Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 13, 2017 11 UNDER THE DOME As Notre Dame entered the month of November with a No. 3 ranking in the College Football Playoff, especially heartening to head coach Brian Kelly was the team was not yet near peak form. "Our quarterback is maturing," Kelly said. "We're more consistent defen- sively, communicating better in the back end of our defense … Kevin Step- herson adds a dimension to our offense as well." Ah, yes, Stepherson, the X factor. In football purgatory last winter, spring and summer for not possessing the "necessary traits," the sophomore also was banished from playing the first four games this season for unspecified reasons by the university. After playing 23 total snaps in his first two games back, Stepherson emerged after the bye week in mid-October with a terrific catch on a back- shoulder 23-yard score early against USC, and an even more spectacular leaping grab for an 11-yard touchdown versus North Carolina State the next week to give the Irish the lead for good. Against the Wolfpack, he was in for 60 snaps, or more than his first three games combined. He averaged 18.2 yards on his 25 catches as a freshman, and he now adds a vertical threat to the arsenal — not quite Will Fuller (2013-15) speed, but game-breaking attributes. Stepherson's listed 4.47 speed in high school might be considered average at this level, but there is more to speed than straight-line running. Basketball coaching legend John Wooden defined speed as "the quick and proper execution of the fundamentals." In other words, a player with poor fundamentals that can run a 4.4 might be slower on the field than one who clocks at 4.7 but is flawless in route running, ball tracking, positioning, etc. Stepherson possesses both the speed and fundamentals. "The ability to track the ball down the field is really the most important criteria in trying to put speed with the skill of trying to play the wide receiver position," Kelly said of how he evaluates wideouts, including Stepherson, who was deemed a consensus three-star as opposed to more highly touted teammates. "Those are the two big points for me when I'm evaluating those kinds of players that may be a bit under-recruited. I'm looking for the natural ability to catch it over the shoulder, let the ball naturally come to them without fighting it." With Stepherson, it's never been a question about athletic skills. "This has been about having the right traits, not the talent — and he's start- ing to really get that," Kelly said. 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