Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 OCT. 17, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. This Offensive Line Makes Everything Easier Notre Dame freshman running back Jonaz Wal- ton made sure no one could catch him on his 97- yard touchdown run in the second quarter against Stanford. Even more impressively, his blockers made sure he didn't get touched going through a significant hole in the Stanford defense. Fifth-year center Ashton Craig and senior tight end Cooper Flanagan made the key blocks on Stan- ford's inside linebackers to create a lane for Walton to exploit. The Irish repeatedly forged those holes with another strong performance from their of- fensive line. The Irish offensive line continues to make big strides ahead of its most important matchups of the season against BYU and Miami in the coming month. In the past two games, the line paved the way for 602 rushing yards and 6 rushing touch- downs on 92 carries and didn't allow a sack. 2. Throw Out Your Game Script Against Notre Dame's Defense The opening-drive touchdown drive Notre Dame allowed last weekend against North Carolina will likely remain an outlier for the rest of the season. That's because the Irish defense typically sets such a strong tone. The strip sack by senior defensive end Boubacar Traore, which led to a fumble recovery by senior linebacker Jaiden Ausberry, on Stanford's first play was the second turnover created by the Irish on an opponent's opening possession this season. Three opponents who avoided turnovers on their first possessions went three-and-out against the Irish instead. Offensive coordinators should be able to draw up their best plan of attack for their first drive against Notre Dame, but the results rarely match that. The overwhelming nature of Notre Dame's defensive effort with speed and violence provides an immediate wake-up call for opponents. Notre Dame's pass rush, which has 3 sacks on first drives this season, plays a big role in shutting down offenses from the start. 3. These Jaden Greathouse Touchdowns Matter Notre Dame senior wide receiver Jaden Great- house might not be lighting up opposing defenses, but he made important touchdown receptions in back-to-back games for the Irish. His 12-yard touchdown against North Carolina on a slot fade and 3-yard touchdown against Stanford on a slant proved he can be a valuable asset in the red zone for the Irish. Senior wide receiver Jordan Faison has already established himself as the go-to receiver in this of- fense. Junior wide receiver Micah Gilbert played a nice role as a downfield threat for the Irish through the first half of the season. But the 6-foot-1, 212-pound Greathouse may still be the Irish's best contested catch receiver. Pro Football Focus credits him with 3 contested catches of 6 targets, which still makes it a 50-50 proposition, but Carr expects Greathouse to win more of those than he loses. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock can scheme up some touchdown passes in the red zone for Notre Dame, but a one-on-one winner like Greathouse gives the Irish an important option. 4. Don't Doubt The Defensive Depth All-American cornerback Leonard Moore became the third Notre Dame starter to miss a game for the Irish defense when he sat out the Stanford game with a concussion. That total could extend to five if you include senior safety Luke Talich, who missed the Purdue game (wrist) and has four starts this season, and junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, who missed his second game of the season against Stanford. Viliamu-Asa sat out the season opener against Wisconsin while still recov- ering from last season's left knee injury and sat out the Stanford game with a left thumb injury, but he still has 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1 interception. Notre Dame hasn't really missed a beat despite missing junior safety Brauntae Johnson (left foot) and sixth-year defensive tackle Jason Onye (left an- kle) in the starting lineup for the past five games. Sophomore cornerback Jayden Sanders became the latest backup to step up when called upon. He tallied 2 passes broken up and 1 tackle in Moore's absence against Stanford. 5. It's Time For Jonaz Walton To Start Not much needs to be said after his past two per- formances: 36 carries for 301 yards and 2 touch- downs and 4 catches for 56 yards. Walton has too much potential as a difference maker for him to not be on the field when Notre Dame's offense begins its first drive. That may lead to difficult conversations, particu- larly if junior Aneyas Williams gets bumped down to third in the rotation after opening the season as the starter, but the results speak for themselves. Notre Dame should still find opportunities for Williams and sophomore running back Nolan James Jr. to receive touches. But Walton deserves an earlier opportunity to prove he's the hot hand in every game moving forward, even if he's not making any public demands for it. ✦ FIVE THOUGHTS BY TYLER JAMES Notre Dame's offensive line made big holes for Irish running backs like sophomore Nolan James Jr. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER