2 TSHE OB ERVER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 | ndsMCObsERVER.COM INSIDER COMMENTARY Notre Dame still needs to put forth a complete effort Follow us on Instagram. @NDSMCObserver P VAID AD ErtisEMEnt EMMET FARNAN | The Observer Irish senior running back C.J. Prosise pulls away from Georgia Tech redshirt senior defensive back Chris Milton during his 91-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of Notre Dame’s 30-22 win Saturday. to the timing route. Jacket offense to a total Zach Klonsinski Following the intercep- of 151 yards on 11 drives, Sports Editor tion, the Yellow Jacket of- outside of the 80-yard scor- fense marched 80 yards in ing drive following the Despite all the ques- four plays to tie the game at interception. tions about how the Irish seven after managing only Then suddenly the wheels would fare with sophomore 44 yards on its first four came off: It looked like the DeShone Kizer as their drives combined. defense just quit, thinking starting quarterback, the To the Irish offense’s cred- it had the game was already Notre Dame offense passed it, it responded with a long won. its first big test. touchdown drive of its own A strong performance to reclaim the advantage, see KLONSINSKI PAGE 5 against Georgia Tech essen- 13-7. The defense forced a tially put the game away be- three-and-out and got the P VAID AD ErtisEMEnt fore the fourth quarter until offense the ball again at its the hiccups in the final min- own 30-yard line with 1:07 utes. Senior running back on the clock and the chance C.J. Prosise nearly eclipsed to seize momentum back go- 200 yards and scampered ing into halftime. for the longest Irish run in Then freshman tight end the history of Notre Dame Alize Jones fumbled, and Stadium. Junior receiver Georgia Tech got the ball on Will Fuller continued piling the Notre Dame 45-yard line up yards, touchdowns and with 47 seconds and one Heisman ballots. And Kizer, timeout left in what could for the most part, managed have been a disastrous end to guide the machine and of the half for the Irish. hang on to the football. Instead the Irish defense The scary thing, though? held, and the Yellow Jackets The Irish offense is far from missed a field-goal attempt. clicking on all cylinders yet. Despite these miscues But the even scarier and a few drops from Irish thought, for opposing teams receivers, Notre Dame’s of- and the Irish faithful alike? fense didn’t miss a beat with Neither is the defense. Kizer calling the shots. The offense left some What should have Notre points on the board against Dame fans terrified, how- the Yellow Jackets on ever, is the defensive incon- Saturday, most notably sistency that again reared Kizer and junior receiver its ugly head this season. Corey Robinson failing to Against Texas, the Irish be on the same page in the defense was nearly perfect, end zone late midway the only allowing one big play second quarter. Kizer threw that set up the Longhorns’ the fade route to the back only score of the game. pylon, but Robinson read The next week in Virginia, Yellow Jacket senior cor- however, it was anything nerback D.J. White jumping but polished as it was picked the fade route and stayed apart by a sub-par Cavalier inside. White came away offense, needing Kizer and with the interception. Irish Fuller’s heroics to bail it out. head coach Brian Kelly said For 53 minutes last Tuesday there were errors Saturday, the Notre Dame on both ends of the pass: a defense again looked like bad read by Zaire and the nothing could faze it, hold- failure of Robinson to stick ing the explosive Yellow INSIDER ndsMCObsERVER.COM | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 | THE ObsERVER 3 By ALEX CARSON best D-line in the country,” every day with an intensity said. “The next guy steps in felt this was the way to do it Associate Sports Editor Okwara said. “We go to prac- we love. We love being around and does the same job Jarron the fastest,” Tillery said. “It’s tice with the mindset every him, so we love playing for did.” worked out for me.” Before the 2015 season even day that we have to dominate him.” For the Irish, the ‘next guy Okwara said the success started, senior defensive line- whoever we’re playing, so I “He always switches every- in’ became two: Tillery and Tillery and Cage have had man Sheldon Day introduced think it’s coming together as thing up, you always have to sophomore Daniel Cage. boils down to their work ethic the world to Terry Jillery. a defense, that’s what we do.” keep on your toes,” Rochell “We looked to Jerry and on the practice field. Never mind the fact there “I don’t think there’s a rea- said. “ … He’s really aggres- Cage and kind of uplifted “When [Tillery] came here isn’t a player by that name on son why we can’t be [the best sive, so it’s fun to play under them to make sure they played in the spring, there were a lot the Irish roster. D-line],” Rochell said. “I think his system.” at the same level Jarron did,” of things he had to work on,” “Yeah, they flipped the let- if we don’t end up being the For most of the offseason, Day said. Okwara said. “And I think ters of my name,” freshman best D-line in the country, it’s it appeared as if the start- “We always have a lot of con- he picked it up pretty well. defensive lineman Jerry Tillery because we weren’t trying to ing four on the line would be fidence in our guys that are Obviously in a starting role said during Sept. 8’s episode or we were being lazy. easy to call — but when se- next, the next man in, so we now, he has a lot on his plate, of Showtime’s ‘A Season With “We have a lot of poten- nior Jarron Jones went down didn’t really stress that much,” and I think he’s doing a great Notre Dame.’ “I don’t get it. It’s tial but I was just telling with a season-ending MCL in- Rochell said. “We knew those job of coming to practice ev- kind of stupid to me.” them my dad used to always jury in fall camp, the mixture guys had to come in and play ery day and working on the And while he introduced say, ‘Potential and a quarter changed. at a higher level. things he needs to work on to the nickname to the world in can get you a cup of coffee.’ “It was definitely a very “Jerry had to come in and be a better player. August, Day didn’t invent it, he Potential really doesn’t mean down moment for the D-line,” play like a junior or senior, he “Daniel’s the same way. He said — that honor is shared be- anything. We have potential, Day said. “We lost a brother, couldn’t play like a freshman, comes to practice with the tween senior Romeo Okwara we just have to keep grinding.” especially someone who was and he’s done well. Initially it same mindset, that he has and junior Isaac Rochell. Tillery and Okwara said trying to come back from an was tough, and it was sad be- things to work on. He also has “I think Isaac and Romeo Day, the two-time captain, is injury to then have another cause you love Jarron, but we a lot on his plate like Jerry, came up with the name, and the undisputed leader of the one, it was definitely hard for weren’t stressed over the next sharing the starting role. Jerry just kinda blew it off a unit. us.” guys in.” “They know they have to couple times, and it just kin- “He’s shown me the way,” Jones had missed the end of For Tillery, it was far from come to practice every day da stuck with him,” the se- Tillery said. “He’s been where the last season with a foot in- obvious he’d end up a defen- and work hard so they can nior captain said. “He would I want to be, he’s going where jury, but was back on track to sive lineman at Notre Dame; play like we expect them to.” mess up on a play and we’d be I want to go. He knows the po- return to the starting lineup he was considered by most a Okwara started his career as like, ‘Alright, Terry,’ or he’d do sition in and out, and that’s for the 2015 campaign. prospect on the other side of a linebacker in former defen- something good and be like, where I want to be.” “I just hated it for him be- the ball along the offensive sive coordinator Bob Diaco’s ‘Alright, Terry.’ It just kinda “Just his mindset [is big],” cause he just came back, he line. 3-4 set but moved to the de- stuck after a while.” Okwara said of Day. “Going worked really hard over the “The opportunity presented fensive line when VanGorder Tillery said the kidding to practice every day, working offseason to make a come- itself to move to defense and I took over before last season. doesn’t bother him all that on his tools.