Notre Dame Football Big Three Will Headline Blue and Gold Game
Notre Dame football will participate in their annual Blue and Gold Game on April 22, and their offensive big three will be the focus of most fans’ attention.
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When you bring a new starting quarterback into one of the best offenses in the country, you have a storyline. When you bring a new starting quarterback into one of the best offenses in the country that was not one of the best last season, you have the focal point of a team.
For Notre Dame, Brandon Wimbush is their guy, and all eyes will be on him during the 2017 Blue and Gold Game. As a redshirt sophomore, Wimbush is expected to be one of the top passers of 2017. Until we watch him play a game, though, he’s nothing more than hype and robust practice film.
Not saying that Wimbush isn’t going to be great. He was one of the most highly-recruited players in his class and has a ceiling higher than future NFL quarterback, DeShone Kizer. Coming into the Bleu and Gold Game, he’s looking like the key factor to Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff run in 2017.
Behind him will be junior running back, Josh Adams. For the first time in his career, Adams should be utilized as much as he deserves to be. Last season, he only ran the ball 158 times for 933 yards and five touchdowns. Not a lot of opportunities and yet he still put up almost 1,000 yards.
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This year, Adams will be the guy in the backfield. Although he’ll share the run game with Dexter Williams and Tony Jones Jr., Adams will still be the No. 1 guy for Notre Dame on the ground.
The Blue and Gold Game will be the first chance Adams has to work in this new offense. We shouldn’t expect him to get a ton of touches, allowing Williams and Jones to get some work in, but we should expect to see him have a big game.
It’s basically his coming out season. For the first time in three years, we’ll get to see Josh Adams actually handle a full workload. People don’t seem to expect him to be the answer at running back, likely because of his plain style of play, not really showing much flair to his game. But when they see he can be one of the best in the country, Notre Dame fans will warm up to the idea of Adams being the guy in the backfield.
Then, there’s Equanimeous St. Brown. The 6’4 speedster is a big play threat on any down. Last season, as DeShone Kizer’s favorite target, St. Brown caught 58 passes for 961 yards and nine touchdowns. Not bad for a sophomore getting his first playing time in college football.
Now, he returns 20-pounds heavier at 220-pounds and as the primary focus to one of the top receiving cores in the country. This year, teams will want to double ESB, but when they have to deal with players like Aliz’e Jones, C.J. Sanders, Chase Claypool, and more, they’ll learn it’s impossible to put two men on St. Brown.
With a new starting quarterback behind center, St. Brown becomes the go-to in the receiving game. Wimbush will be looking his way on almost every drop back. Fortunately, ESB will likely be open on most targets and is always an option for a big play.
Notre Dame brings their offensive big three to the eyes of the fans during the Blue and Gold Game. Everyone will be watching for Wimbush, Adams, and St. Brown to have monster performances and gain momentum heading into the regular season.
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There’s plenty of action to keep a look out for on April 22. If you’re looking for excitement, though, these three are the players you’re looking for.