Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 18, 2017 7 UNDER THE DOME His most pleasant dilemma is at running back, where during the pre- season he noted that juniors Josh Ad- ams and Dexter Williams, along with sophomore Tony Jones Jr., also from IMG Academy, all possess NFL-level talent down the road. That was a bit surprising because Kelly has been loath in the past to talk about the pros before a college career is ended. "It starts with Josh," Kelly said of the lone Notre Dame player to rush for at least 800 yards each of his first two seasons. "Then Tony specifically, we like his versatility coming out of the backfield, catching the football. But in terms of running the ball, all three of those guys are going to get opportunities … we'll use in cer- tain situations a particular player to match their skills. But all three of them are going to get a chance to contribute to the run game. "We like to get Tony in there when we're in two backs, whether that's with Dexter or Josh. And we want to keep the backs fresh. If they're on a long run, the next back is going to go in." The utilization of more person- nel is, per Kelly, a comprehensive philosophical decision that entails a more aggressive approach along the defensive front to help create nega- tive plays from the opposing offense (the 11 tackles for loss against Temple were by 10 different players), and a greater emphasis of physicality/ ground attack on offense. "The defensive line is going to play in a manner that they're going to get off the football," Kelly said. "Our linebackers are downhill players … we activate everybody, safeties, cor- ners, everybody's involved in the run fits. So it's a comprehensive philo- sophical decision to get the offense behind the chains. "It's been demanding, not demean- ing, and we're going to continue to demand that new line of scrimmage defensively, taking the football away defensively, and from an offensive standpoint, a mentality, a toughness in terms of running the football." After posting a 7-10 record over the past four Novembers, building quality depth for the long haul of a regular season might have a chance to reap some dividends. ✦ Robert Hainsey, who enrolled early and partici- pated in spring practice, became just the third offensive lineman signed by the Irish since 2007 to see game action as a true freshman. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA INTRODUCING THE LIMITED EDITION Rockne Collection AVAILABLE AT THE HAMMES NOTRE DAME BOOKSTORE http://bit.ly/2gaiRKt SHOP THE COLLECTION