CULVER, Ind. - Notre Dame had its first full-padded practice of the 2019 season, and the Fighting Irish offense had a strong overall practice. Standouts and quick observations from the offense.
PRACTICE STANDOUTS
OFFENSIVE LINE – I couldn’t point to just one standout offensive linemen from today’s action; the group as a whole was just outstanding. The group dominated the defensive line – inside and outside players – during 1on1 pass rush drills. Right tackle Robert Hainsey stoned end Khalid Kareem on back-to-back reps, and Liam Eichenberg beat end Julian Okwara on two straight reps as well.
During team, Okwara was able to get around Hainsey twice and Eichenberg once, but overall the line was absolutely dominant. They were pushing the entire defensive line around and opening up big holes in the run game. The pass protection was especially good, with the line giving both Ian Book and Phil Jurkovec plenty of time to throw the football.
Left guard Aaron Banks was the most up-and-down of the group, but even he had plenty of strong moments, and right guard Tommy Kraemer was a standout. Jarrett Patterson held his ground in pass pro, got a decent push in the run game and twice snapped the ball early when the defense jumped, drawing an offsides penalty.
I was also impressed by backups like Colin Grunhard, Joshua Lugg, Dillan Gibbons and Andrew Kristofic.
