Notre Dame football's narrative has always been that they are skill positions away from being National Championship contenders. Well, the Irish are now just one win away from rewriting history and etching their names in the history books.
Irish wide outs are showing national media that they are the real deal and can get space and make 50/50 catches. Players like Beaux Collins and Jordan Faison have stepped up all season long and especially in the playoffs. However, the Irish sophomore wide receiver just had a career day in the CFP semifinals.
Notre Dame football's unsung hero crucial skill makes him unstoppable
The blue and gold defeated the Nittany Lions 27-24 in a second half shoot out. Riley Leonard threw for 223 yards and may have found his new favorite wide receiver in Jaden Greathouse.
Entering Thursday night, Greathouse had just three catches for 14 yards, and he left Miami with career day where he hauled in seven catches for 105 yards. The sophomore wide receiver out of Austin, Texas had multiple game saving catches and showed Irish faithful they have a receiver who has the skill to make jump ball catches on either key third downs or in the red zone.
Greathouse seven catches and 105 yards is a new career high, and he found the ball when the Irish needed him to when it mattered most. Notre Dame trailed 10 early and went on to score 17 unanswered because of no.1. it was 3rd and long and Riley Leonard threw a 50/50 ball to 6-1 wide receiver, and he leaped up and made a contested catch than extended the drive. Irish would eventually score just five plays later and take their first lead 17-10.
Greathouse would then have the best drive of any wide receiver this year, where he caught three passes for 71 yards, including the massive 54 yard game tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Greathouse has gone viral for breaking two Penn State defender ankles and getting wide open to secure the touchdown with just four minutes left in the game.
His production didn’t stop there. His final catch came on a 3rd-and-3 at the Penn State 35 yard line, and he secured a weak spot in Penn State defense and was able to pick up 10 more yards and secure a spot in Mitch Jeter field goal range. Jeter three-of-seven catches came on third down and all extended the drives and moved the change for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame wide outs are all having similar seasons, however throughout the playoffs it seems someone different steps up big every game. Round one against Indiana it was Jordan Faison who had a career day. He secured seven catches for 89 yards. If Faison, Greathouse and Evans can work together and get open against Ohio State, this skill position could cause issues for the Buckeyes.
Greathouse career day will be remembered for a long time, and he etched his name in the Notre Dame football history books. The chemistry between Riley Leonard and Greathouse was tremendous all game and hopefully he can do similar number in the National Championship. His skill to track the ball and make 50/50 catches is a skill Irish fans have wanted for a long time and could be unstoppable with Leonard and this rushing attack.