Nevada Wolf Pack

Grade book: Assessing Notre Dame's win over Nevada

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Breaking down the performance of each position unit yesterday against Nevada, complete with a gradebook and MVP for offense, defense and special teams.

Offense

Quarterbacks: DeShone Kizer was nowhere near as dominant as he was against Texas, but he didn’t need to be. His stat line of 156 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 15-for-18 passing is actually a pretty accurate representation of his game overall: solid enough to win this week, not enough for an opponent like Michigan State. His first turnover of the year was a ghastly underthrown pass, but he did say clean in the red zone, which is a huge improvement from last year.

Fortunately for Kizer, Malik Zaire did nothing to suggest he should be starting instead when he came into the game. Zaire was for 4-for-9 passing and had just five yards rushing. He might be the most talented backup in the country, but thus far Zaire has not translated his enormous athleticism into tangible results.

Grade: B

Wide Receivers: With Torii Hunter Jr. sidelined with a concussion, this unit went from inexperienced to downright brand new on Saturday, which made its solid performance all the more pleasing. Equanimeous St. Brown and CJ Sanders filled in admirably and racked up 131 yards and 11 catches, including one score, between them. St. Brown especially looked like a No. 1 target for Kizer, which is encouraging.

Besides those two, four other receivers recorded their first career catches: Kevin Stepherson, Corey Holmes, Chris Finke and Chase Claypool. Stepherson’s first collegiate grab was especially impressive as he ran a slant into the end zone and survived a massive hit to collect the TD. With so little experience entering this season, the wide receivers needed a game in which everyone could chip in, and they did that Saturday.

Grade: B+

Sep 10, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Josh Adams (33) runs the ball as Nevada Wolf Pack defensive end Patrick Choudja (95) defends in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs: The Irish tailbacks took a little while to get going, but once they did, the carnage many expected before the game came to fruition. All told, Notre Dame rushed for 239 yards on 46 attempts, a 5.2 yards per carry average.

Tarean Folston pounded it in for his first score since 2014. Josh Adams broke off a 43-yard rush and needed just 10 attempts to crack 100 yards. Dexter Williams, perhaps the most dangerous third-string back in the country, averaged 7.4 yards per rush and had a score. Even Kizer had a rushing TD, the 12th of his career.

Grade: A-

Tight Ends: Where were the tight ends? Tyler Luatua, Durham Smythe, Nic Weishar and co. were nonexistent, with none of them getting a single target. The only time a tight end made his presence known was when Smythe was called for offensive pass interference. Not a great way to make a name for yourself.

Grade: D-

Offensive Line: After Brian Kelly specifically called out Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson after the Texas game, it was no surprise to see the two respond extremely well. As noted above, the running backs had a strong game, which was due in no small part to good play from the offensive line. The O-Line also allowed no sacks and kept the penalties to a minimum. Not much more you can ask for.

Grade: B+

MVP: Josh Adams, RB

Adams showed his elusiveness and his explosiveness, which were hardly hidden qualities, aplenty against Nevada, and he impressed Brian Kelly a great deal. While it may not have been enough for Kelly to break up his running back committee, Adams should be considered Notre Dame’s 1A going forward after racking up 106 yards on 10 carries. That’s just short of Nevada’s 116 rushing yards, and the Wolf Pack needed 30 rushes.

Sep 10, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Nevada Wolf Pack wide receiver Ahki Muhammad (3) attempts to catch a pass as Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Drue Tranquill (23) defends in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Defense

Defensive Line: After getting lit up by Texas last week, the Irish defensive line imposed its will on the smaller Nevada front Saturday. Isaac Rochell led the way, as he tied for the team lead in tackles with five and added two quarterback hurries.

Daniel Cage was also a force in the trenches, as he came up with a huge stop on fourth down in the first quarter that swung momentum Notre Dame’s way and also nearly forced a fumble on the goal line that was eventually deemed a pass breakup.

Throw in Jarron Jones’s interception and the fact that Nevada had just 48 rushing yards at halftime, when the starters were still playing, and the defensive line had itself a great day. The only black eye is no sacks.

Grade: A-

Linebackers: Te’von Coney got his first career start against Nevada, replacing Greer Martini at “Will” linebacker. He made the most of it, tying for the team lead with five tackles, one of which was for a loss.

But Coney wasn’t even the most impressive linebacker on the day. That distinction belongs to James Onwualu, who took advantage of some great blitzes to go in virtually untouched and terrorize the Nevada backfield on several occasions. He ended the game with five tackles, including two for a loss, and added a quarterback hurry.

Nyles Morgan slowed a little after his impressive game against Texas, but he still tallied four stops and half-tackle for loss. Asmar Bilal chipped in three tackles as a backup, but Martini took a step backwards, committing a personal foul once he made it into the game.

Grade: B+

Secondary: It’s a little hard to judge the secondary’s performance, as starter Shaun Crawford went down with a torn Achilles early on, leaving an already green unit even more vulnerable. In the first quarter especially, it seemed as though Nevada would be able to throw the deep ball at will, just like Texas had.

But the Irish defensive backs made the necessary adjustments and got the job done. Nick Coleman shined when he was asked to step in for Crawford, collecting five stops and a pass breakup. He did have one blown coverage, but by then the game was out of reach.

Safety Drue Tranquill had a nice pass breakup on a long ball that could have easily been a touchdown, and he also had a quarterback hurry. Devin Studstill, in his first career start, had three tackles and looked comfortable, especially as the game wore on. Cole Luke, who earned the coveted No. 1 jersey this week, had a relatively quiet day with just two tackles.

Freshmen Julian Love and Donte Vaughn both got some significant snaps after Crawford’s injury. Neither dazzled, but neither looked glaringly out of place either.

Grade: B

MVP: James Onwualu, LB

Much like on offense, there was no real one standout on the Irish defense. Instead, it was a complete effort as the unit bounced back in a major way from the dumpster fire in Austin, Texas. We’ll pick Onwualu though, because a week after he wore the No. 1 jersey, he looked the part, having fun in the Nevada backfield and making some great tackles en route to a near shutout when the first team was still in.

Sep 10, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver C.J. Sanders (3) runs the ball in the third quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 39-10. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Special Teams

Punting: Tyler Newsome had a rough season opener, and his first punt seemed to be a continuation of that, as it went just 34 yards. But after that he seemed to clean things up, booming two kicks past 50 yards and putting two inside the Nevada 20-yard line. All in all, it was not quite up to the lofty standards Newsome set for himself last year, but it was serviceable.

Grade: B-

Kicking: Justin Yoon had a pretty light workload Saturday, as the Irish settled for a field goal just once, and that was from 21 yards. He nailed it with ease.

Extra points were a little less kind to the Irish, as Montgomery VanGorder seemed to flub the hold on Notre Dame’s first PAT, causing Yoon to miss. The duo recovered to make their next four though, and the miss was never going to make a difference. Still, there’s never an excuse for missing an extra points.

On kickoffs, Yoon had four touchbacks on seven attempts.

Grade: B-

Coverage: Notre Dame’s kick and punt coverage was excellent, so much so to the point that it could be argued it forced a Nevada safety.

After the Yoon kicked a field goal with 12:57 left in the first quarter, he boomed a long kickoff midway into the end zone. The Wolf Pack return man decided to take it out anyway and was tackled at the 16-yard line by Asmar Bilal and Daelin Hayes

The next Irish kickoff, Yoon sent the ball to almost the exact same spot, and Nevada’s Ahki Muhammad seemed at first to want to take it out again, then thought better of it and tried to take a knee, unknowingly going back into the end zone.

Another coverage standout was freshman receiver Chase Claypool, who had two strong tackles.

Grade: A

Punt/Kick Return: CJ Sanders was electric once again in the return game, taking a punt 24 yards back and kickoff 37 yards to give the Irish great field position. Sanders is a marvel to watch in the open field, and even with his increased presence on the offensive side, he will very much remain a threat as a return man.

Chris Finke and Dexter Williams also made a return each, Finke on a punt and Williams on a kickoff. Neither came close to matching Sanders’s stats or his eye-popping moves.

Grade: A-

MVP: CJ Sanders, PR/KR

Could it really be anyone else? Sanders is, in my opinion, the most fun Notre Dame player to watch this season and the Irish’s best return man in recent memory (apologies to George Atkinson and Golden Tate.) His performance against Nevada was just more of the same.

Honorable mention goes to Claypool, who also looks like he could be a dynamic playmaker in a year or two.

Sep 10, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder signals to his players in the third quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 39-10. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Coaching

Offense: The carousel is over, praise be! Give Brian Kelly credit for sticking with Kizer when things didn’t start off so great in the first quarter. While DeShone didn’t exactly light the world on fire like he did against Texas, he did enough to validate Kelly’s faith in him.

Notre Dame’s offensive game plan featured a nice mix of run and pass and was clearly designed to take advantage of the Irish’s huge advantage in talent. It worked to perfection and gave lots of players their first real collegiate experience to boot, especially in the wide receiver corps.

Grade: A-

Defense: Reports of Brian VanGorder’s decline have been greatly exaggerated, it seems. A week after the entire Notre Dame fanbase was ready to give the defensive coordinator the heave-ho, the Irish D delivered a complete effort and throttled Nevada.

At first, things looked a little dicey as the Wolf Pack threw a triple-option look at the Irish that seemed to catch them flat-footed. But Notre Dame adjusted well and got a big stop on fourth down on the first drive of the day, and Nevada eventually returned to a more typical look. Throw out the garbage time touchdown, and you’re left with a pretty good-looking defensive performance. Until next week, it seems we have to give VanGorder some credit.

Grade: A-

Overall

A: 1

A-: 5

B+: 3

B: 2

B-: 2

D-: 1

Overall GPA: 3.23 or just below a B+

That tight ends’ score is really what’s dragging this score down. Without it, the GPA bounces up to 3.41, or between a B+ and A-. And that seems like a pretty fair representation of Notre Dame’s performance: Nothing spectacular, but nothing all that glaring. It was enough to beat Nevada, which is what matters, but Kelly knows his team will have to improve to beat Michigan State.