Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 23, 2024 7 UNDER THE DOME UNDER THE DOME Jordan Faison Makes The Offense More Dynamic By Jack Soble Sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison played 24 snaps in Notre Dame's 52-3 win over Florida State. Graduate student Kris Mitchell played 28. Moving forward, that snap distribution should probably be about 30-22 in Faison's favor. Yes, drops were an issue for Faison in Week 11, but they have not been in the past. Faison had dropped only 2 passes in his career before his 2 drops against the Seminoles. And when he's out there, he adds a dynamic element to Notre Dame's offense that none of its other wide receivers can provide. Faison's quickness is unique among the Irish wideouts. Mitchell may have better raw speed, but at this point he is who he is. That's not to say Mitchell is a negative when he's out there, because he's not. He's just limited as a route runner to digs, slants and posts. Faison has the ability to take tunnel screens for solid gains, snap off post-corners for chunk plays and be a playmaker after the catch. Faison's speed and quickness will provide a complement to sophomore slot receiver Jaden Greathouse and graduate student boundary man Beaux Col- lins. We saw flashes of this during Notre Dame's win over Navy, when Faison led the way with 4 receptions for 52 yards. With Collins, Greathouse (a prototypical "big slot") and senior tight end Mitchell Evans, the Irish have plenty of size in the lineup. They need speed and quickness. Mitchell provides the latter, but not the former. Faison is the total package. Improving The Run Defense Makes It Gabriel Rubio By Todd D. Burlage When you look at the 2024 stat line for Irish defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio, nothing necessarily jumps off of the page. Through four games after returning Oct. 12, from a broken foot suffered in the preseason, the Irish senior has 7 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Those are not exactly All-America numbers, but important production nonetheless. Backing up star graduate student Rylie Mills at the three-technique tackle position, Rubio had his best game against Navy Oct. 26 when he played 25 defensive snaps against the run-reliant Midship- men and came away with a career-high 4 tackles. The following week in a 52-3 win over Florida State, Rubio recorded 1 tackle and broke up 1 pass on 15 defensive snaps, continuing to see his role and reps increase. While Rubio has remained somewhat of an anonymous figure during his four years with the Irish, his role needs to expand the rest of this season as injuries continue to mount along the Irish defensive line. And the former four-star recruit seems poised to deliver. We've talked much this season about how dominating the Irish defense has been. But be it through injuries or strategies, its rushing defense has lagged behind its pass-stoppage units. And with the postseason and an upgrade in competition looming, improv- ing its rushing defense will be a necessity more than a luxury for Notre Dame, and that improvement starts with depth, and that depth starts with Gabriel Rubio getting a bigger role. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH NOTRE DAME PLAYER DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF IN THE FINAL TWO REGULAR-SEASON GAMES? Even as an On3 four-star recruit and a 2024 January early enrollee, Irish freshman defen- sive end Bryce Young admits he wasn't neces- sarily expecting to play this big of a contribut- ing role this early in his Notre Dame career. Defensive linemen typically need at least a year to develop physically, but perhaps because of work ethic, natural ability or great genes, Young came in ready to plug and play. Backing up graduate student RJ Oben at defensive end, and also a mainstay on Irish special teams, Young played in each of Notre Dame's first nine games, and recorded 11 tackles with 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. The Charlotte, N.C., native also had 2 quarterback hurries and led the team with 2 blocked field goals. The son of former Irish great and NFL Hall of Famer Bryant Young, Bryce continues to improve with every game. He recorded a season-high 4 tackles against Florida State Nov. 9. Blue & Gold Illustrated and other local me- dia caught up with Young before the Vir- ginia game, and asked him about his immediate impact, staying in the moment and his father's lasting legacy. BGI: How much did you expect to earn such a big role so quickly? Young: "I wasn't really worried about that. I was worried about one day after the other, and I still am. I think it's important not to get too ahead of myself. I think that's really what will allow me to continue growing." BGI: What has been the secret to your quick success? Young: " The way I'm in with my team- mates, watching film and stuff like that. The way I watch film, the way I take notes. Every- thing that I do off the field contributes to on the field somewhere. So, I feel like that's an area where I've really improved." BGI: Has hard work or natural talent brought you to this point? Young: "I feel like my talent is the least thing I have. As long as my effort is where it should be, and my motivation to get better is in place, then my talent will be there with that, and it'll get better, too." BGI: How did that mindset develop? Young: "I think just being here. That's why I chose here. I knew I was going to be around people that were going to help me, motivate me, support me. If I'm not living up to my standard, then I know they'll let me know, and I'm grateful for that." BGI: Have you learned more about your father since being on campus? Young: "For sure. There have been people on campus that have been here since he was here, and I've built relationships with them, and that's been pretty cool. Also, just walking in the Gug, seeing his All-American thing, that just serves as a great reminder to the legacy he built, and what I can work to do." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … FRESHMAN DEFENSIVE END BRYCE YOUNG Faison Rubio Young played in each of Notre Dame's first nine games, recording 11 tackles with 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER