Notre Dame TE Alize Mack OUT vs. Northwestern
Notre Dame will be down starting tight end Alize Mack this weekend when they make the short road trip to Evanston, Illinois to take on Northwestern. Brian Kelly told reporters on Thursday that Mack who reportedly suffered a concussion against Navy, is out this weekend.
Mack has set career highs in receptions and yards already this year with 27 for 250, but his senior season has still not quite lived up to the hype that has surrounded the athletic tight end. He’s reached the end zone just one time this season and twice in his career to this point.
In Mack’s absence, sophomore Cole Kmet should get the nod at as the starter. Kmet had a career high four receptions for 31 yards last week following Mack’s departure in the first half against Navy. It’s possible that the sophomore could seize this opportunity and not look back. Kmet was utilized downfield more in limited action than we have typically seen Mack used in the past. Notre Dame could look to utilize Kmet more in that regard this way against the Northwestern linebackers.
Fifth year senior tight end Nic Weishar and sophomore Brock Wright figure to be more heavily involved this weekend as well. Both already have caught touchdowns this season with the pair combining for three scores on just five catches. In fact, Kmet is the only Notre Dame tight end to catch a pass and not score a touchdown this season.
The Notre Dame tight ends as a group have been effective this year, but have still not been the weapons that Notre Dame fans had gotten used to before the last few years. They have specifically been disappointing with the ball in their hands and have been taken down by the ankles much more frequently than the tight end position should be at least up until this point in the season.
As the Notre Dame offense continues to evolve the tight end position is one area in which the Irish are looking for more production out of. They will need to get that production without Alize Mack at least for this weekend.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
Here’s to Cole Kmet getting his first touchdown tomorrow!
Hope Alize gets well, we will need Him down the stretch.