Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 OCT. 10, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI O nce upon a time for about a 50-year period, the fullback was a prime identity of the Notre Dame attack on offense: Tough, physical, blue-collar, no frills. Since the turn into the 21st cen- tury, the fullback has gradually been phased out of most of football, giving way to spread concepts that often will include four- and five-receiver sets. The last time Notre Dame "offi- cially" listed a starting fullback in its lineup was 2009, when former five-star tailback James Aldridge was shifted there as a senior, and backed up by 248-pound walk-on Bobby Burger. Injuries limited Aldridge to six games that year while he totaled a modest 17 rushing yards. Robert Hughes also was positioned there when Aldridge was hurt. Then came 2010 and the arrival of the University of Cincinnati's National Coach of the Year Brian Kelly. With it came basically the elimination of the fullback in football lexicon. The posi- tion was going the way of the single- wing offense, although still integral in triple-option attacks. On occasion, though, a tight end would line up as the "H back," either set or in motion. Yet in 2020, junior tight end Tommy Tremble might be bringing back the old-school fullback, or at least partially. The position will never be again what it once was, but "Throw- back Tommy" and his powerful 6-4, 248-pound frame brought back re- minders of a past era during the 52-0 win over South Florida. Seldom does a blocking back get as much attention during a game or telecast as Tremble did with his iso- lation or edge blocking versus the Bulls. And he even was thrown a bone as a runner when he bulled be- tween the tackles for a four-yard gain on a third-and-one situation in the second quarter — carrying multiple defenders with him while refusing to fall on the ground. "You've got to give a little bit of sugar to those guys that go in and do the dirty work," Kelly said of giving the ball to Tremble. "He's asked to do a lot of work that has been so effective in us being able to run the football. "Having a quick hitter or some- thing that hits real quick instead of six, seven yards deep when you're getting into short-yardage is just smart football. Having that play is something you go to once in a while." From 1949 into the 1990s, the full- back was an integral ball carrier as well in Notre Dame's attack, but by the 2000s he became more of a glorified guard with an occasional carry here or there, or a catch out of the backfield. Notre Dame has constructed its 2020 identity on offense around phys- icality that is led by the most veteran offensive line in school history (in terms of returning career starts), and an exceptionally deep and quality tight end corps. Two- and three-tight- end sets have hardly been novel to Notre Dame's offense in recent years, but under first-year coordinator Tommy Rees, Tremble's role took on a tight end/fullback hybrid. "It felt pretty good," Tremble said after the USF game. "We worked it throughout the offseason and throughout the season as well. I love being at fullback, too, so it's not a problem for me." While catching 16 passes for 183 yards and four touchdowns last year OLD-SCHOOL POSITION EXCHANGE Tight end Tommy Tremble's versatility and blocking skills revive fullback memories Tremble led the Irish with 61 receiving yards against USF, but that was overshadowed by his stellar block- ing — which included him lining up at fullback — that helped the team rush for 281 yards and six scores. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL TWITTER