Notre Dame: Tony Jones Jr. was Offensive Player of the Game vs. USC
Tony Jones Jr. had another monster game for Notre Dame over the weekend.
The Irish offense took a couple of drives to get going. In fact, Notre Dame didn’t score until the second quarter. However, when the offense did get going, they exploded for 30 points on the day.
When a team scores over 30 points in a game, lots of players could be the offensive player of the game. Ian Book was solid, with a passing and rushing touchdown. Cole Kmet was excellent, catching 6 passes, with one of those catches being a Gronk-esque touchdown. However, they were both overshadowed by the offensive player of the game, Tony Jones Jr.
Jones ran the ball 25 times for 176 yards in a workhorse performance.
Even though Jones didn’t get into the endzone, he set the tone for the Notre Dame offense. The USC defense was swarming early. Book looked uncomfortable in the pocket. He was struggling to get the ball to his weapons downfield.
Enter Jones. He attacked, crashing downhill, and keeping Notre Dame ahead of the sticks. By rushing for 7 yards a carry, Jones kept the offense on pace. Second and third downs were manageable because of his performance.
Being a physical runner, Jones was able to tire the USC defense. He set the tone, saying ‘You don’t want to meet me in the hole.’
Most importantly, he got the drive going on Notre Dame’s final scoring drive. Jones ran for two long first downs at the start of the drive. This gave the Irish offense momentum, and got them into a nice rhythm. Those two runs sparked the offensive score, which would seal the Notre Dame victory over USC — an Ian Book touchdown run.
Being able to run the ball effectively over the course of a game matters. It forces the defense to defend both the run and the pass. When you’re averaging 7 yards a carry like Jones did against USC, they need to load the box to stop it. That’s when play action works, as linebackers attack the back and leave gaps to throw into.
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That balance created by Jones’ rushing helped Notre Dame move the ball and get it to players like Kmet. That’s why Tony Jones Jr. was player of the game against USC.