Print Edition of the Irish Insider for Friday, November 4, 2016

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Insider

The observer | FRiday, November 4, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

By BEN PADANILAM Associate Sports Editor

“It was awful.”

The date was August 14, 2015.

Notre Dame was in the middle of an 11-on-11 drill during a Friday practice before the season opener when one of the players in the drill fell and rolled up into the legs of a player standing on the side, resulting in a freak injury.

The player down? Then-senior defensive lineman Jarron Jones.

Following a 2014 season that ended with his suffering a Lisfranc injury and missing the final two games of the year, Jones missed all of spring practice. After months away from the game he loves, he finally found his way back on to the field and was gearing up for the 2015 season. But the torn MCL changed all that.

“I missed playing football — [sitting out the season] really showed me how much I love football because being without it was awful,” Jones said Wednesday. “I found myself very down a lot just not being out there and sitting on the sideline, especially when guys were going through adverse situations. And then away games were even worse because I was watching the game on TV [since] I wasn’t able to travel, so having to deal with that was just a problem itself.”

But that didn’t keep the Rochester, New York, native down for long. Despite another lengthy recovery that would span several months, Jones continued to push himself as hard as possible to rejoin the Irish. And when he finally did return for the team’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State at the end of that season, Jones had learned a lot about himself.

“It just taught me to stay the path and not give up on myself,” Jones. “And then it also taught me some things I didn’t know about myself. I was able to recover and then come back. It took a while, but I’m still able to be the player I’m capable of being. So going through that and being disciplined enough to — there were

times were I felt that I could do things I wasn’t supposed to do, but choosing not to and just having faith in my trainers and being disciplined, it taught me a lot.

And now I’m back and better than ever.”

That learning process matured Jones. He graduated that spring and would be able to spend his final year of eligibility focusing on and devoting himself to the thing he loved most: football. And the difference that made wasn’t lost on those watching him come to work day in and day out, as they have seen him take his play to the next level.

“I think more than anything else it’s the consistency that he’s lacked that he’s bringing to his preparation,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said of Jones on Sunday. “[He’s] a lot more focused in the way he comes to practice. … He’s much more mature and professional in the way he’s coming to handle his work and his preparation.”

The impact of this change wasn’t lost on Jones either. He hasn’t changed what he’s done, but without the responsibilities of class, he’s been able to to welcome the new responsibilities that come with being a graduate of the University and one of the team’s elder statesmen.

“I feel old knowing that I have a degree,” Jones said Wednesday. “I don’t have class — I have different responsibilities now being here. … I do have a dog, so trying to take care of her. Just doing other stuff, preparing my house before my parents and family come down … just different things. Being a leader in the locker room because I am one of the older guys now, so having to drag the young kids along because, normally, that wasn’t my job so now this year it is being one of the older ones and one of the guys they look up to. It’s different responsibilities, but it’s kind of the same thing: Just living life and doing me.”

And by accepting these new responsibilities, Jones has seen his understanding of leadership and

what it requires change over the course of this season.

“When the time calls, I’m willing to step up and be a leader for the guys, offer some words of inspiration [and] stuff like that,” Jones said Oct. 26 as Notre Dame prepared to take on Miami. “ …

Especially this year, I just kind of feel like ‘I’m the oldest guy on the team, I have to say something. I hope these guys listen to me.’ But when these guys listen to me, it let’s me know I am capable of being a leader, I am capable of leading these guys and these guys do look up to me. And once I realized that, I kinda started expressing that a lot more. “ … When I was a high school captain, I really didn’t see myself as that much of a leader. I was kind of feeling like I was a leader through example. But [I learned] through maturity and all that there is no such thing as a leader by example. You have to be vocal, you have to pull your guys along, so just this whole year has taught me a lot about leadership.”

That’s not to say he hasn’t allowed his play to lead the way for the Irish defense this season.

After a slow start and a change at defensive coordinator, the unit has gone from allowing over 33 points and 454 yards per game to under 22 points and 323 yards per game. Jones has very much been at the center of that improvement, including his team-high eight and a half tackles for loss this season — six of which came in a dominating performance during Notre Dame’s 30-27 win over the Hurricanes this past Saturday.

