Written by Cam Pellegrino
In Saturday’s 35-13 victory over Navy at Gillette Stadium, Notre Dame’s leading receiver was none of the first five names on its receiving yards leaderboard heading into the contest. Instead, it was Jerome Bettis Jr., who had only caught four passes for 92 yards previously.
Bettis hauled in six passes for 78 yards and a touchdown to lead the 7-1 Irish in all receiving categories. Unsurprisingly, he also set career-highs in all three categories, including his first career touchdown.
“I thought he really did a good job of taking advantage of his opportunities,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said of Bettis. “Thought he had a really good week of practice, he’s had good weeks of practice. And as we talked about as a staff, if there's opportunities to be intentional about trying to get guys in the game that can help us, then we're gonna do it.”
On the opening play of the fourth quarter, quarterback CJ Carr looked left as Bettis seemingly sat down for a simple curl route. After getting his cornerback to bite on the double move, Bettis performed a 360-degree twirl and took off down the left sideline, where he had four yards of separation to walk into the end zone untouched.
His 31-yard touchdown reception served as the ultimate dagger, giving Notre Dame the 35-13 lead it finished the game with. He showcased his silky route-running and pure sprint speed, both welcome additions to a wideout corps searching for a solidified fourth option behind Jordan Faison, Micah Gilbert and Jaden Greathouse.
“He’s continued to grow and he’s a guy that’s super consistent for us,” Carr said. “He plays in that boundary spot, is willing to go in and block, and he does that well. And then he’s super consistent in the pass game, he’s going to make contested catches for you. So, super excited to see him get in the end zone today, and he did a great job for us.”
Gilbert logged the first touchdown of the game, but after he was left hobbling and had to get his ankle checked out, Bettis seized his chance to step up in his absence. Freeman is adamant that Bettis would’ve earned snaps regardless of Gilbert’s setback, but it was encouraging to see him seamlessly enter an increased role.
All six of Bettis’ catches came in the second half, and half of them took place across three consecutive plays. On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Atlanta native got on the board by catching a floated seven-yard pass on the right sideline.
Carr went right back to him on the ensuing play, slinging a ball to the same boundary for another nine yards and a first down. After absorbing a massive hit that was not flagged for unnecessary roughness, Bettis sprung right back up and corralled a 14-yard post to set up first and goal.
He closed out his performance with a 12-yard reception from backup quarterback Noah Grubbs as the clock dwindled down toward zeroes. Working in the middle of the field this time, Bettis caught the ball at the sticks, broke a tackle, and earned an additional seven yards after contact.
“The ability to say, ‘Hey, put him in there in this moment,’ and then the play calls and the defense dictate whether the ball goes to him. He capitalized on his opportunities, which is most important for a wide receiver,” Freeman said.
The son of former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, Bettis Jr. has announced himself to college football. More importantly, he has begun to earn the trust of Freeman.
If Bettis can build off of his breakout performance, he will likely become an important fixture of the offense in the home stretch of the regular season. He displayed his quality both inside and outside of the hash
