Braden Lenzy sprinted down the sideline and peeked over his right shoulder.
The ball was in the air, but he still had room to run. Too much room, perhaps. By the time the ball fell from the sky and made its descent toward Lenzy and the defender draped all over him, Lenzy had run too far. He stopped, jumped and reached out for the ball.
It popped off his hands and those of the defender — sophomore cornerback Clarence Lewis, who was in excellent position to defend the senior wide receiver’s deep route. All signs pointed to an incomplete pass. If anything, Lewis was in a better position to prevent the ball from hitting the turf. He could have easily come down with an interception.
Except he didn’t.
Lenzy jumped back up, reached over Lewis a second time and made the grab. The only thing that hit the turf was Lewis’ body. He lifted his head to get a glimpse of Lenzy waltzing into the end zone, ball in hand.
“You saw him go up and take a football away, and that wasn’t a part of his game last year,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said after Thursday’s practice, the Irish’s sixth of fall camp.
Kelly didn’t fault Lenzy entirely for that. Lenzy was injured for a lengthy portion of the season. When he was healthy, Kelly admitted the offensive game plan might not have been drawn up in a way that would allow a player like Lenzy to get the touches he needs to be productive.
“We have to get the ball to him,” Kelly said bluntly.
It might be easier to do that than ever before.
Kelly said Lenzy is in “the best shape of his life” at 5-11 ⅜ and 182 pounds. Kelly described it as “a whole different physique.” The play Lenzy made on Lewis wasn’t his only eyebrow-raising catch of the afternoon.
He made another — on Lewis again — and said “this is too easy” as he ran back to the sideline. That wasn’t an exact quote, either; Lewis added a four-letter word that starts with the letter S between “this” and “is.” Mhm.
Expletives are common between the white lines on a college football field. Confidence? That’s hit or miss. It comes and goes, even for players that possess the athleticism, ball skills and speed of Lenzy. He’s a senior, and he has yet to catch more than 11 passes in a season. He had seven receptions last year.
A lack of production can weigh on a wideout. Lenzy, like everyone else — fans, media and coaches alike — could be caught wondering when he’s ever going to have a consistently productive season. Or he could just go out onto the field and do it without thinking too much.
Kelly said Lenzy has reached a point mentally where it seems that’s what he’s set on doing.
“He’s so much more mature and locked in,” Kelly said. “I think guys get to that point where, I don’t know if the alarm clock goes off in their head and they go, ‘It’s time.’ He clearly knows it’s his time. He acts with a sense of urgency that he has not acted with before.”
Kelly has picked up on Lenzy’s confidence. In an attempt to not let it get to his head or to push him to strive for even better — or, most likely, both — Kelly gave his senior wide receiver some sarcastic grief after a pair of catches during Thursday’s practice.
Lenzy corralled the first catch by pinning the ball to his chest. Kelly asked why he didn’t stretch out to solely use his hands. Lenzy claimed the ball was in too tough of a position to do so. On the next rep — the same route — Lenzy extended his arms and caught the ball without the aid of his torso.
“How did you catch that ball?” Kelly called out to him. “It was out in front of you!”
Lenzy laughed it off and got back in line.
Fall camp is merely one week old. There will be more moments for Kelly and Lenzy to continue their friendly banter. More opportunities for Lenzy to keep positioning himself as one of the premier wide receivers on the roster. That’s exactly what Kelly expects him to do.
“We have this every year where guys just step up and know it’s their time to represent, and he’s going to be the next guy to have a great year,” Kelly said.
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