Tag: Jafar Armstrong

Former Notre Dame assistant moved away from on-field role at LSU

LSU just got better by default.

Notre Dame fans that have an appreciation for good special teams play may enjoy hearing this.  The other day I woke up a bit early and on my YouTube recommended videos was the 2018 Notre Dame-Michigan game.  So of course, I hit play and watched parts of it as it was mostly a tremendous way to start the eventual 12-1 season for the Irish.

Just minutes before halftime, Notre Dame took a 21-3 lead on what was [autotag]Jafar Armstrong[/autotag]’s second rushing score of the first half.  It felt like game over.  It seemed like the rout was on as Michigan had virtually done nothing up to that point.

But just moments later, Notre Dame’s brutal special teams play showed its ugly head.  Ambry Thomas returned the following kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown and that was it for the blowout, instead the Wolverines had new life and the Irish spent the second half hanging on to win 24-17.

That was one of countless special teams miscues for Notre Dame from 2010-2021.  Jokingly called “Fair Catch U” for the better part of the last two decades, [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag] headed the Fighting Irish special teams from 2005-2009 and again from 2017-2021.

Polian left with [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] to LSU following the 2021 regular season and it’s hardly a surprise that it didn’t take even a year for Notre Dame to go from “Fair Catch U” to “Punt Block U” under Brian Mason.  Polian and LSU suffered their very unsurprising pile of special teams miscues this year that cost them severely in a few of their biggest games.

Tuesday saw Brian Polian in the news and in this longtime college football observer’s eyes, LSU got better as a result.  Polian will no longer serve as special teams coordinator for the Tigers, instead being moved to an off-field role that will help in roster management and not for running special teams.

If you’re a Notre Dame fan you’re probably thinking “Wow, what took Brian Kelly so long to do this?”

And if you’re an LSU fan, you can take it from me that you should be thrilled because the unit that was a liability on the SEC West champions a year ago just got markedly better by this move.

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Former Notre Dame 4-star receiver enters the transfer portal

A highly thought of receiver out of Gurnee, Illinois, never lived up to his 4-star rank coming out of high school. Jones rarely saw the field and finish his Notre Dame career without registering any statistics.

You can now add Micah Jones to the list of Notre Dame players who have entered the transfer portal and will no longer be part of the Irish program.

Jones will be leaving South Bend with a degree in hand, but will be moving on with his football career.

Related: Notre Dame football 2021 transfer-portal tracker

A highly thought of receiver out of Gurnee, Illinois, never lived up to his 4-star rank coming out of high school. Jones rarely saw the field and finish his Notre Dame career without registering any statistics.

This morning Jones, took to Twitter and posted this message:

Could he follow Jafar Armstrong and go back to his home state and play for Illinois? Or will he drop down to the FCS level like John Olmstead for a chance to play?

Time will tell, but Jones exiting with a degree from Notre Dame will go a long way even if his playing career doesn’t. We wish Jones the best luck on his next stop in his football journey.

Former Notre Dame running back headed to Big Ten

Armstrong was one of the lead-backs at Notre Dame before injuries ran their course and kept his playing time down.

Jafar Armstrong started the eventual 12-0 regular season for Notre Dame with a bang, rushing for a pair of scores in the Fighting Irish victory over Michigan.

Now Armstrong will have a chance to do damage against the rest of the Big Ten as he’s found a new home in Champaign, Illinois.

Armstrong announced earlier this month that he’d be entering the transfer portal, a move that made plenty of sense considering how crowded Notre Dame’s backfield has become.

Armstrong was one of the lead-backs at Notre Dame before injuries ran their course and kept his playing time down.

All the best to Mission, Kansas (Bishop Miege) product.

Related: Griffith stays at Notre Dame despite having entered transfer-portal

Former Notre Dame running back headed to Big Ten

Armstrong was one of the lead-backs at Notre Dame before injuries ran their course and kept his playing time down.

Jafar Armstrong started the eventual 12-0 regular season for Notre Dame with a bang, rushing for a pair of scores in the Fighting Irish victory over Michigan.

Now Armstrong will have a chance to do damage against the rest of the Big Ten as he’s found a new home in Champaign, Illinois.

Armstrong announced earlier this month that he’d be entering the transfer portal, a move that made plenty of sense considering how crowded Notre Dame’s backfield has become.

Armstrong was one of the lead-backs at Notre Dame before injuries ran their course and kept his playing time down.

All the best to Mission, Kansas (Bishop Miege) product.

Related: Griffith stays at Notre Dame despite having entered transfer-portal

Notre Dame running back enters transfer portal

Jafar Armstrong appears to have played his last down at Notre Dame as the former running back turned wide receiver has entered the transfer portal. Armstrong was part of the 2017 recruiting class at Notre Dame and found the end zone seven times in …

Jafar Armstrong appears to have played his last down at Notre Dame as the former running back turned wide receiver has entered the transfer portal.

Armstrong was part of the 2017 recruiting class at Notre Dame and found the end zone seven times in 2018, including twice in the season-opening win over Michigan.

Armstrong suffered a groin injury in the 2019 opener at Louisville and was never quite the same as a member of the Fighting Irish as he averaged just over two yards a carry the last two seasons.

Armstrong scored his final of nine career touchdowns at Notre Dame in the 52-0 Irish win over South Florida this September.

With Kyren Williams, Chris Tyree, and C’Bo Flemister already forcing him to move to receiver, it’s hardly a surprising move to see the Missouri product looking to continue his college football career elsewhere.

Armstrong finishes his Notre Dame career with 513 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He also pulled in 30 receptions for 294 more yards.

All the best to Armstrong on his next chapter.

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 vs. USF: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

There’s not really much to add about this game. Notre Dame already gave USF all it could handle and then some during the first quarters.

There’s not really much to add about this game. Notre Dame already gave USF all it could handle and then some during the first quarters. The fourth quarter saw the backups get reps, and even then, they couldn’t help but contribute. It was the least they could do to make their mark in a 52-0 victory.

The Irish defense stopped the Bulls again after allowing them to get as far as the 33-yard line. From there, Drew Pyne led a curtain-call drive for the offense that culminated in a 5-yard touchdown run for Jafar Armstrong on fourth down. That made it six rushing touchdowns for Notre Dame, the first such total since its 2018 meeting with Wake Forest. It all but solidified the ground game as a potent threat for 2020.

Just about everyone figured Notre Dame (2-0) would shut down USF (1-1), but who thought it would happen so dominantly and completely? It was a breath of fresh air after the Irish to fight hard to beat Duke the week before. It’s all ACC games from here on out, and the Irish are more than ready for that competition. Watch out next week, Wake Forest.

Notre Dame vs. Duke: Second-Quarter Analysis

Well, that’s a little more like it. Though it may not seem so, Notre Dame finally looks something like the team it’s expected to be in 2020.

Well, that’s a little more like it. Though it may not seem so, Notre Dame finally looks something like the team it’s expected to be in 2020. Thanks to a little trickery, the Irish find themselves ahead of Duke at halftime, 10-6.

When it looked like another Irish drive would die early, Jay Bramblett successfully executed a late punt. It woke the offense up, as evidenced by Kyren Williams’ 11-yard run, which was added onto by a face-mask penalty, and a nice catch by Jafar Armstrong, who took it 20 yards to the Duke 2. Williams ran it in for the Irish’s first touchdown of the season one play later.

The defense was picked apart on a drive that Duke got down to the Notre Dame 2. With the Blue Devils threatening to retake the lead on third-and-goal, Isaiah Foskey got to Chase Brice and ultimately was credited with a 10-yard sack after a replay review. Charlie Ham salvaged the drive with a 30-yard field, his second of the game and his career.

On the next drive, the Irish had a chance to extend their lead further after Williams caught an Ian Book pass and ran 75 yards to the Duke 11. But Book made an ill-advised throw into traffic, and Lummie Young IV intercepted it in the end zone for a touchback. Book then threw another interception when he got back on the field, but an offsides penalty wiped it out. The drive continued, and Jonathan Doerer kicked a 48-yard field goal as the clock expired on the first half.

Notre Dame Player Preview: Jafar Armstrong – Running Back

Notre Dame has many questions at running back and their best answer is coming off a rough year. What you need to know about Jafar Armstrong.

We get a day closer to Notre Dame football returning and although we’re anything but certain as to what exact day that will be, we’re still excited for the idea of it.

Before the ball is kicked though we need to keep informing you on those that will suit up in blue and gold this fall (or next spring).

This edition of the player previews features a running back who made a big splash in the 2018 season opener, has battled injuries a bit since, but is among the most experienced players in the 2020 Notre Dame backfield.

We’re talking about running back Jafar Armstrong.

Stats and Information…

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87 Days Until Notre Dame Football Returns

87 days until we get Notre Dame football back. Don’t miss this memorable Notre Dame moment as we continue the countdown!

In 87 days we’ll gladly all welcome Notre Dame football back when they take on the Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis.  In the meantime, we have rosters to break down, opponents to preview and position battles to discuss.

For now though we’ve got to look at where the number 87 ends up being relevant in Notre Dame football history.  For this one we didn’t have to go back all that far.

87: Yards on the final drive in Notre Dame’s 2019 comeback win over Virginia Tech

Trailing Virginia Tech 20-14 with just 3:22 to play, Notre Dame needed a drive for the ages in order to escape with a victory on November 2, 2019.  And that’s exactly what Ian Book, Jafar Armstrong and Chase Claypool among others helped create.

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After an embarrassing loss to Michigan a week earlier, this win was the first of six straight to end the year.  It moved the Irish to 6-2 on the season as they’d eventually finish up 11-2 after a blowout win over Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl.