Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 DECEMBER 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Kyren Williams Is Irreplaceable By Tyler Horka Running back MVPs aren't usually held to less than 100 rushing yards in nine of 11 games, but the circumstances have allowed for some shifting of the goal- posts in this argument. Junior running back Kyren Williams is still Notre Dame's MVP, and here's why. When Notre Dame's offensive line wasn't mesh- ing and it was a downright burden to run the ball in the first half of the season, graduate student quar- terback Jack Coan was benched on two separate occasions. The offensive line shored up, Williams started putting up numbers, and the conversa- tion about Coan needing to ride the pine ceased entirely. Funny how that works. Williams has been an invaluable asset to Coan in the second half of the season. He scored at least one touchdown in every game since the 24-13 loss to Cincinnati Oct. 2 through the 55-0 win over Georgia Tech Nov. 20. He scored multiple touch- downs in three games during that stretch. It is understandable there is a case to be made for Coan being the team's MVP. He has stabilized along with the offensive line in a similar way as Williams. But in which games can you confidently say it's been Coan, not Williams, who has been the team's best and most important player down the stretch? Williams had 185 rushing attempts through Week 12. The next closest player not named Jack Coan on the Notre Dame roster in that category was Chris Tyree with 45. Williams has been Notre Dame's rock all year long, even when the go- ing was tough. He might not have been named one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award, but he should surely be named Notre Dame's team MVP. Steadiness Makes Jack Coan The Choice By Todd D. Burlage Never during my 20-plus years covering Notre Dame football can I re- member a time or a team that was so difficult to find an MVP. There are no All-Americans — save for sophomore tight end Mi- chael Mayer — there are no Heisman candidates, or any potential NFL first-rounders this spring except Kyle Hamilton, but he was injured. This team, instead, is better defined by un- selfishness, improvement and a next-man-in ap- proach than by any single superstar. And that's why stoic and steady quarterback Jack Coan fit this team so perfectly and was the root of its success, even if his ride was anything but smooth. Coan was sacked 22 times through his first six games, and pressured more than that, but he still completed 62 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and only three intercep- tions. He led last-minute game-winning drives against Toledo and Virginia Tech, and he inexplicably managed five wins in the first six games. Holding things to- gether when this season could have unraveled, Coan's steadiness was paramount. And as his offensive line, running game and defense improved in the second half of this season, Coan became more of a game manager than a miracle worker, and he accepted and perfected that role, completing a re- markable 74 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and two intercep- tions in the five games prior to Saturday's regular-season finale at Stanford. Certainly, the leadership skills, big personality and second-half surge from Irish junior tailback Kyren Williams make him a strong MVP candidate. But it was Coan who held this season together when all could have been lost. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO WAS NOTRE DAME'S MOST VALUABLE PLAYER THIS SEASON? COAN WILLIAMS Growing up the daughter of a Notre Dame alumnus father before becoming a graduate herself in 1993, author and journalist Lisa Kelly explains that she re- ally had no choice but to continue recognizing and celebrating the campus and people she stays in close contact with and cares deeper for now more than ever, even 28 years after her graduation. Kelly is best known around Notre Dame for her work covering Irish ath- letics for OneFootDown.com, and as the author of several books that share the stories of the great Notre Dame players from today and yesteryear. Kelly's popular "Echoes From Notre Dame" book series recently added a new edition titled, "Domer Dishes: Inside the Lives and Kitchens of Your Fighting Irish Gridiron Greats," and Kelly hopes her readers will find the stories and recipes inside both interesting and tasty. With the help of dozens of former Irish football players and coaches from many eras, Kelly — along with the help of her husband Jim Kelly, and the inspi- ration from former Notre Dame tailback Lee Becton and Digger Phelps' daughter, Karen Phelps Moyer — compiled a cookbook full of recipes and stories that provide a glimpse into the lives and culinary skills of the men who made Irish football what it is today. Whether it's an ahi poke bowl from Chris Zorich, chicken parmesan by Tony Rice or just some good old-fashioned hot wings Te'Von Coney style, Kel- ly's latest release offers something for everybody with common and unique recipes, along with stories of the great men who shared them. Kelly's work can be found at Amazon Books or on her website at www.EchoesFromNotreDame- Books.com. Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Kelly to discuss her new book and her mission and inspiration behind it. BGI: A Notre Dame football cook- book is certainly a unique idea, what was your vision for the project? Kelly: "Between the pandemic and the civil unrest, the year was kind of crazy for all of us. But everybody was so positive and happy to be a part of it. "Everybody loves food and football, and to get people to share a happy story, a family memory, a favorite recipe seemed to kind of lighten the mood and gave everyone something to look forward to." BGI: Were there any other special motivations for the project? Kelly: "We just hear the negative stuff in the media, and I really kind of wanted to be — like Notre Dame says — a force for good. I wanted to share all of the positive stories because we can all use more positivity in our lives." BGI: Did the publishing process hold up the way you anticipated it would? Kelly: "It evolved some, as all projects do. My original goal was to get a recipe, then include a story to go with it. 'Why is this your favorite recipe? Is there a family tradition that this is at- tached to?' That type of thing. "But for most of the people I talked to, it's just their favorite recipe, so I decided to have them share their favorite memory while they were at Notre Dame." BGI: Why is Notre Dame football so special to you? Kelly: "I think what I love so much about Notre Dame is just all of the people stories. There are so many great stories about what the guys have done post sports, and I think that is what captivates me. "There is such a great diversity of where every- one landed after they retired from football, and just the amount of the good things they're doing in their communities." BGI: Did you make all of the recipes to sample? Kelly: "Have you met me? I don't cook! I cooked when the kids were little, and I managed not to scar anybody. On holidays, they all shoo me out of the kitchen! "My husband handled all of the cooking for the book, I did all the photography, and we all did the eating." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME GRADUATE, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST LISA KELLY KELLY