave Hayes satisfied. He was not a starter and he was splitting time. “Splitting time with players can be frustrating for players, especially for me,” Hayes said. “It was always just go to work, go to work, go to work, do my craft and keep working. And when I keep working something good is going to happen. So, it was a little frustrating. Just the season as a whole was frustrating because we were losing games, so that’s what I was more frustrated about.” This season is a different story for Hayes. He has been in his element. The defensive lineman has tallied 18 tackles so far this season, along with a sack, a fumble recovery, two passes defended and a safety. Hayes said he hasn’t changed anything this season; it’s been about continued focus for the path to success. “Just continue to watch film, attention to detail,” he said. “I’m just having fun, really, right now. I’m having fun playing real hard with my guys out there. That’s really it, just practicing and playing real hard. “It feels good. It feels real good. And I know we’re going to continue to have the success that we want if we work hard.” The major change for Hayes this season has been fitting in with a new defensive coordinator in Mike Elko. “I think I fit in real well [with Elko’s scheme], just being a physical part of the defense up front and doing a lot of the dirty work and beating up on some of the tight ends and tackles,” Hayes said. “I think I fit real well.” Hayes is one of the bestknown players off the field,
as well. He is well-known for cracking jokes and smiling continuously. “I’m always being myself. I’ve always been a big personality, I’ve always been myself,” he said. “ … I just like to be a teammate that people like to have around.” He takes pride in knowing the names of ever y player on the roster, to the point that he instituted “Know Your Teammate Tuesday,” the first iteration of which occurred Tuesday. “Yeah. I know ever ybody’s name,” he said, shaking his head as if it were obvious and laughing. “We had “Know Your Teammate Tuesday” yesterday. So, I got quizzed on that and I quizzed a few people. And some people, they need a little bit of work. They know who they are, but yeah … it started yesterday. Ever y Tuesday. Ever y Tuesday, you’d better know the name that I call. We go by last names, so you’d better know the first name. … Yeah there are consequences. People are gonna boo you. People are gonna shun you. Shame! People are gonna shame you. You’ve got to know your teammates.” Hayes, the self-described big brother of the team, said
he knows how to rally the team together and sees himself as a hype man in the locker room. “[My relationship with my teammates is] fun, it’s loving. It’s big brother-ish. It’s a funny relationship. And it’s serious,” Hayes said, smiling, as always. “W hen it’s time to work, it’s time to work. W hen it’s time to have fun, it’s time to have fun. “ … My role in the locker room is to give energ y, to make sure ever ybody is cool. Make sure ever ybody in my section is feeling good. Make sure ever ybody in my section has their stuff together, their stuff is clean. That’s my role.” W hile Hayes will graduate with a degree in film, television and theater in May, he still has another year of eligibility. However, at the moment, he isn’t sure of what his next step will be. He is simply focused on what comes tomorrow. “I’m just taking ever ything a day at a time, so whatever happens happens,” Hayes said. “Right now I’m just living a day at a time, a day at a time, a day a time, a day at a time.” Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu
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Younger players propel defense to next level By TOBIAS HOONHOUT Associate Sports Editor
For all of the hype surrounding Notre Dame’s turnaround this season, especially after the program’s biggest win over USC in 40 years, perhaps none is more warranted than that around the defense. Coming off a year that saw the Irish defensive suffer from on and off the field issues, the firing of defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder and a number of unproven freshman playing significant minutes, Notre Dame finished a mediocre 44th in total defense. The Irish allowed 175.6 yards on the ground, the most since 2007, and finished 98th in forced turnovers with 14. But through seven games this season, the transformation has been radical. Not only is Brian Kelly’s team only allowing 126.1 yards on the ground and is the only program in the country with just one rushing touchdown allowed, but Notre Dame is in the top 10 in the country in forced turnovers and fourth in turnover margin, already eclipsing last season’s total with 17 takeaways so far. For Kelly, the change starts with defensive coordinator Mike Elko. “[The] philosophical plan in the hiring of Mike Elko in terms of what he’s always been about, what we’ve really wanted to accomplish,” Kelly said. “We felt like last year, when we started to get into a deeper rotation
with players, we saw how the culture began to change within our defense in terms of camaraderie, in terms of closeness, in terms of guys being into what we’re doing on a day-to-day basis. “Part of the decision to hire Mike was, ‘How do you feel about getting guys involved in rotations?’ That was part of who he was coming up through the ranks. So this was just connecting with another philosophical alignment that we had.” Elko’s scheme calls for a simplified philosophy — attack the ball downhill, force turnovers and utilize everyone. And with after a year of being baptized through fire, many of the young players forced into action last season are really starting to come into their own. Take the game against the Trojans for example. The Irish defense had a number of performances from younger players, starting with the defensive line, where sophomores Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem combined for three sacks, and Kareem received the USC game ball after a dominant performance. At linebacker, junior Te’von Coney, who leads the team in tackles, filled in for the injured senior Greer Martini and subsequently had a sack and fumble recovery. And in the secondary, sophomores Julian Love, Devin Studstill and Jalen Elliot all showed continued improvement. The theme of rotation on defense has been a major one for the Irish
