Nine Standout Players From Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Game
Blue defeated Gold 17-3 in Notre Dame's Blue-Gold Game on Saturday, and a number of Fighting Irish players stood out on both sides of the ball.
This isn’t a list of Notre Dame’s best players, but instead a breakdown of who jumped off the screen throughout the game. It could be because they showed why they’re ready to thrive in 2021, proved capable of taking on a bigger role this fall or simply flashed the ability to be a dynamic contributor down the road.
Remember the Blue-Gold Game is technically just one of 15 Notre Dame spring practices and thus just a small sample size of each player’s body of work since late March.
Offense
WR Avery Davis
The fifth-year wideout led the Gold team in receiving with five catches for 84 yards, displaying the ability to get open on a consistent basis and on a variety of routes. All of his receptions resulted in a first down.
More importantly, it was clear that he had the trust of quarterback Jack Coan, the graduate transfer from Wisconsin with 18 career starts and who is still the odds on favorite to win the starting job this fall.
The only time Davis was targeted that didn’t result in a reception came on a first down play in the red zone. He made a nice move to get a couple of steps on his defender, only for Coan to overthrow him in the end zone.
Davis still probably isn’t the ideal No. 1 pass catcher (at least not for a team with aspirations of contending for the College Football Playoffs once again), but he still could be well suited as a go-to receiver in certain situations.
RB Chris Tyree
The explosive rising sophomore did a little bit of everything on Saturday. He ran between the tackles, bounced carries outside, caught a pass out of the backfield for a big gain, blocked and even lined up in the slot.
From scrimmage, Tyree finished the afternoon with 59 yards. His 4.3 yards per carry won't blow anyone away, but considering he was running behind a stopgap offensive line, that’s more than acceptable.
All in all, it’s easy to see why Notre Dame could have one of the more electric backfields in the country this year. Both Tyree and Kyren Williams are dynamic ballcarriers who can do a little bit of everything, which should allow them to complement one another quite well.
QB Tyler Buchner
Let’s get this out of the way. This isn’t an indication Tyler Buchner should be the starter this year. But Fighting Irish fans certainly saw a glimpse of the electric potential the mid-year enrollee brings to the quarterback room.
He connected on six of his nine passes for 140 yards, with completions ranging from 17 to 37 yards. On three carries, he also ran for six yards and a rushing touchdown — aided by head coach Brian Kelly’s decision to allow Buchner to play without a red jersey.
There were also some bad throws. On his first pass of the game, Buchner locked in on running back Chris Tyree, who was blanketed by two defenders and still attempted the near-impossible pass. Fortunately, it resulted in an incompletion.
Most importantly, he got to play in his first game since the fall of 2019. He may not start in 2021, but there’s a chance he could still help the team in a niche role before competing for the big job in 2022.
Unheralded Tight Ends
With freshman All-American Michael Mayer sitting out, the Notre Dame tight end position still shined at times in the Blue-Gold Game.
TE George Takacs — Even as a rising senior, we haven’t seen Takacs on the field much. In the last two seasons, he played a combined 122 snaps to go along with 42 garbage-time yards and a touchdown.
With Tommy Tremble and Brock Wright off to the NFL, Takacs is the obvious replacement to fill their shoes as a primarily blocking tight end in 12 or 13 personnel. But on Saturday, the rising senior and former four-star prospect proved there’s an extra dimension to his game.
He was targeted four times in the passing game for three receptions and 32 yards, including a 25-yard catch in the first quarter.
Mayer will still likely garner a bulk of the targets this fall, but Takacs proved to fans his lack of playing time had more to do with the talent of those ahead of him on the depth chart as opposed to his own abilities.
TE Mitchell Evans — The mid-year enrollee still appears to be more of a redshirt candidate this fall, but 6-foot-5 tight end showed he was worth taking as Notre Dame’s second tight end prospect in the class of 2021.
A quarterback last season at Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, Ohio, there were some questions about Mitchell’s ability to play the tight end position. Some even speculated that a move to offensive tackle is in his future.
I’m not sure we’re in a position to rule anything out just yet — he’s been on campus for less than four months — but the staff clearly knew what they were doing when they identified his potential at a position he has limited experience playing. He snapped three catches for 59 yards, including a 32-yard reception in the second quarter.
Defense
DL Kurt Hinish
In the second quarter, Fighting Irish nose tackle took on left guard Rocco Spindler one-on-one and quickly drove the 315-pound freshman into the backfield for an eight-yard sack of Blue quarterback Drew Pyne.
But shouldn’t a fifth-year player dominate an 18-year-old? Sure, but given the size, talent and maturity of Spindler and his game, he isn’t a typical mid-year enrollee.
Instead, this might be a sneak peek at the type of plays Hinish can make with more one-on-one opportunities in the defensive scheme installed by new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman.
With 2.0 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in 2020, Hinish is already a known commodity as a playmaker at nose tackle, but perhaps Hinish will have a significant bump in production this fall.
DE Jordan Botelho
The 6-foot-2 Vyper displayed his high motor and pass-rush dexterity as often as he could in the Blue-Gold Game. Jordan Botelho, a rising sophomore, finished the contest with 2.0 tackles (1.0 for loss) and a sack on Saturday, frequently shooting into the backfield, especially when matched up against offensive tackle Tosh Baker.
On one or two occasions, it also appeared that Botelho lined up as a linebacker and dropped into coverage.
He should still serve as the backup Vyper behind Isaiah Foskey, but fans should be excited when Botelho is on the field, especially in obvious pass-rush situations.
DB KJ Wallace
Wallace is in contention for two roles heading into 2021: the fourth safety spot and slot cornerback.
At one point in the first quarter, he lined up across from wide receiver Lawrence Keys III in the slot, who led the game in receiving yards. Wallace was physical at the line of scrimmage and ended up with a nice pass breakup to force a punt on third-and-two.
The rising junior defensive back also recorded four tackles on Saturday and could be ready for an every-game role this fall.
LB Marist Liufau
In a defense designed for playmakers, Notre Dame fans should see plenty of Marist Liufau and his long, wavy hair flying to the football in 2021.
He seemed to spend much of the game in the offensive backfield, leading the Gold team in tackles with 5.0 (2.0 for loss) and also recorded a sack.
It’s worth noting that this spot almost went to Rover Jack Kiser, whose 8.0 tackles led the Blue team, but Liufau jumped off the screen pretty much whenever he was on the field.
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