Jones said the Irish defense’s turnaround has been the direct result of a new mentality. After weeks of struggles and criticisms, the unit stopped worrying about its shortcomings and dedicated itself to blocking out the distractions and just giving the program all it has.

“Just learning to let it go,” Jones said Wednesday. “Forgetting about making mistakes and just going out there and playing our hearts out. Not having the worry

on your mind that you’re going to mess up. And when we do that, we play so much better, we feel so much more comfortable in the way we play and people are prone to make big plays and be the players they were recruited here to be.”

For Jones individually, he’s begun to draw increased attention from NFL scouts, as his on-thefield production matched the combination of size and athleticism that teams at the next level look for. And while he has very much reciprocated that attention and hopes to play in the NFL next season, Jones also acknowledges that his final season donning the blue and gold is winding down, and he is doing his best to make the most of it.

“I just try to put it out of my mind,” Jones said Wednesday.

“It’s all about trying to finish up my time here with my teammates. I’m gonna miss them, I’m gonna miss being in this locker room [and] miss putting on this gold helmet. So [my focus is] just trying to enjoy my time here.”

But regardless of whether he’s thinking about the next level or the final games of this season, Jones is well aware of what has gotten him this far and what will allow him to both break into and succeed at the next level.

“Just work — having that hard work mentality takes you places, and it showed on this past Saturday,” Jones said Wednesday.

“And when you go out to the field and prepare yourself and right yourself for Saturdays, it shows.”

Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu

MONICA VILLAGOMEZ MENDEZ | The Observer

Irish graduate student defensive lineman Jarron Jones, 94, attempts to block a field goal during a 17-10 loss to Stanford on Oct. 15.

Insider

ndsmcobserver.com | FRiday, November 4, 2016 | The Observer

ND readies for option attack

By ALEX CARSON Assistant Managing Editor

For the 90th straight season, Notre Dame and Navy will meet on Saturday in college football’s longest uninterrupted intersectional contest. When the teams meet on the gridiron this time around, some things will be a little different — Jacksonville, Florida, is a new venue for the rivalry, while star Keenan Reynolds has been replaced by senior Will Worth as Navy’s quarterback — one thing won’t be: that patented triple-option offense.

“They keep rolling offensively,” Irish head coach Kelly said Tuesday. “They lose their starting quarterback; Will Worth comes in and picks up where they left off. You think they lose Keenan Reynolds and there’s going to be a dropoff, but the production has been unbelievable.”

The Midshipmen (5-2, 4-1 American), under the guidance of head coach Ken Niumatalolo, are once again off to a strong start in 2016, sitting atop their conference’s West division on the strength of a key 46-40 win over then-No. 6 Houston on Oct. 8. Worth leads the Midshipmen in both rushing yards and touchdowns, but the offense works thanks to its versatility, Kelly said.

“Well, I would say, more than anything else, when it comes to defending Navy, they strike on such a broad front,” Kelly said. “In other words, you can’t take away a particular play. I think there

was some thought, take away the fullback. Well, they don’t care if you take away the fullback. That’s okay. They’ll run, toss, sweep 47 times.”

If the Midshipmen go to the “dive” play, they’ll hand off to junior fullback Chris High; if they toss or sweep, senior slotbacks Toneo Gulley and Dishan Romine will see more of the ball. The nature of the triple option means it has to be defended differently from traditional formations, Kelly said.

“It never becomes a math equation, where in a lot of the football that’s played, you can get an extra hat to a particular run play and outnumber them — you can’t do it against this offense,” Kelly said.

“So don’t try. If you try to outnumber the dive or try to outnumber the quarterback in a particular defensive structure, they’ve got answers.

“That’s really the answer to how you defend this, is that you can’t have all the answers.”

Over the past decade, the Irish have struggled with the Midshipmen and their unique attack — the 2007 game, Navy’s first win in 44 tries, was followed by two more Midshipmen wins in 2009 and 2010. In 2013 and 2014, Navy averaged 36.5 points per game in a pair of high-scoring losses. However, last year, the Irish defense found something that worked against both Georgia Tech and Navy’s triple-option attacks.

Kelly said that while the unit will draw on last year’s scheme, it won’t Paid Advertisement

be the same exact tactic used a season ago.

“I will say that there are some differences, in terms of fronts and coverages, that we may play compared to what we did last year, but by and large, guys are asked to play some different roles,” Kelly said. “I think we’ve got a pretty good sense of, at this point, the kind of system of defense we want to play against Navy. I think we found a system that we feel is effective. There’s no system that is going to cover everything.”

The different scheme means Notre Dame will be looking for more out of its safety unit this week — specifically sophomore Nicco Fertitta and freshman Jalen Elliott.

“For example, we’re going to have to ask more from Nicco Fertitta this week,” he said. “This is a week he’ll have to be more involved. Jalen Elliott will have to be more involved. So our safety position will be, certainly from a depth standpoint, called on to contribute more this week.”

Like last year, a special scout team will help the Irish try to prepare for Navy’s attack.

“Yeah, the flag team, they’re up and running,” Kelly said. “We started with them taking option about two weeks before the bye week, and they began in the first period of our practices just to get them sharp so this wouldn’t be the first time they were touching the football.”

Contact Alex Carson at acarson1@nd.edu

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commentary

Irish defense has actually improved Marek Mazurek Sports Editor

They say that time heals all wounds. For Notre Dame’s defense, that has certainly been the case.

Well … time, and a new defensive coordinator.

Four games after the student section loudly called for Kelly to make a change at the helm of the defense, it appears those chants of “Fire VanGorder” were justified.

In the first four games of the season, with VanGorder in charge, the Notre Dame defense gave up 33.5 points and 454 yards per game on average. And that includes giving up 500 yards to Michigan State and Duke.

Yes, Duke.

In Notre Dame’s last four games, the Irish have allowed, on average, just 21.75 points and 323 yards per contest. That’s an improvement of nearly 130 yards and 12 points per game.

Yet the stats don’t even tell the whole story. North Carolina State put 10 points on the scoreboard against the Irish, but 7 of those came from a blocked punt returned for a touchdown — not the defense’s fault. Similarly, against Stanford, a safety and an interception returned for a touchdown meant the Cardinal scored nine of their 17 points with the defense not on the field.

The raw stats also don’t tell the full story against Syracuse and Miami. Yes, the Irish gave up 33 and 27 points to the Orange and Hurricanes respectively, but the defense played well in each game. Against one of the nation’s top offenses and with only one week with new coordinator Greg Hudson, the Irish started slowly, but only allowed Syracuse to score six points in the entire second half.

Most recently, the Irish defense stifled Miami, led by a future NFL quarterback in junior Brad Kaaya, giving up only 27 points — seven of which were on a fumbled punt recovered in the end zone.

You can point out how the N.C. State game was played in a literal hurricane and how Stanford was playing without former Heisman candidate Christian McCaffrey, and those are fair arguments.

But even taking those factors into account, the Irish defense is playing very well since VanGorder’s departure.

Part of the turnaround is due to the revamped system Kelly has installed after firing VanGorder.

Plays are simpler, there are less reads and most importantly, more players are getting time on the field, especially in the secondary.

Senior Cole Luke seems like a completely different player in the nickel slot, and freshmen Julian Love and Troy Pride Jr. look to be strong building blocks for next year.

But another reason for the increased level of play has to be attributed to a simple change in scenery. With the hire of Hudson, Kelly clearly wanted to emphasize effort and passion over complicated schemes. Hudson gives chest bumps to his players every time they come off the field, and professional wrestler Ric Flair videos have reportedly made appearances in team meetings. The Irish look like they’re having fun, and that seems to be the difference.

I’m not trying to cast shade on VanGorder’s leaderships techniques, but the results don’t lie.

The Irish blew simple cover-3 techniques on a regular basis against Texas and Michigan State, the team didn’t record a sack until the fourth game of the season, and missed tackles were a huge problem.

VanGorder obviously isn’t responsible for each individual missed tackle or blown coverage — ultimately, the players on the field have to make the plays — but with the way the defense has responded under Hudson, Kelly made the right choice.

The same defense that looked to be the team’s weakest link at the beginning of the season is now an asset. Hudson has clearly struck the right motivational chord with the squad and the results are showing. If the Irish continue the upward trend, Kelly may not have to look far to find his defensive coordinator for the future.

Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Follow us on Twitter. @ObserverSports

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Insider

The observer | FRiday, November 4, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

11:30 A.m.

Everbank Field

Navy

Notre Dame

(Sr) Jamir Tillman 4

(Jr.) Brandon Colon 87

(Sr.) Dishan

Romine

28

(Jr.) Darryl Bonner 29

SB

(Sr.) Adam West 72 (Sr.) Maurice Morris 70

(Sr.) Will Worth (So.) Zach Abey

9

(Jr.) Chris High 33 (Sr.) Shawn White 31

QB FB

(Sr.) Maurice Morris

70

(Jr.) Parker Wade 62

(Jr.) Evan Martin 71 (Sr.) Adam West 72

(So.) Andrew Wood 61 (So.) Jake Hawk 57

(Sr.) Toneo Gulley 2

(Sr.) Calvin Cass Jr. 20

SB

(Sr.) Josiah Powell

58

(Jr.)Brandon Jones 3

(Sr.) Daiquan Thomasson

26

(So.) Sean Williams 6

S

(So.) Hudson Sullivan 53 (Sr.) Mike Kelly 49

(Jr.) Micah Thomas 44 (So.) Taylor Heflin 54

(Fr.) Alohi Gilman 1 (So.) Sean Williams 6

S

(Sr.) Patrick Forrestal 68 (Fr.) Jackson Pittman 99

(Sr.) Amos Mason 52 (Sr.) Nnamdi Uzoma 97

(Fr.) Alohi Gilman 1

(Sr.) Alex Barta 18 (So.) Erik Harris 43

(Jr.) Criag Scott 82 (Sr.) Calvin Cass Jr. 20

PK P PR

(Gr.)

75 Daniel Cage (Jr.)

58 Elijah Taylor (So.)

LE NG RE

RAID

WR

CB

(Sr.) Dishan Romine 28 (Sr.) Toneo Gulley

(Sr.) Josh Antol

2

94

(Jr.) Ronnie Querry 85

KO KR LS

KR LS

21 Jalen Elliott (Fr.)

Julian Love (Fr.)

35 Donte Vaughn (Fr.)

Equanimeous St. Brown (So.)

6

81 Miles Boykin (So.)

C.J. Sanders (So.)

3

15 Corey Holmes (Jr.)

Alex Bars (Jr.)

71

78 Tommy Kraemer (Fr.)

RB QB

Colin McGovern (Sr.)

62

66 Tristen Hoge (So.)

53

Sam Mustipher (Jr.)

75 Mark Harrell (Gr.)

33

Josh Adams (So.)

25 Tarean Folston (Sr.)

14

DeShone Kizer (Jr.)

9 Malik Zaire (Sr.)

Quenton Nelson (Jr.)

56

57 Trevor Ruhland (So.)

Mike McGlinchey (Sr.)

68

70 Hunter Bivin (Sr.)

80

Durham Smythe (Sr.)

82 Nic Weisher (Jr.)

16

Torii Hunter Jr. (Sr.)

29 Kevin Stepherson (Fr.)

19

Justin Yoon (So.)

85 Tyler Newsome (Jr.)

3

C.J. Sanders (So.)

10 Chris Finke (So.)

61

Scott Daly (Gr.)

54 John Shannon (Fr.)

PK P PR

19

Justin Yoon (So.)

85 Tyler Newsome (Jr.)

85

Tyler Newsome (Jr.)

42 Jeff Riney (So.)

3

C.J. Sanders (So.)

10 Chris Finke (So.)

Zach Klonsinski

Marek Mazurek

Assistant Managing Editor

Assistant Managing Editor

Sports Editor

I went against Notre Dame last week because I didn’t think it’d be able to get the monkey off its back. The Irish proved me wrong. Now that win will be the antidote the Irish needed to get rolling through the second half of the season.

The Midshipmen have found success on the field this year, but last year’s Notre Dame squad was also largely dominant in victories over option teams Navy and Georgia Tech.

Execution is important in every game against the option, and last week the Irish found out how to execute in a close game for the first time this season. If Notre Dame combines what it learned last year with the energy it found against Miami, another close one goes to the Irish.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 45, Navy 38

Ben Padanilam

Renee Griffin

Associate Sports Editor

Sports Writer

Notre Dame finally managed to win a close game last week, but only after allowing at least 17 unanswered points — 27 this time around — for the fifth game this season.

While topping Miami might provide a nice confidence boost for the Irish, the blown lead and miscues that caused it show this team still has a lot of problems that teams which win consistently can’t have.

And that doesn’t even account for 5-2 Navy, whose triple option has always posed problems for Notre Dame. And it’s added a passing attack this year, having already thrown for 81 percent of last season’s entire output thus far.

Barring a miracle fix of its problems, Notre Dame won’t top Navy in Jacksonville, Florida.

FINAL SCORE: Navy 35, Notre Dame 27

(Jr.)

(Sr.)

Alex Carson

Don’t fool yourself; these are two flawed football teams.

Navy can’t really stop anyone — the Midshipmen gave up 37 points per game in a 2-2 October — while the Irish finally failed in their quest to give every close game away last week against Miami.

Against a weak defense, the Irish offense will be more than fine, and I expect the run game to break out for a big performance. Though a young defense must perform well against the always-tough triple option attack, it’s also vital to limit mistakes in this situation. You can’t waste opportunities and expect to beat Ken Niumatalolo’s Navy teams.

Unfortunately for the Irish, that recurring inability to play clean football comes back and bites them this week.

FINAL SCORE: Navy 42, Notre Dame 38

(Jr.)

23

(Sr.)

55 Jonathan Bonner (Jr.)

RT RG C LG LT TE

(Fr.)

(So.)

90

27

5

48 Greer Martini (Jr.)

99

WR WR

(Jr.) Tyler Sayles 91

(Sr.) Ted Colburn 55

(So.) Erik Harris 43

94

CB

28 Nicco Fertitta (So.)

(Jr.)

9 Daelin Hayes (Fr.)

CB

(Jr.) D.J. Palmore 45

(So.) Bennett Moehring 16

14

STR

(Jr.) Elijah Merchant 14

(So.)

98

WR

(So.) Jarvis Polu 90

MLB SAM

Cole Luke (Sr.)

18 Troy Pride Jr. (Fr.)

44 Jamir Jones (Fr.)

(So.) Taylor Jackson 89

(Sr.) Jarid Ryan 9

LT LG C RG RT

WILL Te’von Coney Devin Studstill S Andrew Trumbetti DE DT Jarron Jones Nyles Morgan MLB DT Jerry Tillery S Drue Tranquill DE Isaac Rochell SAM James Onwualu

36

17

(Jr.) Craig Scott 82

(Jr.) Tyris Wooten 17

CB

4

(So.) Jake Hawk 57

15

WR

22 Asmar Bilal (So.)

(Sr.) Blake Copeland 79

on CBS

Notre Dame tried really hard last to lose last Saturday, but Brian Kelly’s squad just couldn’t quite pull it off. The special teams mishaps are certainly cause for concern, but the fact that the Irish were able to overcome them is encouraging.

While the Irish are looking to build momentum, Navy is, as always, a tough test. The Midshipmen have flirted with the AP rankings this year after beating then-No. 6 Houston.

Last week they lost to South Florida, but they scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

This is a winnable game for Notre Dame, but the defense will have to take another big step to do so. With a lot of young players seeing the option for the first time, however, I don’t see the Irish escaping Florida with a W. FINAL SCORE: Navy 31, Notre Dame 28

Notre Dame is finally on an upswing after pulling out a close win against a solid Miami team last weekend. Navy, meanwhile, is on a downswing after a 52-45 loss to South Florida pushed them out of the top 25.

But this is Notre Dame and Navy we’re talking about. Even in years when Notre Dame has been a top-25 team and Navy has been a nobody, the Irish have struggled to contain the Midshipmen’s signature triple option. Navy’s offense appears particularly prolific this season, and the Irish safeties are particularly young this season. Add in Notre Dame’s underwhelming rushing production on offense this year and it seems highly unlikely that Notre Dame can step off the field with a win for the second week in a row.

FINAL SCORE: Navy 38, Notre Dame 31