Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1183432
14 NOV. 16, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY ANDREW MENTOCK T he 45-14 loss to the Michigan Wolverines may be the most disappointing defeat of Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly's decade-long tenure. The Irish came out flat, looked unprepared to play and were bulldozed by a bitter rival. One of the most trying aspects of the loss is that the star defensive players did not live up to their pre- season billing, which was also a ma- jor factor in it being the first time since Clark Lea became the defensive coordinator in 2018 that the Irish al- lowed more than 30 points in a game. Two of those players, senior de- fensive ends and captains Julian Ok- wara and Khalid Kareem, combined for six tackles and half a tackle for a loss. "We didn't come to play our best," Okwara said. While it's misguided to blame the loss on any single player, they're aware that as leaders they need to set a more productive example. "A lot of younger players look to the older guys and veterans to come out there and make a play," Okwara said. "Something we all need to work on is being able to come out there and make plays for our team and be able to get the guys going." Neither 's play has been as con- sistent as they would like it to be, especially Okwara's. Through eight games, he had six tackles for loss (four sacks), but just 15 total stops. While these are still solid numbers, many thought when he came back for his senior year he'd be one of the best edge players in all of college football. "Coming into the season, you heard the comparisons to Josh Allen, who went back for his senior year, had a huge season for Kentucky and worked his way into a top-10 overall pick," said Scott Wright, who is an NFL Draft analyst for DraftCount- down.com. Back In August, Okwara was pro- jected as a first- or second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, while scouts had Kareem pegged in the third round. Despite some in-season struggles, those projections haven't changed. "I don't think they've hurt their draft stock," Wright said, "but I don't think they've necessarily helped it either." It helps that both have shown flashes of brilliant play. Against Vir- ginia Sept. 28, Okwara had three sacks, two forced fumbles and two quarterback hurries. For his perfor- mance, he was named the Walter Camp Football Defensive Player of the Week. While overshadowed by Okwara's dominance, Kareem's performance versus the Cavaliers was almost equally impressive. He finished the contest with three total tackles, 2.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry. If either player is going to improve DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD The NFL can wait while senior defensive ends Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara focus on finishing strong