Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/531612
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 111 SPECIAL TEAMS "Tyler has a lot of God‑given ability," summarized Booker. "His best attribute moving forward is going to be punting. He's working on field goal kicking and being an all‑around specialist, but he's going to be focused more on punting and being the best punter he can be. "He'll go through the mechanics and make sure he can improve on his field goal kicking, too, because you never know what will happen." Head coach Brian Kelly declared this past National Signing Day that incoming freshman Justin Yoon will be the starting place‑ kicker. Neither Newsome nor junior walk‑on John Chereson emerged enough during the spring to challenge that declaration. Ranked as the No. 1 kicking prospect in the country by Kohl's Kicking for the class of 2015 and tabbed as a 2014 Ray Guy Pro‑ Kicker.com first‑team All‑American, Yoon was sidelined most of his senior year with a back injury but returned to convert 4 of 6 field goal attempts, with a long of 52 yards. In the Under Armour All‑American Game Jan. 2, he made a game‑ record three field goals — highlighted by a 47‑yarder in the second quarter, the longest ever in the contest. Although Yoon arrives as possibly the most heralded kicking pros‑ pect in the country this year, Brindza did, too, and had some adjusting SPECIAL ATTENTION Special teams in football can be akin to game officials. The good calls or plays might be taken for granted, but as soon as something bad happens — a missed field goal, a fumbled hold, a long return allowed, etc. — it becomes conspicuous and is harped on incessantly. Notre Dame's 31-28 Music City Bowl win over LSU last December is an example. A 100-yard touchdown return off a kickoff by LSU freshman running back Leonard Fournette served as another example to many Irish faithful of how special teams remained a liability throughout Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly's five seasons. Overlooked, or maybe even taken for granted, were several other "quiet" posi- tives for the Irish on special teams in that game: • Notre Dame stopped an LSU fake field goal attempt inches short of the goal line to reclaim possession. It proved to be a huge difference in the outcome. • Three of Kyle Brindza's four punts pinned LSU inside its 20. The Tigers' average starting field position was their 25 in the first half, their 17 in the third quarter and their 20 in the fourth quarter. • With the score tied at 28 and LSU attempting a field goal from 40 yards with 11:56 left in the game, Notre Dame defensive lineman Isaac Rochell blocked the kick — the sixth Irish block of the year. • Brindza kicked the game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired, with starting QB Zaire the holder. Special teams is more than just kicking and punting. Last year Notre Dame awarded its Special Teams MVP to slot C.J. Prosise, who made 11 tackles while consistently providing strong coverage. With Notre Dame possessing strong numbers overall at linebacker, cornerback and safety — prime special teams players — there should be plenty of options to field a strong, consistent core unit. Prosise, linebackers James Onwualu and Jarrett Grace and nickel Matthias Farley could be central figures, although many will have feature roles on offense or defense. Also expected to be prime contributors are cornerbacks Devin Butler and Nick Watkins, and linebackers Greer Martini, Nyles Morgan and Te'von Coney. Freshman safety Nicco Fertitta was already declared by head coach Brian Kelly as a possible starter on all four special teams units Sophomore reserve wide receivers Justin Brent and Corey Holmes might help the way Prosise did last year. Kelly said he saw some payoff last year by getting more speed players on offense into the coverage units. "It wasn't just about finding big bodies that could go down there and hit people; it was speed and then tackling," Kelly said. 'We're looking for toughness from those guys, Corey Holmes gives us that, Justin Brent gives us that, even at the wide receiver position. "C.J Prosise set a really good bar and example for us that we can take our skill players and put them in that position with their speed. All they have to exhibit is toughness, and we can get that out of them." — Lou Somogyi QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Scott Booker (4th year at Notre Dame) Returning Starters: LS Scott Daly, KR Amir Carlisle and PR Greg Bryant Departing Starters: K/P/KO Kyle Brindza Projected New Starters: K Justin Yoon, P Tyler Newsome and H DeShone Kizer Top Reserves: K John Chereson, P Jeff Riney and H Hunter Smith Waiting Their Turn: CJ Sanders and Shaun Crawford (return men) Newcomers: Yoon, Riney, Sanders and Crawford Moved In: None Other Departures: PR Cody Riggs FYI: Notre Dame has scored three special teams touchdowns in head coach Brian Kelly's five seasons: The first was in 2010 when cornerback Robert Blanton blocked and returned a punt for the first score in a 28-3 victory versus No. 15 Utah. The other two were by freshman running back George Atkinson III on kickoff returns versus Michigan State and USC in 2011 … It is the first time Notre Dame has gone three straight years (2012-14) without a touchdown on special teams since the early 1960s … Bryant's 61-yard punt return against Louisville last November was the longest in the Kelly era, and the longest since Golden Tate's 87-yard TD in a 27-22 loss at Pitt in 2009 … Daly begins his third straight season as the starting long snapper, and he has a fifth year of eligibility in 2016, the year Chicago native John Shannon enrolls to handle that same role in the future. Greg Bryant emerged as a dangerous punt returner last year, averaging 11.8 yards per attempt while ripping off a career-long 61-yarder versus Louisville. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA