It was a good day for the Notre Dame offense, which as a whole had a productive practice. A strong finish by the defense made for a spirited end of the day and will certainly give the Irish offensive players plenty to learn from.
The positive for the team is the strong finish by the defense was more about the defenders playing very hard and making plays and not about the offense necessarily not playing well. It was two units competing at the end and although the defense came out on top, the offense certainly showed plenty of positives from the practice.
A look at how specific units and players performed:
QUARTERBACK
* I felt like junior Brandon Wimbush was really sharp during today’s practice. He missed a few high throws but that is going to happen. He was very accurate on the day and when he missed he often missed in safe spots. Wimbush did a good job taking shots and some risks but not forcing throws, especially over the middle. He was willing to take shots that arose but also showed no apprehension about dumping the ball off when the need arose.
* Even in the face of pressure he was calm in the pocket. On one particular snap the tackles were knocked back into the pocket but stayed engaged. Instead of panicking or taking off Wimbush simply took a step forward and let loose with a gorgeous downfield pass to junior receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. A great play by cornerback Nick Watkins but the poise and throw from Wimbush were impressive, as was his ability to keep his eyes downfield throughout the practice even when pressure was mounting.
* The most impressive thing about Wimbush is his pure arm strength. He makes hash to far sideline passes with ease and his ability to power the ball downfield by just flicking his wrist will make him a more accurate passer once his footwork becomes more consistent.
* Sophomore Ian Book had an inconsistent practice. He made some quality throws downfield and showed a willingness to fit the ball into tight spaces, but he forced too many throws and was a bit late on several reads. He got frustrated at one point but bounced back on his next rep with a good pass. There will be plenty of tape from today’s practice that Book can learn from.
RUNNING BACK
* Junior running back Josh Adams had a typical day for him. He caught the ball effectively, made good decisions and when given room made good runs. There were a couple of perimeter runs where he was a bit indecisive but overall it was a good day.
* Sophomore running back Tony Jones Jr. continues to impress. His agility for a 225-pound player is just outstanding, and he combines that with good decision making, good balance and very good pass catching skills, which were on display again today. Jones showed some burst today as well, hitting a cutback lane and exploding into the end zone from about 25-30 yards out. His most impressive play was about a 5-yard gain on a screen play where senior safety Drue Tranquill read the play and drilled Jones right as he caught the ball, but Jones bounced off the tackle and broke free. A cornerback came up to try to tackle him but Jones ran him over and dragged the corner for about 5 yards. It should have been a 2-yard loss but Jones turned it into a positive gain.
* Junior Dexter Williams showed off his speed today and he made some quality cuts on inside runs, which has been an issue for him in the past. The fact he was able to grind out some tough yards against an aggressive defense was a very good sign.
* Sophomore Deon McIntosh is without question the smallest back but he might also be the fastest. He’s at least the fastest in the first 10 yards. McIntosh explodes out of his stance and gets through the hole in a hurry. He even showed some wiggle today, making a couple of second level defenders miss.
WIDE RECEIVER
The battles between the wide receivers and cornerbacks are a joy to watch. Neither side really dominates a period and both sides will win and lose reps. It’s without question a strength vs. strength matchup.
* It was another good day for junior Equanimeous St. Brown, who impressed with his athleticism and route running. I’d still like to see St. Brown attack the ball more on downfield throws, but overall he caught the ball well. He showed good focus in traffic but has to be more aggressive to the ball. St. Brown isn’t really firing off the line on routes 10 yards and tighter, but based on how position coach DelVaughn Alexander reacted and praised his wideouts it sounds like he doesn’t care much about receivers selling vertical routes when they are breaking on an out or in route.
* Senior Cameron Smith dropped two balls today that he should have caught, but overall he had a quality day. He showed a good feel for the offense and is one of the better route runners on the roster. Smith showed some toughness today, taking hard hits and bouncing right up. He’s not a go-up-and-get-it guy but he uses his speed to work away from defenders on vertical routes and when working across the field.
* Fellow senior transfer Freddy Canteen got a lot of work with Wimbush today and he impressed. Canteen has very good speed but what helped him today is that he gets to full speed in a hurry. He showed a good feel for working in open spots in the zone and he catches the ball well. Canteen showed some after-the-catch ability as well in the screen game.
