Notre Dame Football: 3 Players to Watch on the South Florida Defense
By Andrew Hall
Nick Roberts – Free Safety (Junior)
After redshirting his first year at South Florida, Nick Roberts has started 22 out of 25 games. In 2018, he finished fourth on the team in tackles with 72 total stops while collecting 3 interceptions. Last season, Roberts continued his productive play – collecting 63 tackles and 2 interceptions. In the opener against the Citadel, he made 7 total tackles.
Ian Book did not turn in the most polished performance against the Blue Devils. He threw an interception – an inaccurate pass that went off the hands of Tommy Tremble and into the arms of Lummie Young IV. Book tossed another pass over his intended target but that interceptions was wiped out because of an offsides penalty. On Saturday, he needs to pay careful attention to No. 2 of the South Florida defense.
Notre Dame may take advantage of possible mismatches against Roberts. Despite producing at a high rate, Roberts is only 5’11” and 190 lbs. Tommy Tremble and Michael Mayer can take advantage if they are matched up in the pass game. Both Tight Ends outweigh Roberts by about 60 pounds. Overall, Roberts is a productive player who will make plays on Saturday but can be taken advantage of if Notre Dame plays physical from the outset.