this season — Notre Dame has had 26 defensive players play in at least six games this year, and 16 different players have recorded a tackle for loss. With such a wealth of experience, Elko has had the luxury of rotating his defense consistently, and the personnel, particularly on the younger end, have responded. “We all have experience … and that’s an amazing thing to have,” Love said about the secondary. “We knew we had that in our back pocket the whole season, and now we’re getting into late in the season when we’re trying to manage reps, and Troy [Pride Jr.] has done a great job of knowing his role and coming in and doing whatever. Me, Nick [Coleman] and Shaun [Crawford], we do a great job at learning all the positions we could possibly be playing and I think it’s just knowing everything that really helps us. “We’re a great defense when we play together, and that’s the biggest thing for this game, just communicating with each other and being on the same page, identifying certain things and that’s our biggest challenge and what will lead us to success.” Irish senior linebacker and captain Drue Tranquill echoed the same sentiments, especially with Kareem’s performance against USC in recent memory. “I think you’re just seeing the depth we have on defense. I think guys are being put in positions to be most successful and Khalid is Paid Advertisement
obviously an incredible asset to us in terms of rushing the passer,” he said. “Even in his run defense, has incredibly long arms and is able to make things happen and make plays. “So we have those kinds of players all across our defense. And it’s cool to finally see those guys reap the fruits of their preparation, because those guys prepare very hard. Te’von, another guy having a huge game. “ ... And so guys just prepare really hard and it’s cool to see all those guys having success.” One of the biggest stars has been Coney, who has had a tremendous impact for the unit, despite playing behind Martini and in the same unit as Tranquill and captain Nyles Morgan. But the senior leadership has definitely paid off for Coney, who has come a long way from his arrest last fall as one of the players with former Irish safety Max Redfield. “Those guys have been through a lot here, and have lot of wisdom,” Coney said on being surrounded by his linebacker mentors. “They’ve seen a lot and done a lot. To have those guys when I need help, it just great to have those guys, and have the support people that, anytime challenges come, it makes it much easier to have those guys help you move forwards.” And while he’s still only a junior, Coney has already begun to embrace the leadership role, even
within his rotation. “He really pushes us to be better,” Love said. “During the game [this past weekend], we were up by a lot, but he was still yelling at us, saying ‘Alright let’s go, let’s get our stuff together — no let back, remember how it felt last year.’ We knew how great of a player he was, and now the world can see how great he really is.” “Everyone on the defense is important to us,” Martini said. “But a guy like Te’von, with our rotation, the three-man rotation that we’ve done the whole season, it isn’t like he hasn’t had that starting position. He might not be the first guy out there, but he’s been taking starting reps all season long, so he was ready for the moment. And that’s for us. Whether it’s Te’von or I or Nyles starting, we all kind of have had enough reps that we feel like we’re all starters.” And with a lot of talent still waiting in the pipeline, the next steps for the unit seem to only spiral upward. “The future is always bright for us, we’re living in the present, and trying to make the most out of every second here, but it shows that we have a future,” Love said. “[We have] other guys that step up in make big plays in their roles, and it’s definitely reassuring and great to see.” Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu
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The observer | FRIDAY, October 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
HEAD T
3:30 p.m. ET | Notre Dame Stadium MONICA VILLAGOMEZ MENDEZ | The Observer
WOLFPACK PASSING
WOLFPACK OFFENSIVE COACHING
North Carolina State redshirt-junior quarterback Ryan Finley has been quietly having an exceptional year leading the Wolfpack offense. The former Boise State product has yet to throw an interception this year and has passed for just under 2,000 yards and 11 touchdowns, while completing just under 70 percent of his passes. The Irish will hope to end Finley’s streak without a pick, having already recorded seven interceptions so far this season. Sixfoot-3-inch, 213-pound sophomore wide receiver Kelvin Harmon possesses the size that could potentially play to the weaknesses of the Irish secondary, however, and has already put up over 500 yards this season. Meanwhile, senior H-Back Jaylen Samuels’ unique skillset makes him a matchup nightmare for almost any defense and has helped him to 453 yards and three receiving scores this season, though senior linebacker Drue Tranquill may be as well-suited for the challenge as any defender in the nation. If Finley protects the ball as well as he has all year, the Wolfpack should have success, but the Irish may be able to make the big play.
Although he spent most of his career working on the defensive side of the ball, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren is already building an impressive list of quarterbacks who have worked under him. Northern Illinois quarterbacks Chandler Harnish and Jordan Lynch both joined the exclusive 3,000 passing yard/1,000 rushing yard clubs in Doeren’s only two seasons as the Huskies’ head coach, before Doeren moved to the Wolfpack where he coached future NFL starter Jacoby Brissett, who, like Finley, was a transfer. But Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko’s performances this season continues to cement his presence among the best coordinators in football, with holding the dangerous Trojan attack to just 14 points the latest in his line of accomplishments with an Irish defense that few expected much of this year.
EDGE: EVEN WOLFPACK RUSHING The Wolfpack rank around the middle of the nation in yards, but have scored 19 touchdowns on the ground to rank in the top 25 in the nation. Samuels is the main cause for that success around the goal line, scoring a team-leading seven touchdowns on just 31 rushing attempts. Junior running back Nyheim Hines, meanwhile, leads the team in rushing, with 648 yards on 116 attempts. The Irish run defense continued its success this year against the Trojans, limiting a rushing attack led by junior running back Ronald Jones II to just 76 yards on the ground and under 2.5 yards per attempt. It marked the third consecutive game in which the Irish have held their opponents to under four yards per attempt and brought the Irish run defense to an average of 126 yards per game and 3.6 yards per attempt. The Irish have also proven extremely adept at forcing and recovering fumbles, ranking third in the nation and first among Power-5 teams with 1.4 defensive fumble recoveries per game.
EDGE: EVEN
no. 14 nc state
MONICA VILLAGOMEZ MENDEZ | The Observer
(Fr.) Emeka Emezie 86
LT LG C RG RT
(R-Jr.) Tyler Jones 53 (Gr.) Peter Daniel 64
(Jr.) Nyheim
Hines
7
(Jr.) Reggie Gallaspy II 25
(R-Jr.) Ryan Finley 15 (R-Jr.) Jalan McClendon
2
(Sr.) Jaylen Samuels 1
(R-Fr.) Dylan Parham 28
RB QB HB
(R-Jr.) Terronne Prescod
70
(R-Fr.) Joe Sculthorpe 71
(R-Jr.) Garret Bradbury 65 (R-Fr.) Joe Sculthorpe 71
(Sr.) Tony Adams 50 (Fr.) Josh Fedd-Jackson 66
(R-Jr.) Will Richardson 54 (R-Fr.) Justin Witt 67
(R-So.) Jakobi
Meyers
(R-Sr.) Gavin Locklear
(So.) Kelvin
EDGE: NOTRE DAME WOLFPACK SPECIAL TEAMS North Carolina State graduate student kicker Carson Wise has struggled greatly this year, his first in Division I after moving as a graduate transfer, making only six out of 11 kicks and missing two of 32 extra points. Wise hit a 48-yarder against Syracuse, but that remains his only successful kick from beyond 31 yards. After five games with almost no Irish punt return game to start the season, junior receiver and punt returner Chris Finke built on a successful game against North Carolina with 34 yards on three returns against the Trojans, boosting his average to five yards per return this season. Although the Wolfpack should come out on top in the punting game, the lack of a reliable kicker could be costly.
WR
(R-Jr.) Stephen Louis 12
11 6
WR
Harmon
(So.) Nick McCloud 21 (R-Fr.) Bryce Banks 20
(So.) Tim Kidd-Glass 34 (R-Jr.) Dexter Wright 14
(Sr.) Airius Moore 58
FS
WR
3
(R-Fr.) C.J. Riley 19
(R-Jr.) Germaine Pratt 3
CB
WILL
(Sr.) Kentavius Street 35 (Jr.) Darian Roseboro 45
(R-Sr.) Jerod Fernandez 4
(Fr.) Louis Acceus 10
(Sr.) B.J. Hill
MLB
98
(R-Fr.) Shug Frazier 90
(Sr.) Justin Jones 27 (Jr.) Eurndraus Bryant 91
(R-So.) Jarius Morehead 31 (R-Fr.) Isaiah Stallings 22
(Sr.) Bradley Chubb 9
SS
(R-So.) James Smith-Williams 39
(Sr.) Shawn Boone 24 (R-Jr.) Stephen Morrison 13
Nickel
(R-Sr.) Johnathan Alston 5
EDGE: NOTRE DAME
DE DT DT DE
(Sr.) Mike Stevens 2
CB
WOLFPACK SCHEDULE (6-1, 4-0 ACC) Sept. 2 South Carolina (L 35-28) Sept. 9 Marshall (W 37-20) Sept. 16 Furman (W 49-16) Sept. 23 @ Florida State (W 27-21) Sept. 30 Syracuse (W 33-25) Oct. 7 @ Louisville (W 33-25) Oct. 14 @ Pittsburgh (W 35-17) Oct. 28 @Notre Dame Nov. 4 Clemson Nov. 11 @ Boston College Nov. 18 @Wake Forest Nov. 25 North Carolina
(R-Gr.) Carson Wise 38 (Jr.) Kyle Bambard 92
(Jr.) A.J. Cole III 90 (Fr.) Niah Giroux 93
(Jr.) Nyheim
Hines
(Sr.) Jaylen Samuels
7 1
PK P PR
(Jr.) A.J. Cole III 90 (R-Jr.) Woody Cornwell 14
(Jr.) Nyheim (Jr.) Tyler
Ben Padanilam
Marek Mazurek
Elizabeth Greason
Editor-in-Chief
Assistant Managing Editor
Sports Editor
Last week, Notre Dame had the perfect matchup, and it took advantage of it by blowing USC out. This week, the Irish have a much more difficult matchup. NC State has arguably the best front seven in the country, led by future Sunday star Bradley Chubb. Its offense is balanced, throwing for 290 yards a game and rushing for another 177. And its greatest weapon against a defense that thrives and even depends on turnovers? A veteran quarterback in Ryan Finley, who is the the only signal caller in the country not to throw an interception this season. The comparison with Georgia is a good one — this Wolfpack team might not be as talented, but they’ve been essentially as effective. And it’s a matchup that could trip up an Irish team still thinking of last Saturday. FINAL SCORE: NC State 31, Notre Dame 24
Something has to give. North Carolina State’s strengths are stopping the run and not turning the ball over. Notre Dame’s strengths are taking the ball away and running all day, every day. On paper, this should be a close one. But after a blowout win over USC, Brian Kelly has his squad out for blood . The Irish jumped out to a fast start last week, and they’ll do it again, forcing the Wolfpack into obvious passing situations. Much has been made of Ryan Finley and his consistency, but Notre Dame’s defense will be the toughest NC State has faced so far this year, with a pass rush strong enough to frazzle Finley. Brandon Wimbush has been very close on many of his downfield passes, and this Saturday is when he’ll start to connect with his receivers. FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 35, NC State 20
Hines
7
Griffiths
57
(Sr.) Jaylen Samuels
1
(R-Fr.) Jackson Quiggle 50
H KR LS
The Irish proved they are a national threat once again with their dominant victory over USC last week. However, it could prove difficult for the now-No. 9 squad to keep its focus on this week’s game against NC State after such an important rivalry game. But if Notre Dame can buckle down and get back to work this week, it should be able to handle the No. 14 Wolfpack. North Carolina State will play much like Georgia with a few more weaknesses. And a much more inexperienced Notre Dame team only fell to Georgia by one point in Week 2 of the season. With four healthy running backs alongside a more confident Brandon Wimbush, the Irish will be able to overcome the strong Wolfpack front seven in a close game in Notre Dame’s favor. FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 27, NC State 24
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ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, October 27, 2017 | The Observer
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O HEAD on NBC
no. 9 Notre Dame
IRISH PASSING
CB
Julian Love (So.) 20
27
Shaun Crawford (Jr.)
WILL DE DT DT DE
48
Greer Martini (Sr.)
4 Te’von Coney (Jr.)
Andrew Trumbetti (Sr.)
Jonathan Bonner(Sr.)
55
95 Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (Fr.)
Jerry Tillery (Jr.)
99
MLB
5
21
Jalen Elliott (So.)
14 Devin Studstill (So.)
Nyles Morgan (Sr.)
44 Jamir Jones (So.)
41 Kurt Hinish (Fr.)
Daelin Hayes (So.)
9
S
98 Andrew Trumbetti (Sr.)
Rover CB
S
Jay Hayes (Sr.) 98
93
7
23
24
Nick Coleman (Jr.)