* I was hard on sophomore wideout Chase Claypool on Tuesday’s opening practice based on his lack of consistent effort, but that wasn’t an issue today. Claypool played hard and was quite impressive. He was physical in the run game and showed better speed off the line. With standout corner Donte Vaughn draped all over him on a comeback route Claypool showed strength and focus by bringing the ball in on the sideline. He showed good vertical speed and made several impressive catches, although he had a hard time getting separation from Vaughn, who broke up multiple passes intended for Claypool.
* Classmate Javon McKinley had a quality day out of the slot. McKinley lacks the speed of the other receivers, but he’s physical and made a number of tough catches in traffic. His focus against tight coverage is impressive and McKinley once again showed a good feel for working himself open against the zone. He’ll have to become a sharper route runner than he showed today, but he’s coming along. McKinley was especially impressive during the red zone period.
* Freshman wide receiver Michael Young was a nightmare matchup for the Notre Dame defensive backs. His combination of speed, quickness and sharp route running ability was hard to handle. Young explodes off the line and his ability to make quick moves and get vertical made him hard to get a hand on at the line. He used a quick stutter and go move at the line to blow past sophomore corner Julian Love, which is impressive as Love is a sound player that doesn’t often lose at the line. He dropped a wide open downfield pass without a defense on him, but overall he caught the ball very well, including a diving catch in front of sophomore safety Devin Studstill for a touchdown during a red zone period in which Studstill had good coverage.
* Classmate Jafar Armstrong didn’t take as many reps today but he did catch the ball very well, including an impressive back-shoulder throw for a touch
* Junior Chris Finke ran crisp routes and caught the ball well during today’s practice. He’s very precise with his movements and that allowed him to get good separation at times. Finke beat sophomore speedster Troy Pride on a go route for a big play during one-on-one’s.
* Junior C.J. Sanders was good after the catch but he did way too much body catching today, even when uncovered. He needs to attack the ball better than he did today.
* Junior Miles Boykin just continues to be steady. Boykin doesn’t do anything spectacular, but he’s just a solid all-around player that knows how to use his size. He had a rep during one-on-one’s where he simply caught the ball and bowled over a cornerback.
* Sophomore Kevin Stepherson continues to show off good speed and ball skills but he did not get any work with Wimbush today during team periods. There is obviously a disconnect there with the staff, and it would seem there is a lack of trust in regards to him doing his job snap after snap.
The positive for the team is the strong finish by the defense was more about the defenders playing very hard and making plays and not about the offense necessarily not playing well. It was two units competing at the end and although the defense came out on top, the offense certainly showed plenty of positives from the practice.
A look at how specific units and players performed:
QUARTERBACK
* I felt like junior Brandon Wimbush was really sharp during today’s practice. He missed a few high throws but that is going to happen. He was very accurate on the day and when he missed he often missed in safe spots. Wimbush did a good job taking shots and some risks but not forcing throws, especially over the middle. He was willing to take shots that arose but also showed no apprehension about dumping the ball off when the need arose.
* Even in the face of pressure he was calm in the pocket. On one particular snap the tackles were knocked back into the pocket but stayed engaged. Instead of panicking or taking off Wimbush simply took a step forward and let loose with a gorgeous downfield pass to junior receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. A great play by cornerback Nick Watkins but the poise and throw from Wimbush were impressive, as was his ability to keep his eyes downfield throughout the practice even when pressure was mounting.
* The most impressive thing about Wimbush is his pure arm strength. He makes hash to far sideline passes with ease and his ability to power the ball downfield by just flicking his wrist will make him a more accurate passer once his footwork becomes more consistent.
* Sophomore Ian Book had an inconsistent practice. He made some quality throws downfield and showed a willingness to fit the ball into tight spaces, but he forced too many throws and was a bit late on several reads. He got frustrated at one point but bounced back on his next rep with a good pass. There will be plenty of tape from today’s practice that Book can learn from.
RUNNING BACK
* Junior running back Josh Adams had a typical day for him. He caught the ball effectively, made good decisions and when given room made good runs. There were a couple of perimeter runs where he was a bit indecisive but overall it was a good day.
* Sophomore running back Tony Jones Jr. continues to impress. His agility for a 225-pound player is just outstanding, and he combines that with good decision making, good balance and very good pass catching skills, which were on display again today. Jones showed some burst today as well, hitting a cutback lane and exploding into the end zone from about 25-30 yards out. His most impressive play was about a 5-yard gain on a screen play where senior safety Drue Tranquill read the play and drilled Jones right as he caught the ball, but Jones bounced off the tackle and broke free. A cornerback came up to try to tackle him but Jones ran him over and dragged the corner for about 5 yards. It should have been a 2-yard loss but Jones turned it into a positive gain.
* Junior Dexter Williams showed off his speed today and he made some quality cuts on inside runs, which has been an issue for him in the past. The fact he was able to grind out some tough yards against an aggressive defense was a very good sign.
* Sophomore Deon McIntosh is without question the smallest back but he might also be the fastest. He’s at least the fastest in the first 10 yards. McIntosh explodes out of his stance and gets through the hole in a hurry. He even showed some wiggle today, making a couple of second level defenders miss.
WIDE RECEIVER
The battles between the wide receivers and cornerbacks are a joy to watch. Neither side really dominates a period and both sides will win and lose reps. It’s without question a strength vs. strength matchup.
* It was another good day for junior Equanimeous St. Brown, who impressed with his athleticism and route running. I’d still like to see St. Brown attack the ball more on downfield throws, but overall he caught the ball well. He showed good focus in traffic but has to be more aggressive to the ball. St. Brown isn’t really firing off the line on routes 10 yards and tighter, but based on how position coach DelVaughn Alexander reacted and praised his wideouts it sounds like he doesn’t care much about receivers selling vertical routes when they are breaking on an out or in route.
* Senior Cameron Smith dropped two balls today that he should have caught, but overall he had a quality day. He showed a good feel for the offense and is one of the better route runners on the roster. Smith showed some toughness today, taking hard hits and bouncing right up. He’s not a go-up-and-get-it guy but he uses his speed to work away from defenders on vertical routes and when working across the field.
* Fellow senior transfer Freddy Canteen got a lot of work with Wimbush today and he impressed. Canteen has very good speed but what helped him today is that he gets to full speed in a hurry. He showed a good feel for working in open spots in the zone and he catches the ball well. Canteen showed some after-the-catch ability as well in the screen game.
* I was hard on sophomore wideout Chase Claypool on Tuesday’s opening practice based on his lack of consistent effort, but that wasn’t an issue today. Claypool played hard and was quite impressive. He was physical in the run game and showed better speed off the line. With standout corner Donte Vaughn draped all over him on a comeback route Claypool showed strength and focus by bringing the ball in on the sideline. He showed good vertical speed and made several impressive catches, although he had a hard time getting separation from Vaughn, who broke up multiple passes intended for Claypool.
* Classmate Javon McKinley had a quality day out of the slot. McKinley lacks the speed of the other receivers, but he’s physical and made a number of tough catches in traffic. His focus against tight coverage is impressive and McKinley once again showed a good feel for working himself open against the zone. He’ll have to become a sharper route runner than he showed today, but he’s coming along. McKinley was especially impressive during the red zone period.
* Freshman wide receiver Michael Young was a nightmare matchup for the Notre Dame defensive backs. His combination of speed, quickness and sharp route running ability was hard to handle. Young explodes off the line and his ability to make quick moves and get vertical made him hard to get a hand on at the line. He used a quick stutter and go move at the line to blow past sophomore corner Julian Love, which is impressive as Love is a sound player that doesn’t often lose at the line. He dropped a wide open downfield pass without a defense on him, but overall he caught the ball very well, including a diving catch in front of sophomore safety Devin Studstill for a touchdown during a red zone period in which Studstill had good coverage.
* Classmate Jafar Armstrong didn’t take as many reps today but he did catch the ball very well, including an impressive back-shoulder throw for a touch
* Junior Chris Finke ran crisp routes and caught the ball well during today’s practice. He’s very precise with his movements and that allowed him to get good separation at times. Finke beat sophomore speedster Troy Pride on a go route for a big play during one-on-one’s.
* Junior C.J. Sanders was good after the catch but he did way too much body catching today, even when uncovered. He needs to attack the ball better than he did today.
* Junior Miles Boykin just continues to be steady. Boykin doesn’t do anything spectacular, but he’s just a solid all-around player that knows how to use his size. He had a rep during one-on-one’s where he simply caught the ball and bowled over a cornerback.
* Sophomore Kevin Stepherson continues to show off good speed and ball skills but he did not get any work with Wimbush today during team periods. There is obviously a disconnect there with the staff, and it would seem there is a lack of trust in regards to him doing his job snap after snap.
