Photo by Rick Kimball/ISD
Notre Dame Football
Morgan: "You don't just fight to fight. You fight to win."
August 7, 2017
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Day one of Fall Camp was not one that was set up for linebackers to shine. No pads and no tackling means not much was expected from that position, even though senior Nyles Morgan looked impressive.
He was moving better than we had seen him from even back in the spring. He broke up a pass in team that almost led to an interception. Generally, he stood out even though linebackers weren't supposed to.
Then the first day of full-pads happened.
Standing out would be an understatement in describing how Morgan played on Saturday. He was vocal as a leader. He made back to back tackles for loss on one series in team. He could have had three sacks if he was allowed to tackle the quarterback. Down to 235 pounds, everything he did suggests that he is on the verge of having a monster final season at Notre Dame.
“I feel really good," Morgan said confidently after practice. "I’ve cut a few pounds here and there. I’m feeling good. Moving around good, playing good.”
The work he put in this off-season appears to have taken his game to a new level and the work on the field with coach Clark Lea has as well. He's always been an attacking player, but he was diagnosing plays faster than he had been before. He needs to credited for that improvement. The improvement from the defensive line as also been a big factor.
Brian Kelly mentioned that it's much more of a battle with the defenders up front against the offensive line compared to the spring. He even said the word "owned" when it came to the line of scrimmage in favor of the other side of the ball a few months ago. Things have now swung back for the defensive line to make it much more even and Morgan has certainly noticed.
“I’ve seen the exact same thing from a better angle, I think," he acknowledged after hearing about Kelly's comments. "The best thing about the D-line is that they are getting that good initial push and then (the linebackers are) hitting our gaps so fast that the (offensive) linemen have got to come off (their blocks)."
The led to plenty of tackles near or behind the line of scrimmage for the front seven towards the end of practice. “It’s really like night and day nowadays because they’ll get back there so fast that the combination (blocks) comes up quick," said Morgan. "And the whole day I’m hitting the hole and the offense is kind of in a panic mode.” Doubling a lineman then scraping to the get the linebacker doesn't work as well if a D-tackle is holding the point of attack. It freed up Morgan to make plays and make a huge impact on Saturday.
The defense wasn't making too many plays earlier in the practice, though. The offense took it to Mike Elko's defense and there were blown assignments and missed tackles. The defense turned it around in a big way by dominating at the end of practice. It might not have went down like that if not for Morgan speaking out to the entire defense after they struggled.
“I was just going off my heart. I just pretty much told ‘em...I asked them, “Why do we fight? You don’t just fight to fight. You fight to win.” Winning comes from inside. You can have all the technique and the mechanics, but you’ve got to want to make that tackle. Make that play. Want to make that stop. I guess that was enough.”
I would say that it was more than enough considering the way the group responded. It means even more that he not only talked the talk to his teammates, but also walked the walk with individual splash plays that set an example for others to follow.
It's clear how much this season and the game in general means to Morgan. He loves to play football and it shows.
“It means everything for me because I have been working on this since...I was 10 years old. I find myself to be just a guy who loves the game. Loves every aspect of it. I love being tired sometimes too.
“It’s just that team aspect. I really thrive for that. I want to see myself succeed as well as my teammates succeed.”
This defense has a chance to succeed in ways they haven't in awhile with Morgan leading the way. Not only is he being vocal as a leader, but he is backing up what he is preaching by putting the fight back into the Fighting Irish defense.
He was moving better than we had seen him from even back in the spring. He broke up a pass in team that almost led to an interception. Generally, he stood out even though linebackers weren't supposed to.
Then the first day of full-pads happened.
Standing out would be an understatement in describing how Morgan played on Saturday. He was vocal as a leader. He made back to back tackles for loss on one series in team. He could have had three sacks if he was allowed to tackle the quarterback. Down to 235 pounds, everything he did suggests that he is on the verge of having a monster final season at Notre Dame.
“I feel really good," Morgan said confidently after practice. "I’ve cut a few pounds here and there. I’m feeling good. Moving around good, playing good.”
The work he put in this off-season appears to have taken his game to a new level and the work on the field with coach Clark Lea has as well. He's always been an attacking player, but he was diagnosing plays faster than he had been before. He needs to credited for that improvement. The improvement from the defensive line as also been a big factor.
Brian Kelly mentioned that it's much more of a battle with the defenders up front against the offensive line compared to the spring. He even said the word "owned" when it came to the line of scrimmage in favor of the other side of the ball a few months ago. Things have now swung back for the defensive line to make it much more even and Morgan has certainly noticed.
“I’ve seen the exact same thing from a better angle, I think," he acknowledged after hearing about Kelly's comments. "The best thing about the D-line is that they are getting that good initial push and then (the linebackers are) hitting our gaps so fast that the (offensive) linemen have got to come off (their blocks)."
The led to plenty of tackles near or behind the line of scrimmage for the front seven towards the end of practice. “It’s really like night and day nowadays because they’ll get back there so fast that the combination (blocks) comes up quick," said Morgan. "And the whole day I’m hitting the hole and the offense is kind of in a panic mode.” Doubling a lineman then scraping to the get the linebacker doesn't work as well if a D-tackle is holding the point of attack. It freed up Morgan to make plays and make a huge impact on Saturday.
The defense wasn't making too many plays earlier in the practice, though. The offense took it to Mike Elko's defense and there were blown assignments and missed tackles. The defense turned it around in a big way by dominating at the end of practice. It might not have went down like that if not for Morgan speaking out to the entire defense after they struggled.
“I was just going off my heart. I just pretty much told ‘em...I asked them, “Why do we fight? You don’t just fight to fight. You fight to win.” Winning comes from inside. You can have all the technique and the mechanics, but you’ve got to want to make that tackle. Make that play. Want to make that stop. I guess that was enough.”
I would say that it was more than enough considering the way the group responded. It means even more that he not only talked the talk to his teammates, but also walked the walk with individual splash plays that set an example for others to follow.
It's clear how much this season and the game in general means to Morgan. He loves to play football and it shows.
“It means everything for me because I have been working on this since...I was 10 years old. I find myself to be just a guy who loves the game. Loves every aspect of it. I love being tired sometimes too.
“It’s just that team aspect. I really thrive for that. I want to see myself succeed as well as my teammates succeed.”
This defense has a chance to succeed in ways they haven't in awhile with Morgan leading the way. Not only is he being vocal as a leader, but he is backing up what he is preaching by putting the fight back into the Fighting Irish defense.
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