Notre Dame Sunday Notebook With Brian Kelly
During the Oct. 14 bye week, Blueandgold.com cited numerous Notre Dame players for their contributions through the first half of the season. When it came to most underrated, fifth-year senior tight end Durham Smythe was a popular choice on offense.
Underrated in the prolific running game led by the powerful offensive line and the game-breaking Josh Adams at running back, and somewhat overshadowed as a receiver by Equanimeous St. Brown, speedster Kevin Stepherson and fellow tight end Alize Mack, Smythe quietly has enjoyed a quality campaign as a reliable blocker for the ground game and also a downfield threat as a receiver.
He entered the North Carolina State game with the most snap counts (305 to Mack’s 261) at his depth-laden position, mainly because of his blocking acumen and consistency. Then against the Wolfpack he added three receptions for 52 yards, highlighted by a 25-yard touchdown that knotted the game at 7-7.
For the season his 10 catches have averaged 18.2 yards. Against the Wolfpack, he also snared an acrobatic 11-yard catch along the sideline on third-and-6 while keeping one foot in-bounds. A play later, the Irish took the lead for good on a touchdown pass to Stepherson.
Smythe won’t necessarily draw the headlines, but every championship caliber team needs players of his caliber who enhance the overall structure on the field and in the locker room.
“He is so important to the chemistry,” said head coach Brian Kelly of Smythe. “He's such a consistent piece and so assignment correct in everything that he does.”
A roommate of All-America candidate and left tackle Mike McGlinchey, Smythe is “incredibly popular” amongst his teammates, per Kelly, for the way he quietly goes about his business with limited fanfare.
“Not only that popularity is there, but him having his best year where he's physically performing at a high level as a blocker, then making plays down the field,” Kelly summarized. “He adds so much to the chemistry of the offense.”
Blocking The Noise
The first College Football Playoff poll will be released Tuesday evening, with Notre Dame projected to be in the top 5 (it was No. 5 in Sunday’s AP poll).
Wherever the Fighting Irish will be is inconsequential for now to Kelly and the staff, which is likewise relayed to the players who have maintained an even-keel demeanor all season.
“We’ve made them aware of the fact that there will be more noise as you continue to win, but that’s immaterial to what our process is,” Kelly said. “Our process is to refocus on what’s important now.
“They trust in their training, and the training started back in January. This is really nothing new for us and they’ve handled it well so far.”
Punt-Block Snafu
For the second year in a row, North Carolina State scored a touchdown against Notre Dame off a blocked punt.
It didn’t cost the Irish the game like in 2016, but it did provide a quick 7-0 Wolfpack lead. As a captain on special teams, senior rover Drue Tranquill took responsibility for the snafu, but Kelly cleared the record.
“Drue is a very standup guy, but unfortunately it wasn't his mistake,” Kelly said. “Our long snapper has to block in protection, that's what's unique about this. There was some miscommunication as to whether he was going to be part of the check. We moved it from an overload right to an overload left. The center thought differently. Everybody else was on the same page. We had a looper come right up through the A gap, and he wasn't blocked.
“It was a blown protection. Obviously, it can't happen. That's why it's so crucial that everybody is communicating and everybody is on the same page. We'll go back to work on it and make sure it never happens again.”
More heartening for Kelly was that where a blocked punt for a touchdown often can be deflating to the team that suffers it, the Irish instantly responded with a two-play touchdown drive to knot the score.
“The way we scored really kind of erased any murmurs or any kind of sense that North Carolina State was going to take any kind of control in the football game,” Kelly said.
Injury/Personnel Updates
• Junior tight end Alize Mack is in concussion protocol after getting diagnosed with one near the North Carolina State sideline after hitting his head against the ground.
• Senior defensive tackle Jonathan Bonner suffered a sprained ankle. It wasn’t a high ankle sprain, and the X-rays came back negative.
“We’ll make sure he’s protected, but he should not be limited,” Kelly said. “He’ll be a go for Saturday (versus Wake Forest).”
• Senior Mike linebacker Nyles Morgan left the game briefly after a sideline collision in which fellow linebacker captain Greer Martini was flipped. Kelly revealed that Morgan has had a chronic shoulder problem throughout the season.
“It’s just a matter of protecting it during the week. He’ll be fine and ready to go,” Kelly said.
• Junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush had a mild left ankle sprain but returned to the contest.
“No restrictions for him,” Kelly said.
• Sophomore running back Tony Jones Jr. has battled an ankle sprain much of this season, and against North Carolina State he ended up with a hip pointer.
“He got back involved and fought through it,” Kelly said. “It's just been one of those things where he's getting a little frustrated … We’ve just got to get him in a good frame of mind and get him off and running because he's a really good player.”
• Sophomore Donte Vaughn has seen limited action this season behind senior Nick Watkins at boundary corner, while sophomore Troy Pride Jr. has been getting more reps the past couple of weeks at corner. Vaughn was a regular last season with four starts and tied for the team lead in passes broken up with six.
“He's still developing and still making progress,” said Kelly of Vaughn. “Troy has got some other skills that we were looking for relative to his speed.”
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