BY ANDREW OWENS
C
hris Brown had seven yards
of space in front of him with
the cornerback tasked with
defending him standing on
the goal line. Brown slanted toward
the end zone, made the Longhorn slip
to the ground and leapt to catch the
final of five Notre Dame touchdowns
in a 38‑3 blowout of Texas in the season
opener Sept. 5.
Brown, a senior, had been in the end
zone twice in his previous three sea‑
sons with the Irish, but he's hoping this
season's first score sets the stage for
several more.
"Just be consistent. Catch every‑
thing," Brown said of his 2015 goals. "If
I catch everything, good things could
happen."
The Hanahan, S.C., native has
played throughout his four seasons in
South Bend, with varying degrees of
consistency. He burst onto the scene in
October 2012 with a 50‑yard reception
from Everett Golson that set up the go‑
ahead score in the fourth quarter of a
30‑13 win at No. 8 Oklahoma, a game
that improved the Irish to 8‑0 in an
eventual undefeated regular season.
Between then and now, Brown has at
times struggled to be a complete player
on a talented receiving corps.
"I think he has put it together," head
coach Brian Kelly said. "He's been a
guy that has been a really solid football
player for us. I don't think anybody
puts him in the category of Michael
Floyd, but he's been a really good
player for us here at Notre Dame and
nationally. He's going to get the chance
to play at the next level.
"If you ask Chris, he wants to be that
guy that is counted on in crucial situ‑
ations. That's probably the mark of a
great teammate. He wants the ball.
"He's a veteran player. He's always
going to make the big play for you.
He's a guy you can count on during
the game to make a big catch for you
and make a big play. If he's in the game,
he generally comes up big for you and
makes a big play. He's got that kind of
reputation amongst his teammates."
With most of the spotlight on juniors
PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER
Now that he's a senior, wide receiver
Chris Brown hopes he can be a
dependable option this season
