Notre Dame football's DJ Brown turns the page after dropped interception vs. Ohio State

SOUTH BEND — DJ Brown, sixth-year safety for Notre Dame football, says he has already moved on.

The potential interception that slipped through his hands with 44 seconds remaining in a 17-14 loss to Ohio State last Saturday? It will not break him.

“Great players make mistakes,” Brown said Tuesday evening after practice. “Great players miss shots. Michael Jordan has missed the game-winning shot. If I don’t learn from this game, the Ohio State game, then I’ve failed.”

Brown, who played all but three of the 69 defensive snaps against the Buckeyes, did nearly everything right on the first-down pass from the Irish 31.

“I had a feeling that’s where the quarterback was going to try to go,” Brown said. “I just jumped the route, undercut it and I ended up not making the play. They didn’t catch the ball that play, and we had six or seven other plays to play after that.”

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The last of those, a 1-yard touchdown plunge for 233-pound running back Chip Trayanum, saw Brown nearly jar the ball loose before the Arizona State transfer fell forward just far enough to cross the plane of the goal line.

“It sucks that we didn’t execute,” Brown said. “It sucks that we didn’t win the game. But we can use this as a lesson as a defense to learn from it.”

Brown, who made a game-sealing interception in the final quarter of a Sept. 9 win at N.C. State, leads Irish special teamers with three tackles despite missing the Central Michigan game with a tight hamstring.

Among Notre Dame defensive backs, according to Pro Football Focus, only cornerback Benjamin Morrison has a higher coverage grade than Brown on the year.

“As safeties, everything you do is a split-second decision,” Brown said. “Based on the angle, based on where the ball is, I’m just going to trust my instincts and do what I do. The second you start thinking about it, then you’re too slow, and the better the team, the faster everything moves. For me it’s about my instincts and trusting where to go.”

Brown spent 10 minutes with the print and digital media and never once shied away from a reminder of Saturday’s disappointment. He was already looking forward to facing Duke and dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard.

“I just want everybody to know I’ve moved on,” Brown said. “I acknowledge where I could’ve been better, and I know when I’m in that position, whatever game it is, I’m going to be grateful for what happened against Ohio State. I feel like I’ve prepared for that moment. For me it’s just wiping the dirt off and just moving on, honestly.”

Follow Notre Dame football writer Mike Berardino on social media @MikeBerardino.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football safety DJ Brown vows to learn from miscue