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COMMENTARY

recruiting

As Prosise goes, so does ND Greg Hadley Editor-in-Chief

You won’t find Notre Dame’s most important offensive player under center, showing poise far beyond that of a typical sophomore. He’s not split out wide either, with the ability to speed past defensive backs for massive gains.

He’s in the backfield, with enough elusiveness and strength to put up some of the best rushing numbers Notre Dame has seen in recent history.

A lot of the talk surrounding the Irish may focus on sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer and junior receiver Will Fuller, but senior running back C.J. Prosise is the one who really spearheads the Notre Dame attack. And if the Irish are to defeat Clemson this weekend, they absolutely need Prosise to continue his torrid start.

In fact, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that as Prosise goes, so will the Irish, not just against the Tigers, but this entire season. If Notre Dame manages to advance to the College Football Playoff at the end of the year, it will be because of Prosise.

His numbers are impressive, even before you consider the fact this is Prosise’s first season at running back, and the only reason he is starting is because of a season-ending injury to junior Tarean Folston in the first game of the year.

Prosise has compiled 600 rushing yards on just 74 attempts, as well as six touchdowns. That puts him statistically right alongside Heisman favorites Nick Chubb of Georgia and Leonard Fournette of LSU. He has done this despite the added pressure that came when starting quarterback Malik Zaire went down for the season with a fractured ankle.

Suddenly, with Kizer taking snaps, head coach Brian Kelly had to place his confidence and the fate of Notre Dame’s season on Prosise’s legs.

To be fair, Kizer and Fuller have been impressive thus far into the season. But on the whole, the passing attack for the Irish has been merely adequate at best, ranking 53rd in the nation in yards per game and 21st in touchdowns. By comparison, the rushing attack ranks 12th in both those categories.

Even the defense cannot carry the Irish. While certainly talented and deep in its own right, this year’s squad is nothing like the 2012 unit that carried the team to the national championship. They

give up plenty of points, are inconsistent and have just three takeaways.

And this weekend Kizer is facing his first road start in one of the most difficult environments the Irish will play in this year against a defense that ranks 12th in passing defense.

Prosise will have to carry the Irish, even more than he has the past few games. Clemson surrenders 114.7 rushing yards per game this year. That won’t be even close to enough for a Notre Dame win. What’s more, the Tigers know what’s coming. Stopping Prosise will be their top priority.

Earlier this year, Kelly said he didn’t think Prosise was capable of 25 carries per game.

Instead, he said, he wanted to develop freshmen Josh Adams and Dexter Williams to spread the attempts on the ground.

Williams and Adams did just that last week against Massachusetts, and Prosise didn’t see the field for most of the second half.

But against Clemson, he might not get a rest. Come late fourth quarter, he could be needed, either to drive down the field or eat up clock and hold onto the football. He’s never taken on that much of a workload before.

The injury bug finally left Notre Dame alone against UMass, and the Irish absolutely cannot afford for it to come back. Kelly will have the unenviable task of balancing Prosise’s workload and the need to win this game.

Because the Irish need to win this game, badly. Notre Dame’s strength of schedule, which was relatively weak heading into the year, has tumbled through the first four weeks of the season. The Georgia Tech win is much less impressive now after the Yellow Jackets’ loss to Duke last week, and future matchups against USC and Stanford have already taken hits due to early defeats. Clemson on the road is looking like the biggest game of the season.

In the biggest game of the season, the best player needs to step up. The Irish can win if Kizer stays solid but unspectacular. They can win if Will Fuller does not haul in two touchdowns and 150 yards. They can even win if the defense struggles a bit. But they can’t win if Prosise gets stuffed, shut down or otherwise held in check.

Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu

The views in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Four-star safety joins class of 2016 for Irish

By ALEX CARSON Associate Sports Editor

For the first time in weeks, Notre Dame added a recruit Sunday when D.J. Morgan, a safety from St. John Bosco High School in Bellf lower, California, committed to the Irish, becoming the 15th commit of the class of 2016.

Recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins said Morgan, rated a four-star safety by Rivals. com, was a talent the Irish staff deliberated over before offering.

“D.J. Morgan is a guy that Notre Dame spent a long time evaluating,” said Ivins, who covers Notre Dame recruiting for Blue and Gold Illustrated. “He visited in late March, and Notre Dame told him they wanted to see more of him in man coverage, so they sent out a coach to evaluate him and just held off a little bit.”

After the Irish didn’t offer in the spring, the safety committed to Arizona State, but it didn’t take long for him to back out, decommitting before two months had passed.

“He ended up committing to Arizona State, and then Notre Dame decided, ‘Hey this is a kid we like,’ and offered him,” Ivins said. “D.J. decommitted, and then it was kind of a lock he would end up at Notre Dame once he visited.”

Ivins said there’s a chance Morgan, the cousin of former Irish women’s basketball star Skylar Diggins, could see the field as a linebacker at Notre Dame.

“There’s been some talks about him maybe moving to a linebacker down the line — some analysts see it, others don’t,” Ivins said. “I can personally see it, and I know Notre Dame’s staff, they kind of see him in that role, but he’s a guy that you play in the box. He’s not going to be someone you leave on an island over the top.”

The commitment came a day after Notre Dame hosted one prospect for an official visit against Massachusetts: three-star linebacker Jonathan Jones, an Orlando, Florida, native.

Ivins said the visit went well but that Jones still wants to take other visits.

“All indications based on what he said is that visit went really good,” he said. “There were some rumors circulating that he might end his recruitment and commit to Notre Dame, but that wasn’t really the case. He came in with a top three of Notre Dame, Duke and Michigan, and he left with that; he still

Photo courtesy of Blue and Gold Illustrated, Rivals.com

D.J. Morgan, a four-star safety from Bellflower, California, committed to Notre Dame as part of the class of 2016 this past week.

Photo courtesy of Blue and Gold Illustrated, Rivals.com

Jonathan Jones, a three-star linebacker from Orlando, Florida, took his official visit to Notre Dame this past weekend for the UMass game.

wants to take some visits.”

The visit was highlighted due to Notre Dame’s growing need for linebacker recruits in this class; if junior linebacker Jaylon Smith declares for the NFL draft after the season, the Irish would return just six scholarship linebackers from this year’s squad in 2016.

“He felt like a priority on campus, which I think is big, since Notre Dame needs a linebacker this cycle, and they basically rolled out the red carpet for him,” Ivins said. “ … Notre Dame really sold him on, ‘Hey, we need linebackers this cycle.’”

Aside from the linebacker position, Ivins said recent developments might mean Notre Dame looks toward snagging a second running back for this class. With Greg Bryant leaving the program, the Irish staff may want an insurance policy in the backfield, especially if senior C.J. Prosise were to head to the NFL at season’s end.

“It kind of leaves you in a situation where you need to take a second back,” Ivins said. You’ve got [three-star Bradenton, Florida, running back] Tony Jones committed to the class … but maybe you need to add another guy just for depth.

“They’ve been exploring that option for a while now, and it’s becoming more and more clear they need to maybe find some more

options.”

Most of the top remaining recruits in the class will likely announce their commitments in January at various All-American games; however, four-star cornerback Donte’ Vaughn will announce his decision Oct. 12, with Notre Dame squarely in play.

Ivins said one player, five-star athlete Demetris Robertson, rated a top10 prospect nationally by Rivals.com, may be trying to get back to Notre Dame’s campus after visiting last month for the Texas game.

Despite not having the opportunity to host recruits, No. 6 Notre Dame’s primetime game at No. 12 Clemson gives the Irish an opportunity to impress them, Ivins said, especially ones visiting Death Valley.

“Clemson is bringing in tons of guys that Notre Dame has kicked some tires on, or at least initially made contact with,” Ivins said. “ … If you’re a recruit in the stands, and you like what you see with Notre Dame, that can go a long way.”

For more on Notre Dame recruiting, check out BlueAndGold.com. Email Andrew Owens at aowens@blueandgold.com and tell him The Observer sent you.

Contact Alex Carson at acarson1@nd.edu

Insider

By BRIAN PLAMONDON Sports Writer

As practice ended Wednesday evening for the Notre Dame football team, players slowly filed off the practice fields and into the Guglielmo Athletic Complex across the street.

Sophomore starting quarterback DeShone Kizer stayed behind, however, chatting about his day at practice in front of a horde of Showtime cameras. After, he summoned freshman kicker Justin Yoon for a little extra practice — Kizer, the player on whose shoulders Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff hopes rest, is still the holder for field goals and extra points.

Other than his presence on special teams, there is little left of Kizer’s life as a backup just a few weeks ago. When junior quarterback Malik Zaire broke his ankle in the third quarter of Notre Dame’s game against Virginia, Kizer’s life changed instantaneously.

The curious part of Kizer’s ascension to the starting quarterback role at one of the most storied college football programs in the country is that, when it finally happened, Kizer didn’t really have time to process what was occurring.

“There wasn’t necessarily a transition period for me,” Kizer said Wednesday. “ … It was just here. I was in. “ … When Malik went down, I didn’t have time to think about how bad his injury was. I mean, to be truthful, you don’t even have time to feel bad for him because you’re out there playing ball. The last thing you’re thinking about is what’s going on on the sideline.

You’re trying to make sure you can win the game.”

