Tag: Kyren Willams

Tweet: Notre Dame personnel ‘blindsided’ by Kelly’s pending departure

People within the university don’t seem to have known what was coming when Brian Kelly left for LSU

If you were surprised by Brian Kelly reportedly leaving Notre Dame for LSU’s head coaching job, you’re not alone. In fact, people on Kelly’s own staff at Notre Dame and other prominent folks within the university don’t appear to have seen this coming, and they’re not taking it well. Matt Fortuna of The Athletic is reporting just how deeply this runs:

One Irish assistant apparently found out the news about his boss at a particularly bad time:

So it should come as no surprise that Kelly’s players don’t seem to have known about this either. Otherwise, Kyren Williams and Isaiah Foskey wouldn’t have taken to Twitter to give the understatements of the evening:

As of right now, LSU has not been scheduled as a future regular-season opponent for the Irish. However, if that changes or these programs meet in a bowl as they did twice during Kelly’s Irish tenure, you better believe emotions will run high, especially if the people employed at Notre Dame now are still around.

Notre Dame vs. Syracuse: First-Quarter Analysis

Notre Dame has not gotten off to the hot start against Syracuse that many expected.

Notre Dame has not gotten off to the hot start against Syracuse that many expected. In fact, the Orange have entered Notre Dame Stadium with a full intention to compete. There’s a lot of game left to determine whether that will hold up. For now, the Irish will have to be content with a 3-0 lead after the first quarter.

The Irish took the ball first and put together a nice drive highlighted by lengthy receptions from Avery Davis and Ben Skowronek. They got to the Orange’s 7-yard line, but Ian Book’s two shots at the end zone to Kyren Williams and Javon McKinley were unsuccessful. Jonathan Doerer had to salvage the opening drive with a 25-yard field goal. Success in the red zone remains an issue for the Irish as it has for a while.

When the Irish’s defense came out, they were met by an Orange offense that worked to make things happen quickly. In fact, it barely had to break a sweat getting into Irish territory. Fortunately, the defense kept it from getting beyond the 41-yard line. A early disappointment was dodged.

The teams then traded possessions that ended in punts. No matter what happens, the Orange seem bent on beating the spread at worst as they reached Irish territory again. We won’t be able to speculate if they can pull off the upset until they make a play that really turns some heads. So far, we have yet to see that.

Tale of the Tape: Leading Rushers – Kyren Williams vs. Kelley Joiner

If you want a real difference between Notre Dame and USF, look at their respective running games.

If you want a real difference between Notre Dame and USF, look at their respective running games. Kyren Williams had his coming-out party against Duke, rushing for 112 yards and two touchdowns in his first start for the Irish. He also caught a pass from Ian Book and gained 75 yards, so he also led the Irish in receiving yards. It’s clear who the main guy is in Notre Dame’s backfield.

After its season-opening win over The Citadel, USF has Kelley Joiner as its leading rusher. Despite an impressive number of yards a carry and a touchdown, he was caught in the middle between Johnny Ford and Noah Johnson as far as carries. So the Bulls relied on a balanced rushing attack between three players. Against a team like the Irish, that could mean fresh bodies the entire way.

Remember that USF is coming off a game in which it ran more than it passed. Hey, if you have more than one guy who can do the job, feel free to use them all. The question is whether all three of them can outproduce Williams or if Williams can prove that quality trumps quantity.

Tale of the Tape: Leading Rushers – Kyren Williams vs. Deon Jackson

As a freshman, Kyren Williams had limited opportunities to show himself off in game action.

As a freshman, Kyren Williams had limited opportunities to show himself off in game action. Now, in his sophomore season, Williams finds himself at the top of Notre Dame’s depth chart. With little for outsiders to go on, they can only guess what he’ll bring to the Irish’s offense. And at least for Saturday’s game, he might be able to get something out of watching his seasoned counterpart: Duke senior Deon Jackson.

Though Jackson has far more experience than Williams, he didn’t have numbers that wowed anybody in 2019. In fact, they were down from his previous season. Getting off to a good start in his final season won’t be easy against an Irish defense that has high hopes. He might have to wait another week for the game that forces people to pay attention to him.

So between one inexperienced running back and one who’s decent at best, Notre Dame-Duke might not be the best game to watch if you want a sustained ground game. But if you’re a fan of matchups where one player has seen the field a lot more, this could interest you. It all depends on what you look for in a football game.

Kyren Williams Gets Ready to Show His Speed

Kyren Williams hasn’t let COVID-19 and the subsequent shutdown of all organized sports stop him.

Kyren Williams hasn’t let COVID-19 and the subsequent shutdown of all organized sports stop him from preparing from what he hopes will be his first chance to make a real difference for Notre Dame. On Sunday, Williams tweeted out a video in which he puts his speed on display while working out away from South Bend. If this is any indication from the St. Louis native, opposing defenses will dread having to face him:

Williams redshirted after appearing in only two games in 2019 and registering equally minimal numbers. He’s on a mission to prove he made the right call by turning down scholarship offers from many other Football Bowl Subdivision programs and going to Notre Dame instead. The former Missouri Offensive Player of the Year was electric in high school, and he’s ready to show he can be equally dominant at the next level. Choosing to do so with the Irish means a lot of pressure, but if he didn’t think he could handle it, he wouldn’t have put it all on the line with them.