Tag: D.J. Brown

Notre Dame defender returning for sixth season

At Notre Dame, this is called the Shaun Crawford plan.

Notre Dame is getting an added boost of experience in the secondary for 2023 as safety [autotag]D.J. Brown[/autotag] has announced he’s returning for his sixth and final season of eligibility.  Brown redshirted in 2018 and is exercising the extra year of eligibility granted to all players due to the COVID year of 2020 to make this possible.

Brown has three career interceptions, all of which came in the 2021 campaign.  He started 10 games for Notre Dame in 2022 and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 48.  Brown’s experience will at least aid Notre Dame in what happens at safety in 2023 after [autotag]Brandon Joseph[/autotag] declared for the NFL draft and Houston Griffith used up his remaining eligibility.

Brown brings experience to the position which juniors [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] and [autotag]Ramon Henderson[/autotag] will also return to play.  [autotag]Thomas Harper[/autotag] transferred in from Oklahoma State last week to join the group while [autotag]Justin Walters[/autotag] returns as a sophomore in 2023 after not playing a single snap there as a true freshman.  Freshmen [autotag]Ben Minich[/autotag] and [autotag]Adon Shuler[/autotag] are set to join the safety group this coming season as well.

Enjoy some of the best photos from Brown’s first five years at Notre Dame below!

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ESPN names three ‘If’s’ how Notre Dame wins the National Championship

What concerns you most for this upcoming season?

Each year every team enters the season with question marks, regardless of what their status was the year before. For many teams, the answers just aren’t there and there is no chance for them to win a title. Only a few squads across the country have a legit shot of being the last team standing, Notre Dame being one of them. ESPN looked at twenty teams title chances, ranking them by “If’s” with the Irish having just three of them (insider), according to Bill Connelly, the second best title odds in the country. These are the three question marks the Irish need to answer in order to win the College Football Playoff.

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Notre Dame vs. USC: Third-Quarter Analysis

Victory is in sight…we think.

If Notre Dame wins this game, it can thank USC for not taking advantage of numerous opportunities. There were stretches in which both teams looked impressive in the third quarter. Even so, this game should be much closer than it is. Instead, the Irish have a 24-3 lead.

The Trojans got the ball to begin the second half and really were in business after Kedon Slovis’ 30-yard pass to Malcolm Epps. The ball now was at the Irish’s 25-yard line, and that’s where it would stay. The Trojans nearly caught a break when D.J. Brown, subbing for the injured Kyle Hamilton, was flagged for targeting and then vindicated by the obligatory replay review. Parker Lewis promptly missed a 42-yard field goal, so both kickers have had their moments of shame now.

After the teams traded punts, it was the Irish’s turn to have a lengthy drive. Kyren Williams put the offense in business with a 38-yard run to the Trojans’ 26. The run continued to be the Irish’s weapon of choice for the rest of the possession, and it paid off. Aided by some Trojans penalties, the Irish added onto their lead with Williams needing only a single yard for his second touchdown of the game.

The Trojans had the quarter’s final possession and used a combination of runs and passes to get into Irish territory quickly. By the time the clock hit zero, they were right on the cusp of scoring their first touchdown. Stay tuned to see if it happens.