Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/605097
that the Irish secondary is among the na‑ tion's elite despite ranking 84th through 10 games by allowing 7.3 yards per op‑ ponent pass attempt. "We have all four aspects that we need," Luke replied when asked if it is a championship‑caliber defense. "We have four great players. Five if you're going to count the nickel. We have the talent for sure and the drive to be a championship defense." Luke has gradually improved during his two years as a starter and was Notre Dame's top cornerback in 2014 with Russell suspended due to the academic investigation. In that sophomore sea‑ son, Luke faced some of the nation's top receivers in Stanford's Ty Montgomery, Arizona State's Jaelen Strong and Lou‑ isville's DeVante Parker, all of whom are now in the NFL. "It definitely improved my game a lot," Luke said. "I was talking to a friend back home, and he asked who is the best receiver I've gone against. "I said, 'I can't even tell you. I've gone against so many good receivers. Jaelen Strong, Ty Montgomery, DeVante Parker.' It goes on forever, which is crazy. I think it definitely made me the player I am today." Luke and Kelly acknowledge that such game experience is only part of the process that has made Luke a depend‑ able cornerback, with practice reps the past three years against TJ Jones, Will Fuller and other Irish receivers making a difference as well. "All those things helped," Kelly said. "He's not afraid of the moment. There is no question. If you're sloppy in your technique, if you're not disciplined in what you do, it doesn't matter if you play against NFL players. It's not going to help you if your technique is poor." "I think [defensive backs coach] Todd Lyght does a really good job every day of pounding that home about discipline, technique, playing the ball in the air, all the fundamentals that you have to have at that position. We're getting bet‑ ter there." The Chandler, Ariz., native said Bob Elliott — who has since moved into an off‑field role as an assistant to Kelly — hammered home during the recruiting process the opportunity to face such a talented receiving corps in practice daily. "That's one of the things when I was here as a recruit. Coach Elliott said you're going to face some of the top five receivers in the nation in practice," Luke said. "You're going to get some good reps. And what do you know, it's true." Luke said he is more relaxed and com‑ fortable in his second season as a starter. While he is eligible for the NFL Draft, he is a very likely candidate to return to South Bend in 2016. As he sees it, there's more work to be done. "We've done a decent job this year," Luke said. "Clearly we want to do better and that's what we're trying to do. Hav‑ ing a full complete game that we haven't had this year. We're trying to do that and take it one game at a time." While keeping his eyes focused on the target. ✦ "HE'S NOT AFRAID OF THE MOMENT. THERE IS NO QUESTION." HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY ON LUKE