Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 OCT. 10, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED I f there has ever been a season in college football for team depth to be prepared and not just be typical lip service, this Year of COVID-19 is it. Because 13 Notre Dame players were in isolation with positive tests and 10 others in at least 14-day quar- antine due to contact tracing, the game at Wake Forest Sept. 26 was rescheduled for Dec. 12. Then on Sept. 28 it was revealed that a total of 39 Fighting Irish play- ers (25 positive tests and 14 others in quarantine) were in coronavirus pro- tocol, putting the Oct. 10 home game versus Florida State in limbo as well. With the Dec. 12 "lifeline" for re- scheduling already used up, the 2020 schedule truly is "day to day." Numerous new faces already had to be called upon during the 52-0 rout of USF. None was more prominent than sophomore Jack Kiser, who on paper appeared to be the No. 4 Buck linebacker entering training camp to succeed the graduated Asmar Bilal. Junior Jack Lamb might have been deemed the front-runner after play- ing regularly in sub packages last year before hip surgery sidelined him in early November. Setbacks in his recovery were described as "career threatening" in football, per head coach Brian Kelly, which put the California native behind. And then prior to the USF contest it was announced that the co-starters at the position for the Duke game, junior Shayne Simon (32 snaps) and sopho- more Marist Liufau (27 snaps), would be unavailable versus the Bulls. Kiser then stepped in to record a team-high eight tackles, two for loss plus a quarterback hurry, and received the game ball from Kelly. He was aware earlier in the week that the op- portunity might be there, but it wasn't official until the morning of the game. Overshadowed amid the pandemic is how crucial talent identification, painstaking preparation and consis- tent culture are in a program's infra- structure — which Florida State has lacked in recent years — to manifest a "plug and play" excellence. "When Shayne Simon and Marist go down, that sucks and you don't want that to happen to anybody," Kiser said. "But they're texting me like, 'Hey, this is your time. Let's go!' That means a lot." In such situations, the name Wally Pipp is regularly invoked. A 14- year Major League Baseball player (1913-26) who led the American League in home runs in 1916 (12) and 1917 (nine), Pipp also started during the New York Yankees' first World Series title year in 1923. Amidst a slump and reportedly battling a headache, Pipp was re- placed by 21-year-old Lou Gehrig on June 2, 1925. Gehrig would get three hits in that game and the "Iron Horse" would start a then Major League-record 2,130 straight games while becoming the game's greatest first baseman. Years later, Pipp was quoted as saying, "I took the two most expen- sive aspirins in history." While making such comparisons to an all-time great is premature or even downright inane, Kelly did note the 2020 Fighting Irish roster is replete with Kiser-like figures. "We have a lot of good players that, when given the opportunity, will 'Wally Pipp' you," he said. "… We've got some guys that have been very impressive and really locked in. Happy for Jack — and there will be other guys [who will] get their op- portunity, and they'll shine." Even another backup for Kiser, sophomore Osita Ekwonu was a higher-rated prospect overall (top- 250 four star by Rivals). One doesn't become a top-10 program and Col- lege Football Playoff-caliber con- tender without such an infrastruc- ture, although some areas will be more fragile than others. Quarterback in particular might be one of them, although Kelly's history indicates his teams are often at their best with a less-experienced figure, or one who is suddenly taking over the operation. Plus, no recruit worth his salt ar- rives with a goal of "I'd like to be a backup during my career," which is part of being the right "fit." If a player has premeditated plans about redshirting his freshman year, or any other time, then serious questions are raised about his fortitude and overall passion for the game. Aiding that urgency is that in 2019 the NCAA ruled a student-athlete can play in any four games in the course of a year without losing eli- gibility, and this year an automatic extra year of eligibility was added. "Those two things are really work- ing for you this year," Kelly said. Just like Simon, Liufau and dozens of others could be as well in 2020, and beyond. ✦ Wally Pipp Effect Must Thrive In 2020, Beyond THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com Sophomore linebacker Jack Kiser (No. 24) displayed the needed depth required to compete at a College Football Playoff level, while replacing classmate Marist Liufau (No. 35) against South Florida Sept. 19. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER