Tag: Braden Lenzy

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

There’s nothing to say about this game that hasn’t already been said.

There’s nothing to say about this game that hasn’t already been said. Notre Dame traveled to Pittsburgh and gave the Panthers their own behinds on a gold platter. With backups on both sides playing in the fourth quarter, everyone was resigned to the outcome. That outcome was that the Irish (5-0, 4-0) were going to walk out of a Heinz Field with a 45-3 walloping of the Panthers (3-4, 2-4).

In spite of the pending victory, the Irish experienced both a little good and a little bad. Isaiah Pryor recorded his first sack since transferring from Ohio State. Braden Lenzy had to be helped off the field after injuring his hamstring, adding to the ever-growing list of injury concerns for the Irish receivers. So you really had to be paying attention to pinpoint those things.

We’ve waited all season for the Irish offense to break out of its offensive doldrums, and that’s exactly what happened in the fifth game of the season. With Clemson looming in two weeks, this performance was just what the doctor ordered. Before that big game, Notre Dame gets one more tuneup against Georgia Tech. With that need to maintain momentum, there’s no time to ease up on that gas pedal.

Notre Dame football – Austin injury news massive blow to Irish passing game

Notre Dame was dealt a huge blow this week as news has come down that they’ll be without wide receiver Kevin Austin for the rest of the year

We found out on Saturday afternoon that wide receiver Kevin Austin was not going to be able to play against Pitt as the Notre Dame Football PR team made the announcement on Twitter.

Along with Austin, starting corner back Tariq Bracy and reserve offensive lineman Josh Lugg were ruled out for Saturday’s fame as well.

As it would turn out, it’s brutal news for Notre Dame in regard to Austin, who was supposed to be the most complete receiver on the roster this season.

Austin missed the first two games of the year with a broken foot that he suffered in fall camp. Unfortunately this week, Austin suffered another injury to the foot and according to The Athletic, will be done for the year.

Austin only had one reception for 18 yards on the season but his potential was a large reason for there be hope that Notre Dame’s passing issues would take off as they’ve struggled to get going over one-third of the way the through the season.

Other wide receivers Ben Skowronek, Lawrence Keys, III and Braden Lenzy have also dealt with injury issues this year that certainly not helped the cause. Perhaps the loss means a chance for the likes of freshmen Jordan Johnson and Xavier Watts to see the field but don’t get it confused, this is a massive hit for a group that was already both battling injuries and struggling to produce.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State: Second-Quarter Analysis

Well, that’s a bit more like it. Notre Dame still doesn’t look it’s completely shaken the rust from its layoff.

Well, that’s a bit more like it. Notre Dame still doesn’t look it’s completely shaken the rust from its layoff. However, it takes a 35-20 lead over Florida State into the locker room. It has that to be grateful for.

After Javon McKinley caught a 36-yard pass from Ian Book to end the first quarter, the Irish continued their momentum on the drive to begin the second quarter. They gained positive yardage on every play until Kyren Williams scored his second touchdown of the game from the 1-yard line. After that, the game hit a bit of a lull as no points were scored on the next three possessions. It also was nice because it showed how well the Irish defense plays when the offense doesn’t put it in a tough spot.

With Williams already having contributed a bunch, the decision was made to give the ball to Chris Tyree in the backfield. He quickly showed why the Irish have faith in him. The drive took only four plays after he ran for 13 and 45 yards, respectively. The latter of those plays resulted in a touchdown.

Florida State saw how well the Irish were doing on the ground throughout the first half and decided to counter with their own ground game. Led by La’Damian Webb, the Seminoles marched downfield all the way to the Notre Dame 8. They might have gotten farther, but the Irish defended Jordan Travis’ passes well. Ryan Fitzgerald salvaged the drive by kicking his second field goal.

The next drive saw the Irish race against the clock and put together a complete effort. Jafar Armstrong returned a kick 36 yards to the Notre Dame 43, setting up a series of runs from Book. The Irish also were aided by a personal foul penalty from the Seminoles. It all culminated in a a 5-yard touchdown reception from Braden Lenzy with 11 seconds left.

Notre Dame football: Why Braden Lenzy changed numbers

Braden Lenzy switched from jersey 25 to 0 this off-season and he’s now shared the reason why.

When you think the number 25 at Notre Dame you immediately think of one of the greatest to ever wear the blue and gold, let alone the number 25 for the Irish and that’s Raghib “Rocket” Ismail.

Ismail starred for the Fighting Irish from 1988-90 and was as exciting of college football player as there was at the time and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame last year.

Last year also saw another 25 take Notre Dame Stadium by storm because of his speed and that’s wide receiver Braden Lenzy.

Lenzy may have had only 24 touches on scrimmage plays last season but he made them count as he averaged 17.5 yards per touch while finding the end zone four times.

Lenzy moved on from that number 25 this season though in a move that he made history, becoming the first Notre Dame player to ever wear 0.  Lenzy shared why he made the switch on Tuesday and it has to do with looking more like a receiver, not just a sprinter playing football.

