Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa Makes Triumphant Return in Notre Dame’s Win Over Rice
Notre Dame linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa made his return to the field on Saturday and it’s hard to believe he tore his ACL in the home finale last November.
The California native was flying all over the field as Viliamu-Asa finished the day tied for a team-high five tackles and added 1.5 tackles for loss.
But Viliamu-Asa wanted to make one thing clear.
He wasn’t back.
“I mean, I felt like I'd been here the whole time,” stated Viliamu-Asa. “Yeah. Never left.”
Viliamu-Asa played 17 snaps on Saturday, and the even better news for Notre Dame is that he felt great following the 52-0 win over Rice.
“I feel good,” said Viliamu-Asa. “I feel confident and grateful to come out healthy.”
For head coach Marcus Freeman, it felt like his defense was whole again.
The Irish may have been without defensive lineman Jason Onye and safety Brauntae Johnson, but Viliamu-Asa’s return means a great deal given his elite skill set.
“He made that play in the backfield early,” Freeman recalled. “I don't know what down it was, but I kind of just chuckled. I said, ‘He's back.’ He's a great player and it's great to have his energy, his presence, the skill set, the playmaking ability. It's great to have him back on that field where he belongs. Really proud of him. He did a good job.”
Entering the game, Viliamu-Asa didn’t need any extra motivation to get back on the field, but the shot of energy from Adon Shuler’s forced fumble to open the game certainly didn’t hurt.
“I think we all feel that way,” Viliamu-Asa said of Shuler setting the tone. “Adon set the tone. That's just who he is. He makes a lot of big plays and definitely comes up in the trenches to do his job.”
Shuler’s forced fumble was a bit of foreshadowing, as Rice couldn’t stop putting the ball on the ground.
The Owls fumbled five times and lost four, which was a point of emphasis for the Notre Dame defense.
“Something we emphasize in practice is ball disruption because of turnover margin,” said Viliamu-Asa. “A lot of times that leads to who wins and who loses games. The practice reps that we do in practice to emphasize getting the ball out and showed today.”
For Notre Dame, though, the biggest takeaway wasn’t just the turnovers.
It was seeing Viliamu-Asa back on the field and looking like the player he was before the injury.
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