Braden Lenzy: 'We're going to come out strong'
Notre Dame receiver Braden Lenzy fought through some adversity over the first two seasons of his career in South Bend.
As a freshman, the Tigard (Ore.) native didn't see the field and 2019 didn't start how he planned.
However, Lenzy stuck with it and now is reaping the rewards of his diligent work.
"From last year to this year, it was a very slow development," stated Lenzy. "It took me time to get my body right and to get better fundamentally. I was in a good spot at the beginning of the season and then after the Georgia game, when I came off an injury, I would say then my game accelerated. I've seen more success recently.
"It's been consistent since week four or five. I've been doing a lot better and doing things I wasn't able to do even a month prior."
The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder will be the first to admit he found out quickly college football was different than high school. Lenzy couldn't run by his opponent anymore and there had to be a process each week.
That focus has led to Lenzy recording 10 catches for 247 yards, rushing for 188 yards and scoring four touchdowns this fall.
"The big thing is just taking care of your body," explained Lenzy. "I've done a lot more with that. Studying and getting the film room a lot.
"For me, catching. I've practiced catching a lot and that helped my game immensely."
Notre Dame will take on Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl on Saturday afternoon, a far cry from last year's College Football Playoff appearance.
Fighting Irish fans across the country have expressed their disappointment, but Lenzy and his teammates are excited to finish the year strong.
"You shouldn't be at Notre Dame if you're not a competitor," said Lenzy. "If you don't go out there and win, then you probably shouldn't be here. It's simple."
Bold words, but true words as Notre Dame has won 10 games for a third consecutive year.
It's a program trending the right way and getting an 11th win over a pesky Iowa State team will cap off 2019 and provide momentum into 2020.
"I don't think anyone on the team isn't enthusiastic," Lenzy stated. "We were disappointed with the season, but the Camping World Bowl gave us another opportunity to play another game. We're more than happy to go out and play Iowa State. We respect them. I don't think the country respects them enough.
"We love to win and we hate to lose, especially after Michigan. I don't see us ever doing something like that again. We want to go out and attack.
"We're excited where this offense is and I think it's going to be explosive. We have to send out our seniors the right way. We're going to come out strong."
Notre Dame's offense was under attack following the Michigan game, but the Irish stayed the course and finished the regular season on fire.
How did the Irish do that? Lenzy doesn't exactly know other than a new mindset around The Gug following the trip to Ann Arbor.
"The easiest answer is - I don't know," Lenzy explained. "We got our ass kicked by Michigan and we don't want that. We took that loss and we needed to change things. I feel everyone in the building came to practice every day with a different motivation and attitude.
"We've seen the results."
Notre Dame will be without an offensive coordinator (by title) on Saturday as Chip Long was fired two weeks ago, but don't expect the Irish offense to take a step back.
"I'd say it hasn't changed much," said Lenzy. "We're still going really hard and Coach (Tom) Rees and Coach (Lance) Taylor have done a fine job of getting the practices going quick and getting our stuff done.
"As far as production, I haven't really seen a difference. I'm excited. I think Iowa State is going to see a very competitive offense and one that's very strong."