“So, I switched to zero and it was more of a pride thing. When I looked at 25 it just kind of reminded me of what I was in like high school and early on in college, just a sprinter, just kind of a runner, or a track guy playing football. I thought getting a single digit number would kind of make me feel more like a true receiver, which I feel like that’s what I’ve developed into.”

Lenzy added that it’s also a bit of a nod to his home state of Oregon.

No one has ever worn it before, so on the cool side of it, I thought it’d be cool to be honest. I’m from Oregon, so zero, Oregon, you know, similar.”

Lenzy did not play in the opener against Duke as he was fighting a hamstring injury but had four touches against South Florida for 37 total yards.  One would assume that the additions of a healthy Kevin Austin and Ben Skowronek will only help dictate coverage and create more possible ways for Lenzy to expose opponents secondaries to come.

Notre Dame vs. USF: First-Quarter Analysis

Notre Dame is off to a much better start against USF than it was against Duke.

Notre Dame is off to a much better start against USF than it was against Duke. On their first two possessions, the Irish were blessed with a short field after a face-mask penalty and a 21-yard punt following a three-and-out for the Bulls. So they barely had to break a sweat on their way to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, which ended with them very close to another score heading into the second.

Ian Book looked very comfortable early on as almost every play he had in the quarter went for positive yardage. He capped the first drive, which began at the Notre Dame 46-yard line, with his first rushing touchdown of the season. The aforementioned short punt allowed the Irish to start their second possession in Bulls territory. Braden Lenzy cut the field in half with a 21-yard reception, and the Irish continued to march until Chris Tyree ran into the end zone from 1 yard out, giving him the first touchdown of his collegiate career.

USF threatened to make it close after Johnny Ford ran 42 yards to open the next drive. But the Irish defense held on the next series and then snuffed out a fake punt that was poorly designed from the beginning. So it goes with Charlie Weis Jr. calling the plays for the Bulls. That’s not too harsh of a statement, is it?

Takeaways from Brian Kelly’s Monday press conference

A few key notes from what Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly told the media on Monday afternoon.

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly did his weekly Monday visit with the media and here are a few takeaways from what the Irish leader said.

-Kelly thinks Rees’ did a good job in play calling. Mentioned that the blocking scheme has changed to an outside zone scheme, and “coach Rees did a good job being patient and sticking with the running game.” Later, Kelly would note that the run blocking “looked better in the second half. Got to have live reps.” The offense was much more effective in the second half, after a very slow start to begin the game

-Michael Mayer’s debut was impressive. Kelly was excited for the freshman’s development and this game was a confidence builder for the Kentucky native. Expect to continue to see Mayer as part of the tight end rotation.

-A young wide receiver needs to step up. Kelly was very happy with getting a lot of players game experience, “it allows them to develop as the season goes on.” Two players were called out at the position, Xavier Watts and Jordan Johnson. Both true freshman came into the program with plenty of hype, Johnson being the more sought after prospect. The opportunity is there for one of them to emerge, we’re all just waiting to see it happen.

-Details, details, details. They say that the best football teams do the little things right and that’s exactly what Kelly is suggesting. Focus on the small aspects and then big things will happen. This seemingly was more towards the offense than the defense, but both sides can work on it.

-When asked about this weeks opponent South Florida, Kelly likened their offense to Virginia’s Tech’s. The Bulls “structure is hard to pick up,” with them running an option offense. He was also very complimentary of their offensive line, saying it might be the biggest one they face all season.

–Here is the latest injury update, with news on safety Kyle Hamilton and two wide receivers.

Notre Dame Football: Latest injury news on Hamilton, Lenzy and Skowronek

Notre Dame was bit hard by the injury bug in their season opener. See the latest news in regards to those injuries now.

Although Notre Dame got out of their season opener with a 27-13 win over Duke on Saturday, it wasn’t without some issues.

Sure, some had to do with the offense that was slow to go early on, but the biggest issue and scare came in the injury department.

The news of that came early when play-making speedster Braden Lenzy didn’t warm up with the first or second team offenses.  It turns out Lenzy had a hamstring injury that kept him out of action.

“Lenzy wasn’t 100% and you’re not going to use a speed guy like him if he’s not 100%” Brian Kelly said on Monday.

Kelly also provided optimism that Lenzy would be at or near that 100% and return to action on Tuesday.

The biggest scare of an injury came on a bit of friendly-fire when Kyle Hamilton took a shot to the knee in Saturday’s game.  The star safety went down in what looked like a ton of pain and did not return with an ankle injury.

Kelly offered no guarantees on if the star sophomore will return to action against South Florida this weekend but seems to think Notre Dame dodged a bullet with the extent of the injury.

“He’s better, he’s in a walking boot,” Kelly said, “the scan yesterday came back clean but we’ll keep him in a walking boot until Wednesday and it’s a pain management thing but you know Kyle and know he wants to play”.

With the way that injury looked in the moment, the fact that Hamilton doesn’t look like he’s going to be out for the year or for even the next month feels fortunate for a Notre Dame secondary that is still very much learning to play togehter.

Kelly also noted that receiver Ben Skowronek will likely be out against South Florida with the hamstring injury he suffered early on Saturday.

Notre Dame/Duke: Lenzy out, Buck LB latest

We’re quickly approaching kickoff of the 2020 season for Notre Dame and we’ve got quite the story already developing. According to those in the press box, Braden Lenzy did not participate in pregame warmups. Instead it was freshman Xavier Watts …

We’re quickly approaching kickoff of the 2020 season for Notre Dame and we’ve got quite the story already developing.

According to those in the press box, Braden Lenzy did not participate in pregame warmups. Instead it was freshman Xavier Watts getting reps with the second team offense, where Lenzy was listed on the depth chart earlier in the week.

No word on Lenzy’s reason for not being dressed but we’ll work to find out more.

Also worth noting is Marist Liufau getting the first team reps. He was listed alongside Shayne Simon atop the depth chart earlier this week.

Stay tuned to FIW for all the latest in regards to Notre Dame and Duke as we’ll have you covered all afternoon and season long.

Rivals: Irish don’t have enough firepower to beat Clemson

It’s a bit premature to make that assumption, there are a lot of unknowns about Notre Dame’s new offense behind Tommy Rees’ direction.

There are plenty of prognosticators who want to go out on a limb and make predictions that might be a bit far out there. Rivals’ Mike Farrell and Adam Gorney both looked at if the Irish could beat out Clemson for the ACC Title.

Both, Farrell and Gorney, believe that Notre Dame won’t be able to knock off the perennial College Football Playoff contestant. Farrell says that “I don’t think there’s a threat” when referring to Notre Dame’s potential to topple the Tigers. Farrell cites Clemson’s hunger after losing last year’s CFB Championship to LSU and that he “can’t see either (North Carolina or Notre Dame’s) defense holding up to the explosive Clemson offense.”

Clemson’s explosive offense has probably the best pair of backfield mates in quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne in the country. However, losing potential star wide receiver Justyn Ross to a spinal injury and Tee Higgins going to the NFL, gives the Tigers WR unit some questions going into the season also. Lots of talented players are behind them, but like the Irish, they’re going to have to find playmakers. Their situations, Notre Dame’s and Clemson’s, are very similar and claiming Clemson has an explosive offense at this point in time seems foolish.

Gorney see’s things playing out very similar to Farrell. He worries “the Irish don’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up with Clemson… because Notre Dame is still looking for playmakers in the passing game.” Gorney, like Farrell, fails to see the similarities between both teams playmakers situations.

It’s a bit premature to say Notre Dame’s offense won’t be able to contend with Clemson’s. Defensive coordinator Clark Lea is a rising star and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had time to install his offense during the offseason. Rees will find playmakers from his talented group, it could be tight end Brock Wright, wide receiver Braden Lenzy or Lawrence Keys III, running back Chris Tryee that breaks out. The Irish will have players break out and perform at a high level this year.

Farrell and Gorney are a bit off when saying the Irish don’t have the offensive firepower, there’s plenty of talented players on the Notre Dame roster who will have their opportunities this season. Each team will have plenty of time to get their offenses humming by the time they meet on the field November 7th. It should be a great one that will impact not just the ACC race, but the CFP as well.

A Notre Dame First (?) for Braden Lenzy

Whatever it ends up being, the 2020 college football season hasn’t even kicked off yet but Notre Dame wide receiver Braden Lenzy has already become the first player in recent school history to accomplish something.

Whatever it ends up being, the 2020 college football season hasn’t even kicked off yet but Notre Dame wide receiver Braden Lenzy has already become the first player in recent school history to accomplish something.

Or perhaps, be assigned something is the more accurate way of putting that.

I’ve had trouble finding the exact history of this both in the history of college football and at Notre Dame, but with number 0 being allowed to be issued to players this year, Lenzy will wear the number for the Fighting Irish.

According to the always-reliable Wikipedia, “Players could formerly use the numbers 0 and 00, numbers that were phased out in the 1970s” but I haven’t been able to find a list I trust on those who have worn the number.

Whatever the exact history, Braden Lenzy will become the first Notre Dame player to wear No. 0 in a long, long time.

Lenzy averaged almost 19 yards each time he touched the ball on offense last year, four times going for a touchdown.  The hope is that he’ll become an even bigger weapon in new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’s offense this season.

If you’re looking for a connection perhaps it’s the fact he’s from Oregon that makes the big “0” on his chest and back so appealing for this season?

Or maybe it’s just a way to be different?

Or maybe Lenzy is sick of being compared to Rocket Ismail because both guys showed off Olympic type speed while wearing jersey number 25 at Notre Dame.

Whatever the case, Lenzy is the first player in Notre Dame history to be assigned jersey number zero.

Now here’s to hoping he actually gets to wear it in a game this fall.