Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2016 43 IRISH IN THE PROS BY MATT JONES P ittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt did not have a sack through the first nine weeks of the NFL season. That was a point of frustration with the former Notre Dame star. But in weeks 10 and 11, Tuitt recorded 3.5 sacks and filled the hole vacated by teammate Cam Heyward (who suf- fered a season-ending injury). "You know it sucks when you miss sacks," Tuitt told The Beaver County Times. "I missed out a lot — I've pulled out six so far this year. But when the time comes and you're able to break that curse and just able to get back on your feet and take the quarterback down, you get back to your mojo, you get back in your mo- tion and start feeling good. "Right now I'm rolling, and I'm on that high wave right now." Tuitt had one sack against Dallas Nov. 13 and 2.5 against Cleveland Nov. 20. He has 32 tackles and two forced fumbles as well this season. Against the Browns, Tuitt was moved all over the defensive line in an effort to disrupt the offense. "We were thoughtful about what we asked him to do and how we moved him around," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. "He was in interior some, he was over center some, he was on the end some, over tackles and tight ends, and I think that helps him and us." JERIAN GRANT MAKES THE MOST OF HIS OPPORTUNITIES It seems as though Jerian Grant simply needs a chance with the Chi- cago Bulls. He was inactive for the first three games of the season, but when start- ing point guard Rajon Rondo sat with a sprained ankle Nov. 15 against the Portland Trailblazers Grant received the start and took advantage. He scored 18 points in his 30 min- utes of action, shooting 6 of 13 while adding five steals, three rebounds and two assists in a 113-88 victory. He also helped limit Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard to just 19 points. "When you're inactive, you feel like you're the last guy on the team," Grant told The Chicago Tribune. "Everybody else is out there suited up, so I wanted to prove to myself, to everybody out there, that I'm not the last guy. I'm a guy that can contribute to this team." Grant, who was averaging 4.9 points in his 14.0 minutes per game through Nov. 21, is in his first sea- son with the Bulls. The former first- round pick played his rookie season in 2015-16 with the New York Knicks and averaged 5.6 points in 16.6 min- utes per game. He was traded to the Bulls in the deal that sent Derrick Rose to the Knicks. He took a backset to Rondo in the rotation, though he's stayed ready all season. "It's definitely tough," Grant said. "At first you're shocked, but then it makes you work harder. It puts things into a reality check and makes you get back into the gym. As disap- pointed as I was, I stayed ready." After the game against Portland, Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg was complimentary of Grant's presence in place of Rondo. "Jerian was terrific guarding the ball," Hoiberg said. "That's one of the toughest covers in the league with Lillard, as hot as he can get. He set the tone for our defense with his ball pressure. "And he made some really good, simple plays at the other end. He took advantage of his opportunity." DEMETRIUS JACKSON SENT BACK TO D-LEAGUE After a brief stint with the NBA team, former Notre Dame guard De- metrius Jackson is back in the Devel- opment League. Jackson was assigned to the D- League's Maine Red Claws Nov. 21. It's the second time this season that Jackson has been sent down. Jackson appeared in two games for the Celtics. On Nov. 6 he played 11 minutes and scored eight points in a loss to the Denver Nuggets, and on Nov. 11 logged four minutes and scored two points in a loss to the Washington Wizards. In the D-League, the 22-year-old was among the Red Claws leaders in scoring (22.3 points per game), as- sists (7.0), rebounds (5.7) and steals (2.3) as of Nov. 21. ✦ Stephon Tuitt Breaks Out For The Steelers After going without a sack through eight games, Tuitt recorded 3.5 quarterback takedowns in weeks 10 and 11. PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH STEELERS/DAVE ARRIGO NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: WEEK 11 HIGHLIGHTS • Tyler Eifert (Played at Notre Dame from 2009-12), TE, Cincinnati Bengals: Caught three passes for 37 yards in a 16-12 loss to Buffalo … Had 16 receptions for 244 yards and one touchdown in four games. • C.J. Prosise (2012-15), RB, Seattle Seahawks: Before suffering what is likely a season-ending shoulder injury, carried four times for 76 yards, in- cluding a 72-yard TD run, and had two receptions for five yards in a 26-15 win over Philadelphia … For the season, had 30 rushes for 172 yards and one score, plus 17 catches for 208 yards. • Theo Riddick (2009-12), RB Detroit Lions: Hauled in eight catches for 70 yards and had four carries for 13 yards in a 26-19 win over Jacksonville … Had 79 rushes for 310 yards and a touchdown, plus 43 catches for 343 yards and four scores through 10 games. • Harrison Smith (2007-11), S, Minnesota Vi- kings: Recorded 10 tackles and one sack in a 30- 24 win over Arizona … Had 73 tackles, two sacks and two passes defended through 10 games. • Stephon Tuitt (2011-13), DE, Pittsburgh Steelers: Posted six tackles and 2.5 sacks in a 24-9 win at Cleveland … Had 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defended through 10 games.