Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 DEC. 5, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL T he two-word phrase was used because, well, it fit the only on- field data points available to the Notre Dame faithful. At the time of its uttering, Ben Skowronek was a much-discussed graduate transfer whose impact was still more theoretical than reality, and maybe this first extended look meant it was time to recalibrate. A hamstring pull forced him out of all but two quarters of the first three games, and in his return he recorded two catches for 28 yards and two first downs in an uninspiring 12-7 mid- October win over Louisville. The stat line prompted a post- game question to Brian Kelly about Skowronek's usefulness as a "safety blanket." Fair, given the sampling. But not accurate in Kelly's view. "I don't know that he wants to be called a safety blanket," Kelly said. All Skowronek has done since is distance himself from such labels. In four games since, the player who caught 110 passes for 1,417 yards in 43 games at Northwestern has be- come a weapon Notre Dame needed. During the four-game stretch from Oct. 24 to Nov. 14, Skowronek notched 12 catches for 211 yards (17.6 yards per reception) and five touch- downs. The Irish passing offense's rise has come with his establishment as a go-to target. "A lot of people would describe me as a possession receiver," Skowronek said after that Louisville win, "but I just want to be a playmaker, someone who can make a play when my num- ber is called." Skowronek's importance to Notre Dame's passing game and his ability to handle that role is anything but surprising to those who knew him before he stepped on campus and to fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book, who Skowronek calls his best friend at Notre Dame. The idea of him as a complementary piece was never reality to him. Skowronek came to Notre Dame to deliver performances like his three-touchdown day in a 45-31 win over Boston College Nov. 14 and his breakout game at Pitt Oct. 24, when he caught touchdown passes of 34 and 73 yards. He came to Notre Dame for his final season because he felt it was the right spot to strengthen his NFL case and doing anything less would be, in his eyes, a failure. "He prepares himself like a pro- fessional," said Joe Gaziano, Skow- ronek's Northwestern roommate and a former Wildcats defensive end. What everyone is seeing now — the receptions where Skowronek "Mosses" (i.e. former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss) defend- ers and lets them know it, his jump- ball ability and the requesting the ball when he has a matchup he likes — was the expectation all along and entirely in character. Skowronek plays with an edge, en- tire Pringles can on his shoulder, be- fitting of someone who knows he has zero time to waste, belongs where he is and brings much more than a mundane debut stat line ever could convey. 'HE CAN RUN' Northwestern, like plenty of college programs, uses wearable GPS devices in practices to track player movement, speed and innumerable other minu- tiae. One day after a summer work- out a few years back, the Wildcats' coaches combed through the data and found something unexpected. Skowronek registered the fastest sprint speed of anyone on the roster. AN EMERGING FORCE Self-assured Ben Skowronek's contributions stretch beyond initial impressions During a four-game stretch from Oct. 24 to Nov. 14, Skowronek notched 12 catches for 211 yards (17.6 yards per reception) and five touchdowns. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS