Irish Insider for 9-17-10

Notre Dame could be on the right track

I try to avoid comparing Brian Kelly to Charlie Weis, and I’d rather not reference “last year” after every win, loss, practice or press conference.

FOOTBALL

Atkinsons, Tuitt commit to Irish

By DOUGLAS FARMER Sports Editor

said. Tuitt has since committed to the Irish, calling Brian Kelly with his decision late Wednesday night.

Frank said.

But the fact is, the Irish are 1-1 and coming off a heartbreaking loss to Michigan — just as they were a year ago — which, as hard as we may try, makes it difficult to ignore the parallels to last season.

Matt Gamber Sports Writer

Your individual degree of optimism or pessimism will dictate how you view Notre Dame’s first two performances under Kelly. If your glass is half full, you might argue that tackling has improved, the offensive line looks stronger and with a healthy Dayne Crist under center, the Irish would be 2-0. If your glass is half empty, you’ll say that “improved”

season, and I was on the sideline for the Wolverines’ game-winning score. When Weis walked to the podium for his postgame press conference, I didn’t want to listen — I could barely even look up, I was so disgusted by what I had witnessed moments prior. As we all know, we saw similar moments throughout last season, when every Irish loss seemed to come down to the final possession. After each of those losses, Weis delivered the same kind of message: he felt bad for his players and was proud of them for fighting until the end, but he was disappointed they couldn’t make one last play to secure a win.

Two weeks into a season that began just as the last, it’s far too early to pass judgment on where this team is going. But if the vibe Kelly gives off is any indication, I’d have to say the Irish aren’t done yet.

tackling allowed an opposing quarterback more than 500 yards of offense, the line couldn’t spring the run game when Notre Dame needed it most, and that whether Crist is healthy or not, there should be a quarterback capable of running the offense.

I’ve been staring at my proverbial glass all week, and I’m still not sure how I feel, so I won’t argue for either view. The truth is, we won’t know how this Irish team is different from the last until they step onto the field in East Lansing on Saturday night.

There’s no doubt the Michigan loss stung, especially because of how eerily similar it was to last year’s shocking finish at the Big House. So while I’m hesitant to say the Irish will recover this season as they were largely unable to a year ago, I must admit I have a completely different feeling following Notre Dame’s first loss this season.

I traveled to Ann Arbor to cover the Michigan game last

I’m not trying to blast Weis here, as I can surely understand those sentiments and appreciate how difficult it is to stomach a series of gutwrenching losses. But after hearing Kelly’s comments in light of Saturday’s loss, I can’t help but feel like this team is much more equipped to turn a tough defeat into a speed bump, not a roadblock.

“It’s not good enough to [say], ‘Well, Notre Dame plays hard for four quarters.’ You have to play hard, and you have to win,” Kelly said. “There won’t be any more smiley faces around here until we win.”

Not exactly a revolutionary statement, but when was the last time we heard that point made so bluntly? Perhaps more importantly, when was the last time you heard people commend teams like Alabama, Texas and Ohio State for “playing hard?” Shouldn’t that be a given? Isn’t it?

It appears that now, at Notre Dame, it is.

Two weeks into a season that began just as the last, it’s far too early to pass judgment on where this team is going. But if the vibe Kelly gives off is any indication, I’d have to say the Irish aren’t done yet.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. Contact Matt Gamber at mgamber@nd.edu

Notre Dame may have lost to Michigan Saturday, but the Irish still impressed three of the four visiting recruits well enough that they committed to Notre Dame within the week. Two even offered their commitments before leaving campus over the weekend.

George and Josh Atkinson gave Irish coach Brian Kelly their verbal commitments Sunday, followed by defensive end Stephon Tuitt Wednesday night, and in doing so strengthened Notre Dame’s already stellar recruiting class, Irish recruiting expert Mike Frank said.

“In landing the two quality caliber of players in George and Josh, that is the kind of player you are looking for,” said Frank, who heads the online ESPN affiliate Irish Sports Daily. “Notre Dame needed some of those guys who can just make things happen in space, and [George] is certainly one of those guys.”

Also visiting last weekend, both safety Wayne Lyons and defensive end Stephon Tuitt were impressed by Notre Dame and their experience during the weekend, Frank

“If I had to guess, I’d say Notre Dame probably leads for [Lyons] right now,” Frank said. “More importantly, I think both of their moms are very excited about Notre Dame, and that really is one of the bigger battles you have to face.”

Tuitt, ranked as the top strongside defensive end in the country by Yahoo! Sports’ rivals.com, joins Aaron Lynch — No. 7 on the rivals.com list — in strengthening an Irish defensive line that has lacked depth in recent years.

The commitments bring the tally for the 2011 recruiting class to 19 commitments. Frank does not expect Notre Dame to take many more, even if National Signing Day is still five months away.

“It’ll be interesting to see how many more they’ll take after this point,” Frank said. “My guess is they probably won’t go for more than 22 [commitments] at this point.”

Among the candidates for those final four spots, along with Lyons, is receiver Davaris Daniels, from Vernon Hills, Ill., a Chicago suburb. Daniels has expressed interest in Notre Dame for awhile, but he may still have work to do academically,

“Based off of things that I hear, I think [Daniels] is just a little bit short of where he needs to be academically,” Frank said. “If that is the case, I think he could get it and get where he needs to be, and if he does, I really think Notre Dame will get him.”

Daniels would fill one of Notre Dame’s few holes in this class.

“[Notre Dame] would probably like to get another wide receiver, a safety, either a defensive end or an outside linebacker and then an offensive tackle if they could get one,” Frank said.

Among the additional possible targets, Frank listed outside linebackers Ishaq Williams, Ray Drew and Christian French, running back Savon Huggins and offensive linemen Antonio Richardson and Jay Whitmire.

“I would guess anybody on that list, if they wanted to commit, Notre Dame would probably take their commitment at this point,” Frank said. “This is certainly a top-10 class in anybody’s eyes right now, and they have a good chance to close out with some really strong players.”

Contact Douglas Farmer at dfarmer1@nd.edu

Now’s the time

Senior running back Armando Allen is working hard to get the most out of his final season

By LAURA MYERS Sports Writer

“You got my hat!” Armando Allen exclaimed as he entered the Loftus Center for a photo shoot with The Observer Tuesday. The senior running back grabbed the small green hat and placed it, at a slight angle, on his head, ready for his close-up.

Allen donned the leprechaun hat in celebration after Notre Dame’s win in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 26, 2008, and turned it into a post-game ritual in 2009.

“We all laughed, since he’s about 5’5” on a good day,” said sophomore wide receiver Theo Riddick, a former part of the running back corps with Allen, who is actually listed at 5foot-10. “He’d get us all laughing and cracking up. It was a good joke.”

“The way college football is set up we can’t have contact with him all summer long, so you have a two-month period where you don’t even talk to him much,” running backs coach Tim Hinton said. “It takes a little bit to bring out the real personalities when you just don’t know each other very well.”

Especially with sophomore Cierre Wood coming up quickly behind him, Allen had to prove himself all over again.

“It was just practicing hard every day,” Allen said. “That was one of the concerns we had, and I just took it under my initiative to go out there and work hard and give it all I had every day in practice.”

“I know that I owe Notre Dame so much, for allowing me to come here and take part in something special, so I really want to go out on a good note.”

Armando Allen senior running back

But two games into his senior year, Allen isn’t kidding around anymore.

“Some people joke about me being short, the size of a leprechaun,” he said. “But I do it in respect to Notre Dame. That’s my way to say I respect Notre Dame. I tip my hat to it.”

Going to work

That is not to say that Allen hasn’t been taking his role at Notre Dame seriously up to now. He was the leading rusher for Notre Dame in 2008 and 2009, with 585 and 697 yards, respectively. His mark of 697 last season came in just eight games, as he missed two games with a sprained ankle and another two with a fracture in his hand.

But Irish head coach Brian Kelly admitted last week that he wasn’t sold on Allen coming into the season.

The competition only helped both of them, Allen said.

