SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Even when Benjamin Morrison’s right arm was in a sling this past spring and summer following March shoulder surgery, his impact on the Notre Dame football team, particularly the defensive backfield, was palpable.
Almost to a man, when players tell their backstories of turning points and progress surges, the again-sidelined junior cornerback tends to be a major part of the plotline. Through his words, his actions, through his belief in those listening and watching.
Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is counting on that kind of effect from his captain, out for the season after ND’s 49-7 win over Stanford, in the coming days and weeks. But not this weekend when No. 12 Notre Dame (5-1) clashes with Georgia Tech (5-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (3:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN).
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“Right now he's obviously recovering from surgery,” Freeman said on his Thursday Zoom with the media of his preseason All-American cornerback’s hip injury. “But when he gets back — and he's eager to get back here — once he's able to get back around our guys, his leadership skills will continue to show.
“But right now he's just taking care of his body, recovering from surgery. And we wish him all the best, and he'll be back before we know it.”
With Morrison out, freshman Leonard Moore will make his second career start on Saturday, though whether he’ll be at Morrison’s boundary position or at the field cornerback spot he started at Sept. 28 vs. Louisville isn’t clear.
Nor did Freeman want to tip off Georgia Tech about it when asked about it Thursday. Sophomore Christian Gray, the other starting cornerback, is accomplished at both roles, but has been playing primarily the field spot this season, opposite Morrison. Moore has played both, but all 76 defensive snaps in the Louisville game came at the field spot while he was filling in for an injured Gray.
Fellow freshman Karson Hobbs, whose college résumé consists of 25 low-leverage situation snaps, is listed as the primary backup for both cornerback spots and at nickel.
After winning the pass-efficiency defense statistical title last season, the Irish currently rank fifth nationally, behind only BYU, Texas, Washington and Iowa State.
Moore’s elevation also coaxed some strategic questions Thursday as well, even though his Pro Football Focus season grades are slightly higher than Morrison’s. For example, at the halfway point of their season, the Irish have reportedly played more man defense than any team in the country. And the confidence to do that at a high level affects what defensive coordinator Al Golden is able to do with pressures from his front seven.
But now?
“I think to play man, you have to be confident in your defender's ability to play man,” Freeman said. “And we've had a lot of confidence, and we still do in terms of what our guys can do and do it well.
“I think the ability to have changeups and ability to go off of your tendencies is crucial. It's the ability to play man, but it doesn't always look the same. And I think those are the things that have made this defense successful.
“But it still starts with your guys’ ability to execute man coverage, and then your ability, as a coach, to not always just tell the offense what you're doing.”
Status reports
Key rotational defensive tackle Jason Onye’s name remains on the university-issued two-deeps for Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech, but it appears he will miss a second straight game for “personal reasons.”
When asked about it Thursday, Freeman said Onye’s status hadn’t changed.
The 6-foot-5, 291-pound senior has seven tackles this season, with 1.5 sacks. He’s accrued two QB hurries, broken up a pass and blocked a field goal.
The Irish did get back another key rotational interior defensive lineman last weekend, though, as senior Gabe Rubio made his season debut against Stanford.
The 6-5, 316-pound senior suffered a fractured foot on the first day of training camp (July 31). On Saturday, he played 21 snaps and was ND’s second-highest graded defensive player in the Pro Football Focus film grades, behind only defensive end Josh Burnham.
“You have a big human, a big body that really plays at a high rate,” Freeman said of Rubio’s impact. “And he has a lot of velocity with the way he plays. So, we absolutely missed the presence that he brings to this defense.
“The thing with Gabe is he's continuously learning how to control that aggression, to play with detail. And he's doing a much better job at that. And he's going to be a guy that continues to improve, because he plays with the effort, he plays with the motor, the disruptive mindset that he has.
“And now he's continuing to improve on the details of the position, so he's only going to continue to get better.”
• Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key continues to vague up the details of how Yellow Jackets starting quarterback Haynes King is faring coming back from an arm/shoulder injury that prompted the redshirt junior and former Texas A&M QB to miss the final three series of Tech’s 41-34 win at North Carolina last Saturday.
Key continues to list the dual-threat QB as “day-to-day” and acknowledged King was at practice Thursday but did not detail to what extent he participated.
If King does not play against the Irish, expect redshirt sophomore Zach Pyron to move to the top of the QB depth chart.
Pyron has attempted only seven passes this season, but he’s played in all seven games as a red zone/short-yardage tag-teamer. He has rushed for 60 yards on 17 carries with four TDs.
Pyron only attempted eight passes in 2023, but in 2022 he got in 82 attempts in a three-game stretch before suffering a season-ending injury.
“We went back and watched all of his clips from the past few years,” Freeman said of Pyron. “And he's done a good job of going into some hostile environments and performing. I would say they use him very similarly as they do with King, but he also does some things differently.
“And so we have a plan for both, probably not the exact same, but just depending on who's going to be back there. But again, he has the ability to run the ball and create issues for your defense with his legs, but he can throw it too.
“He's confident, and he'll throw it in tight windows. So, we have to be ready for both quarterbacks.”
Watts a midseason All-American
Notre Dame grad senior Xavier Watts is the lone Irish representative on the Associated Press Midseason All-America team, announced Thursday. The AP panel of voters selected a first and second team, and Watts was a first-teamer.
The 2023 unanimous All-American leads all Irish defensive players with 358 snaps. He also leads the team in interceptions (2) and pass breakups (5). Watts has 21 tackles, two QB hurries and a forced fumble as well.
Earlier this week, Watts was named to midseason All-America teams compiled by CBS Sports and The Athletic.
Watch list redux
The Lombardi Award released its preseason Watch List on Thursday, a couple of months after the other awards did.
Three Notre Dame players found their way onto that list of 97 players vying for the award given annually to the nation’s top offensive lineman, defensive lineman or linebacker.
Senior tight end Mitchell Evans, grad senior nose guard Howard Cross III and grad senior defensive tackle Rylie Mills are ND’s representatives. Five Irish players have previously won the award — Walt Patulski (1971), Ross Browner (1977), Chris Zorich (1990), Aaron Taylor (1994) and Manti Te’o (2012).
Head coach Marcus Freeman has been named to two midseason coach of the year watch lists. On Thursday, he was one of 20 FBS coaches named to the Dodd Trophy midseason watch list. On Wednesday, Freeman was one of 27 coaches named to the Paul “Bear’ Bryant Award watch list.
Former Irish head coach Brian Kelly, in his third season at LSU, made both lists as well.
Squibs
• Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key’s first career start as a player came at Notre Dame Stadium in 1997 as a redshirt freshman offensive guard for Georgia Tech. The Irish head coach that day was Bob Davie, and the Irish, ranked 11th, escaped with a 17-13 win in the debut of an expanded Notre Dame Stadium.
• Georgia Tech has blocked 11 kicks in 28 games since Key took over first as the Yellow Jackets' interim head coach in 2022. Since Oct. 1, 2022 (Key's first game at the helm of the Jackets), Tech's 11 blocked kicks are the most in the nation.
• Saturday's game is the fourth in Georgia Tech's agreement to host one game annually at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, from 2021-26. The Yellow Jackets are 1-3.
• ESPN’s announcing crew Saturday consists of Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline reporter).
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
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