Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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30 SEPT. 19, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED others. He even had a four-yard run when he lined up at fullback. He's Notre Dame's leading receiver this year, with eight catches, and surpasses that production as a blocker. "I just focused on my footwork, everything else and especially gaining weight this offseason," Tremble said. "Last year, I played at 225 [pounds] the entire season, and I was just trying my best to block anything. This year, I got all the way up to like 252 right before camp." He and the rest of the tight ends still bring some field-stretching potential. Tremble caught three passes for 61 yards, notably a 24-yard catch on the game's first play from scrimmage. Mayer was targeted only once, but showed off his run-after- catch ability against Duke. "Every one of our guys has different skill sets, and each one of those cubes has come into motion when we have those 13 and 12 personnels," Trem- ble said. "We all can block downhill, hard blocking, and then, the next thing you know, we'll beat you over the top with speed, every one of our guys. I think just having that versatility is just amazing." THIRTEEN FRESHMEN SEE ACTION Notre Dame took just 17 players in its 2020 re- cruiting class, tied for the smallest in head coach Brian Kelly's tenure. But against South Florida, 13 freshmen saw significant action, headlined by cor- nerback Clarence Lewis, tight end Michael Mayer and running back Chris Tyree. Each earned time early in the game. The rest saw the field once the game got out of hand, but each still contributed to the 52-0 victory. On offense, quarterback Drew Pyne, tight end Kevin Bauman, and wide receivers Xavier Watts and Jordan Johnson also saw the field. Pyne threw the ball twice for one completion and 5 yards. He also had one carry for four yards. "I love Drew Pyne," fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book said. "He's a great addition to our QB room. He just comes every day wanting to learn and get better. So to see him go out there on the field and be able to get his opportunities is awesome." Of the pass catchers, only Bauman and Mayer were targeted, and each had one catch for five yards. In addition to Lewis, all four freshmen defensive linemen played: ends Alexander Ehrensberger and Jordan Botelho, and tackles Rylie Mills and Aidan Ke- anaaina. The tackles did not record a stat, but both ends showed up in the box score. Botelho had one tackle and scored a touchdown on special teams. Eh- rensberger had two stops, one of which was a sack. "Ehrensberger was on scout team for us playing nose tackle and now he's playing five technique and got a sack, doing great things," Kelly said. "We've got really good players and we've got re- ally good depth. They'll accept the roles that we give them during the week, and then they'll be prepared to play if we call on them." Cornerbacks Caleb Offord and Ramon Henderson played defensive snaps later in the fourth quarter. Henderson also played special teams. The only scholarship freshmen players to not see the field were offensive linemen Michael Carmody and Tosh Baker, wide receiver Jay Brunelle and long snapper Alex Peitsch. ✦ NOTRE DAME VS. SOUTH FLA. QUARTER-BY-QUARTER COMPARISON Notre Dame 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Total Time of Possession 10:56 7:38 5:30 8:18 18:34 13:48 32:22 Third-Down Conversions 5-5 2-3 0-3 1-3 7-8 1-6 8-14 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-1 0-0 2-2 2-2 Average Field Position UND-48 USF-48 UND-38 UND-26 50 UND-32 UND-43 South Florida 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Final Time of Possession 4:04 7:22 9:30 6:42 11:26 16:12 27:38 Third-Down Conversions 0-2 0-4 1-5 1-4 0-6 2-9 2-15 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-1 0-0 1-2 0-2 0-1 1-4 1-5 Average Field Position UND-23 UND-20 UND-17 UND-38 UND-21 UND-24 UND-23 PLAY CHART (NO. OF PLAYS) Yards UND USF Nega ve 3 11 0-5 37 35 6-9 11 6 10-19 9 6 20-29 4 1 30-39 2 1 40-49 0 1 50 or more 0 0 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY (INSIDE 20-YARD LINE) No Poss. TD FG Score Notre Dame 7 5 1 1 South Florida 1 0 0 1 BIG PLAYS (25 YARDS OR MORE) Notre Dame • 2-6 USF26 Flemister run for 26 yards and a touchdown • 1-10 ND34 Tyree run for 31 yards to USF35 • 1-10 USF35 Book pass to Tremble for 27 yards to USF8 • 2-8 ND47 Flemister run for 31 yards to USF22 South Florida • 1-10 USF20 Ford run for 42 yards to ND38 • 1-10 USF27 Johnson pass to Williams for 36 yards to ND37 INSTANT TAKEAWAYS FROM FORMER NOTRE DAME CAPTAIN AND LINEBACKER MIKE GOOLSBY • "It's definitely a point of pride for a defense to walk out of there with no points scored. On the sidelines in those kinds of scenarios you almost have to create a game within the game." • "The offense looked crisp. I'm not going to call it a hurry- up but it seemed to be more up-tempo. Ian Book moved outside the pocket, which I've been calling for." • "For as convincing as the 52-0 win was, the defense needs to create more turnovers. There were two balls hit up for grabs that the defense should have picked off." Freshman quarterback Drew Pyne made his Irish debut against South Florida, completing 1 of 2 passes for five yards and adding a four-yard run. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS