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Photo by Rick Kimball/ISD
Notre Dame Football

"Everything starts with our run game." - Chip Long

August 16, 2017
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Notre Dame will conduct a scrimmage on Sunday afternoon inside Notre Dame Stadium, and it will be the first true look at the progress the Irish have made since the spring.

New offensive coordinator Chip Long has flipped the page from installing to watching his offense start to master the playbook.  

“We have most of everything in that we are going to be playing with,” Long said on Wednesday afternoon. “Certain things we will tinker with, obviously. We have gone about three days without installing anything, and guys are playing a lot faster and more physical.”  

TEMPO

It hasn’t been a secret Notre Dame wants to up the pace of the offense this fall, and the preparation started back in January. Long believes the offense has progressed to be able to go fast, but he won’t fully know where they are at until they get to a game scenario.

“The guys have a good understanding, but they still have to get out there and play it in a game,” explained Long. “You can say it all you want, but they have to get out there and feel it. I think we have a great understanding of what we’re trying to do and that’s a been a great thing to see the last week or two.”

Rick Kimball/ISD QB Brandon Wimbush

WIMBUSH

The Brandon Wimbush era is getting closer and closer to officially starting as the Temple game approaches. The junior quarterback has done everything right to this point, and Long appreciates the effort Wimbush has put into his game on a daily basis.

“I like the way he has come to practice every day,” stated Long. “He’s trying to improve and working on things we want him to work on. I thought he did a great job this summer of really advancing in a lot of things we challenged him on this spring.

“We didn’t have to start over when we started Fall Camp, and that’s with a lot of guys too. He’s done a great job of coming to work and getting better. You see him improving every day. He’s getting more comfortable back there.

“He’s not necessarily thinking about the call, but more of how to execute it and how to attack it.”

Wimbush still hasn’t started a game for Notre Dame, and Long knows there will be growing pains, as the New Jersey native still has a long way to go before he fully arrives.  

“He needs to get a whole lot better, and he just needs to go play like a lot of them do,” Long said. “You can see the demeanor in practice, and it’ll be exciting when we finally get to play a game.

“There’s no question he needs to improve each day.”

RUNNING BACK

While the attention of the offense will be centered around Wimbush, the Notre Dame running backs have the opportunity to make his job very easy and Long loves the differences in Autry Denson’s stable of backs.

“All of them do a lot of things well,” said Long. “Each of them are different in their own aspects. Josh (Adams) does a really good job at the point of attack. He’s a bigger guy and does a great job in protection. He has really good ball skills too.

They are going to get as many carries as they can take. - OC Chip Long
"Tony (Jones Jr.) does a very nice job catching the ball out of the backfield and being able to the lineup as a receiver. He runs extremely physical as well.

"Dexter (Williams) comes in with the quickest first step of all of them. He’s catching the ball extremely well and picking up protections better than he’s ever done. He’s coming on strong, and it’s not just running the ball, but it’s the passing game and protections. I have seen him play with a lot of confidence.”

All three backs are going to play, and Long plans to lean on them as much as possible.  

“It doesn’t bother me on who is in the game,” stated Long. “I have a good idea of what all of them are good at, but we’ll likely to have two backs on the field at the same time too. Having those guys come on and feeling comfortable and being interchangeable has really helped me a lot.

“Everything starts with our run game. We’re a run-playaction team, so it’s not about getting enough carries. It’s about who can withstand the tempo and who can stay out there. They do a good job of servicing themselves, so they stay fresh. Coach Denson does a great job of subbing those guys.

“They are going to get as many carries as they can take.”  

Rick Kimball/ISD WR Michael Young

SURPRISES

With a new year and virtually a new team in Long’s case, there are going to be surprises. Most of them have been positive, and it starts with the new receivers.

“You will always have certain surprises,” Long explained. “I have been very pleased with the two transfers, and they have meshed well with the guys. The freshmen have been a surprise too. Michael Young and Jafar Armstrong are two guys doing a nice job for us.

“Cole Kmet has come on strong and will probably be able to provide something for us this year. Those have been good surprises.” 
 
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