Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 NOV. 13, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH RESPOND TO ADVERSITY Notre Dame had been steam rolling opponents for more than a month, but in its last two victories there were early tests or setbacks. Like it did in its 35‑14 victory over NC State a week prior, the Irish met those challenges head on and conquered them. "We don't flinch in those situa‑ tions," head coach Brian Kelly said following his team's 48‑37 victory over Wake Forest. "There is no real sense of panic at any time with this group. They were mad more than anything else, relative to some of the things that transpired." After a Notre Dame punt to start the game, Wake Forest went on a 14‑ play, 82‑yard drive to get the game's first points on a 34‑yard field goal by Michael Weaver. The Irish special teams responded with a 52‑yard kick return from junior C.J. Sanders, and the offense went the next 48 yards to put the team back on top. Leading 17‑3 and driving in the second quarter, the Irish offense was stopped on a fourth‑and‑five, and Wake Forest took the ball 69 yards on just three plays to make it a 17‑10 game. Once again, the Irish offense responded, this time with a 65‑yard touchdown drive that took just 1:35 off the clock. Notre Dame's struggling defense buckled down, forcing two punts to end the half. The second of those punts pinned the Irish at their 1‑yard line, but they commenced on a 99‑ yard touchdown drive to make it a 31‑10 game at the half. Notre Dame's ability to respond to adversity wasn't the result of a great sideline speech from Kelly; it began in the winter when the program be‑ gan working to change the mentality of a team that was unable to respond positively in such situations the sea‑ son prior. "It's really been something that we've built since January and through some things that have occurred lead‑ ing up to some of the transformations that we've gone through," Kelly ex‑ plained. "These guys have some scars from some earlier things that have occurred in their time here. "We've built on some things that they have experienced, and made them stronger through developing grit. Grit is sustained effort over a long period of time. Even though they've gone through some ups and downs, now they fight through it. That has been developed over a period of time." SUCCESS THROUGH THE AIR Part of the setbacks Notre Dame faced was the loss of standout junior running back Josh Adams, who car‑ ried the ball just five times for 22 yards before leaving the game for good late in the first quarter. With Adams out, junior quarter‑ back Brandon Wimbush was thrust into a more prominent role. Wim‑ bush responded well, throwing for a career‑high 280 yards — a figure that could have been far greater if not for several dropped deep balls. "I think the narrative of him not be‑ ing able to throw the football should change dramatically," head coach Brian Kelly stated after the win. "He had a couple of drops out there that he would have easily thrown for [more than] 300 yards, so hopefully that has been put to rest." Wimbush left the game late in the second quarter after sustaining a hard hit near the goal line following a 28‑yard run that got the offense into scoring range. He was taken immedi‑ ately to the locker room and sopho‑ more Ian Book entered the game and promptly threw a one‑yard touch‑ down pass. The Irish signal‑caller returned in the third quarter and continued making plays, with his final pass of the game going for a 34‑yard touch‑ down, his lone scoring toss of the game. "I loved his grit, his toughness," Kelly said. "He gets hit pretty hard right before the half, and I tried to keep him out of the game in the third quarter, but he had no thoughts of that." Despite not having Adams for three quarters and with Wimbush being held out of the fourth quarter, the offense was still able to pump out 48 points and 710 total yards. It was a balanced performance, with the Irish running for 380 and passing for 330. "They didn't change up their de‑ fense much from when Coach [Mike] Elko left, so we felt comfortable go‑ ing into this week having seen that defense from January," Wimbush explained following his career‑best performance. "We knew what they were going to try to do, and we knew the areas that we were able to exploit. "I think we did a good job of tak‑ ing advantage of what they gave us." WAKE FOREST GAME NOTES BY BRYAN DRISKELL Head coach Brian Kelly was pleased with the "grit" his team showed during its 48-37 win over Wake Forest. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Junior Brandon Wimbush extended his Notre Dame record for quarterbacks with his 12th and 13th rushing touchdowns of 2017. He covered six yards on the second Notre Dame drive of the first quarter and 50 yards later in the second quarter. He eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the fourth time this season, gaining 110 yards on 12 attempts. • Wimbush tied Joe Montana (1975, '77-78) and Everett Golson (2012, '14) for seventh on the all- time quarterback rushing chart with 14 career touchdowns — and he has not only at least four more games this season, but also two years of eligibility remaining. Tony Rice (1987-89) holds the career mark of 23. • Sophomore quarterback Ian Book tossed his second touchdown pass of the year, hitting senior tight end Nic Weishar for a one-yard score late in the second quarter. It was Weishar's second touchdown reception of the season. • Junior wideout C.J. Sanders covered 52 yards on a kickoff return early in the first quarter. It was the longest kick return for the Irish this season. • Sophomore wide receiver Kevin Stepherson gained 35 yards on an end-around rush in the first quarter. It was a career long rushing attempt for Stepherson.