Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 31, 2020 51 IRISH IN THE PROS BY ANDREW MENTOCK P rior to week six's matchup against the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears quarterbacks had targeted rookie tight end Cole Kmet only three times over the span of five games. A second-round pick and the first tight end selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Kmet acknowledged prior to the game that he had expected more opportunities in the passing game, especially after consistently making plays in training camp. "As a competitor, you want to be out there and you want to be making plays," Kmet said. On Oct. 18, Kmet was finally given a chance to do so in the red zone, an area of the field where he thrived while at Notre Dame. Early in the first quarter versus the Panthers, with the game still scoreless, Bears quarterback Nick Foles dropped back to pass while Kmet ran a post and was met with double coverage. It didn't matter. Foles threw it up to Kmet, who leaped above both defend- ers for the ball and came down with a nine-yard reception for the first touch- down of his NFL career. "Obviously, it was a dream come true for me," Kmet said. After the play, he looked up at section 205 in Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium and saw his mother, sitting by herself, cheering at the top of her lungs. "She's just screaming," Kmet said. "I didn't hear a word she was say- ing, but she was excited." He followed that up with an 11- yard catch and finished the game with 20 receiving yards and a touch- down, playing a total of 23 snaps on offense as well as on special teams. Kmet wasn't the lone former Notre Dame tight end to snag the first touchdown catch of his career in week six. Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe, who is in the midst of his third NFL season, caught a four-yard score in his team's 24-0 win over the New York Jets. In the first two years of his career, Smythe had 13 catches for 115 yards, but in five games played this year, he's already at four receptions for 41 yards. Smythe has started three times this season and also continues to be a productive blocker in the run game. Two former Notre Dame wide re- ceivers continued to have impres- sive seasons while scoring touch- downs on Oct. 18. Steelers rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool followed up the previous week's four-touchdown performance with a rushing score to help Pittsburgh defeat Cleveland, 38-7. He finished the game with 81 all-purpose yards. On the season, he had 23 touches for 356 yards and six scores, plus five tackles on special teams. Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller V, who was 13th in the NFL with 455 receiving yards, had six catches for 123 yards and a touchdown in a 42-36 overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans. Six weeks into the NFL season, the 2016 first- round pick Fuller had 28 grabs for 455 yards and four touchdowns. Both Claypool and Fuller were tied for ninth in the NFL with four receiving touchdowns this season. Additionally, Claypool is tied for fifth in total touchdowns (rushing and receiving) with six. ✦ Chicago Bears rookie tight end Cole Kmet hauled in his first NFL touchdown catch during a 23-16 win at Carolina Oct. 18. PHOTO COURTESY CHICAGO BEARS Four Former Golden Domers Scored Touchdowns In Week Six Of The NFL Season NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: WEEK SIX HIGHLIGHTS • Julian Love (Played at Notre Dame from 2016-18), DB, New York Giants: Recorded four tackles in 1-5 New York's 20-19 win over the Washington Football Team … He had 24 tackles (one for loss), one pass deflection and an interception through six games. • Romeo Okwara (2012-15), DE, Detroit Lions: Recorded two tackles (one for loss), two quarterback hits and recovered a fumble in the 2-3 Lions' 34-16 win at Jacksonville … On the season, he has com- piled 12 tackles (four for loss), two sacks and six quarterback hits. • Kyle Rudolph (2008-10), TE, Minnesota Vikings: Grabbed three receptions for 47 yards in the 1-5 Vikings' 40-23 loss to Atlanta … Through six contests, he had 11 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. • Jaylon Smith (2013-15), LB, Dallas Cowboys: Recorded 10 tackles (one for loss) in the 2-4 Cowboys' 38-10 loss to Arizona … On the season, he has notched 63 tackles (third in the NFL), six tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and two pass deflections.