“That’s always positive,” Allen said. “When you look at our group, from me to Cierre to Robert Hughes to Jonas Gray, we all know that we have a great amount of talent and we all push each other. We use it as motivation. We all know we’ve got great backs here.”

But through his work ethic, the coaches got to know Allen and made the decision to keep him in the starting spot.

“He really does a good job of understanding and learning, taking notes in the meeting room, and understanding the game plan when he gets on the field,” Hinton said. “And he’s practiced hard. The young guy has practiced tremendously hard.

“He really has played the game with a passion and physicality and he’s done a nice job in practice of doing the same thing,” Hinton said. “He’s a very consistent performer. He brings his lunch pail with him every day and goes to work.”

Racking up yardage

Through two games, Allen has had a heavy workload. He has run the ball 33 times for 182 yards and a touchdown, has caught two passes for nine yards and has returned two punts for 47 yards.

Allen has shown the same versatility throughout his career. With 104 career receptions, he is just four receptions away from eclipsing Darius Walker’s record of 107 career receptions by a running back. Ninth on Notre Dame’s career list with 3,638 all-purpose yards, a measure that includes running, receiving and return yardage, Allen needs 312 yards to take over fifth place from 1989 All-American Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, and 1,139 yards to take fourth from 1987 Heisman winner Tim Brown.

“I think it’s really just being in the right place at the right time,” Allen said. “Gaining that trust from the coaches.”

Hinton said there’s only one way for Notre Dame to take advantage of Allen’s many abilities.

“Keep giving him the ball,” Hinton said. “That would be the best thing we can do is keep giving him the ball, get him in space as much as we can. He’s been an elusive guy. He’s been making guys miss. We’re certainly going to work very, very hard to get as many touches as he can have. And his job is to hang onto the ball and perform every time he gets that opportunity.

“I think he will.”

Allen would like to get another opportunity like the one he had in Notre Dame’s 2009 win over Michigan State, when he took the snap in the wildcat formation and connected with former Irish receiver Robby Parris for a five-yard touchdown pass.

“I wouldn’t mind,” he said. “That’s definitely something that’s always been in the back of my head. I’d like to get a chance to do it.”

In fact, Allen has just one feat left to accomplish: a long,

breakaway run. Though he runs for a dependable average of 4.6 yards per carry, his career long is 29 yards, a mark he set Saturday against Michigan.

“It’s always good to have a great breakaway run,” he said.

“I think growing up, being a senior, you take everything for what it’s worth, but it always felt good.”

That 2010 is his last time through adds a sense of urgency to his season.

“I do feel like I’m running out of time,” Allen said. “I know that I owe Notre Dame so much, for allowing me to come here and take part in something special, so I really want to go out on a good note.”

Leading by example

Allen’s seniority has its upside, though, in an increased leadership role on the team.

The coaches selected him to be a captain for Saturday’s game against Michigan.

“It was a great honor to go out there and be a captain and lead this team against Michigan,” Allen said. “It says a lot about what I’ve been doing here and to me it was a great honor to go out there and show that I can do this and I can be in the right place for my teammates.”

Despite his penchant for wearing leprechaun hats, Allen is usually not showy, Hinton said.

“He’s a quiet, unassuming personality,” Hinton said. “Some guys are real flashy, with flamboyant personalities. Armando really doesn’t come across that way. He’s quiet with leadership behind the scenes.”

His early struggles to prove himself made the role even more special, Allen said.

“I’m a more lead by example type guy,” he said. “I started off shaky coming in with the new coaches but right now I understand that I’m here to do whatever I can and just lead by example.”

Hinton assessed Allen’s leadership in the same way.

“Leadership comes in many styles,” Hinton said. “His work ethic and his on-the-field toughness have been the things he’s really displayed.”

Being a leader is even more vital this week, Allen said, as the team tries to shake off a heartbreaking loss and move on to its first road game.

“I think it’s very, very important,” Allen said. “The biggest thing is just to go out there and make sure that everybody has forgotten about last week and is moving on to this week, that we’ve got a new challenge in front of us.”

At this point, Allen is serious about continuing in the same way he has started the season, being an example for his teammates with hard work in practice and performance when it counts.

