Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 6, 2017 11 UNDER THE DOME Notre Dame's renewed emphasis and commitment to the ground game was reflected with its average of 317.9 rushing yards per game during its 6-1 start. Against USC, that accentuation was added to with 12 plays in which two running backs lined up in the back- field at the same time with quarterback Brandon Wim- bush — a sight seldom seen the past decade. The duo was comprised of junior Josh Adams (19 carries for 191 yards) and Tony Jones Jr. (five carries for 37 yards), but it was not necessarily a formation that came out of the blue or a novelty act. It had been seen in practice sessions that were open to the media during August. However, ankle injuries this year to both Adams and Jones, as well as junior Dexter Williams, have limited that alignment. "It's something we've wanted to do for the last four or five weeks, but we haven't been healthy," head coach Brian Kelly said. "Tony provides us another di- mension, especially as a blocker and as a pass catcher. …With two guys that are closing in on 220 pounds in that split set, it's a pretty imposing backfield and gives us another wrinkle within our offense." Jones also can be split out in the slot to aid the pass- ing game. "Expect to see more of it," Kelly said. Despite the size in the backfield, the strategy early against USC — after do- ing some self-scouting during the bye — was working the edge of the defense initially before coming back into the power attack. The Irish incorporated some misdirection and sweeps after reviewing on tape how the Trojan de- fense likes to crash into the inside while also often breaking containment on the perimeter. Plus, some self-scouting during Notre Dame's bye week led to some tweaks by the Irish coaching staff versus the Trojans. "You want to break some tendencies," Kelly said. "We had a couple things that we wanted to get ac- complished tactically with getting their eyes off of some things that we had shown before. Part of that was to add some misdirection within the offense, get the ball on the perimeter and then come back and at- tack them inside out. "A lot of that has to do with your self-scouting and how you wanted to attack your opponent based upon some of those things." Meanwhile, the value of junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush was demonstrated again on Adams' 84-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put the Irish ahead 42-14. The hole in the middle opened in great part be- cause both a USC linebacker and safety shifted toward Wimbush's side (he finished with 106 rushing yards) when it looked like he was going to keep the ball before handing it to Adams. That extra second of hesitation on their part helped Adams break through at the second level for the score. Quarterback effectiveness is about far more than just passing numbers. Holy Cross Village is a continuing care retirement community, sponsored by the Brothers of Holy Cross, with a tradition of caring, compassion and trust. Holy Cross Village welcomes people of all faiths. 54515 State Rd., 933 North, Notre Dame, IN 46556 www.holycrossvillage.com ... AND ENJOY THE GAME OF LIFE AT HOLY CROSS VILLAGE I magine making new friends and developing new talents, where everything you need to enjoy the game of life is right outside your front door. Nestled among three institutions of higher learning, Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame is a senior living community unlike anything else around. Our warm and inviting community offers: Independent Living Homes and Apartments Assisted Living Apartments Skilled Nursing Memory Care Rehabilitation Services Call (574) 251-2235 today for more information and to schedule a tour. Backfield In Motion With New Alignments And Strategies Sophomore Tony Jones Jr. (pictured) lined up in the backfield at the same time as junior Josh Adams in a two-back set for 12 plays during Notre Dame's 49-14 win over USC Oct. 21. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA