Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2018 11 UNDER THE DOME In his first season as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator, Chip Long had a more diverse and balanced per- sonnel usage then in past years for the program. That helped result in a No. 7 national ranking in rushing offense (269.5 yards per game), easily the highest at the school since 1996 (the same number). In football, the numbers for the personnel groupings determine how many players at certain positions are on the field. Assume there are al- ways five offensive linemen and one quarterback on the field. That means there are five other skill players that will include running backs, wide re- ceivers and/or tight ends. The first number refers to how many running backs are in the five- man grouping, and the second num- ber is how many tight ends are on the field. Wide receivers make up the remainder of the spots. For example, in 11 personnel there will be one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers In 21 personnel there will be two running backs, one tight end and two wide receivers. Here are Notre Dame's 2017 totals: 11 Personnel — 512 snaps (55.4 percent) 12 Personnel — 317 (34.3) 13 Personnel — 19 (2.1) 14 Personnel — 8 (0.9) 20 Personnel — 28 (3.0) 21 Personnel — 40 (4.3) These numbers are a dramatic shift from the previous two seasons, which were dominated by the 11 per- sonnel grouping. Notre Dame was in 11 personnel almost 90 percent of the time during that span. Not surprisingly with Long — who is also the team's tight ends coach — the Irish were in two tight ends or more 37.3 percent of the time in 2017. It was in one tight end personnel 62.7 percent of the time. This personnel diversity made it harder for opponents to get a read on what Notre Dame would do from week to week, especially in the run game. Long mixed up which person- nel groupings would carry the day in each game, and within each person- nel grouping he mixed up and varied the formations used each week. The only time Notre Dame was heavy with its one tight end person- nel was later in the season when backup tight end Alizé Mack was banged up. Mack missed all of the North Carolina State game and all but one play of the Stanford game. In those two games Notre Dame was in a one tight end personnel grouping 70.3 percent of the time and a multiple tight end set just 29.7 percent of the time. In Notre Dame's other 11 games, it was in a one tight end grouping 61.2 percent of the time and a multiple tight end grouping 38.8 percent of the time. Notre Dame showed run-pass bal- ance out of all its personnel group- ings as well. The Irish weren't overly run dominant in their multiple tight end sets, and they were not pass heavy in the one tight end sets. Notre Dame ran the ball 59.3 per- cent of the time from its multiple tight end alignments and passed 40.7 percent of the time. Notre Dame passed the ball 51.8 percent of the time from its one tight end alignments and ran the ball 48.2 percent of the time. — Bryan Driskell Pass down the tradition of "The Shirt" and other ND apparel by using them in a quilt! Great for graduations, weddings, birthdays, and even for a new future Notre Dame student. Create a great legacy for alumni or a memorial of a loved one. Each unique quilt is personalized just for you to enjoy your t-shirts without rummaging through a dresser drawer. Please contact Lesa to start a dialogue on your special quilt! Quilt A Notre Dame Memory! Lesa Quilts 419-239-6732 ■ Lesaquilts7@bex.net ■ Facebook.com/lesaquilts Personnel Groupings More Diverse Under Chip Long The Irish utilized their stable of tight ends — including junior Alizé Mack — more frequently in 2017, lining up with two tight ends or more 37.3 percent of the time. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA