Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 NOV. 19, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME The Irish Go As The Running Game Goes By Tyler Horka If you had to pick a particular player who best embodies the mantra, who would that be? You could say graduate student defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola or his interior running mate, senior Howard Cross III. It could be sophomore running back Audric Estime. Or maybe it's sopho- more running back Logan Diggs. Or maybe you're a junior Chris Tyree kind of person. And I know there are folks out there lobbying for sophomore tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher or any of the three veteran presences who play between them. The bottom line is this: Notre Dame goes as the Irish rushing offense goes. When it was stymied for 76 yards against Ohio State, the Irish scored 10 points and lost by 11. When there was an inexplicable drop-off for a 150- yard output against Stanford, the Irish lost at home to the Cardinal by two points. Notre Dame went on a 6-1 spurt after losing to Marshall, a game in which the Irish only ran for 130 yards. In those seven games, the Irish topped 200 rushing yards five times. They won all five of those matchups. Stopping the run is essential. It's the mark of a good football team. But games are still won when points are put on the board, and the most consis- tent avenue for doing so this season has been when the Irish devote them- selves to ground and pound. The Defense Gets The Nod By Todd D. Burlage Given how Irish head coach Marcus Freeman was preaching all the way back in the preseason about how running the ball and stopping the run would be his team's identity, it's nice that we're having this debate. Both the Notre Dame run game and its rush defense have improved steadily, and dramatically, this season. But with the dominating work the Irish defense has recently enjoyed against some terrific run games gives it the edge. In the 41-24 win over Syracuse Oct. 29, Notre Dame held the Orange to a season-low 61 rushing yards, 138.3 yards below its season average of 179.3 yards per game. A week later in a 35-14 win over Clemson, the Irish enjoyed an encore by holding the Tigers to a season-low 90 rush- ing yards, 95.4 yards below their season average of 185.4. Clemson tailback Will Shipley and Syracuse tailback Sean Tucker entered their games against Notre Dame each averaging more than 90 rushing yards and ranked at or near the top of the ACC in that category. Neither even reached 65 rushing yards against the Irish. These two perfor- mances highlight Notre Dame's ascent in rushing defense better than any. Look, I get it. The Notre Dame offense headed into the Navy game with three consecutive 200-yard rushing outings, so poking holes in my colleague Tyler Horka's argument is tough to do. But I'll still give an Irish defense that moved from 111th nationally in run stoppage after two games to 35th through nine games the slight advantage. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT HAS BEEN BETTER, THE NOTRE DAME RUSHING OFFENSE OR RUSHING DEFENSE? Playing alongside and some- times behind All-Americans Kyle Hamilton and Brandon Joseph the last few years, graduate stu- dent safety DJ Brown has been a consistent under-the-radar performer for the Irish defense. Grabbing headlines isn't what drives this versatile defensive back, special teams ace and team- first player. Instead, the selfless Brown — a 6-foot, 200-pound native of Annapolis, Md. — goes about his business every day. And he's going about it very well. Heading into the Navy game Nov. 12, Brown was tied for third on the team with 36 tackles. In 43 career games dating back to his freshman season in 2018, Brown had 93 tackles and 3 interceptions. BGI: What did your team take away from beating Clemson? Brown: "We had confidence going into the game. We can beat anybody in the country. And, Coach [Marcus] Freeman has been saying for the last two weeks, 'We're one of the best teams that nobody knows about.' "Fruition means a lot to this team and the confi- dence of the guys, just knowing that we compete and beat pretty handily some of the best teams in the country." BGI: What did that win mean to you personally? Brown: "My senior year, beating Clemson again at home, it means a lot. I know a couple of guys on Clemson that were talking trash during the summer. I was like, 'You'll see.' "We beat 'em pretty good so it means a lot, not only for the team but for me, too, just bragging rights with my friends." BGI: You suffered a hamstring injury midseason but carried on; how worrisome was that injury? Brown: "My main focus was trying to get back as fast as possible, so I was able to play in the BYU game, but I wasn't really 100 percent. The next week against Stanford was when I started to finally feel normal again and getting back to myself." BGI: What's your go-to re- covery method as we move through November? Brown: "Probably just the old ice bath, honestly. I feel like it helps me the most, that swelling that you get from running a lot, hitting. That's my favorite. "It's probably the worst to go through, but it gives me the best results." BGI: It's your fifth and final year at Notre Dame; what has the school meant to you? Brown: "I met a lot of great people, played with great teammates. I wouldn't want to go anywhere else. I've had a great time here. I've played in big games. "I've been a part of Coach [Brian] Kelly's pro- gram, but also Coach Freeman's, so I've seen both sides of things. It's been great." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … GRADUATE STUDENT SAFETY DJ BROWN Through nine games this season, Brown was tied for third on the team with 36 tackles. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER JAYSON ADEMILOLA AUDRIC ESTIME