Elliott's Performance Highlights Win Over Ball State
Notre Dame got a tougher test than expected from Ball State on Saturday, but one of the bright spots was junior Jalen Elliott.
The junior safety recorded seven tackles and two much-needed interceptions on the day.
“The first one, I had a great play by Nick Coleman on the slant,” recalled Elliott. “He read it perfectly to get his hand in there and tip it. I was standing in the right place at the right time.
“The second time I was helping over the top and tried to make a play on the ball. You hope you’re able to make the plays when Coach puts us in a great position. We have to go out and make the play.”
Elliott’s performance earned him the game ball, but it will provide confidence, which is something Elliott needed to build after being thrown to the wolves the last two seasons.
“He had a great game,” said head coach Brian Kelly. “It was really good to see him. One of the things was for him to grow relative to the ball in the air, tracking the ball, coming down with it, all those kinds of things. He got the game ball.”
Notre Dame’s offense had an up and down day by scoring just 24 points on Saturday, however, the Irish scored after Elliott's interceptions.
“It all goes back to getting off the field and getting the offense the ball back,” Elliott said of the offense taking advantage of the turnovers. “We know we have a dynamic offense and once we get them the ball, they are bound to make a play. We’re just trying to get off the field and give the ball back to them.”
The Irish defense played well for most of the game despite Ball State running 97 plays, the most against a Notre Dame defense in school history.
“They had a good game plan,” explained Elliott. “They executed it. We just had to get the win and get to next week. We’ll get back in the lab and get ready for next week.”
“Everyone we play is going to be good. We have to continue to push each other and push each week leading up to the game during the week in practice.”
While it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, Elliott and the Irish know playing better starts with having a better week in practice.
“We know every time someone comes into this stadium or plays us, we’re going to get their best shot,” stated Elliott. “Every game is nationally televised. We have to step up.
A win is a win. We’ll get in the film room and chop it up. We’ll get everything cleaned up. Right now, we won, and it’s hard to win in college football. We’re not satisfied, but we got the win.”