Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 NOV. 9, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. With Full-Strength Faison, Notre Dame Re- ceiving Corps Is Dangerous In the words of Joni Mitchell, sometimes you don't know what you got 'til it's gone. But in the case of Jordan Faison, Notre Dame fans might not have known what they lost until they got it back. The sophomore wide receiver and two-sport star in men's lacrosse was a factor in the passing game for the first time this season. He looked like his 2023 self after suffering two early season ankle injuries, and the passing attack felt much more potent as a result. Faison caught 4 passes for 52 yards, and he would have had 5 for 75 had a phantom hold- ing penalty not been called on junior right tackle Aamil Wagner. He looked quick, especially when he snapped off a post-corner route for 26 yards late in the second quarter. He did have one drop, but senior quarterback Riley Leonard went right back to him and trusted his ordinarily reliable hands. "I really trust so many of them at this point," Leonard said. "Half the time, [I don't] even have to look out there and know who's out there, who's running around. I know they're gonna be there and I know they're gonna be on time." Faison adds speed and quickness all over the field. It's a much-needed component to a top four that includes an athletic boundary target (senior Beaux Collins), a slot specialist (sophomore Jaden Greathouse) and a slant/post/dig specialist (gradu- ate student Kris Mitchell). If Faison stays healthy down the stretch, it makes Notre Dame significantly more dangerous through the air. 2. Give The Offensive Line Its Flowers On sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love's 64-yard touchdown, senior center Pat Coogan did a phenomenal job of feigning pass protection, then climbing to the second-level and putting a body on the lone Navy linebacker who didn't blitz. Once Coogan took care of him, Love's speed did the rest. The offensive line as a whole was very good, as tends to be the case when a team rushes 40 times for 265 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and only allows its quarterback to get hit once. Leonard had clean pockets the entire game, while Wagner continued to play well and freshman left tackle Anthonie Knapp had another strong game. The return of junior guard Billy Schrauth helps, of course. Notre Dame started Schrauth at left guard and kept senior Rocco Spindler at right guard. Spindler played well in Schrauth's stead after the latter's Week 3 ankle injury. "We felt like this was what was best for this game, based off some of the previous evidence that we had," Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said. With the way it worked together today, Notre Dame should not mess with this combination as long as it stays healthy. 3. Good Things Happened When Ball Left Hor- vath's Hands And not just because Navy put the ball on the ground four times (not including two muffed punts). Horvath rushed 14 times for 129 yards, with gains of 47 and 60. He proved nearly impossible to tackle if he got the ball in open space. But when Notre Dame forced him to choose the dive or the pitch in Navy's triple option, the Irish were gener- ally able to stop it for a short gain. The defensive tackles drove much of Notre Dame's dive defense; graduate student Howard Cross III was particularly stout. Against the pitch, junior edge rushers Junior Tuihalamaka and Joshua Burnham did a great job making Horvath give it up before widening out to assist on the tackle. File this away for Nov. 23, when the Irish face Army quarterback Bryson Daily. Get the ball out of his hands, and preventing explosive plays becomes much easier. 4. As Expected, Kiser Plays Key Role Vs. Option It's become easy to take student linebacker Jack Kiser for granted this season as sophomores Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry and freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa keep ascending. But the Irish needed every one of his 9 tackles and every ounce of knowledge he brought to the school of stopping the option versus Navy. Kiser was constantly in the right spots. He did not fall for Navy's eye candy when, at times, his younger counterparts did. For example, Viliamu-Asa was out of position on Horvath's 60-yard scamper. "Can't let all the smoke and mirrors confuse you," Kiser said. "Gut reaction, I think we did a re- ally good job of that." File this one away for Nov. 23, too. Kiser should rarely leave the field in that game. 5. Jersey Kids Show Out In Home State As the clock ticked down on a job well done, Cross' eyes rarely left the Notre Dame parents' section. As he often does, he communicated with his dad, Howard Cross Jr. But this game seemed special for both. The game in East Rutherford was a homecoming for the younger Cross, who grew up in Paramus, N.J. Before the game, Cross Jr.'s massive smile on the sideline was impossible to miss while he watched warmups and did a TV hit with ABC 57. Sophomore safety Adon Shuler grew up in nearby Irvington, N.J., and his parents stood on the sideline before the game as well. He had the fumble recovery and 28-yard return that sparked the defense's turnover-happy afternoon. For Notre Dame's Jersey Kids, homecoming was as sweet as can be. FIVE THOUGHTS BY JACK SOBLE Sophomore safety Adon Shuler returned to his home state of New Jersey and had a big game, compiling a personal-best 7 tackles and his first career fumble recovery. PHOTO BY BILL STREICHER