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SOUTH BEND —In a rarity, spring practice won’t conclude with the Blue-Gold Game this year for Notre Dame football.
Thanks to the reimagined schedule, the final three approved practice sessions will take place in the aftermath of Saturday’s public scrimmage at Notre Dame Stadium. The Blue team (offense) claimed a 76-31 victory in the modified scoring system.
“I don’t really know how these next three practices will go,” junior safety Luke Talich said. “Coach (Marcus) Freeman joked that we’re going to get our work in, so I’m sure we’re going to get after it still. I don’t know how much thumping we’ve had and physical contact we’re going to be doing, but he’s going to challenge us mentally.”
Talich, who led the way with nine tackles in his bid to follow NFL-bound All-America Xavier Watts in the starting lineup, noted that will give the defense more time to get comfortable with new coordinator Chris Ash.
The former Rutgers head coach, who spent the last four seasons as an NFL assistant and scout, has resisted making wholesale changes from the scheme Al Golden led from 2022-24.
“All of us have gotten a lot more familiar with his style of coaching,” Talich said of Ash. “It’s a little different than Coach Golden, but it’s good in its own way. You know he’s going to push you every single day; he’s going to get after you. I feel very confident in his ability.”
House settlement: Notre Dame football braces for the human cost of potential roster cuts for walk-ons
Freeman said he planned to canvass the coaching staff to nail down late-spring priorities for these final practices, but noted the bulk of it would be “play-it situations, two-minute situations where you have to make your guys think and execute.”
Even with newcomers and backups getting a large dose of playing time, the defense kept second-year coordinator Mike Denbrock’s offense out of the end zone on four of seven trips to the red zone (24 points). Linebacker Preston Zinter sacked Kenny Minchey on fourth-and-6 from the plus-19 to end a threat on the second series.
Later, a pair of first-and-goal opportunities from the 8 netted 7 total yards on five carries and two Minchey incompletions. Aneyas Williams (38 rushing yards) was stopped on consecutive tries from the 1, running into Talich both times as the defense held.
“It was a momentum change,” Talich said. “We had the juice after that one play. It was the same play, so I did the same thing, and it worked out.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Defense has its moments for Notre Dame football in spring game-Chris-Ash
Continue reading...
Thanks to the reimagined schedule, the final three approved practice sessions will take place in the aftermath of Saturday’s public scrimmage at Notre Dame Stadium. The Blue team (offense) claimed a 76-31 victory in the modified scoring system.
“I don’t really know how these next three practices will go,” junior safety Luke Talich said. “Coach (Marcus) Freeman joked that we’re going to get our work in, so I’m sure we’re going to get after it still. I don’t know how much thumping we’ve had and physical contact we’re going to be doing, but he’s going to challenge us mentally.”
Talich, who led the way with nine tackles in his bid to follow NFL-bound All-America Xavier Watts in the starting lineup, noted that will give the defense more time to get comfortable with new coordinator Chris Ash.
The former Rutgers head coach, who spent the last four seasons as an NFL assistant and scout, has resisted making wholesale changes from the scheme Al Golden led from 2022-24.
“All of us have gotten a lot more familiar with his style of coaching,” Talich said of Ash. “It’s a little different than Coach Golden, but it’s good in its own way. You know he’s going to push you every single day; he’s going to get after you. I feel very confident in his ability.”
House settlement: Notre Dame football braces for the human cost of potential roster cuts for walk-ons
Freeman said he planned to canvass the coaching staff to nail down late-spring priorities for these final practices, but noted the bulk of it would be “play-it situations, two-minute situations where you have to make your guys think and execute.”
Even with newcomers and backups getting a large dose of playing time, the defense kept second-year coordinator Mike Denbrock’s offense out of the end zone on four of seven trips to the red zone (24 points). Linebacker Preston Zinter sacked Kenny Minchey on fourth-and-6 from the plus-19 to end a threat on the second series.
Later, a pair of first-and-goal opportunities from the 8 netted 7 total yards on five carries and two Minchey incompletions. Aneyas Williams (38 rushing yards) was stopped on consecutive tries from the 1, running into Talich both times as the defense held.
“It was a momentum change,” Talich said. “We had the juice after that one play. It was the same play, so I did the same thing, and it worked out.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Defense has its moments for Notre Dame football in spring game-Chris-Ash
Continue reading...
