Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MAY 2019 19 shoulder pass attempt to Austin that Pride covered well. On fourth-and- four from the 8-yard line, a scramble by Book gained no yardage when junior linebacker Jordan Genmark Heath filled the gap and tapped him down. Score: Offense 45, Defense 38 2 Offense (Blue) vs. 2 Defense (Gold) From O8 Sophomore cornerback TaRiq Bracy broke up a short pass to sopho- more wideout Braden Lenzy on first down, and after a tackle-breaking nine-yard run by Williams, the early enrollee failed to gain the needed yard on third-and-one when sopho- more linebacker Bo Bauer and junior defensive end Kofi Wardlow strung out the play toward the sideline. The three-and-out scored points again for the defense. Score: Offense 45, Defense 41 1 Offense (Blue) vs. 1 Defense (Gold) From O44 Following a 39-yard punt by Bram- blett, Jurkovec was inserted for the first team. A deep pass to senior wideout Javon McKinley was broken up by Pride, and on third-and-six a Jurkovec scramble was stopped two yards short of the first down by fifth- year senior linebacker Asmar Bilal. A fourth-and-two errant snap forced a desperation pass toward the sideline that Bilal had well covered. Another three-and-out tallied points for the defense. Score: Offense 45, Defense 44 2 Offense (Blue) vs. 2 Defense (Gold) From D44 One first down was followed by a false start by the offense and then a Moala sack of Jurkovec on third- and-12. The sack and forced punt led to the defense regaining the lead that it would never relinquish as the quarter ended. Score: Defense 47, Offense 45 FOURTH QUARTER The final quarter, with a continu- ously running clock in the second half saw a mixture of third- and fourth- line players with some twos. The de- fense continued to dominate while finishing with a 28-0 run since the final possession of the second quarter. Having his moment in the sun and responding well was senior walk-on running back Mick Assaf with seven carries for 43 yards. Final Score: Defense 58, Offense 45 Head coach Brian Kelly … On evaluating the rebuilding linebacker corps: "We're progressing to the point where we're start- ing to see some of the things that are being taught, repeated. That's when you start to feel a little bit better about where you're going to end up as a finished product. "There's enough athleticism there. It'll be our job and [defensive coordinator/linebackers coach] Clark [Lea's] job to put them in a position to suc- ceed as well, because they're not as experienced at that position as we've had in the past. It will be our job to utilize their athletic ability ... "If that means doing some [different] things, that's our job. We're seeing progress and we have to be smart in taking advantage of their skill set." Senior quarterback Ian Book … On his performance: "I felt confident after being able to play in another spring game and working another whole spring with these guys. "We've been really working on chemistry … I had 'good nerves.' I was really happy with how it went." On the progress of the running backs: "That's what I was really impressed with today, all the backs we have that can move and can play well. They're all physical backs. We'll see how it lines up with who's getting how many reps, but I thought Jafar [Armstrong] played great today. Kyren [Wil- liams], Jahmir [Smith], all those guys. "I'm excited. I think we have a really good group of backs in general." Junior running back Jafar Armstrong … On the difference from last year when he moved to running back: "I had some great leaders. Tony [Jones] and Dexter [Williams] — and Tony is still here, they've led the way, and Josh [Adams]. They've shown me what it takes to be a Notre Dame running back. "I'm trying to keep that legacy going with the other backs. Me and Tony have kind of taken that leadership role, and I think we've had a really good spring. We're working and the young guys have held their own, and that showed today." On transitioning into a leadership role: "This will be my third year here. There's been a ton of guys who have paved the way and shown me how to be good here. I'm just following their lead. "I'm not the type of person who is going to be a loud guy. Most of the time I'm trying to lead by example and let my play and my work ethic show." Junior linebacker Jordan Genmark Heath … On the progress of the linebackers: "Today was fun. We just got to play. All we do is practice, practice, practice. "We'll go live at practice, but you can't emulate what happens on the field when everybody is live and going 100 percent. "It was definitely valuable because we got to see what kind of unit we are and we'll take the next step from there." On his own play: "I had a couple missed fits here and there, but I felt like I didn't get a lot of action in the beginning. I thought it was a pretty solid day." Sophomore linebacker Shayne Simon … On the inexperienced linebacker group: "I think we're all very athletic. We all can move; we all can flow. If we can bring that hunger, bring that intensity, we can do very well." On moving from rover to the inside, including mid- dle linebacker: "It's an opportunity to make plays. It's an opportunity to hunt the ball and be a ball player. That's what I've been trying to do." On studying Drue Tranquill and Te'von Coney last year: "It's their physicality and the way they play football. They're hard on the ball. They try to go make as many plays as possible. It's the way they commu- nicate as well. "They're very talkative. Drue was very mechanical in his play and that's something I've been trying to mimic and play through." — David McKinney According to head coach Brian Kelly, due to the linebacker group's inexperience it's up to the coaches to take advantage of the athleticism of players such as Jordan Genmark Heath and "put them in positions to succeed." PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA From The Locker Room