How Notre Dame punt blocks have played into the Irish’s favor
It’s one thing to say Notre Dame leads the country in blocked punts with 7. That’s all fine and dandy. But what have those blocks resulted in? Are they truly affecting field position?
In the Irish’s case, absolutely.
Notre Dame opponents averaged 37.86 yards per punt in the Irish’s first 10 games according to CFBStats.com. That ranks No. 4 nationally.
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Fewest opponent yards per punt through Week 11
| 1. Louisiana-Monroe | 36.39 |
| 2. Ken State | 37.33 |
| 3. San Diego State | 37.61 |
| 4. Notre Dame | 37.86 |
| 5. Utah State | 37.89 |
Most recently, senior linebacker Jack Kiser blocked a Navy punt at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Midshipmen punted on fourth and 3 from their own 31. Kiser’s block sent the ball spinning into the air. It only ended up six yards past the original line of scrimmage. On the very next play, Notre Dame junior quarterback Drew Pyne connected with sophomore wide receiver Jayden Thomas for a 37-yard touchdown. The sequence is what gave the Irish a 35-13 lead. As it turned out, Notre Dame needed that block and subsequent score just to hold on to win 35-32.
In the game before that, Clemson punted on fourth and 14 from its own 21. Junior linebacker Jordan Botelho came barreling through the middle of the Tigers’ shield for a point-blank block. That ball shot up into the air, too. It even went backward. Sophomore linebacker Prince Kollie ran up on it, snatched it out of midair at the 17-yard line and took it to the house.
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Both of senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey’s blocks vs. UNLV moved the Irish in the right direction, too. The first Rebels punt was from their own 30. The Irish recovered on the 20. The second punt was from the 29. The Irish recovered on the 14.
Some blocks still make their way downfield and net at least a little bit of a cushion for the kicking team. Notre Dame has made its blocks count, meanwhile. These haven’t just been “get your fingers on them and affect them a little” type of blocks. They’ve been full-blown, “that football is mine” type of blocks. The field position numbers reflect that.
