Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 13, 2017 27 CAREER DAY Sophomore wide receiver Chase Claypool played just 18 combined snaps in Notre Dame's first two games of the season. His playing time continued to grow as the season wore on, and he had a breakout per‑ formance against the Deacons. Claypool caught just 15 passes for 174 yards in Notre Dame's first eight games of the season, with a career best of 56 yards in Notre Dame's 38‑18 win at Michigan State Sept. 23. Against Wake Forest, the native of Abbotsford, British Columbia, was dominant, hauling in nine passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. It could have been even more — Claypool dropped a deep third‑quarter pass that hit him right in the hands. "I was laying on the ground think‑ ing, 'This is a dream. I didn't just drop a touchdown pass,'" Claypool said of his drop. Junior quarterback Brandon Wim‑ bush went back to Claypool later in the half, hitting him on a deep route that Claypool turned into a 44‑yard gain, and then again the next play on a crossing route that Claypool took all the way to the end zone for a 34‑ yard touchdown. "It was big," Claypool said of his quarterback's continued faith after his deep drop. "I told him in the end zone thanks for trusting me." BRIGHT SPOT Notre Dame's defense had a rough night, giving up 37 points and 587 yards of total offense. There wasn't much the Irish defense did well, but one bright spot was the play of soph‑ omore cornerback Julian Love, who finished the game with seven tack‑ les, an interception and a team‑high three passes broken up. It was yet another standout perfor‑ mance from the youngster who has become one of the defense's most productive players. "His physical strength is pretty amazing," Kelly said of the Illinois native's weight room prowess. "He's up there with numbers that are hard to believe for a defensive back. He has the ability to change direction, exert force in the ground, break on balls, and then play the double move. He's physically a gifted player." Love is more than just an athletic player, which is a big reason he finds himself in the right position so frequently. "Then he's smart," Kelly contin‑ ued. "Put those two things together, and that gives you a pretty good chance to be successful. He takes care of his body and does all the little things the right way, as good players do." It wasn't a perfect night for Love, who like the rest of the defense gave up some plays against a Wake Forest offense that had the Irish defenders on their heels all game long. "I would like him to stop the inside slant off the [run‑pass option], but nobody could stop anything today, so he was in a long line," Kelly said. "He's a really, really good football player and a guy that obviously can make big plays for us." Love returned his interception to the Wake Forest 5‑yard line, setting up a touchdown that gave the Irish a 17‑3 lead in the second quarter. NOTRE DAME VS. WAKE FOREST QUARTER-BY-QUARTER COMPARISON Notre Dame 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Total Time of Possession 7:19 9:57 7:07 7:30 17:16 14:37 31:53 Third-Down Conversions 2-3 4-7 2-5 0-1 6-10 2-6 8-16 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-1 1-2 0-0 0-1 1-2 1-3 Average Field Position ND-30 ND-34 ND-26 ND-40 ND-32 ND-30 ND-31 Wake Forest 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Final Time of Possession 7:41 5:03 7:53 7:30 12:44 15:23 28:07 Third-Down Conversions 2-4 0-3 2-4 2-3 2-7 4-7 6-14 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 1-1 1-1 Average Field Position WF-14 WF-27 WF-26 WF-20 WF-24 WF-24 WF-24 PLAY CHART (NO. OF PLAYS) Yards ND WF (-) 8 7 0-5 42 41 6-9 8 15 10-19 14 15 20-29 4 7 30-39 3 3 40-49 4 0 50 or more 1 0 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY (INSIDE 20-YARD LINE) No Poss. TD FG Score Notre Dame 6 4 2 0 Wake Forest 4 3 1 0 After catching just 15 passes for 174 yards in Notre Dame's first eight games of the season, sophomore wide receiver Chase Claypool reeled in nine receptions for 180 yards and a score against Wake Forest. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA BIG PLAYS (25 YARDS OR MORE) Notre Dame • 2-8 ND15 Stepherson rush for 35 yards to the 50 • 1-10 ND25 Wimbush pass complete to Claypool for 40 yards to the WF35 • 1-20 50 Wimbush rush for 50 yards and a touchdown • 3-9 ND26 McIntosh rush for 45 yards to the WF29 • 1-10 WF29 Wimbush rush for 28 yards to the WF1 • 1-10 WF32 Wimbush pass complete to Claypool for 27 yards to the WF5 • 1-10 ND23 Williams rush for 32 yards to the WF45 • 3-10 ND22 Wimbush pass complete to Claypool for 44 yards to the WF34 • 1-10 WF34 Wimbush pass complete to Claypool for 34 yards and a touchdown • 2-10 ND25 BOOK rush for 43 yards to the WF32 Wake Forest • 3-3 ND49 Colburn rush for 32 yards to the ND17 • 1-10 WF43 Wolford pass complete to Bachman for 37 yards to the ND20 • 1-10 WF35 Wolford pass complete to Serigne for 14 yards to the WF49, PENALTY ND personal foul (Ellio ) 15 yards to the ND36 • 1-10 ND30 Wolford pass complete to Bachman for 30 yards and a touchdown