“We’ve been very pleased with what he’s doing,” Hinton said. “Obviously his challenge right now is to do it consistently for the next ten weeks. That right now is the biggest challenge that Armando has ahead of him. He can’t be self-satisfied. He’s got to be hungry to be better tomorrow, the next day and the next day until the season ends.”

Contact Laura Myers at lmyers2@nd.edu

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Record:

1-1

AP: NR Coaches: NR

Brian Kelly head coach

Bob Diaco Def. Coordinator

First season at Notre Dame career record: 172-58-2 record at ND: 1-1 against MSU: 0-0

Charley Molnar Off. Coordinator

2010 Schedule

Sept. 4

Sept.

Sept.

Nov.

Head-to-Head

Scoring: 23.5 ppg (81st) Total: 446.5 ypg (29th)

Rushing: 153.5 ypg (70th)

Passing: 293.0 ypg (20th)

Turnovers against: 4 (66th)

Fumbles lost: 1 (19th)

Interceptions: 3 (89th)

Sacks Allowed: 3 (16th)

T.O.P. for: 25:23 (112th)

Irish Offense vs. Spartans Defense

MSU D EFENSE

Scoring: 15.5 ppg (33rd)

Total: 312.0 ypg (47th)

Rushing: 65.0 ypg (9th)

Passing: 247.0 ypg (90th)

Turnovers for: 4 (36th)

Fumbles rec.: 3 (13th)

Interceptions: 1 (64th)

Sacks: 3 (73rd)

T.O.P. against: 35:44 (114th)

Statistical Leaders

In barely more than two quarters, Dayne Crist amassed 277 passing yards. While 95 of those may have come on a touchdown to Kyle Rudolph, Crist was going to gain yards on that drive one way or another. Facing an experienced Michigan State secondary on the road, Crist could conceivably have troubles.

In their first two games, as soon as the Irish found success running the ball, they seemed to abandon the run for the pass. Nonetheless, they have had success running the ball with Armando Allen and Cierre Wood, and in the first drive against Michigan, with Dayne Crist. That success could be tougher

David Ruffer continues to pleasantly surprise Notre Dame fans, having now converted all nine of his career field goal attempts.

But the Spartans have given up 247 passing yards per game against Western Michigan and Florida Atlantic, two teams that do not have anywhere near the same offensive firepower as the Irish do.

Thus, with the array of weapons at his disposal — primarily Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph and TJ Jones — Crist will find ways to lead the Irish to touchdowns.

to find against a Michigan State defense that has only allowed 65 rushing yards per game. The Spartans have relied on big athletic linebackers to limit any rushing attempts, and, led by 6-foot-7 Tyler Hoover and leading tackler Greg Jones, those linebackers have succeeded.

The biggest obstacle to those scores will be Crist avoiding sacks, as the three times he has been sacked this season were results of him holding onto the ball too long, a lesson that he should learn quickly in East Lansing.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Yet the Irish pose a new threat to Michigan State, a much stronger threat than either Western Michigan or Florida Atlatic posed.

If Allen and Wood can find any hole, their speed should do the rest. After a big run or two, Michigan State’s defense will likely tire, only allowing the Irish running game to further develop.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Helping the field position battle, Armando Allen and Cierre Wood have been impressive on punt and kick returns, respectively.

Big wheels keep on turning, and despite a loss to Michigan, so will Notre Dame’s season.

Presuming Dayne Crist is healthy, and all indications say he is, the Irish shouldn’t have a problem scoring on the Spartans. Michigan State will limit Notre Dame’s ability to run the ball, but Brian Kelly hasn’t relied on the ground game yet, and there is no reason for him to in East Lansing.

Kirk Cousins will cause the Irish secondary a few problems, but in the end, the Notre Dame defense will rise to the occasion and show its doubters what it really can do.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 24, Michigan State 20

Michigan State does not look able to contain both Allen and Wood, and one of the two will likely break at least one return into the open field Saturday.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Brian Kelly’s offense has looked superb when Dayne Crist is leading it. Crist will likely lead it this weekend, barring any surprises.

Thus, Kelly and Crist should not have too much difficulty after they have fought through two tough opponents while the Spartans have rolled through two guarantee games against Western Michigan and Florida Atlantic. The Irish come into this game ready for Big Ten physicality, while the Spartans will need to adjust from the Sun Belt style of play.

It doesn't get any easier for the Irish, who could use a fast start on the road against a Spartans program that always gives Notre Dame a tough game. The Irish will face a completely different offensive scheme for the third straight week, and they'll need their athletic linebackers and talented, but injury-depleted, safeties to fly to the ball and be ready to stop the power run game. Notre Dame keeps Dayne Crist upright, Michael Floyd continues to get more involved, and the Irish defense steps up late to prevent Brian Kelly from falling to 1-2.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 27, Michigan State 20

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Despite the loss, the Irish showed signs of life against Michigan that were absent for much of last season. The offense, when Dayne Crist was on the field, showed definite improvment, scoring on four of six possessions when he was in the game. The passing game looks like it’s starting to click, and that doesn’t bode well for Michigan State’s untested defense.

Granted, the Irish gave up 502 total yards to one player last week, but that one player is exceptional, and the Notre Dame defense matches up better against a pro-style offense.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 31, Michigan State 23

TO HEAD

Spartans Offense vs. Irish Defense

Without safety Jamoris Slaughter last week, the Irish coverage lapsed multiple times, including on Michigan’s first touchdown, a 31yard pass to a wide open receiver.

In the season-opener against Purdue, with Slaughter sidelined in the second half, similar lapses almost cost Notre Dame dearly, but the Boilermakers could not quite convert.

Michigan State has two running backs already with three touchdowns apiece. The Spartan offense averages 261 rushing yards per game, 11th in the nation.

Considering the Irish defense has given up an average of 195 rushing yards per game thus far, Michigan State will likely try to keep running the ball down the field.

Notre Dame kicker

David Ruffer has been impressive on kickoffs, pinning opposing returners deep in their own territory, and punter Ben Turk has had similar success in dropping his punts within the 20-yard line.

Slaughter is expected to be back in the lineup this weekend, but only time will tell how his sprained ankle holds up through 60 minutes of chasing Spartan receivers.

If the Irish lapse even once in the secondary, a veteran quarterback like Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins will assuredly take advantage of the

The main Notre Dame defenders standing in the Spartans’ way will be inside linebackers Manti Te’o and Carlo Calabrese, who have already combined for a total of 41 tackles.

Thus, Michigan State will not likely see much open space up the middle, but, following the path blazed by Michigan’s Denard Robinson, if the Spartans head to the outside, Notre

If the duo continue with that accuracy, Michigan State returners will be hard-pressed to find any running room on returns before freshman Bennett Jackson, already with five special teams tackles, tracks them down.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

We say it every week, but this game will provide the biggest test for Brian Kelly and the Irish thus far. In college football, there’s nothing tougher than playing in a nationallytelevised, primetime road game the week after a heartbreaking loss. For whatever reason, though, I can’t shake the feeling that the Irish will squeak this one out. Michigan State hasn’t played anyone of note yet, while the Irish have two games against quality opponents under their belt. That should translate into an early Notre Dame lead, allowing the Irish to run the ball and get the win.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 28, Michigan State 20

mistake. With speedster BJ Cunningham on the outside, Cousins will eagerly await any Irish mistake, and while he may not rack up hundreds of passing yards, the few he does compile will be opportunistic and will hurt Notre Dame.

EDGE: MICHIGAN ST

Dame has not yet shown the speed to keep up.

Notre Dame’s best chance to contain the Spartans will hinge on the play of outside linebackers Darius Fleming, Kerry Neal and Brian Smith. All three have only been inconsistent this season.

EDGE: MICHIGAN ST

Sept. 4

Sept. 11

Sept. 18

Sept. 25

Oct. 2

Oct. 9

Oct. 16

Oct. 30

Nov. 6

Nov. 13

Nov. 20

Nov. 27

Brian Kelly and Irish defensive coordiniator Bob Diaco are familiar with Mark Dantonio’s offense, as Dantonio preceded Kelly at Cincinnati, but the Spartan offense has taken a turn for the ground game this season. No matter how Diaco alters his 3-4 “gap control” defense against Michigan State, Dantonio will send his power runners straight at the Irish, likely giving both Diaco and Kelly headaches throughout the game.