17 Isaiah Robertson (Fr.)
Drue Tranquill (Sr.)
22 Asmar Bilal (Jr.)
Nick Watkins (Sr.)
8 Donte Vaughn (So.)
WR WR
Equanimeous St. Brown (Jr.)
6
81 Miles Boykin (Jr.)
RT RG C LG LT TE WR
H KR LS
83
Chase Claypool (So.)
10 Chris Finke (Jr.)
Tommy Kraemer (So.)
78
72 Robert Hainsey (Fr.)
Alex Bars (Sr.)
71
70 Hunter Bivin (Gr.)
53
Sam Mustipher (Sr.)
57 Trevor Ruhland (Jr.)
RB QB
33
Josh Adams (Jr.) Brandon Wimbush (Jr.)
12 Ian Book (So.)
Quenton Nelson (Sr.)
56
76 Josh Lugg (Fr.)
Mike McGlinchey (Gr.)
68
74 Liam Eichenberg (So.)
80
Durham Smythe (Gr.)
86 Alize Mack (Jr.)
29
Kevin Stepherson (So.)
15 Cam Smith (Gr.)
4
Montgomery VanGorder (Sr.)
85 Tyler Newsome (Sr.)
3
C.J. Sanders (Jr.)
34 Tony Jones Jr. (So.)
54
John Shannon (So.)
82 Nic Weishar (Sr.)
PK P PR
19
Justin Yoon (Jr.)
39 Jonathan Doerer (Fr.)
85
Tyler Newsome (Sr.)
42 Jeff Riney (Jr.)
10
Chris Finke (Jr.)
3 C.J. Sanders (Jr.)
Notre Dame vs. Temple
Tobias Hoonhout
Daniel O’Boyle
Associate Sports Editor
Sports Writer
While the Irish beat rival USC, North Carolina State looms as a perfect trap game. Brian Kelly’s team may have matched up incredibly well against the Trojans, but that won’t be the case with the Wolfpack. Much like Georgia, NC State has a terrific run defense and a lot of experience on both sides of the ball, and it will be telling to see if the Irish have the talent to overcome a battle in the trenches. This one will be tight, which is disconcerting considering the sole Notre Dame loss this season has been in a close game. But the Irish and Brandon Wimbush have matured exponentially since the Week 2 loss to the Bulldogs, and I think they have the talent to grind out a victory that may help a lot with Notre Dame’s mental toughness. FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 24, NC State 20
Although junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush completed barely over 40 percent of his passes, the Irish aerial attack had arguably its best game of the season against USC, as Wimbush threw the first two touchdowns of the game and head coach Brian Kelly credited the Irish deep passing early on with opening up the ground game for the remainder of the contest. The Wolfpack, meanwhile, have allowed 287 yards per game, placing them in the bottom 10 in the nation, but do allow a completion percentage of below 58. In addition, the Wolfpack have given up only 10 passing touchdowns this year, and only seven in their last six games, while picking off six passes. Wolfpack senior defensive end Bradley Chubb could be among the biggest threats to the Irish attack, and preventing him from adding to his total of 6.5 sacks on the year will be a key for the Irish offensive line. Wimbush may get his opportunities to make downfield passes, and if he takes advantage as he did against USC, the Irish should be in a very strong position. But the Irish quarterback’s accuracy is still too big a concern.
EDGE: NORTH CAROLINA STATE
34 Tony Jones Jr. (So.)
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ANN CURTIS | The Observer
MONICA VILLAGOMEZ MENDEZ | The Observer
IRISH RUSHING With 317.9 yards per game on the ground, including 377 against USC last week, the Irish run game looks capable of handling almost any opponent. The Irish rank sixth in the nation in rushing yards, behind only Arizona and four triple-option teams. In rushing touchdowns, the Irish fare even better with 28, putting them in a tie for first place in the nation in rushing touchdowns per game. But this unstoppable force may face an immovable object in the Wolfpack run defense. North Carolina State ranks sixth in the nation in rushing yards allowed, with 91.3 yards per game on just 3.04 yards per attempt, and have allowed only six rushing touchdowns, including holding Lamar Jackson’s dynamic Louisville ground attack to just 4 yards per attempt. Chubb has been a presence against the run as well as the
The Wolfpack’s strengths line up almost perfectly with the Irish, boasting a top-10 run defense and an offense that has proven adept at avoiding mistakes and turnovers. That may draw comparisons to Georgia, who gave the Irish their only defeat of the year. But the Bulldogs are just a better team than the Wolfpack, yet they still only beat the Irish by a solitary point. The Irish run defense should be able to be more effective than they were when they faced seniors Nick Chubb and Sony Michel in Week 2, while Wimbush may be better equipped to deal with the Wolfpack’s weaker passing attack if the run game is shut down again. The Irish have yet to win a close game this year, but that may change this week. FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 27, NC State 21
pass this year, with a team-leading total of 13 tackles of loss.
