Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 SEPT. 26, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL O ne position group's stat line from Notre Dame's season opener was similar to its production in 2019's ugliest game. Too similar. In a 45-14 drubbing at Michigan last October, Notre Dame wide re- ceivers caught four passes (from a mere 11 completions), two of them on a garbage-time scoring drive. They were far from the only reason Notre Dame lost, but their absent produc- tion was among many ghastly num- bers from that forgettable night. Against Duke Sept. 12, an over- hauled group of Notre Dame receiv- ers had seven receptions for 74 yards. In fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book's 24 career starts, only that loss at Michigan produced fewer catches and yards from wideouts. The differ- ence, of course, is the Irish won 27-13 and threw for 265 yards, lessening the reaction to the lack of receiver produc- tion from outright panic to concern. Even though the two games were otherwise entirely unalike, any stat that resembles numbers from that low point of last season ought to cock some eyebrows upward. Book and his receivers looked like exactly what they were: a group of new faces below full strength that had less time together than normal, namely the absence of 14 spring practices. Notre Dame hopes such solvable discord is the extent of the issues. If not, the offensive ceiling will be brought into question. Book threw just 11 of his 31 pass attempts at wide receivers in the opener. "Those are important reps you wish you had," Book said after the win over Duke. "Every day counts, especially with quarterback-receiver timing. It's huge. Chemistry is every- thing. It's trust. "When you miss those days, you lose them. But I'm excited with the way guys wanted to put in work." It's too early to proclaim the wide receiver position a lost cause, espe- cially when two of its highest-up- side players, juniors Kevin Austin and Braden Lenzy, were out injured against Duke and intriguing five-star freshman Jordan Johnson did not play due to coach's decision. Lenzy missed that game with a mild ham- string injury that popped up late. "We have to all stay in the lineup to build that consistency and sixth sense in quarterback-wide receiver relationship," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. USF offered the receivers a chance to get right for a week, but the Bulls are not the level of competition against whom they will be judged or must beat to take Notre Dame where it wants to go. Ideally for the Irish, even Duke's respectable secondary would have been overmatched. Senior starting wide receivers Ben- nett Skowronek, Avery Davis and Javon McKinley were targeted a combined four times against Duke. Skowronek, the owner of 110 career receptions in the Big Ten, was catch- less before injuring his hamstring in the second quarter. He did not play against USF. McKinley was target- less. Davis caught both of his targets for 26 yards, highlighted by a 17-yard touchdown. All told, it's a group that needs to get healthy, stay healthy and be a source of explosive plays. Notre Dame's of- fense survived without them against Duke thanks to eight catches from its tight ends and sophomore running back Kyren Williams' impressive de- but. But the goal is to thrive. Notre Dame's receivers' yards per route run (YPRR) in the first game best illustrates the absence of impact. The stat is a strong indicator of re- ceiver production, efficiency and ex- plosiveness. Yes, it's a small sample, but here's where Notre Dame's re- ceivers stood among the 237 quali- fied wide receivers in Pro Football Focus' national yards per route run leaderboard after the Duke game: • T-99: Joe Wilkins Jr. (1.86 YPRR, 21 routes run) • 137: Davis (1.24 YPRR, 24 routes) • 199: Lawrence Keys III (0.27 YPRR, 15 routes) • T-205: Skowronek: (0.0 YPRR, 15 routes) For comparison, a 1.86 YPRR over an entire season would have ranked 152nd nationally in 2019 among wide receivers with at least 50 targets. Chase Claypool, last year 's leading receiver, ranked 53rd nationally with 2.48 YPRR. Until Austin returns, Notre Dame has to make it work with the current group. He had surgery Aug. 3 to re- pair a foot fracture and was given a return timeline of eight to 12 weeks. As of Sept. 17, Kelly said Austin is no longer in a walking boot and pro- gressing on schedule. "He had his six-week scan," Kelly said. "It showed good signs. UNDER THE DOME WORK-IN-PROGRESS Notre Dame's wide receivers had a limited impact in the season opener Junior Joe Wilkins Jr. had four of the seven receptions by Notre Dame wide receivers against Duke after entering as an injury replacement. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS