Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1547006
52 OCT. 10, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TODD D. BURLAGE S pencer Shrader spent much of the past year recovering from surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his right knee, and then survived a fierce preseason battle to keep his spot as the starting placekicker for the Indianapolis Colts this season. So when the third-year NFL pro tweaked his groin during pregame warm-ups before the Colts' home game against the Houston Texans Sept. 27, the 2023 Irish starter wasn't deterred from doing his job. "In warmups on one of the kicks I felt a [twinge] a little bit. And I was like, 'That's not good,'" Shrader later shared. "I felt really good from that point. I just had to make sure I didn't overdo it, not make it worse, but just be real nice and smooth." Pregame concerns were aplenty for a Colts team that entered the AFC South Division matchup with the Texans des- perate for a win after starting 0-2. And after some treatment and a leg wrap, Shrader delivered big time, converting all four of his field goal at- tempts from distances of 39, 58, 37 and 53 yards, along with his only point-after try to finish with 13 points in the Colts' much-needed 19-17 victory. Shrader's 53-yarder with 16 seconds remaining secured the Colts' comeback victory. "You don't want to go into the situ- ation having any fear or uncertainty of what's going to happen," Shrader ex- plained of his heroics after the game. "The training staff did an amazing job, felt good throughout the whole game and stayed consistent with it." Indianapolis head coach Shane Stei- chen didn't learn about Shrader's injury until only about 15 minutes before kickoff against the Texans. And after consult- ing with Colts special teams coach Brian Mason, a decision was made that Shrader would be pulled off kickoff duties but would still handle placekicking chores. "[Shrader] went back out there before the game, started kicking again and felt good," Steichen said. "So we went from there." Given all that Shrader has been through the last year, a pregame groin "twinge" seemed like a small challenge to overcome. Shrader, who grew up in Lithia, Fla., sustained season-ending ACL and MCL injuries when his kicking leg was struck on an extra point against the Las Vegas Raiders last October. Prior to the injury, Shrader had connected on 13 of 14 field goals and made 14 of 14 extra points. Shrader beat out Blake Grupe, another former Irish kicker, during the preseason to become the 2026 Colts starter. Through three games this season, Shrader had connected on 8 of 8 field goals — with a long of 58 yards twice — and 6 of 7 extra points. "Just so proud to see how [Shrader] fought back to get to this moment," Colts All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor said. "Whenever somebody goes through adversity like that, and going through an injury, you just want the best for them." ✦ FIGHTING IRISH HEADLINERS Jeremiyah Love (Played at Notre Dame from 2023-25), RB, Arizona Cardinals, NFL The NFL rookie enjoyed the best game of his young pro career in a 36-30 loss to San Francisco Sept. 27. He rushed for 90 yards on 21 carries, and added 5 receptions for 19 yards and 1 touchdown — the first scoring catch of his career. Through three games, the 2026 first-round draft pick (No. 3 overall) had compiled 160 rushing yards and 44 receiving yards with 2 touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) without fumbling on his first 51 career touches. Xavier Watts (2020-24), S, Atlanta Falcons, NFL The 2025 third-round draft pick continued a hot start to his second NFL season when he made 5 tackles (3 solo) and recorded his first interception of the year, which he returned for 17 yards, in a 35-14 upset win at Green Bay Sept. 24. Through three games, Watts — who finished fourth in Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting last season — ranked second on his team with 16 tackles (10 solo). Kyren Williams (2019-21), RB, Los Angeles Rams, NFL The fifth-year NFL veteran put together one of the best all-purpose games of his career in a 30-26 loss at Denver Sept. 27. He recorded 88 rushing yards on 15 car- ries, and added another 70 receiving yards on 6 catches, totaling 158 scrimmage yards and 7.5 yards per touch. Through three games, the 2022 fifth-round draft pick ranked ninth in the NFL with 214 rushing yards and was fourth in the league with 5.6 yards per carry. Adversity Is No Issue For Colts Kicker Spencer Shrader I R I S H I N T H E P R O S Shrader connected on four field goals and an extra point to finish with 13 points in the Indianapolis Colts' 19-17 victory over the Houston Texans Sept. 26. PHOTO COURTESY INDIANAPOLIS COLTS