Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/587814
UNDER THE DOME Alizé Jones By Andrew Owens Several players on the Irish roster that seemed primed for big 2015 seasons have been in the background through seven games for various reasons. J u n i o r w i d e re c e i ve r Corey Robinson has had trouble catching the ball, while sophomore line- backer Nyles Morgan has seen the field sparingly in his second year in the program. F r e s h m a n t i g h t e n d A l i zé J o n e s i s b y n o means a disappointment in 2015 with Notre Dame's depth at the posi- tion — even after starter Durham Smythe went down for the season in the second week — but expect him to produce in important spots in the second half of the season. Through the 41-24 win over Navy Oct. 10, Jones had recorded 108 snaps on the season, behind sophomore Nic Weishar (148) and ahead of Smythe (105 in two games), sophomore Tyler Luatua (97 in three games) and fifth-year senior Chase Hounshell (49). Jones still presents Notre Dame the best pass- catching option among the group of tight ends. He's a very athletic figure who can line up as a conventional tight end and also split out wide like a receiver in certain formations. He caught six passes for 75 yards during that time, and on a pair of occasions has been close to scoring. Notre Dame will likely look to that playmaking ability down the stretch, especially with the focus on other playmakers such as ju- nior wide receiver Will Fuller and senior running back C.J. Prosise. Torii Hunter Jr. By Bryan Driskell After the bye week it would not be a surprise to see young defensive players like defensive end Andrew Trumbetti, linebacker Nyles Mor- gan and linebacker Greer M a r t i n i sta r t t o h ave bigger roles on the Irish defense, but the player most poised for a sec- ond half emergence is junior wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. He has started to show flashes of a breakout, hauling in five passes for 52 yards in a loss to Clem- son Oct. 3. He caught his first touchdown pass of the season in that game, which came with just seven seconds left in the fourth quarter and gave the Irish an opportunity to tie the score (but their two-point conversion attempt failed). His production has not been consistent (10 receptions for 137 yards through six games), but a number of his catches have come in key mo- ments, including the TD at Clemson and hauling in a two-point conversion in the final seconds against Virginia. Sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer is get- ting more comfortable throwing the football over the middle of the field, which should ben- efit Hunter Jr. Once Kizer gets better throwing the out routes the opportunities will increase even more. Hunter Jr. will need a breakout performance to start taking more snaps away from senior Amir Carlisle, who has been solid on the season. If that happens he could emerge as a legitimate No. 2 receiving threat behind dynamic junior Will Fuller. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH PLAYER WITH MODEST CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS POINT WILL HAVE THE LARGEST IMPACT THE REST OF THE WAY? HUNTER JR. JONES