EDGE: EVEN IRISH OFFENSIVE COACHING When Notre Dame and the Wolfpack met last year, Brian Kelly’s playcalling was heavily criticized after the Irish attempted to pass during hurricane conditions. But after putting playcalling into the hands of new offensive coordinator Chip Long, Kelly’s team has improved vastly offensively, mostly thanks to its dominant ground game. However, against Georgia, the best run defense the Irish played this year, the Irish struggled to adapt. Given the Wolfpack’s record against the run, Long will have to do better this time out.
EDGE: EVEN IRISH SPECIAL TEAMS .Junior kicker Justin Yoon did not attempt a field goal against the Trojans, keeping him at 7-of-10 for the season. In kickoffs, however, Yoon continues to improve at forcing touchbacks and limiting returns. Senior punter Tyler Newsome landed a punt out of bounds at the 1-yard line against the Trojans, his second punt to the one in two games, while another punt inside the 10-yard line was fumbled by USC’s Jones. If Newsome has added accurate pinning ability to his already-proven leg strength, he can be considered among the best punters in the nation. Hines handles returns for the Wolfpack, and although he has gained only 23.4 yards on kick returns, he has a 17.1 yard punt return average.
EDGE: EVEN IRISH SCHEDULE (6-1) Sept. 2 Temple (W 49-16) Sept. 9 Georgia (L 20-19) Sept. 16 @ Boston College (W 49-20) Sept. 23 @ Michigan State (W 38-18) Sept. 30 Miami (OH) (W 52-17) Oct. 7 @ North Carolina (W 33-10) Oct. 21 USC (W 49-14) Oct. 28 North Carolina State Nov. 4 Wake Forest Nov. 11 @ Miami (FL) Nov. 18 Navy Nov. 25 @ Stanford
Follow Observer Sports on Twitter for live updates and analysis during the game this weekend and all season long. @ObserverSports
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The observer | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Irish, Wolfpack pit strength against strength By DANIEL O’BOYLE Sports Writer
Unstoppable force, meet immovable object. Notre Dame’s (6-1) rushing attack has inarguably been among the best in the nation this year. Led by junior running back Josh Adams and a team of elite offensive linemen, the Irish have rushed for 317.9 yards per game, good for sixth in the nation. But against North Carolina State (6-1, 4-0 ACC), that may not be so easy. The Wolfpack have allowed a mere 91.3 yards per game on the ground this year, which — as it happens — also ranks them sixth in the nation. The Wolfpack front seven now has a chance to prove itself against the most prolific rushing offense they will have faced all year. Adams said he understands the challenge he’s going against, but believes the Irish ground attack can come out on top as long as they keep to their own game. “They have a lot of energy on the defensive side of things,” Adams said. “They fly around. They’re pretty sure tacklers. But again, none of that is really too much of a concern for us because it’s more important of
focusing on our side of things. Although we had a great game last week, it wasn’t a perfect game. And that’s something that we’re still chasing as a team is trying to have that perfect game. “So as an offense, we’re going to do better on things that we may have lacked, and we’re going to try to build on things that we have some success on. So we’re constantly trying to get better and improve as an offense and we’re going to continue to do that throughout practice.” Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren expressed a similar sentiment about his own team playing their game against the Irish rushing attack, and had praise specifically for the way Irish head coach Brian Kelly drastically changed the Irish offense to play to the strengths of junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush. “We just line up, whoever they put on the schedule, we’re going to give them everything we’ve got,” Doeren said. “As far as what are they doing better than last year, they’re running the football and they believe in running the football. A year ago they were more of a passing football team with Kizer at quarterback. I think [Kelly’s]
using his personnel well. I think he’s got an excellent offensive line and a big running back and big tight ends. What they’re doing really fits their personnel, and they’re doing it well and they believe in it.” But the run game isn’t the only place where the strengths of the Irish and Wolfpack line up. On the other side of the ball, the Irish have forced 17 turnovers this year, placing the Irish in the top 10 in the nation in takeaways per game. But this week, they will face a quarterback who has yet to throw an interception this season in Ryan Finley, whose streak of passes without being picked off totals 313 and stretches back to a contest against Miami last season. The Wolfpack have only turned the ball over a total of three times, the least in the nation. Kelly said Finley’s ability to avoid mistakes makes him an excellent leader of the Wolfpack attack. Even if he isn’t known for making the biggest plays. “I think the best way to talk about them is starting with their quarterback,” Kelly said. “No interceptions on the season, hasn’t thrown an interception I think since Miami of last year. Finley is very smart, knows the Paid Advertisement
system, a veteran quarterback. He knows exactly what his offensive coordinator wants from him. Just does a really good job of taking care of the football. Very smart. “They do a great job of holding onto the football, sustaining drives and scoring. I think they average 3.2 points per possession, which is really, really good. So they’ve got a number of weapons on offense.” If those similarities in strengths weren’t enough, the Wolfpack bring one more. While Irish linebacker Drue Tranquill has been integral to the Irish defense in the Rover role, combining safety and linebacker roles to impact the game in a variety of different manners, the Wolfpack bring a rare matchup problem in H-Back Jaylen Samuels. Samuels is second on the Wolfpack with 453 receiving yards and is tied for first in the team in receiving touchdowns with three, but has also been a rushing threat, especially around the goal-line. Samuels has scored 7 rushing touchdowns this year on just 31 attempts, as well as running for 191 yards. Tranquill said it can be extremely difficult to prepare before the snap when a player has Samuels’ versatility.
“He’ll do everything,” Tranquill said. “He’ll line up in slot, line up receiver line up in the backfield. I think he allows him to do a lot of things in terms of the trades, the motions the getting in different formations. He’s definitely a challenge. He’s everything we talk about in terms of gritty in terms of being a gritty football player. He makes plays happen for the offense and provides a dynamic aspect to them. “I think when you can line a player up in multiple different spots on the field and create mismatches, you know, he’s a guy who maybe is slightly undersized at the tight end position but has the speed, the agility to be a mismatch on your interior linebackers. So when you can line them up at 3 and teams don’t necessarily know: Do we call this 11 personnel, do we call this 10 personnel how do we best match our personnel on the field? So they can put him in there and he can still block and they can still run the ball, but they can also get an aerial attack and attack you downfield. So it just creates mismatches, I think.” Contact Daniel O’Boyle at doboyle1@nd.edu
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Irish key in on secondary Stop the playoff talk for upcoming weekend for time being By MAREK MAZUREK Assistant Managing Editor
No. 9 Notre Dame’s 49-14 blowout win over No. 21 USC was a big one for the program in more ways than one. The victory vaulted the Irish to a top-10 spot in the AP poll and returned the Jeweled Shillelagh to the Notre Dame trophy room. But the win over the Trojans also came during the biggest recruiting weekend of the year for Notre Dame, and the big win had a big impact on a few key recruits, Blue and Gold Illustrated recruiting analyst David McKinney said. “Something I mentioned last week, three big kids from California were coming in, and two of whom were considering USC as their favorite in AmonRa St. Brown and Solomon Tuliaupupu,” McKinney said. “I think it made a big impression on those guys, Amon-Ra for sure being one. It definitely helps. “Having that many big name guys in town and winning in such a convincing fashion like that is always a good thing.” Some concrete proof of last Saturday’s success was the commitment of Rivals.com two-star safety Paul Moala. Moala, who attends Penn High School in
Mishawaka, announced his commitment via Twitter on Sunday. McKinney said Moala’s biggest asset is speed. “I think he’s going to be a safety,” McKinney said. “He’s got really good size and speed. He really stuck out at Irish Invasion. I know he ran a real fast 40 [yard dash]. He stuck out and got the coaching staff’s attention. I think he has the chance to be a really good player. Obviously Mishawaka, Indiana isn’t a national hotbed for recruiting so maybe he’s a little under the radar. But Notre Dame caught on to him, really liked him and made a push for him.” Moala is the first member of the 2018 class to hail from Indiana and will be the first Penn High School graduate to play football for the Irish since offensive lineman Braxston Cave, who started at Notre Dame during the 2012 championship season. Though Moala will strengthen Notre Dame’s class at safety, neither he nor Florida safety target Avonta Crim — who received an offer from Notre Dame over the weekend — is likely to switch over to cornerback at Notre Dame, according to McKinney. To fill their need at the position, McKinney said the Irish will look to a pair of cornerbacks coming in for official visits this weekend. Paid Advertisement
Rivals.com four-star prospects Alontae Taylor and Noah Boykin are intriguing as they have already committed to Tennessee and Maryland respectively, but both have recently received offers from Notre Dame. “Alontae Taylor is a cornerback, he committed to Tennessee,” McKinney said. “Obviously a position of need, that’s something to keep an eye on. He’s still committed, he’s just taking a visit so we’ll see what happens. “And then Noah Boykin is a four-star cornerback. He’s committed to Maryland, from Washington D.C., Woodson High School. He’ll be in town, so two big four-star cornerbacks who are committed elsewhere coming to check out Notre Dame. I think that’s certainly noteworthy.” Taylor especially has received interest from top programs as of late, as Tennessee’s season has gone downhill and head coach Butch Jones remains on the hot seat. McKinney, however, said that while many Tennessee commits may explore their options, it’s unlikely that a sizable contingent of Tennessee commits change their minds and go elsewhere. Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu
Ben Padanilam Editor-in-Chief
“Notre Dame jumps into national championship discussion.” “Notre Dame is back in the College Football Playoff race.” “Notre Dame, the team everyone loves to hate, can disrupt the CFP.” All week, these headlines — and others just like them — could be found on just about every major sports media platform. Blowing out a rival like thenNo. 11 USC at home will have that effect. And it vaulted Notre Dame back into the country’s elite, pushing them into the top 10 of the AP poll and, had they have been released, likely the CFP committee’s top-10 rankings as well. Do you know when Notre Dame was last in the top 10 of any poll? The AP preseason top-25 poll for 2016. And we all remember how that turned out. Expectations are a funny thing. They offer you something to aim for, day to day, week to week. But if you set those expectations high enough, you quickly run out of room for error. And if you fall short? Well, that’s what you would categorize as failure. Last year, Notre Dame entered the season with top-10 expectations. And it fell short of them, losing in its first game of the season and disqualifying itself from redemption by the end of the season’s third week. And day to day, week to week, the Irish carried that failure with them — losing eight games, including seven by one possession (though only one by one point, mind you). Yet, just one season later, the Irish find themselves facing top-10 expectations yet again, this time starting in the season’s ninth week. Blowing out a rival like thenNo. 11 USC at home will have that effect. But that effect brings a new challenge. The Irish are now very much in the national spotlight garnering playoff consideration just a week ahead of the release of the season’s first CFP rankings. Junior running back Josh Adams’ Heisman candidacy captures this point well: after playing well all season and largely seeing that success fly under the radar, there’s no hiding from the expectations now. And that’s something they haven’t dealt with all season thus far. So all the playoff chatter, all the Adams’s for Heisman talk, all the praise of the return of Notre Dame football to its glory would probably be best if it were put on hold. At least for this week. At least until they’ve actually played with the expectations they now carry, especially against this
NC State team. The Irish will be riding high following the most significant win any player on their roster has experienced. But the 14th-ranked Wolfpack cannot be overlooked, even slightly. For they present the toughest matchup Notre Dame has faced this season. It’s well known that NC State’s run defense is ranked No. 6 in the country, making it the best group Notre Dame has faced since it took on the No. 4 such defense in Georgia — which of course, the Irish struggled to run the ball against and lost. And Wolfpack senior defensive end Bradley Chubb — who will in all likelihood be one of the first players off the draft board come April — has the ability to make either Irish offensive tackle look the way graduate student left tackle Mike McGlinchey did on the final Irish offensive play in that loss: helpless. But perhaps overlooked about this Wolfpack team is its offensive capabilities. It might not have the star power of a Georgia, but this will be the best offensive team Notre Dame has faced all season. The Wolfpack rank 24th in the nation in total offense and 24th in passing efficiency and yardage per game. And their balanced, passing for 290 yards a game while rushing for another 177. Additionally, Notre Dame’s defense has depended on its ability to force turnovers this season, and they face a team that has only lost three fumbles this year — a top20 mark in the country — and a signal caller who is the only quarterback in the country without an interception this season. Many people have written or said that Notre Dame’s season truly started last week when it started the second half of its schedule with its first ranked foe since the Georgia game in USC. But they’re wrong. Saturday’s game will truly tell the country and any playoff what we this Notre Dame team is made of. It will be the true starting point of any discussion that includes “playoff” and Notre Dame in the same sentence. Because it will be the first game the Irish play with those expectations hanging over them this season — really, the first game they’ve played with those expectations since year’s disastrous season. It will be the last step to putting last season completely behind them. And that’s why Saturday’s game will be the biggest game of Notre Dame’s season. Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu The opinions in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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