Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"It's been a point of emphasis," Kelly said. "I worked with the re- ceivers on day one on releases. It was something that we knew we had top- end speed and that teams were going to try to come up and take that advan- tage away from us. "It's something we feel comfortable with, that we can get off the line. You may get your hands on us, but we be- lieve that we've got enough technique that we can get off the line of scrim- mage and be very effective down the field." Michigan in particular trotted out a cover-one, pressure defense for most of the night. It hardly stymied the Irish receivers, with seven players combin- ing for 23 catches, 226 receiving yards and three touchdowns. "We're a young group and we're learning, but those guys did a great job," Carlisle said of the effort versus Michigan, especially referring to the development of Fuller and Robinson. "They have really good quickness off the line, and really use their hands to get off the line in press coverage and move forward." The multiple threats and quick re- leases benefit Golson more than any- body. In 2012 he turned to Eifert when- ever under distress. Now, he can turn nearly anywhere, and he usually sees some degree of fear in the opposing defender's eyes. When It's Better To Receive The shift of former running back Amir Carlisle to a receiver position is in keeping with a Notre Dame tradition that has reaped huge benefits over the last half-century. Here are some of the most notable ones, chronologically. Jack Snow (1962-64) — The former reserve halfback carried only three times as a junior in 1963 before new head coach Ara Parseghian converted him to receiver and had him lose about 15 pounds. Snow caught a then-school-record 60 passes for 1,114 yards in 1964 to become a first-round pick and future Pro Bowl player. Tom Gatewood (1969-71) — He was surprised when he was issued a running back's number (44) and played halfback for the junior varsity while also lining up for the scout team as 1968 Heisman winner O.J. Simpson and Heisman runner-up Leroy Keyes. Gatewood was moved to his preferred receiver position the next season to succeed graduated All-American Jim Seymour. The two-time All-American Gatewood held the career receptions record (157) at Notre Dame for 35 years. Raghib Ismail (1988-90) — In high school the "Rocket" rushed for 4,494 yards, but with Notre Dame so deep in the backfield, head coach Lou Holtz shifted him to flanker to help stretch defenses vertically. The 1990 Heisman runner-up holds the school record for career average yards per catch (22.0 on 71 receptions). Golden Tate (2007-09) — Like Ismail, he was a star running back in high school (1,431 yards rushing as a senior, 10.0 yards per carry, 23 touchdowns), but excelled at receiver at Notre Dame and turned pro after his junior year. In 2009, Tate won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver. Also noteworthy is the fact that Ricky Watters (1987-90) and Theo Riddick (2009-12) were moved to receiver before returning to running back. Watters led the 1988 national champs as a receiver while suc- ceeding Tim Brown at flanker, and Riddick was in the slot two seasons before also catching 36 passes for the 12-1 team in 2012. — Lou Somogyi