Blue and Gold Illustrated

UNDER THE DOME Tyler Luatua By Andrew Owens Durham Smythe joined the growing list of starters sidelined for the season with injury after suffering an MCL tear against Virginia Sept. 12. Smythe, who caught one pass in 2014 as the backup to Ben Koyack, was the clear starter at the position. Through two games, he had recorded 105 out of a possible 123 snaps. With Smythe out of the picture, Notre Dame will likely run the position by committee with sopho- mores Tyler Luatua and Nic Weishar, freshman Alizé Jones and fifth-year senior Chase Hounshell. As an elite recruit, Jones entered Notre Dame with plenty of hype and rightfully so. While he is the likely candidate to emerge in the passing game, his production might be limited by the simple fact that he's a freshman. Besides, Smythe did not leave much of a mark as a pass catcher through two contests, having caught only one pass for six yards outside of the seven-yard fake field goal touchdown reception against the Cavaliers. The impact of Luatua, however, is critical to Notre Dame's rushing success. The sophomore has been relied on for run blocking assistance for much of his time with the Irish, but now his role takes on greater importance to help protect quarterback DeShone Kizer, and running backs C.J. Prosise and Josh Adams. With Will Fuller and Co. at wide receiver, Notre Dame doesn't need a tight end to change the game as a pass catcher, but the rushing game could strug- gle if Luatua can't consistently block opposing de- fenders. Alizé Jones By Bryan Driskell During the first two games, Durham Smythe was playing solid football. He was not a factor in the pass game, but his blocking was a vastly u n d e r r a t e d p a r t o f Notre Dame rushing for 233.5 yards per game. Smythe's experience and all-around skills allowed him to be effective in the run game. Had he stayed healthy, his production in the pass game was sure to increase. With Smythe out, it would make sense for Tyler Luatua to become the starter, at least early on. He is the best blocker of the bunch and he certainly brings the most in the run game. Luatua will develop a consistent role in the run game moving forward. Over time, freshman Alizé Jones is the player who could end up providing the biggest impact. Jones is the one player at the position with the talent to become the kind of all-around threat Smythe was. He is not the blocker that Luatua is, but Jones is a far better athlete and pass catcher. In fact, one could argue that the gap between Jones and Luatua as pass catchers is greater than that of Luatua and Jones as blockers. Moving forward, defenses are going to start focusing more and more on slowing down Will Fuller and the outside receivers. Jones has elite athleticism and ball skills, which could provide a significant matchup problem for teams that will be forced to put linebackers in coverage on the tight end, giving the Irish more dynamic talent in the pass game. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH TIGHT END IS MOST CRITICAL TO NOTRE DAME'S SUCCESS WITH DURHAM SMYTHE SIDELINED FOR THE SEASON? LUATUA JONES

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