Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 26, 2020 7 UNDER THE DOME … We'll get one more scan done in two weeks. At that time, he could be cleared to begin practicing." In the here and now, Notre Dame's offense requires more from the re- ceivers and Book to handle even the decent defenses. There are indeed some options to find more. Tactically, there was a shortage of one commonly used play type. Notre Dame attempted only six play-action passes against Duke, which per Sports Info Solutions' database was fewer than all but one of Book's 2019 starts. Those six passes averaged 10.8 yards. The play action rate among Power Five teams in 2019 was around 25 percent. Something to con the defense and assist in creating space over the mid- dle would help a receiving corps that had difficulty separating from the Blue Devils' secondary. Regarding the receiver personnel it- self, gaining Lenzy's speed and open- field ability is an easily attainable step. So is continuing to find ways to use Wilkins. The junior entered the Duke game in place of Skowronek and caught four passes for 44 yards, including three receptions on a field goal drive prior to halftime. Before the outburst, Wilkins was known only to those who had seem him flash in practice when he was ac- tually available. With practice closed this year, no one had any physical evidence he was ready to contribute. Asked later how many reps he had with the first-team offense, he called it "50-50." Yet he was prepared as anyone when he entered. "I watched Ben. I'm on the sideline and I didn't take my eyes off him," Wilkins said. "I'm watching him, lis- tening to the play calls, looking at everything. I'm just studying. "Mental reps, mental reps, mental reps. Coach applauded me in our meeting because one play, I didn't take a rep with that play all week. But my mental reps, I'm always watching and paying attention, so I when I got in the game, I knew ex- actly what to do." Added Kelly: "I hope his confi- dence is up that he can do that on a consistent basis." Kelly's comments earlier in Septem- ber suggested Johnson, Notre Dame's first five-star wide receiver signee since Michael Floyd in 2008, is further away from contributions despite the praise he drew in August camp. "Physically he's coming along quite well," Kelly said. "He's still finding himself as a student-athlete here. There's a lot on his plate. He's getting better. He had a really good week last week with his traits. We saw some progress there. "This isn't just about football. He has football talent. We have to con- tinue to work on his attention to de- tail, his focus. "We're getting better there. As those traits continue to develop, there are good things down the road for Jordan." At the same time, though, Kelly hinted there's opportunity — if not need — for someone else to jump in the rotation. In addition to John- son, fellow freshmen receivers Jay Brunelle and Xavier Watts did not play. Micah Jones, a 6-5 junior, also did not see action. "We have to get a young guy ready," Kelly said. "Someone has to step up and accelerate their growth." ✦ Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore | NDBookstore.com We've got you covered