Leaping forward: Diggs, Estime shine for Notre Dame
'The Leap' has company.
Which means, perhaps, Logan Diggs no longer needs to worry about seeing his personal highlight – and one of college football's singular moments of this 2021 season – more times than with which he is comfortable.
Diggs scored twice in Notre Dame's 55-0 shellacking of Georgia Tech.
Still, it's about 'The Leap.'
You know the one: Diggs, 6 feet, 200 pounds, leaping up and over Anthony Johnson, a 6-1 University of Virginia defender.
“Once I turned the corner and was going up the sideline, the play before (the defender) went low on me, so that was in the back of my head,” said Diggs, the Irish freshman. “Once I saw him, he wasn't running at me or he just wasn't moving. He didn't go low, so when I jumped up I kind of jumped extra-high. …
“Honestly, I'm kind of getting tired of seeing it, but it's all love. I appreciate it.”
Saturday brought a couple more signature moments in Diggs' debut campaign; his third and fourth touchdowns of the year came on a bullish run up the middle and a patient, well-executed catch-and-run.
As Diggs allowed his blockers to set up and navigated the defense, he looked a bit like Notre Dame standout tailback and teammate Kyren Williams.
“It kind of just comes naturally to me,” Diggs said. “I've been told that since high school, I'm patient.
“Really, just playing football.”
That's what Notre Dame collectively continues to do, with its a collective of first- and second-year players continuing to contribute.
In addition to Diggs, Lorenzo Styles Jr., Deion Colzie, Joe Alt and, finally, Audric Estime were among the first-year players to shine in the romp of Tech.
"Well, you're a teacher, you're an educator, you're always looking to see growth and improvement,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said of his team. “But you never really know what that arc looks like, and sometimes it's measured in much smaller increments.
“This has been a little bit larger in those increments. I think we all would want to see the growth. It's just been to the point where this is a really good football team."
Even in his debut season, Diggs exited Saturday's triumph more focused on the work of his fellow rookie running back, Estime.
In his most extensive work of the year, Estime gashed the Yellow Jackets for 61 yards on a mere six carries.
He, too, almost leaped a defender – and left Diggs to break it down.
“I grade it, effort counts,” Diggs said. “We both have been doing it since high school, I know what his intention was. It's not really a pre-thinking thing. Kind of just instinct.
“I give him an 'A' for effort.”
Give the duo of tailbacks plenty of time for more highlights. Who knows how much company 'The Leap' might gain?
