Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1293421
20 OCT. 10, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY ANDREW MENTOCK S hortly before the 2020 college football season began, Kristy Woodley debated which early season Notre Dame game she and her twin daughters would at- tend: Duke (Sept. 12), or South Flor- ida (Sept. 19)? Her initial inclination was to fly to South Bend for the ACC opener versus the Blue Devils. But her son, junior wide receiver Joe Wilkins Jr., assured her that, as a reserve player, the Bulls provided him with the best opportunity to see the field. Woodley booked her flights accordingly. Although Wilkins knew he may not play against Duke, his preparation during that week of practice never wavered. Once the game started and he was on the sidelines as the second- string boundary receiver, his focus only intensified. Wilkins honed in on every move of the man ahead of him: fifth-year senior Ben Skowronek. "I didn't take my eyes off him at any period of time," Wilkins said. "I'm always watching him, listening to the play calls, looking at every- thing, looking at signals, and I'm just studying. Mental reps." Then, late in the second quarter, Skowronek came up lame with a hamstring injury, and Wilkins was thrust onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium in a first-team role. None of the other wide receivers had caught a pass up to that point in the game and the Irish were barely ahead 7-6. Wilkins was ready. On second-and- five, he caught a four-yard pass on a crossing route. A few plays later, he followed that up with receptions of 15 and then 13 yards, pushing the Notre Dame offense well into Duke territory with 13 seconds to go in the half. The Irish elected to kick a field Wilkins caught four passes for 39 yards — the first receptions of his Irish career — in Notre Dame's season-opening 27-13 win over Duke. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER MATURING THROUGH ADVERSITY Several setbacks have kept junior wide receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. off the field, but he's accustomed to persevering no matter the challenges that lie ahead