Just a few months ago, Kizer was the third-string quarterback and an afterthought when pundits were pondering Notre Dame’s 2015 season. With Everett Golson’s summer transfer to Florida State, Kizer became the definitive backup behind Zaire.

Then, three weeks ago, Kizer’s number was called. Now, it’s hard for the quarterback to go anywhere on campus without getting noticed or singled out by students and fans alike.

“People love their Irish around here,” Kizer said. “The football team is obviously a focus point on this campus, and with that being said there’s a different [way] people approach me and

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how they look at me. At the same time, I’m still the same goofy, tall, lanky kid who’s walking around campus, and I’m still hanging around the same kids.”

For someone like Kizer trying to stick to his familiar routine, it’s becoming harder and harder as Notre Dame racks up more wins. Where before Kizer may have had free time to do as he pleased, now his day is filled with an endless stream of questions regarding the next opponent and how he is handling himself so far.

Sometimes it’s a conversation with ESPN analyst and Notre Dame fan Dick Vitale; others it’s chatting over the phone with College GameDay’s Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit.

So how, then, does the college sophomore get away from the frenzy that has enveloped his life in the past three weeks?

“Going into the Gug is the

place to be,” Kizer said. “For me, I know that once I’m here, the only people around me are going to be those who are in the same position as me. When you’re spending your free time with the people who are going through all of this with you, it’s easier to get away because you all have the same mindset, the same worries.”

The hope is the added time spent with teammates will pay dividends on the field. Kizer’s bonding with his teammates outside of practice is just as important as working together on the field and is a way to escape the pressure, graduate student center Nick Martin said. “[For him, just hanging] out with the guys and not always talking about football,” Martin said. “It’s kind of just getting away from it, relaxing, not having to deal with those pressures.

Just talking, watching TV, playing

video games.”

With pressure coming not only on the field but with added commitments and preparation that go along with being Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, Kizer has shied away from giving into the hype on social media and around campus — simply because there’s not enough time.

“I only get like 30 minutes of free time at night, and during that time, I normally call my parents, call my friends and catch up on some things,” Kizer said. “There’s quite a lot of people that want to share this experience with me, and that 30 minutes at night is the only time I have to share it with them. So it’s kind of hard to get into social media and a lot of that, because it [doesn’t have an impact] on what’s going on.”

With his life making a U-turn in a matter of minutes against Virginia, Kizer is taking every

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change in stride. On the practice field, where Kizer has had to step up so the offense won’t miss a beat, he has impressed with his maturity and confidence in his new role.

“He has a presence about him, a command presence that, when he goes out there with the other 10 players, you don’t feel like you’re putting a freshman quarterback out there,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said. “ … I see that every day he goes out there, he takes control of that offensive unit. It’s not meek. It’s not weak. It’s a presence that he brings when he goes out there, and I think that’s what he’s brought.

Kizer said he agreed with Kelly about his assertiveness in practice.

“I’ve taken it as a mission to be able to make myself more of a vocal leader and be able to chat with anyone and everyone on the team and understanding their strengths and weaknesses as it comes to communication,” Kizer said. “During the last couple of weeks, I’ve done a good job in learning how people are motivated … [so] who I need to leave alone, who I need to get in their ear and make sure the confidence is high. “ … At the same time, when it comes down to it, I’m a very serious guy out on the field. I like to keep it calm; I like to keep it collected. That’s just how I’m always going to be.”

As far as this weekend goes, Kizer said he knows Clemson will be a raucous environment.

But Kizer is not the only one who has confidence in his ability to perform on the biggest stage, just a few weeks into this new chapter in his life: His teammates and coaches do, too.

“I would be surprised if the moment was too big for him,” Kelly said.

For Kizer, worrying about the things he can control has become the mantra — progressing on the practice field, developing communication with his receivers, finding time to talk with his family and friends. With a win Saturday at No. 12 Clemson, Kizer’s life might change even more than it already has. All the while, the quarterback will continue to roll with the changes, keeping his routines and — most importantly — holding the football on extra points.

AMY ACKERMANN | The Observer

Irish sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer fires a pass downfield during Notre Dame’s 62-27 home victory over Massachusetts on Saturday. Kizer threw for two touchdowns and 207 yards in the game.

Contact Brian Plamondon at bplamond@nd.edu

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TIGERS PASSING Sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson represents one of Notre Dame’s most accomplished opposing signal callers to date this season. He has yet to face a defense like Notre Dame’s this year, defeating two FCS opponents and a middling Louisville team, but he has never lost in Death Valley, posting 18 touchdowns and three interceptions in seven games. Watson ranks 18th in efficency and fourth in completion percentage in the country. He doesn’t have any one standout target, but seven different Tigers are averaging more than 15 yards receiving per game, and five have caught touchdowns.

