Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/206976
✦ News & notes • Senior safety Austin Collinsworth did not practice Tuesday and is questionable for this weekend. He strained his neck Saturday and has been having muscle spasms since. • Fifth-year senior left guard Chris Watt is expected to play through a torn PCL in his knee he incurred at Air Force. He suited up last weekend versus Navy after practicing on the Thursday before the game, but didn't feel strong enough to play. The tear doesn't limit him the way an MCL or ACL would, but it still makes the knee less stable. Consequently, the Irish used four firstyear starters in the trenches against Navy. Their two guards — freshman Steve Elmer and junior Conor Hanratty — have a combined three career starts between them. Junior center Nick Martin and sophomore right tackle Ronnie Stanley are also first-time starters, but they have been in the lineup for each of the first nine games. Watt's experience could provide a boost against Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who leads the nation with 19.5 tackles for loss and ranks third with nine sacks. • Sophomore safety Elijah Shumate, who sat out the Air Force and Navy games with a hamstring injury, has been cleared to practice this week. body has been able to run the football on Michigan State this year, so you try to do the things you can do. … We felt like we could run the ball against Navy, and we did. "This week it might be something else. When I'm talking about the offense, it's knowing what we can do well, based upon what we're going to get. That's the ticket for me. Knowing what we can do, what we're going to call on in terms of pass plays, and what we're going to ask our offensive line to do in terms of the running game. I think we know what we can do when afforded that opportunity." In Need Of Special Delivery Offensive Identity Notre Dame rushed for a season-high 264 yards against Navy, led by freshman Tarean Folston's 140, while attempting a season-low 20 passes. Does that mean the Irish and head coach Brian Kelly are becoming more committed to the run? Not necessarily. It's more about matchups. "Each and every week you're trying to establish who you are and what you know you can do well against your opponents," Kelly said. In the 17-13 victory against Michigan Junior running back George Atkinson III had 74 of Notre Dame's season-high 264 rushing yards against Navy last week, when the Irish took advantage of a favorable matchup in the trenches versus the Midshipmen. photo by bill panzica State Sept. 21, Notre Dame rushed for only 82 yards and attempted to do more vertical passing. Last week the 8-1 Spartans — ranked No. 1 nationally against the run, in pass efficiency and in total defense — throttled Michigan in its 29-6 victory, limiting the Wolverines to minus-48 yards on the ground, their worst such performance in 134 years of football. "You look at the Michigan State game, everyone was talking about why you couldn't run the football," Kelly said. "No✦ Page 13 Among 123 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, Notre Dame ranks 117th in kickoff coverage (26.1 yards allowed per return) and 106th in punt coverage (12.1 yards surrendered per runback). The former took another hit last Saturday when Navy had 44- and 48-yard kick returns. "We were accounting for the triple reverse pass and the double reverse pass and the lonesome end play all at once instead of getting after it," head coach Brian Kelly said. "We'll make those adjustments." The Irish head coach believes he has two of the best return men in the country with junior George Atkinson III on kick returns and senior TJ Jones on punts. "If we could sustain a block for another second, George Atkinson is going to score a touchdown," Kelly said. "We spent a lot of time on special teams showing our guys if you sustain a block with a little more effort, you're going to get him loose. "TJ Jones, that kid is fearless, he's caught everything. He will catch the football. Give him an opportunity to return a punt, he will return a punt for us. … We need to pick up the game as it relates to special teams." ✦