Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 9, 2023 7 UNDER THE DOME "We wanted him to be able to grow," Parker said. "It's one of the reasons he came here. And so to be able to see him do that and function the way he did certainly shows what he's been able to do." It doesn't have to be a matter of forcing the issue with this Notre Dame offense. There isn't pressure on Hartman to get guys involved. That should be easy. Gone are the days of Michael Mayer generating more than twice the number of targets than anyone else on the team. You might not see monster numbers from any one Irish player this season like Mayer had in some individual games over the last couple years. Six players with at least two catches and four players with at least three could be the new norm. Ju- nior wideouts Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie plus Greathouse combined for 10 catches, 176 yards and 4 touchdowns versus Navy. That'll work better than a 120-yard, 1-touchdown day for Mayer with not much from anybody else every single time. In addition to what it does to bring out the best in Hartman, depth is making the life of Parker much easier in what is by far his biggest gig yet in his coaching career. "What's the best way for guys to get better in a room? To have better people around them," Parker said. "And when they see guys that are evolving, getting better every day, they're starting to really be good teammates to each other. All it does is just raise the level. "It's like the old saying, 'A high tide raises all boats.' And I think that's what happened." 'BLESSINGS TO HIM' The most intriguing thing for the Notre Dame defense, meanwhile, might not have been Sneed setting a career high for snaps or Gray doing his best imperson- ation of Morrison and fellow sophomore Jaden Mickey by eclipsing 20 snaps right out of the gates. It might have been the guys who didn't play. Freeman said freshman linebackers Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry have a chance to be contributors defensively this season. They didn't play at all on defense in Week 0. That was against Navy, though. All four linebackers who saw the field for the Irish against the Midshipmen had experience against the triple-option offense going in. Going forward, Bowen and Ausberry will have better odds of getting on the field against more traditional offenses — especially considering they both made their debuts against Navy on special teams anyway. Yes, 39 players made special teams appearances in Week 0. But there is still something to Ausberry and Bowen being true freshmen and getting the nod. Aus- berry was out there for three instances of kick overage per Pro Football Focus. Bowen had six kick coverage reps and one kick return rep. Those low numbers indi- cate the coaching staff has big plans for that duo moving forward. If redshirt seasons were in the cards, they probably wouldn't have been thrown out there for a total of 10 special teams plays. Consider Week 0 the easing into action for them. There is probably so much in store for that duo before 2023 flips to 2024. Defensive line depth is a must at every level of football. Notre Dame's is being put to the test with the absence of junior defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio. Freeman said Rubio will be out for a while with an injury. Rubio's absence doesn't sound serious. He should be back sooner than later. But he's a rock on the second-team defensive line. Who steps up and fills that void? The true test of depth doesn't come when the going is good for everybody in a blowout. The true test of depth comes when it's needed the most. Defensive coordinator Al Golden men- tioned sophomore Donovan Hinish and senior Aidan Keanaaina as possible re- placements for Rubio. Going into Week 1, the former had only 6 snaps to his name in his career. Five of those came against Navy in Week 0. The latter did not play against Navy and played only 50 snaps in the first three years of his career. If the hypothetical tower of useful Notre Dame players is indeed tall enough to crest the highest point of the north end of Notre Dame Stadium, then it's because guys like Hinish and Keanaaina, play- ers who aren't normally thought of right away when reciting the Irish roster, are comfortably a part of it in the eyes of the Irish coaching staff. It's fine for guys like Greathouse to get all the glory when one-fourth of the first 8 snaps of his career are touchdowns. That's much deserved. But if Hinish or Keanaaina ever get on the field in a pinch and play at a satisfactory level, that's the sign of a championship team. Championship teams also have starters who are a part of that player stack. Ones who look much better in their fifth year than they did in their fourth make it all the more sturdy, too. Those types of guys are just as important as first-year players like Greathouse who are producing from the start. Take graduate student linebacker Marist Liufau for instance. "I just think like there were times last year during the season that we would be trying to protect him, because he was not fully healed, like he was not himself," Golden said. "And I saw the young man the other night that everybody told me about when I got here. That's how I felt. "I saw a knee-bender. I saw somebody with suddenness and lateral quickness. I saw ruggedness to take on blocks or knock ball carriers back. I saw him attack the ball. I'm excited about him. He's worked really, really hard from the injury to get to this point. Blessings to him." And for that, put him at the top of the tower. Maybe he deserves to be the one who sees Touchdown Jesus. ✦ Graduate student linebacker Marist Liufau leads the way for a deep Irish linebacking unit. PHOTO BY JOHN CROTHERS