Notre Dame has been searching for a clear-cut No. 1 receiver, and Virginia graduate transfer Malachi Fields is making his case.
Fields is no stranger to being the focal point of an offense, and through two games, it’s clear the Irish want him heavily involved. Against Texas A&M, he was targeted 11 times, finishing with five catches for 77 yards.
Fields appreciates the ball coming his way, but he also would take less targets if that meant the Irish came away with a win.
“Definitely something exciting that I've been working for, but the ultimate goal is to get a win,” stated Fields. “So just trying to go back to work and do everything that I can to get a win this week.”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman expects the ball to keep going to Fields for a number of reasons. Fields has proven he can make plays, but even incompletions keep the defense honest as he’s a deep threat.
“He's obviously extremely talented,” Freeman said. “A guy that we've identified that we have to find ways to get the ball into his hands or at least attempt to throw the ball his way because he's really good. A lot of times, he's going to make that play. It was successful for us last week and most of the opportunities that we threw at him and it's going to be something we continue to do as we go forward.”
Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidulgi has echoed the same message to CJ Carr. Fields’ size presents a challenge and it’s an advantage the offense can build around.
“What don't you like?” laughed Guidugli. “The guy's 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. He can run. He's a mismatch. You get him over the boundary, where you're getting one-on-one a lot. The area I challenged him in after that last game was that there were two opportunities during that game. Just give that guy a chance. Good things are going to happen.”
Carr has impressed Fields, which speaks volumes. Fields has seen several quarterbacks during his career and despite his youth, Carr has managed to leave a lasting impression.
“He's a competitor in all that he does,” Fields explained. “He wants to win, he wants to beat the defense, whoever it is. When we come out to practice, he's smiling. When we are going to 7-on-7, one-on-one, he's talking his stuff because he is just a competitor. He is just a dude who wants to go compete and that's what I love.”
Where can Fields improve?
The Virginia native wants to be better in the run game as he felt a couple of plays could have hit big if he held his block.
“I would love to have a couple of blocks back that might've sprung for some touchdowns,” stated Fields. “My block on kick return, I missed my block, so that could have gone to the house as well. Just a couple in MAs (missed assignments) that I have to clean up out there.”
Notre Dame’s offense appears to be close to breaking through and the conversations in The Gug have centered around finding ways to get over the top.
“We're right there,” stated Fields. “We've just got to go back to work and tighten up these details so that it doesn't slip away. Those one-point, three-point games are too close, so you just have to tighten up the details so it doesn't happen again.”
Football is football, but Fields has also noticed what it’s like to be at Notre Dame.
“I think ball is ball. The biggest difference is the home games. The electricity in the stadium was pretty cool last weekend. Once the foot hits the ball after the first kickoff, ball is ball.”
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