Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Linebacker Greer Martini spelled sophomore Jaylon Smith when Smith appeared to suffer a left hand injury, and defensive lineman Andrew Trum- betti, Mike linebacker Nyles Morgan, cornerback Nick Watkins, wide receiv- ers Justin Brent and Corey Holmes, and tight end Tyler Luatua also saw action, both on special teams and at their respective positions. AUSTIN COLLINSWORTH MISSES OPENER Fifth-year senior safety Austin Col- linsworth sat out Notre Dame's 48-17 romp of Rice — four days after head coach Brian Kelly named him a 2014 captain — and is expected to miss ad- ditional games as well. Two days prior to the season opener, Collinsworth suffered a grade two strain of his medial collateral ligament (MCL) during a two-minute drill. Col- linsworth showed no signs of injury the following day while speaking at the team's pep rally, but he arrived at Notre Dame Stadium in a golf cart Saturday and stood on the sidelines with crutches. "Two guys went up for it, and he came down awkwardly," Kelly said of the injury. "He played the next play and it just tightened up on him." Kelly estimated the injury would re- quire two to four weeks to heal prop- erly. "There's a chance we could have him for week three," Kelly said. "He had a PRP [platelet-rich plasma] treat- ment on the weekend, so we'll see what happens. "We're hopeful three weeks, but it could be Purdue [when he returns]; and then we get the bye week and so we'll definitely get him back for the Syracuse game [Sept. 27]. Although Notre Dame had listed se- nior Matthias Farley as Collinsworth's backup on the depth chart, junior Elijah Shumate started alongside sophomore Max Redfield in the Irish secondary. With Shumate at safety, Farley — who forced the game's first turnover with an interception late in the second quar- ter — remained at nickel back. Notre Dame employed at least five defensive backs the majority of the game. A Shumate miscue led to an easy 26-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior signal-caller Driphus Jackson to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Zach Wright. Shumate recorded three BIG PLAYS (25 YARDS OR MORE) Notre Dame • 1-10 ND25 Golson pass complete to Fuller for 75 yards and a touchdown • 1-10 ND45 Golson pass complete to Robinson for 25 yards to the RICE30 • 1-10 ND27 Golson pass complete to Carlisle for 32 yards to the RICE41 • 2-10 ND47 Golson pass complete to Prosise for 53 yards and a touchdown • 1-10 RICE46 Golson pass complete to Koyack for 28 yards to the RICE18 • 1-10 ND25 Zaire rush for 56 yards to the RICE19 Rice • 3-6 RICE39 Jackson pass complete to Parks for 30 yards to the ND31 • 2-18 ND26 Jackson pass complete to Wright for 26 yards and a touchdown • 1-10 ND47 Jackson pass complete to TURNER for 26 yards to the ND21 • 1-10 RICE47 Stehling pass complete to Mayden for 53 yards and a touchdown