No Sophomore Slump for Notre Dame Safety Adon Shuler
Adon Shuler has quietly put together an impressive sophomore season despite making some loud plays.
The New Jersey native recorded his third interception of the year when Notre Dame needed a pick me up during Saturday’s 35-14 win over Virginia.
Jayden Harrison’s 78-yard touchdown and then Jordan Faison’s 73-yard fake punt were called back due to penalties. Notre Dame Stadium was frustrated (but not mad enough to throw trash on the field) and momentum seemed to be creeping Virginia’s way.
Shuler picked off Anthony Colandrea and returned it 46 yards and one play later, Riley Leonard hit Cooper Flanagan for a 2-yard touchdown to put the Irish up 21-0.
“Momentum is everything,” said Shuler. “Our coaches always preach +2 (turnovers). We try to get +2 and more. That’s kind of our big goal.”
If you thought Shuler baited Colandrea into the pick, you might be right as the 6-foot, 200-pounder adjusted his coverage. It’s a veteran move, but also one defensive coordinator Al Golden expects his players to make.
“We were in a two-high look,” Shuler explained. “We had somebody dropping to the post route really late. My job was actually the running back. The running back waited a second, so I knew I could free up and I saw the over behind me and he threw it.”
Notre Dame enters this week with the nation’s top defense in pass efficiency and the Irish have made it almost impossible for quarterbacks to find any consistency.
How does that happen? It’s simple. Notre Dame’s secondary is completely bought into the coaching of Mike Mickens and Golden.
“I would say the standard that we get held to,” Shuler said when asked why they are so effective against the pass. “There is no drop-off, no matter who is on the field. Every day, Coach Mick preaches DMM (Deny My Man), you have to deny your man and play with relentless effort.”
The big plays from the Irish secondary aren’t a surprise to Notre Dame fans and it once again goes back to the Shuler and company taking coaching points to heart.
Golden had a message to Shuler before his interception and it’s clear the rising sophomore took it to heart.
“Coach Golden actually came up to me and X (Xavier Watts) while they were discussing it (fake punt),” Shuler stated. “No matter what the call is, we have to go out there, plant our feet and play the next play. On the sideline, we have a saying, ‘ball don’t lie,’ so we have to go out there and make the next play.”
That belief in the staff has turned into trust and it’s allowed Notre Dame to become one of the best defenses in the country. And the track record of success certainly helps Golden’s case for asking more and more from his players.
“The trust in the coaching staff, no matter what the call is, we just gotta plant our feet and play the call,” explained Shuler. “We have to believe in ourselves and believe in what the coaches have told us.”
As for Shuler, Notre Dame and Golden know he’s just tapping into his potential, which could be bad news for opposing offenses.
“Maturity,” said Golden. “Growth. Open-minded in learning. Being upstairs a lot. Hanging around. Watching film. Visiting Mick (Mike Mickens). All of a sudden I see in the last month his walk-through, his practice skills are going to a different level; his habits. Especially in the walk-through. I see walk-throughs now with him being demonstrative, him being audible, him communicating at a really, really high level. That’s what’s making him play faster.”
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