Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 28, 2016 51 IRISH IN THE PROS BY MATT JONES F ormer Notre Dame and current Seattle Seahawks rookie running back C.J. Prosise had the best game of his NFL career, against the New England Patriots Nov. 13, and he's hoping to make performances like that a common occurrence. Prosise ran 17 times for 66 yards and had a team-high seven catches and 87 receiving yards in the 31-24 victory. "For me, this was step one," Pro- sise told USA Today. "That's what I would call it. This is not going to be a one-game thing. I've just got to be very consistent and keep it going. You can say it was a breakout game." The 6-1, 220-pound Prosise has battled hamstring and wrist injuries this season and missed out on early playing time. But he's found a spot as Seattle's utility man out of the backfield, using his multiple skills to carve out a role. "What stands out the most is the variety of things that he did, that he looked good at," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said of Prosise. "He ran the ball inside, he ran the ball outside, he caught the ball well in the short passing game to make some first downs and he caught the big ball down the sidelines. "He got smacked on the catch and held on to it, just like the receiver that he has in his background. It was the variety of things he was able to do for us." Prosise, the 90th overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, has impressed Carroll with his ability to learn the offense and hold up in pass protec- tion when needed. While Prosise thrived when given the chance, Car- roll said the Petersburg, Va., native is still working himself into shape. "He tapped out a couple times to catch his breath," Carroll said. "There was a time when I told him, 'Don't do that, get out there. Get your butt on the field.' "He kind of looked at me like, 'Oh, okay, I guess I can't tap out.' So he went back in. That was good, a good job for the rook. He's got to figure it out. He's going to get in shape. He can't be in great game shape, he just can't be. He hasn't played enough." Though he's still adapting to his new role, Prosise impressed Carroll with an ability to make tough runs against one of the NFL's top teams. "He had a couple really good fin- ishes, and he got smacked a couple times, too," Carroll said. "He got sur- prised by a couple hits and bounced right back up. He showed a really good mentality about it. "He had a ball playing. His atti- tude during the game and after the game in the locker room and on the way home — he really enjoyed the heck out of it. It's a good sign." TIGHT ENDS HAVE BIG WEEK 10 Former Notre Dame tight ends had a big Week 10 in the NFL. Led by a three-catch, 96-yard per- formance from Tyler Eifert (played at Notre Dame from 2009-12) of the Cincinnati Bengals, the four active former Irish tight ends were among the top performers for their respec- tive teams. Eifert, in his third game back from an ankle injury, had nearly half of quarterback Andy Dalton's passing yards in a 21-20 loss to the Giants. Eifert had a 71-yard catch and run on the Bengals' opening possession that nearly resulted in a touchdown. Kyle Rudolph (2008-10) of the Min- nesota Vikings had five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown against the Redskins, bringing his season total to 37 catches for 392 yards and five touchdowns. Jacksonville's Ben Koyack (2011- 14) played 24 snaps and caught three passes for 35 yards in a loss to the Texans. His increased role came at the expense of highly paid Julius Thomas, though Koyack does add value to the offense. "We feel Ben Koyack is doing a pretty good job," Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley told reporters. "The ability to keep us with more options, the style of runs that we're trying to run when Ben is in there." Anthony Fasano (2002-05) of the Tennessee Titans caught a nine-yard touchdown on his lone target against the Packers, giving him two touch- downs this season. Notre Dame's other former tight end in the NFL — Troy Niklas (2011- 13) of the Arizona Cardinals — is currently on injured reserve with a wrist problem. ✦ Rookie C.J. Prosise Has Breakout Game Against Patriots Prosise had 17 carries for 66 yards and seven catches for 87 yards in Seattle's 31-24 win at New England Nov. 13. PHOTO COURTESY SEATTLE SEAHAWKS NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: WEEK 10 HIGHLIGHTS • Tyler Eifert (Played at Notre Dame from 2009-12), TE, Cincinnati Bengals: Hauled in three catches for 96 yards in a 21-20 loss to the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. • Michael Floyd (2008-11), WR, Arizona Car- dinals: Notched five catches for 101 yards in a 23-20 victory over San Francisco. • C.J. Prosise (2012-15), RB, Seattle Se- ahawks: Made his first career start, rushed 17 times for 66 yards and caught seven passes for 87 yards in a 31-24 win at New England. • Kyle Rudolph (2008-10), TE, Minnesota Vikings: Posted five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown in a 26-20 loss at Washington. • Harrison Smith (2007-11), S, Minnesota Vikings: Made seven tackles and defended one pass in the 26-20 loss at Washington. • Stephon Tuitt (2011-13), DE, Pittsburgh Steelers: Recorded three tackles and a sack in a 35-20 loss to Dallas.