EDGE: MICHIGAN ST

This game will be a test of Notre Dame's mental strength and Brian Kelly's motivation skills, as the team has to rebound from its first disappointment at a tough road environment. Kirk Cousins and the Spartans offense have yet to score less than 30 points; Greg Jones and the Spartans defense have yet to give up more than 20.

But the Irish should be the biggest challenge yet for Michigan State. It will be a tight game throughout, but Notre Dame will prove to be a strong team and will build momentum for the tough stretch of games to follow.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 34, Michigan State 31

If you could play a road game in any stadium, where would you play?

I’d say Florida. I heard it’s pretty loud, always nice weather down there. Can’t go wrong.

You’re from New Jersey. Do you like Jersey Shore?

Not at all. Not a fan.

Do you think they represent your state badly?

You’re just looking at one person’s life. You can’t look at one person’s life and summarize New Jersey. Those are Guidos. I’m not familiar with those.

Are there any reality shows you do watch?

“The Kardashians.” Because Kim’s on there. That’s why.

What was your favorite adventure of Kim’s?

Hmm ... (pause) I can’t say. (pause) No comment.

Jones leads strong Spartan linebacking corps

By SAM WERNER Sports Writer

Prior to the start of the season, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said his linebackers would be the strength of the Spartans defense. With senior linebacker Greg Jones leading the way, it’s easy to see why.

For his part, Jones said he was up to Dantonio’s task.

“I feel that’s a pretty big statement,” he said. “It takes a whole defense to win games, not just linebackers … I’m very humbled by that, being one of the leaders on the linebacking corps, but I feel like we do have a lot of guys that can step up and lead.”

Jones will undoubtedly be one of those leaders. He already ranks sixth on Michigan State’s all-time tackle list with 379, and he has racked up 20 in two games so far this season. Jones was also named to the preseason watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Butkus Award (top collegiate linebacker), the Lombardi Award (college lineman of the year), the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s best defensive player), the Bednarik

Award (defensive player of the year) and the Lott Trophy (defensive impact player of the year).

While that impressive honor roll may lead some players to believe that they can do it all themselves, Jones is quick to deflect praise to his teammates.

“I have guys to help me out, like [linebackers] Eric Gordon and Chris Norman,” Jones said. “I’ll try and do what I can do, but ultimately, I have to step up if my name is called.”

Dantonio said he wasn’t surprised by Jones’ growth, both on the field and in the locker room.

“Greg Jones has developed into not just a great playmaker, but a leader for us,”

Dantonio told msuspartans.com. “He does everything a hundred miles an hour and wins with effort. Whether it’s the winter conditioning program, studying film or practice on a spring day, he’s going to give everything he’s got — it’s important to him.”

“It takes a whole defense to win games, not just linebackers — I’m very humbled by that, being one of the leaders on the linebacking corps, but I feel like we do have a lot of guys that can step up and lead.”

Greg Jones Spartans linebacker

Irish coach Brian Kelly knows his offense has a tough task facing the consensus AllAmerican.

Notre Dame has shown flashes of success rushing the ball this season, averaging 153.5

yards per game on the ground. The Spartan defense, led by Jones, will be tasked with slowing down that running attack.

“Obviously, defensively Jones, rightly so, is one of the best linebackers in the country,” Kelly said in his press conference Tuesday. “Very physical up front. Experienced at the linebacker position.”

Just because the Spartans

have a player of Jones’ caliber on defense doesn’t mean the Irish will alter their game plan significantly. Offensive coordinator Charley Molnar said while the Irish will be aware of Jones’ presence, they will still run their offense.

“They have 10 other football players out there also, so we can’t just put all our focus on Greg Jones,” Molnar said. “We know who he is, we

know his number, we know where he lines up. After that, every play that we run we have somebody that’s supposed to block him. Sometimes it’s a center, sometimes it’s a guard, sometimes it’s a running back, and at the end of the day we expect our guys to get the job done.”

Contact Sam Werner at swerner@nd.edu

Freshman Jones finding his place in Irish offense

By SAM WERNER Sports Writer

Before the season started, smart money would have been on either junior wide receiver Michael Floyd or junior tight end Kyle Rudolph to lead the Irish in touchdown catches after two games.

Instead, it’s freshman wide receiver TJ Jones leading the way with a pair of scoring grabs.

In fact, Jones even made some history in the process, becoming the first Irish freshman receiver to score a touchdown in each of his first two collegiate games.

“I thought with all the great receivers we’ve had here that someone’s done it,” Jones said. “Finding out that I’m the first is a great feeling and a great motivator.”

In his first game in an Irish uniform, Jones caught three passes against Purdue, including a 5-yard touchdown reception to put the Irish up 20-3. Last week against Michigan, Jones grabbed three passes for 73 yards. His final catch of the game was a 53-yard scoring bomb on Notre Dame’s third offensive play of the second half that swung momentum back in the Irish favor.

The freshman may have gotten a little too excited, though, as replays showed that Jones appeared to flip the ball out of his hand before he crossed the goal line. The officials didn’t notice, and Notre Dame was able to kick the extra point before the play could be reviewed.

“All three of the coaches addressed me — [head] coach [Brian] Kelly, [offensive coordinator

Charley] Molnar, [wide receivers] coach [Tony] Alford — and let me know that I got away with one,”

Jones said. “But if it happens again I’m going to have some big problems and that it better not happen again.”

While the coaches may have let him off with a warning this time, Jones said the message got home loud and clear.

“I guess you could say they let me off, not easy, but I didn’t get as harsh a punishment as I thought I would for dropping the ball before I scored, and that’s definitely something that I’ll make sure to never do again,” he said.

Jones also got some advice from his father, former Irish defensive lineman Andre Jones, who played for Notre Dame from 1987-91. Jones said his father told him to “just hand the ball to the ref” the next time he scored.

Jones said that he and his father talk regularly, and that on the Thursday or Friday before the game, they talk about what he can expect from that week’s game.

“[He tells me] kind of what to expect, since he’s been there before,”

Jones said. “Kind of the atmosphere that I’m walking into and how to not psych myself in and out of the game and how to not let certain things that I’m not used to in high school affect me before the game in college.”

Saturday will definitely be a new experience for Jones, who will be making his first collegiate appearance away from Notre Dame Stadium, as well as playing in his first night game at the college level. Jones said he thinks he’s up for the challenge, though.

Freshman receiver TJ Jones snags a pass in Notre Dame’s opening week win over Purdue Sept. 4.

has made an instant impact this season, catching six passes for 114 yards and two scores.

“Playing every game in high school at night was a great feeling,” he said. “And playing my first collegiate game at night, I’m sure it’s going to be a great feeling, a great atmosphere.”

Alford added that it’s all a matter of how Jones prepares himself for the new environment.

“I don’t care if we’re playing in our stadium or anyone else’s stadium,” Alford said. “Just put your pads on and go play. I’m not real into where I play. If you like to play ball, go play in the parking lot. I don’t care.”

While Jones has had success so far, he recognizes that this is where

the hard part starts.

“As time goes on and maybe I catch a couple more balls, teams will start to notice me more, which means I’m going to have to work that much harder to beat double coverage or find holes in the defense,” he said.

Usually, the one aspect of the game that young wide receivers need to improve the most is their blocking ability. While Jones certainly has room to mature, he did issue some thunderous blocks on unsuspecting Wolverine players last Saturday.

“It’s a great feeling,” Jones said. “I

was a defensive player as well in high school, so I like cracking people when I get the chance.”

While Alford was impressed with Jones’ ability to provide a big hit, he issued a challenge to the freshman.

“There were some broken plays where he was peeling back on guys, and it just goes to show that he’s got some toughness about him and he doesn’t mind throwing his body around,” Alford said. “I’d like to see him hit some guys like that when they see him coming.”

Contact Sam Werner at swerner@nd.edu