The Irish secondary, on the other hand, has looked shaky through four games.

Massachusetts actually gained more yards through the air than Notre Dame, and a fleaflicker completely bamboozled the defensive backs, allowing the Minutemen to gain 56 yards. In addition, the only other time Notre Dame was on the road this year, against Virginia, the Cavaliers picked apart the defense for 289 passing yards.

EDGE: CLEMSON TIGERS RUSHING As unsteady as the Irish back four have looked this year, the front seven has shown just as much consistency. A week after shutting down Georgia Tech’s triple option, Notre Dame gave up a perfectly average 148 rushing yards to UMass. But 78 of those came on one rush in the first quarter that resulted in a touchdown. After that, the line was solid.

Through the rest of the year, Notre Dame has shown the run game will not break them.

And Clemson is hardly the team to change that, ranking 55th in the nation in rushing yards. Sophomore running back Wayne Gallman has a strong 5.8 yards-per-rush average, but he’s not getting 20 touches each game, and his longest rush this year is only 35 yards, despite playing some truly weak defenses. Hardly big-play material.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME TIGERS OFFENSIVE COACHING Head coach Dabo Swinney has led Clemson to a 39-4 record at home in the past seven years. The Tigers offense is averaging more than 400 yards per game since

No. 12 Clemson

AMY ACKERMANN | The Observer

2011. But as impressive as those numbers are, Clemson is untested this year and labored to beat a 1-3 Louisville team on the road.

On the flipside, Brian VanGorder has shown the ability to both prepare well and make in-game adjustments. Against Georgia Tech, the Irish came out strong and let up at the end, making things a little more interesting. Against UMass, it was the inverse: a poor first half followed by shutdown play in the second. But in order to top the Tigers, Notre Dame needs to put together a complete effort, no small feat on the road.

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(Fr.) Trevion Thompson

(So.) Artavis Scott 3

(Jr.) Ray-Ray McCloud 34

LT LG C RG RT TE WR

(Fr.) Mitch Hyatt 75 (Fr.) Taylor Hearn 51

(So.) Wayne Gallman 9

(Gr.) C.J. Davidson 21

(So.) Deshaun Watson

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(Jr.) Nick Schuessler 12

RB QB

(Gr.) Eric Mac Lain 78 (Fr.) Justin Falcinelli 50

(Jr.) Jay Guillermo 57 (Fr.) Justin Falcinelli 50

(So.) Tyrone Crowder 55 (So.) Maverick Morris 69

(Gr.) Joe Gore 73

EDGE: CLEMSON

(Fr.) Jake Fruhmorgen 63

(Jr.) Jordan

TIGERS SPECIAL TEAMS Freshman kicker Greg Huegel has been solid thus far, going 4-for-5 on his field goal attempts and a perfect 13-for-13 on extra points. He also handles kickoff duties and has been unspectacular but reliable in that department, getting four touchbacks on 19 kicks.

Junior punter Andy Teasdall, on the other hand, has been somewhat less than competent. His average of 38.1 yards per punt ranks him 91st in the FBS. To be fair, seven of his 16 attempts ended up inside the 20yard line.

In the return game, Clemson has not managed any touchdowns, and the Tigers’ average on punt returns ranks 120th in the NCAA but ninth on kickoffs. Credit for that goes to junior receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, who has only one return on the year, which went for 73 yards.

WR WR

(Gr.) Charone Peake 19

Leggett

16

(Gr.) Stanton Seckinger 81

(Jr.) Gerome Hopper 5

(Fr.) Hunter Renfrow 13

(So.) Mackensie Alexander 2

(So.) Adrian Baker 21

(Jr.) Ben Boulware 10 (Fr.) Jalen Williams 30

(Jr.) Jayron Kearse 1

(Jr.) Jadar Johnson 18

S

(Fr.) Austin Bryant 91

(Fr.) Kendall Joseph 34

(Fr.) Jefferie Gibson 17

WLB (Jr.) Kevin Dodd 98

(Sr.) B.J. Goodson 44

(Jr.) T.J. Green 15

LCB

MLB

(Jr.) Carlos Watkins 94 (Sr.) Roderick Byers 40

(So.) Scott Pagano 56 (Fr.) Christian Wilkins 42

S

(Jr.) Shaq Lawson 90 (So.) Richard Yeargin 49

(Jr.) Travis Blanks 11 (So.) Dorian O’Daniel 6

SLB

(Jr.) Cordrea Tankersley 25

EDGE: EVEN

DE DT DT DE

(So.) Ryan Carter 31

RCB

TIGERS SCHEDULE (3-0) Sept. 5 Wofford (W 49-10) Sept. 12 Appalachian State (W 41-10) Sept. 17 @ Louisville (W 20-17) Oct. 3 Notre Dame Oct. 10 Georgia Tech Oct. 17 Boston College Oct. 24 @ Miami (Fla.) Oct. 31 @ North Carolina State Nov. 7 Florida State Nov. 14 @ Syracuse Nov. 21 Wake Forest Nov. 28 @ South Carolina

(Fr.) Greg Huegel 92 (Fr.) Alex Spence 47

(Jr.) Andy Teasdall 32 (Fr.) Hunter Renfrow 13

(So.) Artavis Scott (Jr.) Geronimo Hopper

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PK P PR

Greg Hadley

Mary Green

Zach Klonsinski

Editor-in-Chief

Assistant Managing Editor

Sports Editor

To go into Death Valley and come out with a win, Notre Dame needs C.J. Prosise to have a great game, DeShone Kizer to have a good one and the defense to have a complete one. And the Irish will also need a little luck.

That’s a lot of moving parts that need to come together, but numerous injuries haven’t rattled the Irish yet, so a road environment should be managable enough.

Brian Kelly seems to do his best work in these kinds of games, at least giving his team a chance to win with a strong game plan.

This one will go back and forth, all the way until the final minute, only for Justin Yoon to come in and hit the game-winning field goal.

The key to an Irish win Saturday lies in the legs of C.J. Prosise, the most consistent force on offense the past three weeks.

Will Fuller will be there to make plays, but last week’s win over UMass showed Fuller doesn’t need to have a superb game — just his usually outstanding catch here and there — for the Irish to win.

They do need Prosise and the offensive line to find holes.

So far, no one’s been able to stop them from doing that.

Louisville didn’t exactly challenge Clemson’s run defense last week, but the Cardinals defense did keep Deshaun Watson from putting up stellar numbers himself.

Prosise and the Irish defense should be able to hold steady, and they’ll escape Death Valley unscathed.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 31, Clemson 28

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 27, Clemson 20

(So.) Seth Ryan 85 (Jr.) T.J. Green

15

(Fr.) C.J. Fuller 27

(Gr.) Jim Brown 76 (Jr.) David Estes 61

This matchup will be hyped as a duel of Deshaun vs.

DeShone.

The bigger thing to watch, however, will be how the Irish ground attack controls the game. Last year against Florida State, the Irish put up 157 yards on the ground and averaged 4.1 yards per attempt. This season, Notre Dame is averaging a ridiculous 284.8 yards per game and 6.7 per carry.

I don’t see any need for the Irish to stray from this game plan. If it reaches anywhere near 200 yards, Notre Dame puts itself in a strong position to win this football game.

Kizer will need to make a couple throws, but get ready for the “Prosise for Heisman” whispers to grow a little louder next week.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 38, Clemson 27

H KR LS

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O HEAD Memorial Stadium

No. 6 NOtre Dame RCB

KeiVarae Russell (Sr.)

6

12 Devin Butler (Jr.)

WLB DE DT DT DE

S

22

Elijah Shumate (Sr.)

29 Nicky Baratti (Sr.)

Andrew Trumbetti (So.)

Sheldon Day (Sr.)

91

MLB

93 Jay Hayes (So.)

Daniel Cage (So.)

75

38

Joe Schmidt (Gr.)

59 Jarrett Grace (Gr.)

99 Jerry Tillery (Fr.)

S

Isaac Rochell (Jr.)

90

10

Max Redfield (Jr.)

41 Matthias Farley (Gr.)

55 Jonathan Bonner (So.)

17

James Onwualu (Jr.)

48 Greer Martini (So.)

Cole Luke (Jr.)

36

24 Nick Coleman (Fr.)

7

Will Fuller (Jr.)

86 Equanimeous St. Brown (Fr.)

13

Tyler Luatua (So.)

10 Alizé Jones (Fr.)

Mike McGlinchey (Jr.)

68

75 Mark Harrell (Sr.)

Steve Elmer (Jr.)

79

62 Colin McGovern (Jr.)

72

Nick Martin (Gr.)

53 Sam Mustipher (So.)

RB QB

14

DeShone Kizer (So.)

At this point, it’s safe to say senior C.J. Prosise’s transition from receiver to running back has gone about as well as Notre Dame could have hoped. He has 600 yards on the year, is averaging more than eight yards per rush and has scored six times. At the beginning of the year, Brian Kelly was saying he didn’t want to tire Prosise out by having him take 25 carries per game, and to this point in the season, he hasn’t needed to push that limit.

In addition, the freshman duo of Josh Adams and Dexter Williams got plenty of work against Massachusetts this past week and shined, something Kelly said was especially valuable.

Clemson’s rush defense was sharp against Louisville, holding the Cardinals to 19 yards on the ground. Even so, the Tigers have not faced a rusher of Prosise’s pedigree this year and still give up more than 110 yards rushing per game this year.

12 Brandon Wimbush (Fr.)

Chris Brown (Sr.)

88 Corey Robinson (Jr.)

Amir Carlisle (Gr.)

16 Torii Hunter Jr. (Jr.)

14

DeShone Kizer (So.)

4 Montgomery VanGorder (So.)

3

Amir Carlisle (Gr.)

9 C.J. Sanders (Fr.)

61

Scott Daly (Sr.)

99 Hunter Smith (Sr.)

For some reason, Brian Kelly seems to excel with a young quarterback. For some reason, he also does well in big road games during the regular season. Everett Golson in 2012 and Malik Zaire at the end of last year and the beginning of this one are examples of the former; Oklahoma in 2012 and Florida State last season are prime examples of the latter.

So to say the Irish are in trouble because DeShone Kizer is making his first road start is not exactly fair. While it will certainly not be easy, Kelly thrives in these situations.

He also has a run game that can churn for yards and ease the pressure on his young quarterback.

IRISH RUSHING

Ronnie Stanley (Sr.)

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IRISH OFFENSIVE COACHING

Sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer has been solid in his first two starts: Just one interception, generally good decisions and poise all have been impressive thus far. But to go on the road into Death Valley is a whole different matter. Once again, he won’t be asked to beat Clemson all on his own, but there were several unforced errors against UMass that do not bode well.

Several of his throws came up well short of their targets, and a few others failed to hit his targets in stride.

That being said, he has the advantage of throwing to junior receiver Will Fuller, who ranks near the top of most receiving categories in the country. Fuller and the rest of the Irish receiving corps have the ability to make Kizer look much better than he is.

Clemson’s passing defense ranks among the top 15 in the nation in yards allowed.

Yes, the Tigers have yet to face anyone of consequence, but holding opponents to 146 yards per game and just one passing touchdown is still impressive. And they have the advantage of playing at home.

Josh Adams (Fr.)

70 Hunter Bivin (Jr.)

2

IRISH PASSING

EDGE: EVEN

C.J. Prosise (Sr.) 33

71 Alex Bars (So.)

78

AMY ACKERMANN | The Observer

20

Quenton Nelson (So.)

56

WR WR

H KR LS

Jaylon Smith (Jr.)

4 Te’von Coney (Fr.)

Romeo Okwara (Sr.) 98

WR TE RT RG C LG LT

9

45

SLB LCB

AMY ACKERMANN | The Observer

PK P PR

19

Justin Yoon (Fr.)

43 John Chereson (Jr.)

85

Tyler Newsome (So.)

42 Jeff Riney (Fr.)

9

C.J. Sanders (Fr.)

7 Will Fuller (Jr.)

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Alex Carson

Brian Plamondon

Associate Sports Editor

Sports Writer

As is natural this early in the season, there are still some question marks surrounding both Notre Dame and Clemson heading into their primetime matchup.

Will Deshaun Watson finally have a breakout game this season after three pedestrian performances? How will DeShone Kizer respond to the pressure on the road?

But for as much as we can quibble about the quarterbacks, at the end of the day, this game will be decided in the trenches, with Notre Dame’s ability to move the ball on the ground perhaps the most important factor. A year ago at Florida State, the Irish offensive and defensive lines had standout games to put the team in position for the win. This year, a similar performance from the big guys will be enough to finish the job.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 34, Clemson 24

Who would have thought before the season that a matchup of unbeatens in Week 5 with Gameday on campus would contain two teams with so much to prove? Notre Dame’s four previous opponents are a combined 4-11, while Clemson has wins against Wofford, Appalachian State and a 1-3 Louisville team.

The key to this game will be setting the tempo early. Both teams have that opportunity: Clemson is coming off plenty of rest with 16 days in between games, while Notre Dame is outscoring its opponents 47-6 in the first quarter.

The road aspect makes me tentative in picking Notre Dame. In the battle of Deshaun versus DeShone, look for Clemson’s preseason Heisman hopeful to make a few more plays than his Irish counterpart.

FINAL SCORE: Clemson 31, Notre Dame 24

EDGE: NOTRE DAME IRISH SPECIAL TEAMS Freshman kicker Justin Yoon continues to hold this unit back with his inconsistency.

He didn’t attempt any field goals against UMass, but he did miss an extra point for the second straight week. That begs the question: Will he perform if the game comes down to a high-pressure kick on the road?

Besides that, however, the Irish enjoyed a banner day against the Minutemen that may signal a turnaround.

Freshman receiver C.J. Sanders had the first punt return touchdown of the Brian Kelly era, and graduate student receiver Amir Carlisle averaged a respectable 25 yards on his three kickoff returns.

Sophomore punter Tyler Newsome had five attempts and averaged 52.4 yards, the best mark in program history.

EDGE: EVEN IRISH SCHEDULE (4-0) Sept. 5 Texas (W 38-3) Sept. 12 @ Virginia (W 34-27) Sept. 19 Georgia Tech (W 30-22) Sept. 26 Massachusetts (W 62-27) Oct. 3 @ Clemson Oct. 10 Navy Oct. 17 USC Oct. 31 @ Temple Nov. 7 @ Pittsburgh Nov. 14 Wake Forest Nov. 21 vs. Boston College Nov. 28 @ Stanford

For in-game updates and stats from the press box Saturday, follow us on Twitter at @ObserverSports

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Dual-threat Watson to challenge ND defense

By ZACH KLONSINSKI Sports Editor

The final stat line read 14of-19 passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two more scores on the ground, including a scamper from nine yards out, in a win.

It would be a solid game for any quarterback, especially one facing an arch rival who had beaten his team for five straight years.

And almost unbelievable for a player with a torn ACL. Yet that’s exactly what then-freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson did for Clemson in the Tigers’ 35-17 win over rival South Carolina in November last season.

Fast for ward 11 months and one surger y, and Watson is back to full health. A preseason Heisman favorite, he ranks among the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation this season. He averages more than 200 yards passing and 30 yards rushing per game. And the Notre Dame defense has to figure out a way to contain him Saturday night.

“He’s a game wrecker,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said of Watson during Wednesday’s ACC coaches teleconference. “He can take the game and wreck it for you.”

“I mean he’s a ver y, ver y talented quarterback,” graduate student linebacker Joe Schmidt said. “He can do kind of ever ything within the offense: He operates through the offense exceptionally well; he has a tremendous amount of poise at the line of scrimmage. You know, he doesn’t really seem to get rattled, makes all the throws, runs exceptionally well.”

It’s this complete package that will challenge Notre Dame and stretch its secondar y under the lights.

“He’s a true dual-threat quarterback,” Irish graduate student cornerback Matthias Farley said. “He plays with his seat. He has a great arm, accurate passes. Puts the ball where his receivers can get to it and gives his receivers opportunities to go make plays. And then also, he will stand in the pocket.

“It’s not like he’s going to look to run and just get out of there at the first sign of pressure. He’s going to stay poised, and he’s a ver y calm

quarterback, which I think manifests itself in the way he plays and also the way his teammates respond to him.”

As well as Watson can scramble — he’s second on the team in rushing yards behind sophomore running back Wayne Gallman — it’s this poise that has Notre Dame’s attention.

“He keeps you in a position where you’ve got to defend him as a runner and a thrower,” Kelly said. “He’s efficient in throwing the football. He’s got arm talent as a runner, which is a unique skill set.

“If [Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney] wanted him to be a pocket passer, he could be a pocket passer. That’s how good he can throw it.”

Irish players have mentioned one game in particular multiple times this week when asked about the challenge Watson presents: Notre Dame’s 50-43 win over North Carolina last season.

Although the Irish escaped with the win, Tar Heels junior quarterback Marquise Williams picked apart the Irish defense all game, throwing for 303 yards and two touchdowns while also piling up another score and 132 yards on the ground.

“We definitely remember what happened last year against North Carolina, and we definitely don’t want anything like that to happen again,” senior defensive lineman Sheldon Day said.

“So we’re definitely tight on our rush lanes and our assignments this week and make sure that we collapse the pocket and make sure [Watson] scrambles into one of the other three defensive linemen.”

On Wednesday, Swinney broke down what he expects the Irish defense to throw at Watson.

“They’ve got more experience than we do, but I think our types of players are ver y similar,” Swinney said. “They’re outstanding up front in their front seven, and they’re back end guys.

Just a bunch of juniors and seniors, a bunch of guys that played a lot of ball.”

“They’re a three and fourman type of front, mix up their pressures, do a great job with skill pressure, boundar y pressure, disguising their coverages. They’ll get up and challenge you from a coverage standpoint, and they’ll

Photo courtesy of Isabelle Davis, The Tiger News

Clemson sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson, right, hands the ball off during the Tigers’ 49-10 win over Wofford on Sept. 5 to begin the season. Watson has passed for seven touchdowns this season.

also get back and play some quarters-type coverage. Just a ver y good group.”

Swinney also said he might ask Watson to run the ball more Saturday night, something he said he expects Notre Dame to do with sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer as well.

“On the offensive side, we think we’ve got a great quarterback,” Swinney said. “[The Irish] certainly do.

Both teams want to get the quarterback involved in the running game.”

Day, though, said the defensive line has one goal early in the game: get to Watson.

“We definitely want to get after him early, especially up front, make sure we rush the passer as well as we can,” Day said.

“Make sure we don’t let him become a problem.”

Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu

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ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, october 2, 2015 | The Observer

7

Irish receiving corps follows Brown’s lead

EMILY KRUSE | The Observer

Senior receiver Chris Brown tries to power past Massachusetts redshirt sophomore linebacker Shane Huber during Notre Dame’s 62-27 victory over the Minutemen last Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Brown paced the Irish with 57 receiving yards on four catches and grabbed a seven-yard touchdown at the end of the game’s first half.

By MARY GREEN Assistant Managing Editor

Over the past couple seasons, Irish quarterbacks have found a bev y of targets for their throws.

Junior Wi l l Fu l ler cer ta inly has hit his st ride in t he open f ield a nd found end zone plent y of t imes, but he’s fa r f rom t he on ly opt ion of fered, w it h g raduate student A mir Ca rlisle, senior Chris Brow n a nd juniors Torii Hunter Jr. a nd Corey Robinson a l l seeing spira ls f ired t heir way.

W hile any one of those players could get the ball on any given play, Irish head coach Brian Kelly said one player in particular stands out in the receivers’ room at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex, on the field at LaBar Practice Complex and on the sidelines on game day.

“If you ask who that leader is of the w ide receiver corps, it is Chris Brow n,” Kelly said Tuesday. “Chris is the leader of that group.”

With Carlisle shifting over from running back and the three then-sophomores w ith limited, if any experience, their freshman seasons, Brow n became the go-to veteran in the receiv ing corps in 2014 because of his experience, an opportunit y he jumped into. “ … I was the oldest one in the room, and we had a lot of young guys, so I felt like being a leader would definitely help not only myself grow but ever yone around me,” Brow n said. “I felt like if I did that, it would make us better, and I felt like it has.”

It’s not only his coaches and fellow receivers who

have noticed the leadership the senior has show n his past two seasons.

“Ever since day one, ever since I’ve been here, he’s always been a leader,” sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer said. “He’s always the first one in the receivers line. He’s always the first one in the practices. He’s the last one to leave. He’s the first one to hit you — that want and that fire to be great. Once the ball is in his hands, he’s going to do great things w ith it.”

So far this season, Brow n has caught 14 balls for 178 yards, averaging 44.5 yards per game. Two of those grabs have gone for scores, including a seven-yarder from Kizer against Massachusetts last week.

Kizer called the Hanahan, South Carolina, native “a heck of an athlete,” but Kelly said it’s not Brow n’s physical attributes that make him stand out among his teammates.

“He’s a gamer. He’s a kid that gives ever y thing he has,” Kelly said Sept. 20.

“He’s not as smooth as a Will Fuller. He’s probably not as talented as a Torii Hunter.

Doesn’t have the size of a Corey Robinson, but boy, he’s got a huge heart. He gives you ever y thing he has, and that’s what you love about him.”

That enthusiasm shows on game day, when Brow n, who said he normally uses a leadby-example-t y pe approach w ith the receivers, can be seen congratulating any and ever y teammate he can find after a big play.

“On game day, I want ever yone’s energ y up,” he said.

“I don’t care whether we’re

up or dow n. I keep my same demeanor; I keep my same up-tempo talk, and that’s just how I feel. I just let it go when it’s game day, and I feel like they respond well to that.”

Though the depth and across-the-board talent of the receivers group can prevent any one player, including himself, from standing out, Brow n said it doesn’t frustrate him.

“If they’re double-teaming Will, I’m single-covered,”

he said. “If they’re sliding somebody over to my side, Amir gets the ball. It’s just one of those things where it’s like, pick your poison because we have such great receivers. If we’re hav ing success, there’s no way I could be disappointed.”

Brow n said he wants to make the most of his final season of eligibilit y w ith the Irish, but the senior isn’t putting pressure on himself to perform to a certain standard.

“I talked w ith my mom and my dad before the season, and they just said they wanted me to have fun this season, and that’s what I’ve been doing, and it’s been translating to success, so I’m just going to continue to enjoy the game,” he said.

“You’re not promised anything in this game, so I’m tr y ing to enjoy it ever y time I get out there.”

Contact Mary Green at mgreen8@nd.edu

EMMET FARNAN | The Observer

Chris Brown makes a cut down the field in Notre Dame’s 30-22 win over Georgia Tech on Sept. 19 at Notre Dame Stadium. Brown caught eight passes from junior quarterback DeShone Kizer to lead the Irish.

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