Notre Dame football: Four players to watch vs. Central Michigan Saturday
SOUTH BEND — Three games down, one to go, and then it really gets interesting for the No. 9 Notre Dame football team.
You know why. At least, you should know why. Before Ohio State week arrives, Central Michigan (1-1) is up first at Notre Dame Stadium. Here are four players to watch in one more game to watch before the college football season gets serious for the Irish.
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CENTRAL MICHIGAN (1-1)
QB BERT EMANUEL JR. (3)
After having to scheme for a dual threat quarterback last week, guess what Notre Dame does this week? Scheme for a dual threat quarterback in Central Michigan redshirt freshman Bert Emanuel, Jr., son of the former veteran NFL wide receiver.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder from Houston sure can run it. He played only 90 snaps as a true freshman last year but made the most of those 90. Emanuel led the Chippewas in rushing in each of the last three games at 124.0 yards per game. He finished with 496 yards on 67 carries. He had a team-best 7.4 yards per carry and seven rush touchdowns.
Emanuel ran 21 times for 101 yards and two scores in CMU’s last-second win Saturday over New Hampshire. He completed seven of 19 passes for 193 yards and two scores. Notre Dame’s defense got its dual-QB feet wet last week in rainy Raleigh against North Carolina State’s Brennan Armstrong, and never allowed him to get out and get going. Time to do it again against Emanuel.
CB DONTE KENT (4)
Corners aren’t necessarily considered game-changers for their tackling skills. Usually if given the choice of tackling or defending passes, a corner will take the latter every single time. Then there’s Kent, a corner known more for his ability to find the ball and get to the ball and stop the ball.
Kent’s nothing if not consistent. Through two games, the 5-11, 180-pounder from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania tallied 20 tackles. He made 10 in the loss to Michigan State. He made another 10 (a team high) Saturday against New Hampshire. It’s surprising to see that Kent is in his first full season as a starter? Why? He played a staggering 898 snaps last year but started only once. Still, he finished sixth on the squad in tackles (51) including a team-best 39 solo stops.
Kent chose Central Michigan over the likes of Penn State, Temple and Virginia Tech. Central Michigan’s defense is suspect at best after allowing New Hampshire to roll up a staggering 538 yards. Kent’s a keeper.
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No. 9 NOTRE DAME (3-0)
LB JAYLEN SNEED (3)
If ever there was a time to turn loose the former four-star recruit from Hilton Head, South Carolina, this is the game. This can be the Saturday we see more of Sneed for more than a series or two or three.
Starting middle linebacker JD Bertrand left the North Carolina State game with a possible concussion. He’s still listed as the starter but wasn’t in pads Tuesday. Notre Dame doesn’t need him for this one. It does need Sneed, who’s in the regular rotation but not a regular on the final stats sheet. It’s been tough for him to secure any consistency with those three veteran LBs lurking.
Sneed has played the first three games but hasn’t done much. He ranks 15th on the team with five total tackles — one solo, four assists. The one solo matches his output from last season. With CMU no threat, it’s a perfect time to rest Bertrand, turn Sneed loose and build even more depth on a defense that will be challenged plenty in the coming weeks.
TE HOLDEN STAES (13)
It took three games for Staes to corner the confidence of the coaching staff from a blocking standpoint (that always comes first at Notre Dame) to the point where he could be trusted to do more in the pass game.
First two games, Staes was targeted once — on a four-yard touchdown catch against Tennessee State. Last Saturday, offensive coordinator Gerad Parker seemingly unlocked something about Staes, who was targeted five times. He made four catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Not bad for someone who caught one pass for 11 yards as a freshman.
Staes’ scores were special. On the first one, he got loose on a sideline route and refused to be pushed out of bounds, shrugging off a shove and sprinting to the end zone. Second one out in the flat, Staes beat the defender, made a degree-of-difficulty catch and tumbled into the end zone.
Saturday was a snapshot of what the 6-4, 242 sophomore Staes can do on a routine basis. Let’s see more of it.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football 4 key players vs. Central Michigan Saturday
