Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 10, 2026 19 In the Sept. 6 opener, junior Styles Prescod, a converted tackle, and Ab- sher shared the right guard duties, with Prescod drawing the start. Prescod's relative absence from that competition since has more to do with thin game- ready tackle depth than abandoning the possibility that Prescod could eventu- ally be the best option. Where that entire group landed sta- tistically, as the calendar turned to October, looked very different in the Irish passing game versus the run game. Heading into Game 5 against the Tar Heels, Notre Dame ranked third nation- ally in tackles for loss allowed per game (2.00) and was tied for fourth in sacks allowed per game (0.50). In a 49-10 romp over Purdue Sept. 26, the Irish O-line didn't allow a sack or a QB hurry in 22 pass attempts by starter CJ Carr and four more by freshman backup Noah Grubbs, the latter with the offensive line starters out of the game. The running game, meanwhile, pro- duced season bests against Purdue in rushing yards (177) and yards per carry (5.5), which nudged the Irish into a still- modest 98th place in rushing offense in the national statistics after sitting at 116th out of 138 just two weeks prior. The real progress — the sustainable kind — is coming from the game reps this Irish offensive line is banking. That means experiencing different de- fensive looks, different game plans and sometimes unfamiliar personnel, then learning the counterpunches and building the chemistry to adjust on the fly. It means banking those answers for when the same problems re- surface later in the season. "The more reps you get," Ru- dolph said, "the better under- standing you have of not only how to do your job, but how to do it in a way where you really complement the guys around you. And so that's been fun." I t's a l so b e e n c h a l l e n g i n g . T h e transfer-heavy rosters the Irish faced in games 1-4 and the looks and tactics those teams haven't previously shown on film sped up the growth, but also produced more growing pains. So, why can't that process be com- pleted in August, in training camp, and against one of the best defensive front sevens in the nation? Part of the chal- lenge is the lack of full-speed work in practices to avoid injury. And part of it is the lack of the unexpected, even if you try to manufacture it. "When you practice in camp, you see a lot of different things from your defense," Rudolph said. "But you get used to it. You get comfortable with it. You get pretty used to who you line up against, the way they line up, the lever- ages, the schemes they use. "It's only through the number of total banked [game] reps that you have the help you need to kind of go out and exe- cute and be your best. But as far as bank- ing reps and getting through these and getting better, the kids have done a really good job of getting everything started. "And now, we've just got to continue to grow, and those big things will hap- pen, because I believe the habits are in place. Like, they're doing stuff the way we want them to do it." THE CALCULUS OF MOVING PARTS With each succeeding week, the of- fensive line is learning how best to work with five running backs, who logged a combined 38 carries last season. And each week, Rudolph says, the puzzle gets easier to solve. But what about adding in new pieces or moving them around? Would the Irish be better off if Craig slid over to right guard and senior Joe Otting, who had a transformative off- season, elevated to starting center? Maybe, but at what cost? "I think just with a lack of overall depth at center, I don't know that that's the smartest thing right now," Rudolph said. "And I just didn't feel that would help us the most. Is it a possibility? Yeah, I would keep it on the table as something that's possible. "But I like where Joe's at. When Joe [Otting] steps in, the guys are ready to go. Like, they trust him. He goes a mil- lion miles an hour and gets it done. But I feel like just with both of them, I don't want that to end up being a fragile posi- tion, too important." Meanwhile, as the younger backup tackles gain trust, Prescod could re- enter the competition with Absher. And when sophomore Matty Augustine comes back from a broken fifth meta- tarsal, perhaps in October, he'd likely challenge both of them. And further down the road, if senior Charles Jagusah's long road back from a broken humerus leads him back to actu- ally practicing instead of observing and peer coaching, he may still be the highest- ceiling offensive lineman on the team. Knapp is probably that at the moment. Lambert or Black could be that in time. "At some point you've just got to be violent and physical, like every play," Rudolph said of Black's next steps. "And he's growing into that. You see it, and then you see him getting it done. And so, just keeping him in that mode of confidence and cutting it loose. "But I'm proud of where he's at. I like that. Like after four games, he's playing his ass off. And like I said, I like where the kids are at. So, we've just got to keep pressing those two goals — prepare ourselves to do great this week and get better." As the six freshman offensive linemen continue to impress behind the scenes, mostly in practices rather than games, the cultural impact seems to pervade the depth chart. But it starts at the top, and that's what Rudolph is most pleased with. That's why he can look at the fuzzy end-of-Septem- ber snapshot and see with clarity what's possible in the weeks ahead. "Total trust in this group of kids, man," he said. "Like, this group of kids wants it — wants it. And they'll continue to re- fine, they'll continue to work together, and I think we'll continue to bring out the best in each other. "They compete at an extremely high level against one another, and they line up and do it again. And it's been less about bravado or jumping up and down or yelling that 'this is defensive holding' or this is this. You know what I mean? They've just played. "And the more we can do that, the more I've got belief overall in where this group can be." ✦ "Can you be at your best when your best is needed? Those are teams that win championships to me." RUDOLPH