SOUTH BEND, Ind. — On something he called a “dream board” before Christian Gray ever took a class, lifted a single weight or went through a single football practice at Notre Dame, the No. 1 goal that he and his mom, Shonda Gray, cooked up to put at the very top was a 3.8 grade-point average.
Good thing the Irish sophomore cornerback isn’t majoring in history.
When he got caught in a wind tunnel of congratulations Thursday night in New Orleans after 7 seed Notre Dame’s 23-10 College Football Playoff quarterfinal win over 2 seed Georgia, a persistent theme that came with those kudos was being told about the history the Irish made by winning a major bowl game — the Sugar Bowl — for the first time in roughly three decades.
“I was like, ‘Really? This is just a normal game, you know?’” Gray said after a recent practice before the team left Tuesday for Thursday night’s CFP semifinal vs. 6 seed Penn State.
“I mean, because every game you’ve got to treat it like it’s normal.”
Which is how he’s treating the CFP/Orange Bowl matchup (7:30 EST, ESPN) between the Irish (13-1) and Nittany Lions (13-2), the latter of whom ND defensive coordinator Al Golden suited up for at tight end during his playing days.
“Nooooooooo — REALLY?” Gray said upon learning that little piece of history.
Yep, came the confirmation, and he scored a touchdown here in 1990 against Notre Dame.
“No wayyyyyy,” he said agape. “I didn't know that. That's actually insane. That’s kind of cool. I’ve got to talk to him about it then.”
And then there’s the history Gray intentionally forgets, sort of. It’s part of the job description of a college cornerback to have a selective memory about the past. Or at least a short one.
But he didn’t completely push out the many trying moments in ND’s 49-35 scorefest against USC on Nov. 30 that preceded a redemptive 99-yard pick-6 by Gray to help nudge the Irish into the College Football Playoff field.
There were lessons to mine for and blessings to uncloak and a grandfather’s words to remember and cherish and to put into action.
“Growing up, my grandpa always told me [to] keep my head up, even when something’s not right,” Gray said of the late Edward Covington. “That's what being a man is. Even if something's going wrong, even though somebody caught a touchdown, you keep your head up high still, because you’ve got another play. You’ve got another day. You’ve got another year.
“Like, just keep your head up high. That's what I learned from my grandpa, and that's what I use still right now.”
Gray played a career-high 79 snaps in the USC game, ND’s regular-season finale, as did fellow starting corner, freshman Leonard Moore. And they’ve played every down on defense of both playoff games — the 27-17 win over Indiana on Dec. 20 and the Georgia victory.
With Gray rebuilding his confidence along the way.
He and the nation’s No. 1 pass-efficiency defense will need it. All three of the other remaining CFP survivors are ranked in the top 10 nationally in team pass efficiency offense, including Penn State at No. 8.
“We’ve just got to keep going at it, and be some savages — what coach Golden always says,” Gray said.
Savages?
“That word is our whole entire defense.” Gray qualified. “We’re hungry for anything, man. That's what I think it means to me. That's what I believe it means.”
Numerically it translates to being the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense in 2024 out of 133 FBS teams and No. 8 in total defense. In addition to leading the nation in pass-efficiency defense, Golden’s “savages” also are No. 1 in takeaways and defensive touchdowns scored.
Gray said it’s a reflection of Golden and how he exudes faith in his players.
“You can feel it,” Gray said. “You can feel it like the presence, the aura from it and everything. Just the way he speaks, the way he holds himself, you can feel like, ‘All right, bro, it's that time.’
“Even on game days, you can feel from coach Golden, like, it's game time. We’re about to be some savages, some dogs out there. He brings the energy. And so he brings — what he calls it — ‘the juice’.”
And the one piece of history Gray does get juiced about is the fact that Notre Dame’s last national title in football was way back in 1988. That also happened to be Golden’s freshman year at Penn State. Unbeknownst to Gray.
“It matters a lot,” Gray said of ending the drought. “You know, us guys, young guys, we get to set like a new standard. And so, I feel like it would just be a great thing for Notre Dame. It’s been since 1988? OK, we're going to make a difference.”
PFF SNAP COUNTS AND FILM GRADES
Included below are Notre Dame’s snap count totals on offense and defense from the Georgia game last Thursday along with season totals, provided by Pro Football Focus.
Twenty players saw action on offense and 19 on defense, with each side of the ball on the field for 64 plays.
As far as season leaders with the Pro Football Focus Film grades, freshman cornerback Leonard Moore has edged ahead of All-America safety Xavier Watts for top honors on defense, 88.7 to 87.2.
The rest of the top 10 on defense among players with 100 or more snaps are LB Jack Kiser (80.2), Nickel Jordan Clark (79.4), LB Drayk Bowen (77.0), S Adon Shuler (74.8), DE RJ Oben (74.8), S Rod Heard II (73.6), NG Howard Cross III (72.0) and DT Rylie Mills (71.8).
Gray checked in with a score of 70.6. PFF’s default or average score nationally is 60.0 regardless of position.
ND’s top-graded defender among players with fewer than 100 season snaps is injured DE Jordan Botelho (81.4).
The top 10 offensive players to date with 100 or more snaps are RB Jeremiyah Love 91.6, QB Riley Leonard (83.1), OT Aamil Wagner (80.4), RB Jadarian Price 77.5, C Pat Coogan 72.4, WR Jordan Faison 71.5, WR Jayden Harrison 71.2, OG Rocco Spindler 70.6, WR Jaden Greathouse 70.0 and OG Billy Schrauth 69.0.
The top offensive player with less than 100 snaps is backup tackle Tosh Baker (85.2 in 64 snaps).
Notre Dame’s top five special team performers on the season are Bryce Young 90.4, Bowen 90.1, Luke Talich 88.0, Josh Burnham 83.6 and Heard II 80.6.
The Pro Football Focus grades that come with the snap counts are provided overnight usually on Sunday mornings — last game on Friday, then adjusted midweek after a more-thorough review takes place with a better film-review resource (as opposed to the TV copy).
Starters are identified in bold. Snap counts are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
PREVIOUS SNAP COUNT STORIES
Texas A&M | Northern Illinois | Purdue | Miami (Ohio) | Louisville | Stanford | Georgia Tech | Navy | Florida State | Virginia | Army | USC | Indiana
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SNAP JUDGEMENTS
Check out Pro Football Focus' full advanced statistics report from Thursday's game here.
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